The Shinchi Ultimatum

Updates to my new supplement stacks, which has changed significantly since August.

Workout Day

Wake up
Whey protein (1 scoop ) + 5g BCAA

Preworkout
Superpump 250 (1 scoop, 45 mins before)
Whey protein (1 scoop, 5 mins before) , 20g protein, 120 calories

Post workout
Muscle Juice (4 scoop, immediately) . 50g protein, 1000 calories

Before Sleep
ZMA (1 serving)
MHP Up your Mass (2 scoop) 20g protein, 300 calories + 5g BCAA

Non-workout Day

This is the ultimate save money stack. Why?

Wake up
Whey protein (2 scoop )
Universal Storm (1 scoop)

Before Sleep
ZMA (1 serving)
Controlled Labs White Blood (3 caps)
MHP Up your Mass (2 scoop) 20g protein, 300 calories

Superpump 250 gives me all the NO and Creatine I need, and due to its potency, I avoid additional creatine because of it. Muscle Juice is super cheap for $84 for 26 servings. With 1000 calories, I never need to worry about not enough calories. And mind you its not some empty calories from some cheese burgers. I gain 1.5 kg so far, with no increase in body fat % with this stack.

Oh yea, people blame bad genes for everything. I want to fight that.

My grandma died of pancreas cancer and my grandpa died of colon cancer. My mum and my sister is a carrier of Thalassemia. My dad has diabetes. All my grandparents had diabetes. Almost all the cousins on my dad side are obese.

Bad genes ? I do the calculation and I think I have a slight chance of beating it. If all my grandparents had diabetes, and my dad has it, then chances that I will have it in my lifetime is 80%. The only way I can avoid it is to delay the onset of it my controlling my blood sugar and prevent insulin spike. I do that my avoid all refined sugar, go with only whole food. So I do that.

What about cancer? Oh, eat a lot of anti-oxidants. Eat berries, drink Green Tea! Avoid deep-fried food. Exercise everyday. So I eat berries everyday. Cut all my deep-fried food. And exercise! Green tea rocks!

Great! I am winning the war against bad genes

Then I just got suspected for kidney stones. Great, my uncle got kidney stones too so it is probably hereditary. I do a check and realize that spinach and berries and tea has a high level of oxalate which could be causing them. High Protein diet also increase the risk of it. My daily diet consist of nuts, spinach, berries and green tea. Spinach has the highest level of oxalate. Who will know that eating green vegetables will go so wrong. I mean, Popeye ate it everyday right? And all the strawberries, green tea! Well, it turns out that these food only increase the risk factors for humans under the risk of kidney stones. They do not pose a risk in healthy humans. So? I guess its bad genes again.

Okay, now I have a choice!

Choice 1: Eat a low-protein, high carbs diet. And get Diabetes
Choice 2 : Eat a high-protein, low carbs diet. And get Kidney Stones
Choice 3: Eat a mid-protein, mid carbs diet. And have a slight chance of getting both Kidney Stones and Diabetes
Choice 4: Every whatever I want , and follow the route of my predecessor. Who cares right ?

No way I am succumbing to genes!

I will cut my protein, double my fluid intake (I am already drinking 1 gallon a day), cut all the Oxalate sources. So no berries, peanuts, coffee, tea, spinach , chocolate for me. Then I cut all my protein to lower my risk for kidney stones. Next I cut all my carbs to prevent any insulin spike. Next I cut all fat to prevent heart disease.

So my next meal will be…hmmm… just water ?

Expensive Oatmeal is higher in fibre and takes generally longer to cook to soften

Cheaper Oatmeal has a low of “hard” case that make you feel like biting on a nail. But then it can be 4x cheaper than organic oatmeal.

Which one to choose from is up to your budget. I start with expensive ones but now succumb to cheaper alternatives. I might be going for MRP soon to lower my meal cost

Recently I picked up Universal Storm to replace SAN-V12 as my pre-workout supp. The reason is because Storm is cheaper, contains 80 servings to v12’s 50. Also Storm contains more creatine than v12’s. Since I am ditching my old Creatine Ethyl Ester because they do not work for me, Storm looks like a quality product for its price.

Results? I get the same endurance + strength from both supps. Although I can see my veins swell more with V12, probably due to a higher AKG in it as compared to Storm. However, in terms of weights wise, not much different. I am still making good progress, so I reckon both works for me, also psychologically I must admit i miss all the veins popping V12 gave me.

I also start using the bottle of Beta Alanine I got a while back. Results ? Awesome. The amount of volume I can lift with or without Beta Alanine is a big difference, which can be as much as 5 pounds for incline dumbbell press.

My take ? Most preworkout supplements works more or less the same. Just make sure they got enough creatine and AKG. What’s important part is that you actually take one. To break plateau, try Beta Alanine if you haven.

About Beta Alanine:
This amino acid forms carnosine by binding with the amino acid, histadine. Research shows that athletes who supplement with beta-alanine have more strength and muscle endurance. That means you can lift more total weight and lift a given weight for more reps with regular supplementation.

“I well remember the feeling of going to bed each night, envisioning my workout the following day, and then, upon waking, feeling restless until the moment I stepped into the gym. I also remember how I imagined every morsel of food I ate turning into raw muscle, and how that muscle was just waiting for me to get back into the gym so that I could sculpt it to perfection in my next workout.” Arnold Schwarzenegger, giving advice to young bodybuilders, Flex Magazine August 2008

I am feeling the same way, at least the restless part

What do I eat everyday to now to gain mass. My goal is to gain to 68kg. I gained 1.5kg from 63kg so far. I am slowly increasing my calories intake to around 2800 calories, but I do not want to jump so fast from 1800 calories per day to 2800 calories per day, but I will slowly increase it as the days goes by.

To gain mass, I take only high GI carbs in the morning and post workout, and low GI carbs along all meals.  Only water or green tea is allowed still.

Breakfast :
1 Whey Protein + BCAA 
4 white eggs
100g Oatmeal
15 BlueBerries OR Dry Raisin
Supplements: 1x Animal Pak, 1x CLA, 1x Flaxseed Oil, 2x Cod Fish Oil, 1x L-Carnitine
 =  600 calories

Breakfast 2 :
2 slice Whole wheat bread with Peanut butter
= 250 calories
 

Lunch : 1 can tuna  in water with black pepper and 1 cup brown rice **
Supplements: 1x CLA, 1x Flaxseed Oil, 1x Cod Fish Oil, 1x L-Carnitine
= 330 calories
 

Pre-workout : 1x apple , 1 x Whey protein with BCAA, 1 slice whole wheat bread with peanut butter
Supplements: 5oomg Vitamin C, 2.25 L-Arginine, 1x V-12 (4 gram creatine, 1.5 gram Arginine)
= 360 calories 

Post-workout: 1x Whey protein, 1 x Casein protein + Soy Milk , all mix together with BCAA 
Supplements: 2.25 gram creatine
= 440 calories 

Dinner: chicken breast without skin + broccoli and 1 cup brown rice *
1/2 cup salad with white wine vinegar
Supplements: 1x CLA, 1x Flaxseed Oil, 1x Cod Fish Oil, 1x L-Carnitine
= 370 calories 

Before Sleep : 1x Casein protein + 12 Almonds
Supplements: 1x ZMA, 1x V-12 (4 gram creatine, 1.5 gram Arginine), 500mg Vitamin C, 2.25g L-Arginine
= 220 calories 

All day long : Only plain water or green tea is allowed

Total : 2470  calories per day

*change with Salmon twice a week, and change with Lean Steak once a week
** or 2 slice whole meal bread with 3 slice turkey ham with onions

What do I eat everyday to go from 80kg to 63kg, in 3 months. 

To get lean, I only have carbs in the morning, and post workout, no exception. Carbs in the morning, a mix of high-GI to jump start your metabolism, and a low GI bread to power the day. 4 egg whites for the protein. All the other meals must be high protein and no carbs. Only water or green tea is allowed.

Breakfast :
1 Whey Protein + BCAA
4 white eggs + 2 Whole grain bread
Smoothie: 4 strawberries , 10 blueberries, 3 tablespoon greek yogurt, 1 Yakult , half cup water – Blend
Supplements: 1x Animal Pak, 1x CLA, 1x Flaxseed Oil, 2x Cod Fish Oil, 1x L-Carnitine
= 520 calories
Breakfast 2 : 1x Casein Protein
= 120 calories
 

Lunch : 1 can tuna  in water with black pepper
Supplements: 1x CLA, 1x Flaxseed Oil, 1x Cod Fish Oil, 1x L-Carnitine
=200 calories
 

Pre-workout : 1x apple , 1 x Whey protein with BCAA
Supplements: 5oomg Vitamin C, 2.25 L-Arginine, 1x V-12 (4 gram creatine, 1.5 gram Arginine)
= 160 calories 

Post-workout: 1x Whey protein, 1 x Casein protein + Soy Milk , all mix together with BCAA
Supplements: 2.25 gram creatine
= 340 calories 

Dinner: chicken breast without skin + broccoli *
Supplements: 1x CLA, 1x Flaxseed Oil, 1x Cod Fish Oil, 1x L-Carnitine
= 240 calories 

Before Sleep : 1x Casein protein + 12 Almonds
Supplements: 1x ZMA, 1x V-12 (4 gram creatine, 1.5 gram Arginine), 500mg Vitamin C, 2.25g L-Arginine
= 220 calories 

All day long : Only plain water or green tea is allowed

Total : 1800 calories per day

*change with Salmon twice a week, and change with Lean Steak once a week

This year has been a lot of experimenting for me. “Weights” and “Gym” is 2 things that never appear in my daily routine dictionary before. Now that I pick up bodybuilding for several months now, I have experiment many supplements and I want to talk about what works for me so if you, is an amateur like me, will probably find it work for you too.

So supplements I take:

Note that every meal I take with me: (breakfast, lunch, dinner)
Ultimate Nutrition CLA – to help fat burning ,
ON Flaxseed Oil – Flaxseed, contains CLA too
Cod Fish Oil – Omega 3 and DHA
NOW L-Cartinine – push fat cells into mitochondria for energy
The above are stable fat supplements. These fats and acid helps you burn fat. This is especially important if you are on a high-protein, low-carb diet. Prolonged low-carb diet really will make you stupid (I can feel it as I am a software engineer) and make your reaction slow. They can slow down your metabolism too. These sups ensure that its fat the body is burning not your precious proteins.

Morning:
Universal Animal Pak (Multi Vitamins)
Animal Pak is bread and butter. Period. Nothing beats it. Improvement jumps after having it. Able to go for high weights, recover faster, and last longer. There are no magic or rocket science in Animal Pak, it is just vitamins. But its what your body need. Zinc, Magnesium and Calcium for Testosterone, Vitamins B for protein synthesis and Vit D for strong muscle and bones. Its a MUST. 11 pills each serving. Super hard to swallow. But its worth every penny. A must take.

Pre-workout:
S.A.N V-12
The good thing about living in Singapore is that you can count on the “if it is available in Singapore, it is safe”. I do a lot of research and compare between N.O Xplode, VPX NO SHOTGUN, and a couple others NO product before going for S.A.N V-12. While I find an increase in strength after having Animal Pak, S.A.N V-12 allow me to focus. V-12 contains 4g of Creatine and 1.5 g of Arginine. But its enough. Usually after 2-3 exercise, I tend to skip 1 exercise. For example, I cannot really force myself to do the barbell overhead extension after the preacher curl. With V-12, you focus. The energy level during a set is the same. But after the set, your strength recover, and your mind tells you,”OK, NEXT!”. Basically I do not think it allow me to lift more, but it allow me to complete my entire workout, no cheating, no half-done sets, and thats V-12.

Axis Lab Arginine Ethyl Ester
Not much effect. I still have it now since V12 only have 1.5g of Arginine and I want to push the amount to 3-5g. But its mostly useless. I will switch brand after I finish this.

Axis Lab Creatine Ethyl Ester
No effect at all. V12 contains creatine so I now just have V12. No bloating, no side effect like the monohydrate counterpart. But no increase in strength too. Save your $.

HMB
I admit it removes the backache, and some muscle pain. But thats all, no significant increase in strength, and it is expensive. I finished my bottle and still feel no different. I switched to old school BCAA.

ON BCAA Powder
BCAA is the building block of the muscle. Its cheap and just mix it with your pre and post workout Whey protein. Just tried but I do feel good during workout. Not sure if it is placebo effect, will continue and see.

Ultimate Nutrition Whey Protein
30g of protein per serving. But too sweet for me. Did not see much improvement but I was on cutting phase so no comments. I switch back to ON Whey Protein because I like the taste better

Optimum Nutrition Whey Protein
Good taste, Good price ($7x ) per tub. If Jim Stoppani is drinking it, why shouldnt you ?

Post workout
BCAA + 2 Whey Protein + Some High-GI Carbs
This is pretty old school . Just protein for protein synthesis.

Before Sleep
ON Casein Protein
24g of slow digesting protein to prevent catabolism during sleep

V-12
Don’t worry, it won’t keep it awake. It does not contain caffeine. It does not contains sugar too so no insulin spike. Put creatine into your body for another day of workout

Arginine
Some NO before sleep. Not much effect on sleep too, no worries

ZMA
Just before I close my eyes. This one boost your testosterone, which means growth

So thats what I am having. Hope it helps for those looking around for supps. Some supps works great, some don’t and some are just plain expensive. I will update you guys if I try anything else.

Keep pumping!!

This can cost me $16. Yes, $16 ! compared to a local brand of $2. I did not see the price tag properly and I was under the impression that it is around $2 too. Actually, $2 is the can _next_ to it. I only realize how costly it is when I am at the cashier.

However, for what you get, or rather, what you don’t get, the price is being justified.

Each serving contains 0 Fat, 0 Cabs, and 16g of protein. Ultimate body builder food. What can you ask for ?

For a girl, they need to spend money into buying cosmetics, and to us, there are endless variety of them. Foundation powders, Foundation cream, eyelashes curl, lipsticks to name a few. These can easily add up to a hundred plus for each ’stockup’ trip , not to mention those cleansers, mask, etc. I feel that it is so easy to earn money from women. That is before I start my hobby of bodybuilding.

Now, I am spending more money than her cosmetics. Health supplements – Whey protein, Casein Protein, Creatine, HMB capsules, Multi-vitamins. Take Whey Protein for example, 1 bottle of Whey Protein, which last for an average of 1 and a half months, will cost around $100. Her foundation cream that last as long cost $30 bucks. Together with other supplements I take on mealy basis, its not difficult to calculate that I am spending like $400-500 dollars on supplements alone every 2 months, for mine stockup.

The biggest cost goes to food. I spend an average of 2 trips to the supermarket each week, buying Salmon, chicken, eggs, bananas, blue berries, strawberries, will cost around $60 each. Now, instead of eating the $2 Nasi Lemak I used to have everyday, I am having $6 Salmon for lunch. Breakfast can easily exceed $8 dollars with 3-4 egg whites, Yogurt , and whole grains. 

So if you are always grumbling that your girl is spending way too much money on her stuff, it is probably that you are not spending enough on yourself to look good while she is making herself so.