Decent supermarkets (in the UK) for an organic instant like the Clipper brand. Costs £4 a jar. On the High Street, Pret a Manger does organic.
related, supplementation wise, l-carnitine & caffeine & theanine also works magic.
brain candy is the real deal. i used to prefer preworkouts (or coffee) which got me very hyped/intense but brain candy gives me a more cruise control feel.
not to mention amazing mood elevation during cuts (go whole day without eating, similar to EC but different kind of appetite suppression), it might be the alacar
Who makes a good EGCG supplement? This thread and Christian’s first detailed reply are money. I am incorporating all of it into my daily routine.
nice post today ct about realities of competing.
you’ve swung quite a bit toward health (and transparency) on this bodybuilding/physique game over the years which is awesome
if optimizing health = optimal fat loss/muscle gain(for naturals) thats the best approach
CT how do you deal with feelings of being “flat” when on healthy diet.
when i eat veggies, lean protein and berries i feel great, my body literlly feels more streamlined (less blloat, better definition) but i don’t that full pumped vascualr feel that i get after eating a lot of heavy carb (even fatty) foods
i feel like withering away when eating too healthy (and less strength/pumps in gym)
any recommendations?
When my carb, sodium and water intake are correct I never feel flat. And I would say that sodium and water are what matters most.
One reason why you might feel flat (besided the lack of any of the 3 items above) is the reduction in systemic inflammation. Inflammation can make the muscles feel stiffer and leads to water retention that can increase intramuscular pressure… in a way, inflammation (and also the intake of arachidonic acid) can make the muscles feel similar to the day after a big workout, giving you the illusion/impression that they are larger or fuller.
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Interesting, maybe i was mistaking inflammation/bloat with size.
The difference in pump for me is real though (plazma especially). So water, sodium, and carbs got it.
Is the pump intraworkout important?
Sometimes when I have very heavy weight and CNS intensive (like built for bad), I don’t get much of a pump. Vs. layers & plazma (pump was unreal and kept buliding in between sets).
Is this pump during workout necessary for gains?
Necessary? No. But helpful, yes. Not some much the pump itself but what happens in the process of getting a pump with fairly heavy weight. Pumping with very light weight will provide very little growth, so it’s not the pump itself. But the pump tend to indicate an increase in nutrients uptake by the muscles and the accumulation of metabolites that will stimulate the release of growth factor.
That is very likely. It’s something that we often see with people who tend to do too much in the gym. They create so much inflammation and muscle tightness (and intramuscular water retention) that it gives the illusion of gaining more muscle.
Can you quantify how much that is? It might be individual dependent, but it would be a benefit to know for a benchmark.
I’m currently on a low carb, Keto diet.
For sodium I cannot. It depends on your tolerance and how much you sweat. For water shoot for about a gallon per day… soft drinks, diet soft drinks, sugary juices, milk and the likes do not count in the total. Only pure water, green tea, water with liquid flavoring added (small amount),
You understand that a true keto diet is not low carbs/high protein right? A REAL keto diet is no carbs/moderate protein/high fat
CT what do you think of Keto diets?
REtarded?
Nothing is retarded except clear cut broad statements.
There is no doubt that keto or even regular low carb diets work when it comes to fat loss. Some will even argue that they are better for preservation of muscle mass during a caloric deficit.
But… and this is from a guy who did low carbs dieting for years and still do for short periods when needing to get leaner fast…
- I do not believe that you can add a significant amount of muscle while on a low carbs diet. Or at least it is a lot more difficult. This is especially true for the natural. For years I believed that you could gain size when doing low carbs because I went from strong and fat to lean and muscular while on it. I looked a lot more muscular and believed that I had thus added muscle. In reality I likely stayed at the same muscle mass but the leanness created the illusion of size.
Objectively speaking I’ve never been able to add muscle mass while low carbing or intermittent fasting. I’m not saying that it is absolutely impossible. But for most (except the genetic freaks) it will be very hard to do and a slow process.
Yes, my daily intake has less than 20 grams of carbs, mostly from fiber. I didn’t put much thought into the implications of that statement.
Every 10-14 days, I’ll have a cup of rice, sweet potato, etc in the morning before a heavy deadlift day. Then go the rest of the day on high fat, moderate protein.
What are your thoughts on Metformin for carb control?
@ CT ever try gotu kola for inflammation?
Very bad… some serious side effects including on the kidneys and not even that effective. The natural supplement berberine is actually just as effective and a product like INDIGO 3G actually targets muscle insulin sensitivity, which is even better than just improving insulin sensitivity.
Yeah but if your protein intake is high and fat intake is low it still applies
Thanks coach. Interested in Indigo, just too $ to pull the trigger.