Couple of questions

[dinamo]

I'm on day ten of phase I, and I notice some soreness in my legs. Is it because my body is not used to stretching this often. I never really stretched truly before so the stretches feel great after i perform them. Is this initial soreness normal?

I know I'm supposed to be following the meal plan at about %90 as well but I haven't been able to concoct an edible recovery drink yet :P The protein I have does not mix well with the other ingredients. I'm going to be buying Biotest surge, and i was wondering if it tastes good, and if anyone has any flavor recommendations.

Thanks alot, Miro.

[smittygouv]

Sure you can get sore from stretching... your physically lengthening the muscle by adding sarcomeres in series.

What are the ingredients of your shakes?

[dinamo]

Dymatize Xpand - Orange
Champion Nutrition Pure Whey Protein Stack -- Strawberry
InterACTIVE Nutrition GlycoCarb - Natural Unflavoured **ONLY Available in Western Region**

They don't mix well at all, even though I have a shaker I still get chunks. On top of that, I'm not good at stomaching bad tasting drinks.

Thanks for the quick response.

[smittygouv]

I've never tried any of those products. I don't know if you will like this idea any better or not but I just mix gatorade powder with whey protein powder. It usually mixes well although there tend to be some chunks from time to time. I prefer orange flavored gatorade with vanilla whey protein (It's almost like a creamsicle). It's pretty sweet but it's going to be much better on your wallet, especially if you buy in bulk, than buying surge.

I also put NO-Xplode in my preworkout shake which makes that one REAL sweet. I would experiment with gatorades and other powders unless money isn't an issue.

[Dhocott]

Fruit Punch Gatorade and Vanilla Whey tastes pretty good too.

[smittygouv]

I've yet to try the fruit punch... I'll give it a shot. I've tried orange, lemon-lime, and grape all mixed with vanilla whey. All are drinkable but i prefer the orange flavor.

[dinamo]

Nice suggestion, so would you only be adding NO-explode to the Pre-workout recov. drink? Also which protein powder do you buy? I get really sick of protein powders fast so something with a light taste is ideal. Would you say the Gatorade over powers the protein taste? Thanks alot for the help.

[smittygouv]

The gatorade definitely over powers the protein. The only negative about the drink is that its really sweet... I weigh 210 lbs so my shakes are about 65g sugar to 35 g of protein.

And yes I only add the NO-Xplode to the pre-workout shake. It works out pretty well as I usually drink it about 30 minutes pre-workout.

I have been buying the 2lb jugs that walmart/target sell. They are like 13$ which is a reasonable price. You won't notice the protein shake taste much, and I'd be surprised if you couldn't stomach the drink.

[dinamo]

Wow, you're pretty big already, did you do the scrawny to brawny program already?

I'm for sure gonna buy the orange Gatorade, but as for the vanilla protein, is there any brand you would recommend?

The book calls for for a certain type of whey, i forget exactly what it was called. Thanks alot!

[smittygouv]

Naah man I'm pretty scrawny still. I'm 6'5" so that weight stretches a ways. I just finished S2B about a week ago and I put on about 12 lbs with the plan.

The book talks about hydrolyzed whey because it is absorbed quicker than other proteins. But, I struggled to find it for a decent price so i just go with regular whey. If you search the forum for protein suggestions there is one highly recommended site for good protein. The site allows you to customize your order to what kind of protein you want. It looks pretty cool, but I've yet to try it. A member "alcoholiday" seems to think really highly of it if you want to send him a message. I think the site is True Protein | High Quality Nutrition and Protein Supplements.

Anyway the protein I buy is made by "Body Fortress". I get it at walmart. It's cheap and doesn't taste bad. So it works for me.

[dinamo]

Thanks alot eh. The orange gatorade mixed with the protein i have right now is working really well. 10 more days of Phase 1, then Phase 2 begins. This is my first time legitimately working out, How did you find phase 2, difficulty wise? Thanks again.

[smittygouv]

Phase II is pretty legit. If I remember correctly it was centered around the exercise with 5 sets of 5 reps. You'll certainly find it challenging, but it's fun to start moving around heavier weights.

I'm glad to see the gatorade/protein mix is working for you.

Have you seen any weight gain yet from the program? What was your starting weight? Are you following the meal plan as well?

[dinamo]

I am 6"2, weighed 155 to start, I'm now slightly above 160. Yes I am following the meal plan, it's hard but worth it.

As for how much weight you lift in Phase 2, is it a trial and error thing, or is there guidelines for roughly how much weight you should be lifting to start. Thanks again

[smittygouv]

There are percentage charts you can find that will help you guesstimate about how much weight you can lift from other sets and reps... but for the most part its trial and error. Just make sure you bring a notepad with you to record your weights so next time you don't have to guess. Just making sure your pushing yourself... i think a good rule to go by for the 5x5 is: atleast be able to get 4 reps and be able to do no more then 6.

About the meal plan... I struggled hard with it and I ended making my own variations of it, but sticking to the general format. I eat the 3 "real meals", the 3 workout shakes, 1 snack (apple, nuts, fishoil), and 2 liquid meals. The liquid meals are packed with calories, nice time savers, and they don't seem to be as filling. If you continue to struggle the diet, the liquid meals might help your sanity in sticking to the high caloric intake.