Hi there my question to you all is are supplements useful to me currently? I am 17 years old, been lifting for around a year and a half/2 years.
My current diet is as follows:
1.Tin of baked beans, 2 rounds of toast and a pint of milk
2.Apple+Cashew nuts
3.Rice, mushrooms, peppers, grass fed minced beef, kidney beans in 2 tortilla wraps
4.Apple+Peanut butter (Pre-workout)
5.40g whey protein w/banana (post workout)
6.2 salmon fillets+ tin of garden peas
I also have another pint of milk before bed. So this is my current diet (any criticisms/suggestions are welcomed on this) and my question is really do I need whey protein after a workout or any supplements for that matter or should I replace this with a meal instead and load up on carbs here? My main goal is to bulk up I am not too concerned with gaining fat as I a not looking for abs yet, thanks in advance to any help!
5’6, 141lb to be honest I have been guilty of plan jumping massively so really stunted my progression, currently at a 155lb bench, 180lb squat and 220lb deadlift
I’m the exact same height and weight as you. However, I’m 33…so you can probably get away with things diet wise better than I can. What is your total caloric intake?
I usually just do a peri workout shake like Plazma and eat 45 minutes after training… Maybe try implementing as peri workout nutrition, this would cover your pre workout meal and protein and you could eat a bit after training. You should focus on building up your strength right now if you want to see awesome results in the long run, I found when I really got over all stronger in my main lifts it maximized my hypertrophy potential and results.
Just keep it as simple as possible and always stick with the basics and fundamentals.
More protein might help, but I think you’ve found the main problem at the moment. Stick to a plan for a good 4-6 months so you can evaluate how it’s going. Then start changing things around with your diet. That way you’ll have a good baseline to compare things with.
[quote]PlacidLifter wrote:
[…] do I need whey protein after a workout or any supplements for that matter or should I replace this with a meal instead and load up on carbs here? My main goal is to bulk up I am not too concerned with gaining fat as I a not looking for abs yet, thanks in advance to any help!
[/quote]
no. you do not need it.
It won’t hurt either, but if you are limited by your budget i would advise you to invest in food first, if you have enough money to by pretty much all the food you want (from high quality sources), then you can start to think about supplementation.
Whey is a good supplement, if your diet is lacking in protein.
EDIT: for amount of protein, there really isn’t any evidence of additional benefit from consuming more than ~2g Protein per kg of bodyweight (and thats already including a big ‘safety’ margin)
[quote]TC wrote:
Placid, have you figured out how much protein you’re taking in per day?
That’ll will help you figure out if you need your protein supplements.
For most, people, it’s very hard to ingest the prescribed amount of protein without using supplements.
(You should probably get at LEAST 1 gram per pound, and I’m not sure you’re there, based on what you described.)[/quote]
It’s actually around 150-160g with the help of the milk and of course the whey protein post workout, however I feel as though if I were to have a small meal post workout instead this would be more beneficial?
PL, maybe we’re asking the wrong questions. What is it about using a protein supplement that you’re unsure about? Probably 99% of lifters use them because they digest quickly, are formulated towards muscle growth (the better ones, anyhow), and make it much easier and more practical to ingest a lot of protein (as opposed to the alternative, which is eating a barnyard of chickens).
TC, the two main problems I have with using a protein supplement is the fact it costs so much and as I’m a student I find it hard to get money together to purchase a tub. My second problem is that after I have my post workout shake I feel full and bloated which stops me from eating for about 2 hours and from what I’ve heard, it’s beneficial to have a complete post workout meal as quickly after a workout as possible?
And so by having this protein it means that I miss this window, of course this may be ‘bro-science’ but I just need advice on it really. Mainly though it’s due to me being rather low on funds and I feel that even without a whey supplement, given that I am only 17 I would still make good gains with a solid diet?
[quote]PlacidLifter wrote:
TC, the two main problems I have with using a protein supplement is the fact it costs so much and as I’m a student I find it hard to get money together to purchase a tub. My second problem is that after I have my post workout shake I feel full and bloated which stops me from eating for about 2 hours and from what I’ve heard, it’s beneficial to have a complete post workout meal as quickly after a workout as possible?
And so by having this protein it means that I miss this window, of course this may be ‘bro-science’ but I just need advice on it really. Mainly though it’s due to me being rather low on funds and I feel that even without a whey supplement, given that I am only 17 I would still make good gains with a solid diet?[/quote]
You don’t have $30 to spend on a tub of protein?
I agree with others. It seems like your diet is lacking in protein. Typically in the weight lifting world, a protein source is the basis of every meal.
I agree with others. It seems like your diet is lacking in protein. Typically in the weight lifting world, a protein source is the basis of every meal. [/quote]
No I don’t have $30. As money is tight for me with no job I have to prioritise and I believe protein powder to be lower on my list of priorities currently. My meal plan has at least 130g of protein and I know that may not be enough so are there any easy changes/additions I should consider food-wise?
I agree with others. It seems like your diet is lacking in protein. Typically in the weight lifting world, a protein source is the basis of every meal. [/quote]
No I don’t have $30. As money is tight for me with no job I have to prioritise and I believe protein powder to be lower on my list of priorities currently. My meal plan has at least 130g of protein and I know that may not be enough so are there any easy changes/additions I should consider food-wise?[/quote]
Eggs, lentils and canned tuna are cheap protein sources that you can easily add to your diet.
Eggs, lentils and canned tuna are cheap protein sources that you can easily add to your diet. [/quote]
Thankyou very much I’ll be sure to try and incorporate these foods into my diet :)[/quote]
don’t know about else where but in UK whey is cheaper than other food sources. essential for those trying to save money IMO.
I agree with others. It seems like your diet is lacking in protein. Typically in the weight lifting world, a protein source is the basis of every meal. [/quote]
My meal plan has at least 130g of protein and I know that may not be enough so are there any easy changes/additions I should consider food-wise?[/quote]
Hope you;re not including bean/toast protein in that
Hope you;re not including bean/toast protein in that[/quote]
I used beans as 10g of that protein yes, does that not count or something?[/quote]
PL, the trouble with plant proteins is that they don’t contain all of the amino acids necessary for mammalian growth; they’re not a “complete” protein. However, if you get complete proteins in other meals during a roughly 24-hour period, they can act in a complimentary fashion.
That being said, I understand the money issue, but I’m still thinking that a protein powder like Biotest’s, with 31 30-gram servings, is about the same or even less expensive than buying the equivalent amount of protein in food.
