I have 2 FINiBARs 30 minutes pre workout.
But for a decade or so I had a small amount of brown rice (70g uncooked weight) and a small amount of yoghurt (150g) 60 minutes or so before working out.
How do FINiBARs taste? I’m considering ordering some.
[quote]Bricknyce wrote:
How do FINiBARs taste? I’m considering ordering some. [/quote]
I’ve been curious about the FINiBARs also; I can afford to have one pre-workout a few times per week. It’d be nice for days I’m stuck in the studio. Combine one bar with some oatmeal/malto and whey, certainly can not be a bad thing!
I’d like to hear from anyone who has used a finibar varation pre-workout!
Does anyone just time their workout after a meal? I usually go to the gym about 30 minutes after I eat lunch, which usually contains a lot of carbs.
[quote]Blaze_108 wrote:
Does anyone just time their workout after a meal? I usually go to the gym about 30 minutes after I eat lunch, which usually contains a lot of carbs.[/quote]
Always, whole foods I’ll wait 1.5-2 hrs and 60 minutes or less with shakes.
FINiBARs are amazing. i like the peanut butter ones better…the chocolate ones are a little too chocolaty
It’s crazy to me that some [apparently most] people can go to the weightroom so soon after eating. I need at least 1.5 hours, but usually wait at least 2. Any sooner and I feel bloated and worthless.
[quote]hlss09 wrote:
FINiBARs are amazing. i like the peanut butter ones better…the chocolate ones are a little too chocolaty [/quote]
I used to like the PB ones better, but the taste has changed somewhat in the most recent packages… and the dark chocolate one has become chewier so dark chocolate for the m’f win.
[quote]Rocky2 wrote:
I like a serving of spaghetti and a cup of chocolate milk:
[/quote]
that sounds like a pretty gross combo right there lol
[quote]Chi-Towns-Finest wrote:
[quote]Bricknyce wrote:
How do FINiBARs taste? I’m considering ordering some. [/quote]
I’ve been curious about the FINiBARs also; I can afford to have one pre-workout a few times per week. It’d be nice for days I’m stuck in the studio. Combine one bar with some oatmeal/malto and whey, certainly can not be a bad thing!
I’d like to hear from anyone who has used a FINiBAR varation pre-workout![/quote]
They taste really good… Well the peanut butter ones do anyway. I havent tried chocolate cause I’m not a huge chocolate fan. I like the FINiBARs casuse they are really quick and light in your stomach. I only eat one before training (cause they’re expensive and I am a poor bastard)
They make me more vascular… whenever I workout after having one I am noticeably more vascular than when I workout without them. just my 2cents
ya, i agree. they’re awesome. the pb flavor has become a bit harder - i thought i was going crazy…but still, peanut butter is my crack
and it may be off topic, but @ gregron:
how did you get your physique, with the big chest and small waist? A lot of guys say that in order to get that “ripped” look, one must first get bigger and put on a little fat, then cut down. has this been true in your experience? I recall you saying that you’re taller, like me…I’ve found that a lot of things that work for shorter guys doesn’t work for us tall folk, but then again, i’m fairly new to this whole game…so any words of wisdom would be great.
and one more thing - why are there so many theories on carbs? I’ve heard guys like Chi Town and Mighty Stu say to go high carb, some guys like Shugart say to go super low, and others like Thibs say to even go keto at times…Hasn’t science reached any sort of conclusion? I realize that it’s not smart to focus on too much minutia, but there are just SO many opinions out there that it is sometimes hard to know who to listen to…
[quote]hlss09 wrote:
and it may be off topic, but @ gregron:
how did you get your physique, with the big chest and small waist? A lot of guys say that in order to get that “ripped” look, one must first get bigger and put on a little fat, then cut down. has this been true in your experience? I recall you saying that you’re taller, like me…I’ve found that a lot of things that work for shorter guys doesn’t work for us tall folk, but then again, i’m fairly new to this whole game…so any words of wisdom would be great.
and one more thing - why are there so many theories on carbs? I’ve heard guys like Chi Town and Mighty Stu say to go high carb, some guys like Shugart say to go super low, and others like Thibs say to even go keto at times…Hasn’t science reached any sort of conclusion? I realize that it’s not smart to focus on too much minutia, but there are just SO many opinions out there that it is sometimes hard to know who to listen to…[/quote]
Im not a tall guy. I’m only 5’11"… But yeah I’ve had my fatter times. I was never what i consider “fat” but i’ve been without abs several times. I like to stay fairly lean most of the time because for me its all about aesthetics ya know? I was in the military for 6 years and was required to do LOTS of running and swimming along with other very demanding stuff so I know that slowed my potential progress a lot. I could never really go on all out “bulks” because it would have hurt my job performance to put on unnecessary weight.
I’ve never gone on a “cut” before. I’ve had periods where I try to lean up a bit by adding a little more cardio here and there and cutting out some carbs and things but I’ve never done an all out dedicated cut per say. I did the RFL after I had shoulder surgery though. I was VERY unimpressive looking then lol. I couldnt workout for a few months prior and was kinda depressed feeling about it to be honest. Then it was a long recovery where I just sat on the couch taking pain pills, playing video games and feeling sorry for myself lol. I needed a quick rebound jump start to “get back into the game” so to speak so I did the RFL and then got back on my normal training schedule.
My personal opinion is to figure out what works best for you. Dont be afraid to put on a little bodyfat when you’re trying to gain muscle. Its not a sprint its a marathon. So you might have a little chub for a while but 2 or 3 or 4 years down the line when you look awesome all the time are you gonna really care about the early “growing pains” of not having a 6 pack? I dont think so. If you go on some crazy all out bulk and gain lots of fat… you probably did something wrong lol.
as far as what you said about different carb theories:
Well thats pretty easy actually. There are different theories because everyone IS different. Different people react different ways to carbs. Some people are hard core low carb because their body doesnt do well with carbs. Some people can eat all the carbs they can handle and are still ripped. Such is life and genetics. I dont count my carbs but I usually have quite a few. I would say that my carb intake is at least 300grams a day? I dont do the carb cycling thing but if I ever decide to try and get really lean I might try it.
Sorry for the wall of text 
thanks for the advice man. do you do cardio? And at what point did you stop “bulking” and get lean/ how did you do that?
[quote]hlss09 wrote:
thanks for the advice man. do you do cardio? And at what point did you stop “bulking” and get lean/ how did you do that? [/quote]
the “cardio” i do is very limited. I’ve been hitting up the rowing machine at my gym lately as my warm up. I’ll get on there and row 2,000 meters to start off my workout. Gets a good sweat going and gets my heartrate up. Then maybe 2 times a week I’ll end my workout with some sort of a circuit. I’ll use my weight vest, weighted jump ropes and do some burpees, jump ropes, mountain climbers, sprint type circuit. I’ll change up what I do it all just depends on how I feel.
as far as steady state goes, my new favorite thing is the stair master. I’ll do that for 20 minutes maybe once a week if there is a good movie playing in my gyms cardio theater. Thats about it. I dont do anything else and barely do the SS stuff.
as far as stopping bulking? I go for how I look. I really just want to keep putting on weight. Im 210-213 these days and would like to be this same level of leanness but at 225… maybe slightly leaner at 225. I think that would be sick. I’m dont know if I’ll be satisfied when I hit 225 so we’ll just have to see.
[quote]hlss09 wrote:
I’ve heard guys like Chi Town and Mighty Stu say to go high carb, some guys like Shugart say to go super low, and others like Thibs say to even go keto at times…Hasn’t science reached any sort of conclusion? I realize that it’s not smart to focus on too much minutia, but there are just SO many opinions out there that it is sometimes hard to know who to listen to…[/quote]
It’s not a matter of “high” carbs, but merely understanding two factors…
1- Your nutrient intake must match your stresses and expenditures each day
2- Carbs will spare your muscle tissue when dieting, so avoiding them for prolonged periods is usually not a method employed by many successful natural BBers.
Right up to a show, I’ll still have some days each week where I’m taking in 300g of carbs. Of course during the same week I’ll have days where I’m under 50g. Again, it’s all dependent on what demands you’re placing on your body on any given day. If you fail to understand this, you’ll never be ripped with muscle at the same time. You’ll see a lot of carb phobic types who fear getting fat (again), so much so that they always keep their carbs on the lower side. Yes, some people are more insulin resistant than others, but for the most part, former fatties tend to underestimate how much they can actually take in. Shugart is a former fatty (he admits this, so don’t jump down my throat about it). Also, while his “physique” may be something out of shape folks aspire towards, no one with bodybuilding-type goals would envy his build. Keep in mind his audience when you read his articles. Sure, I enjoy his inspiration stuff, and do think he’s a very good writer, but I wouldn’t base any of my workout approaches on what he does.
S
yeah, i hear you. He seems to be geared more toward the realistic, easier to attain physique than the BBer prepping for a competition. Since you guys to know a lot, I also was curious how you view deload weeks… Do you do them? And if so, then how often? Or do you just take a whole week off every now and then?
Well said Stu! You can call it refeeding, you can call it carb cycling – one way or another I don’t go over a week without having a high dose of carbs. When I’m getting leaner I’ll have a couple higher carb days.
[quote]hlss09 wrote:
yeah, i hear you. He seems to be geared more toward the realistic, easier to attain physique than the BBer prepping for a competition. Since you guys to know a lot, I also was curious how you view deload weeks… Do you do them? And if so, then how often? Or do you just take a whole week off every now and then?[/quote]
I take DJ’s advice on this and have 5-6 weeks out of the year where I take time off, usually I’ll practice other facets of fitness. Maybe one week where I don’t do anything. I’m considering doing 5-3-1 this post-contest and will include deloading if I decide to take that route.
i had the original FINiBARs (only pb flavor available, much denser consistency) and really like them. when they changed them a bit, i found that i loved both flavors, but the pb ones don’t sit as well in my stomach for lifting. i can eat 1-3 FINiBARs within a half hour of lifting and feel great. i also find myself fighting the urge to consume them all the freakin’ time.
[quote]WhiteFlash wrote:
It’s crazy to me that some [apparently most] people can go to the weightroom so soon after eating. I need at least 1.5 hours, but usually wait at least 2. Any sooner and I feel bloated and worthless.[/quote]
i used to be the same way until i would literally FORCE myself through my workouts after pigging out… threw up in my mouth a couple times but now i have no problems with a big pre-workout meal
not that i recommend it but i believe you can get past that in a couple weeks or so