I recently came across a Squidoo lens about Fat Loss 4 Idiots. The concept of the book and calculator is very interesting and I advise you all to check out the lens and the Fat Loss For Idiots webpage.
Here is a link to the lens I found it at. Check it out.
Monday, May 26, 2008
Monday, May 19, 2008
How To Bench Press
While the bench press is often overused by a beginner to the world of weightlifting and fitness, it no doubt has earned its place in beginner, intermediate, and advanced routines. Because the bench press is often one of the first exercises a beginner performs, many bad habits and bad form may develop. Fixing your bench press form leads to better gains, more weight being put up, and less chance for injury. Without further adieu, here is how to perform your basic beginner bench press.
1) Lie flat on the bench, making sure that you are balanced. You Don't want to fall of the bench in the middle of a press (=
2) Your feet should stay on the floor at all times and not move. Do not lift your feet in the air or put them on the bench. Your knees should be bent around 90 degrees, and your feet should be on opposite sides of the bench, with your legs spread at around 30 degrees to either side. An extremely wide stance will generally be uncomfortable, an very close stance will not allow for proper stability and can encourage the lifting your butt off the bench, which should not happen. Find a comfortable stance and foot width, and maintain it throughout the press.
3) Your ass should stay in contact with the bench at all times, and should be contracted during all repetitions to help maintain a stable base.
4) Tuck your shoulder blades underneath your body and pinch them together and down. This will raise the ribcage and stabilize the shoulder girdle. Maintain this tightness in your upper back and traps during all repetitions. This will also create a natural arch in the lower back, and will create a stable platform for your upper back muscles to press from. This is called "shoulder joint retraction" and will make your rotator cuff very happy (and healthy) when benching.
5) Without allowing your shoulders to roll forward and upward, losing tightness, reach up with each hand and grab it equally distant from the center of the bar. Use the smooth rings as a reference point. Your pinkies should be within an inch or 2 of the smooth ring. Wrap your thumbs around the bar and allow the bar to rest along the base of the hand, rather than near the knuckles, which will cause unnecessary stress to the wrists
6) Unrack the bar and move it so that the bar is directly over your lower chest area. Do not unrack the bar and immediately lower it to your chest from the rack in a diagonal line.
7) From a stopped position with the bar directly above your lower chest area, take a deep breath, maintain tightness in the back and "pull" the bar to your chest in a controlled fashion. Your elbows should not flare or tuck too much. Ideally, your upper arm bones will form an angle that isabout 40-60 degrees from your torso. If your elbows flare out wide to the sides (90 degree angle) then you hit your pecs incredibly hard at the risk of your rotator cuff's health. If your elbows tuck into your body (20-30 degree angle) then you will place too much emphasis on your triceps and delts, and not enough on your pecs.
8) Try to touch the bar to your shirt. If you do this correctly it is almost sure that you will use the full ROM of the exercise without bouncing the bar off your chest.
9) Press steadily and evenly to complete lockout without hyperextending your elbows or lifting your shoulders from the bench.
10) Repeat for as many reps as required by your routine
11) On the final repetition of the set, make sure you do not press directly toward the rack. The last rep should be identical to the first. Once you lockout the final repetition directly above your lower chest, then allow the bar to fall back toward the rack.
1) Lie flat on the bench, making sure that you are balanced. You Don't want to fall of the bench in the middle of a press (=
2) Your feet should stay on the floor at all times and not move. Do not lift your feet in the air or put them on the bench. Your knees should be bent around 90 degrees, and your feet should be on opposite sides of the bench, with your legs spread at around 30 degrees to either side. An extremely wide stance will generally be uncomfortable, an very close stance will not allow for proper stability and can encourage the lifting your butt off the bench, which should not happen. Find a comfortable stance and foot width, and maintain it throughout the press.
3) Your ass should stay in contact with the bench at all times, and should be contracted during all repetitions to help maintain a stable base.
4) Tuck your shoulder blades underneath your body and pinch them together and down. This will raise the ribcage and stabilize the shoulder girdle. Maintain this tightness in your upper back and traps during all repetitions. This will also create a natural arch in the lower back, and will create a stable platform for your upper back muscles to press from. This is called "shoulder joint retraction" and will make your rotator cuff very happy (and healthy) when benching.
5) Without allowing your shoulders to roll forward and upward, losing tightness, reach up with each hand and grab it equally distant from the center of the bar. Use the smooth rings as a reference point. Your pinkies should be within an inch or 2 of the smooth ring. Wrap your thumbs around the bar and allow the bar to rest along the base of the hand, rather than near the knuckles, which will cause unnecessary stress to the wrists
6) Unrack the bar and move it so that the bar is directly over your lower chest area. Do not unrack the bar and immediately lower it to your chest from the rack in a diagonal line.
7) From a stopped position with the bar directly above your lower chest area, take a deep breath, maintain tightness in the back and "pull" the bar to your chest in a controlled fashion. Your elbows should not flare or tuck too much. Ideally, your upper arm bones will form an angle that isabout 40-60 degrees from your torso. If your elbows flare out wide to the sides (90 degree angle) then you hit your pecs incredibly hard at the risk of your rotator cuff's health. If your elbows tuck into your body (20-30 degree angle) then you will place too much emphasis on your triceps and delts, and not enough on your pecs.
8) Try to touch the bar to your shirt. If you do this correctly it is almost sure that you will use the full ROM of the exercise without bouncing the bar off your chest.
9) Press steadily and evenly to complete lockout without hyperextending your elbows or lifting your shoulders from the bench.
10) Repeat for as many reps as required by your routine
11) On the final repetition of the set, make sure you do not press directly toward the rack. The last rep should be identical to the first. Once you lockout the final repetition directly above your lower chest, then allow the bar to fall back toward the rack.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
How To Squat
Whether y0u are a beginner, amateur, or professional, squats are one exercise that always belongs in your routine. To quote Mark Rippetoe, pg. 19, Starting Strength
1) Walk under the bar and make sure your chest is high and out and your upper and lower back is tight
2) Ensure you are positioned under the center of the bar and grip the bar so that both hands are equally distant from you so the bar is balanced. You want your hands as close to you as reasonably possible so that your upper back will be tight. You also want to be using a thumbless grip, as you are not supposed to be supporting the bar with your arms, but holding it down against your body.
3) Make sure the bar is NOT resting on your neck, as this will be incredibly painful and hazardous to your health. The bar should be resting on a "shelf" between the lower traps and rear delts.
4) Inhale deeply and make sure your entire core is tight. Stand up with the bar in its position, maintaining your tightness. DO NOT lean forward to try to get the bar off the rack. You will lose tightness and expose yourself to injury.
5) Step back with one foot, follow with the other, and then move that foot to the side for the proper stance you are using. There is no need to fidget around to find your stance because this will needlessly tire you out.
6) Your heels should be at about shoulder width. Toes should be pointing out at about 30 degrees. Chest should be out and up. Core should be tight.
7) Begin to sit back while your chest and shoulders remain upright while your upper body leans forward slightly to keep the bar above the midfoot. Stick your butt out, stay on your heels, and try to keep your knees as far back as possible. Try to squat down as far as you can while keeping your leg muscles tight throughout the descent.
8) When you reach the bottom of your squat, begin to push your butt and shoulders upwards while extending your knees. Consciously maintain the tightness of your torso and do not exhale until you reach the top of your squat (breathing out will cause you to lose the tightness of your torso).
There, you have completed one rep of squats!
Here are some more tips:
There is simply no other exercise, and certainly no machine, that produces the level of central nervous system activity, improved balance and coordination, skeletal loading and bone density, muscular stimulation and growth, connective tissue stress and strength, psychological demand and toughness, and overall systemic conditioning as the correctly performed full squat.Anyway, on to the basic instructions:
1) Walk under the bar and make sure your chest is high and out and your upper and lower back is tight
2) Ensure you are positioned under the center of the bar and grip the bar so that both hands are equally distant from you so the bar is balanced. You want your hands as close to you as reasonably possible so that your upper back will be tight. You also want to be using a thumbless grip, as you are not supposed to be supporting the bar with your arms, but holding it down against your body.
3) Make sure the bar is NOT resting on your neck, as this will be incredibly painful and hazardous to your health. The bar should be resting on a "shelf" between the lower traps and rear delts.
4) Inhale deeply and make sure your entire core is tight. Stand up with the bar in its position, maintaining your tightness. DO NOT lean forward to try to get the bar off the rack. You will lose tightness and expose yourself to injury.
5) Step back with one foot, follow with the other, and then move that foot to the side for the proper stance you are using. There is no need to fidget around to find your stance because this will needlessly tire you out.
6) Your heels should be at about shoulder width. Toes should be pointing out at about 30 degrees. Chest should be out and up. Core should be tight.
7) Begin to sit back while your chest and shoulders remain upright while your upper body leans forward slightly to keep the bar above the midfoot. Stick your butt out, stay on your heels, and try to keep your knees as far back as possible. Try to squat down as far as you can while keeping your leg muscles tight throughout the descent.
8) When you reach the bottom of your squat, begin to push your butt and shoulders upwards while extending your knees. Consciously maintain the tightness of your torso and do not exhale until you reach the top of your squat (breathing out will cause you to lose the tightness of your torso).
There, you have completed one rep of squats!
Here are some more tips:
- Always maintain tightness throughout the movement. Losing it can lead to injury and lifting less weight.
- Always warm up with stretching and lighter weights when you squat. Always stretch afterwards too.
- Try to go as low as you can (ATG squats - ass-to-grass)
- NEVER squat above parallel. Not only is this bad for your knees, but you will also see drastically less results
Monday, January 28, 2008
The Truth About "The Truth About Six Pack Abs"
Mike Geary's popular ebook "The Truth About Six Pack Abs" is over 100 pages long and is filled with information regarding the nutrition, exercises, and cardio involved in getting six pack abs. The question is: is it worth it? And the answer is unsurprisingly no. For the 39.95 pricetag Geary charges for "The Truth About Six Pack Abs," he had better be telling us about a food that magically burns fat off the body or an exercise he discovered deep in the Mayan ruins that instantly gives six pack abs yet no one has ever heard of it. The sad truth is that everything contained in this ebook is just common sense and other easily accessible information neatly packaged and sold for the whopping price of $40. Don't be fooled by the plethora of positive reviews a quick google search brings up either; these people are "affiliates" of "The Truth About Six Pack Abs." They earn money every time someone buys "The Truth About Six Pack Abs" after reading their review, which is why many of the reviews promote the book, while there are only a few reviews that tell the truth for what it's worth, not for money.
Geary first captures visitors to his site by proclaiming that he has " 5 Facts You MUST Understand if You Are Ever Going to Lose Your Belly Fat & Get Six Pack Abs." These facts, however, are just cleverly disguised hooks to get you to buy his ebook.
This has got one thing right, the models in infomercials did NOT get their bodies using that machine. The fitness models on his website also did not get their bodies by reading an ebook.
"The Truth About Six Pack Abs" is a very useful piece of reference on its own, packed full with information; however, this information does not deserve to be payed for at all, let alone fore the hefty pricetag of 39.95.
Save yourself some time and money and make use of the articles here and the articles all throughout the world wide web.
Geary first captures visitors to his site by proclaiming that he has " 5 Facts You MUST Understand if You Are Ever Going to Lose Your Belly Fat & Get Six Pack Abs." These facts, however, are just cleverly disguised hooks to get you to buy his ebook.
1. Many so-called "health foods" are actually cleverly disguised junk foods that can actually stimulate you to gain more belly fat... yet the diet food marketing industry continues to lie to you so they can maximize their profits.
There is no grand conspiracy of health food officials claiming broccoli is good for you while in reality it causes lung cancer, but many foods labeled "diet" or "healthy" are purposely mislabeled as that to increase profits. Almost all of the info concerning this can be found by i simple search through the web - and it's free to boot.
2. Ab exercises such as crunches, sit-ups, and ab machines are actually the LEAST effective method of getting flat six pack abs. We'll explore what types of exercises REALLY work in a minute.
While sit-ups and ab machines are largely ineffective and sometimes detrimental, crunches, hanging leg raises, Janda sit-ups and many other exercises are very effective. Geary does not reveal some mystical unknown exercise in "The Truth About Six Pack Abs" as this statement might lead one to believe.3. Boring repetitive cardio exercise routines are NOT the best way to lose body fat and uncover those six pack abs. I'll tell you the exact types of unique workouts that produce 10x better results below.
HIIT - The simplest and most effective cardio to get a six pack for all intents and purposes.
4. You DON'T need to waste your money on expensive "extreme fat burner" pills or other bogus supplements. I'll show you how to use the power of natural foods in more detail below.
You DON'T need to waste your money on this expensive ebook either. A month's supply of creatine and whey is much more valuable than the information contained in this ebook.
This has got one thing right, the models in infomercials did NOT get their bodies using that machine. The fitness models on his website also did not get their bodies by reading an ebook.
"The Truth About Six Pack Abs" is a very useful piece of reference on its own, packed full with information; however, this information does not deserve to be payed for at all, let alone fore the hefty pricetag of 39.95.
Save yourself some time and money and make use of the articles here and the articles all throughout the world wide web.
Thursday, January 24, 2008
THE Best Beginner Routine
Most newcomers to weightlifting fall into one of two traps. Some enter the gym with no agenda for the day except "getting a good burn." As a result of this, a beginner will bench, curl and use a whole bunch of random machines until they get tired and feel as though they got a good workout because of the all important burn. The other type of beginner finds out about some incredibly complex 5-day split bodybuilding routine and figures that since its complex and huge bodybuilders use it, it must be great for them. These are both terribly inefficient ways of getting results as a newbie and any beginners reading this article should consider themselves lucky that they have such a vast fountain of knowledge to learn from (the internet, not this blog :P).
They key to making huge gains as a beginner is to focus on the main compound lifts and making linear progression with them. By far the best way to do this is by using Mark Rippetoe's Starting Strength. If you want to save yourself some time from reading this article, stop right now and spend whatever money you were about to on some bogus supplement and order Starting Strength from Amazon. In addition to containing a great routine, the book goes into enormous detail about all the major exercises involved including the bench press, squat, deadlift, military press, and power clean, providing descriptions in great detail and pictures illustrating proper form and technique for all the exercises. This book is great for anyone from beginners, to coaches, or just anyone who has not mastered the squat, deadlift, bench, or military press.
Well, enough advertising :P, here's the routine:
Workout A
3x5 Squat
3x5 Bench Press
1x5 Deadlift
Workout B
3x5 Squat
3x5 Standing military press
3x5 Power cleans/Pendlay Rows
You train on 3 nonconsecutive days per week.
So week 1 would look like:
Monday - Workout A
Wednesday - Workout B
Friday - Workout A
Week 2:
Monday - Workout B
Wednesday - Workout A
Friday - Workout B
The key to succeeding on this routine is to keep progressing in weight each workout. You should ideally add around 10-20 lbs to the deadlift and squat every workout, 5-15 for the bench press, and 5-10 for the rows and military press. When you stop progressing in weight it is important to evaluate the situation:
1) You aren't doing what you are supposed to be doing for recovery. This includes diet, vitamins water, no skipping meals as well as ample rest.
2) You aren't adding weight on properly. Stop worrying about what other people in the gym think of you and don't add to 25 lb plates to your squat in between workouts.
3) You have recently added exercises (such as dips/chins/arm work) or made your own adjustments to the program in whatever manner.
4) You are doing everything right: enough rest, and good weight progression, but you are simply advancing closer to your genetic limitations.
If it anything but number four, simply fix it and continue on with the routine. If it is number four, congratulate yourself for not doing anything stupid and get ready for a reset. Drop 10% of the weight in the exercise you have stalled on and continue with your routine. Once you stall continually or stall in many exercises at once, you are most likely not a beginner anymore and it is time to change routines! Consider yourself lucky before you get to this point because you will see enormous gains while on this routine as long as your diet is in check. You will probably be able to stay on this routine for a few months and you will be able to squat around 200 pounds! You should have put on some serious mass and now it is time to look fr a new "intermediate" routine.
Check back soon for detailed explanations on all the exercises and a routine for when your done with this one!
They key to making huge gains as a beginner is to focus on the main compound lifts and making linear progression with them. By far the best way to do this is by using Mark Rippetoe's Starting Strength. If you want to save yourself some time from reading this article, stop right now and spend whatever money you were about to on some bogus supplement and order Starting Strength from Amazon. In addition to containing a great routine, the book goes into enormous detail about all the major exercises involved including the bench press, squat, deadlift, military press, and power clean, providing descriptions in great detail and pictures illustrating proper form and technique for all the exercises. This book is great for anyone from beginners, to coaches, or just anyone who has not mastered the squat, deadlift, bench, or military press.
Well, enough advertising :P, here's the routine:
Workout A
3x5 Squat
3x5 Bench Press
1x5 Deadlift
Workout B
3x5 Squat
3x5 Standing military press
3x5 Power cleans/Pendlay Rows
You train on 3 nonconsecutive days per week.
So week 1 would look like:
Monday - Workout A
Wednesday - Workout B
Friday - Workout A
Week 2:
Monday - Workout B
Wednesday - Workout A
Friday - Workout B
The key to succeeding on this routine is to keep progressing in weight each workout. You should ideally add around 10-20 lbs to the deadlift and squat every workout, 5-15 for the bench press, and 5-10 for the rows and military press. When you stop progressing in weight it is important to evaluate the situation:
1) You aren't doing what you are supposed to be doing for recovery. This includes diet, vitamins water, no skipping meals as well as ample rest.
2) You aren't adding weight on properly. Stop worrying about what other people in the gym think of you and don't add to 25 lb plates to your squat in between workouts.
3) You have recently added exercises (such as dips/chins/arm work) or made your own adjustments to the program in whatever manner.
4) You are doing everything right: enough rest, and good weight progression, but you are simply advancing closer to your genetic limitations.
If it anything but number four, simply fix it and continue on with the routine. If it is number four, congratulate yourself for not doing anything stupid and get ready for a reset. Drop 10% of the weight in the exercise you have stalled on and continue with your routine. Once you stall continually or stall in many exercises at once, you are most likely not a beginner anymore and it is time to change routines! Consider yourself lucky before you get to this point because you will see enormous gains while on this routine as long as your diet is in check. You will probably be able to stay on this routine for a few months and you will be able to squat around 200 pounds! You should have put on some serious mass and now it is time to look fr a new "intermediate" routine.
Check back soon for detailed explanations on all the exercises and a routine for when your done with this one!
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Fitness Tips - #3: The Best Bodyweight Exercises
Whether you can't afford to go to the gym, don't have access to one, or just don't feel like going, bodyweight exercises are a great way to stay in shape and a great way for a beginner to get accustomed to the world of fitness. Bodyweight exercises are a wonderful tool for developing the body, and best of all, they don't cost a thing!
One of the most basic and well known bodyweight exercises is the pushup. Pushups come in many shapes and sizes but they all target the same area: the triceps and the chest. Ordinary wide grip pushups work the chests more while "diamond" pushups (hands touching and under the chest) work the triceps the best. Once you progress past 15 or so reps, you may want to add to the difficulty to stimulate muscle growth. This can be achieved either by using a backpack with weights in it while you do pushups, or by elevating your legs (i.e. doing pushups off a couch).
Another good bodyweight exercise is the pullup. Pullups work mainly the biceps and the lats, or the upper back. Like pushups, pullups come in many variations, mainly depending on the grip used. When your palms face you it is normally called a chin up and targets the biceps more. When your palms face away from you, it is called a pull up and works the lats and forearms more. In addition to these differences, the wider the grip, the more focus is put on the lats, while the narrower it gets, more focus is put on the arms.
The last bodyweight exercise to be discussed is probably the least commonly known of the three: the hindu squat. Hindu squats were used for hundreds of years by Indian wrestlers to build enormous leg strength and endurance. And, contrary to what one might initially believe about the exercise, they are not detrimental to knee health at all, and are in fact beneficial to your knees. Hindu squats are performed by starting in a position where you are standing and extending your arms in front of you parallel to the floor. Then begin to descend into a squat position while simultaneously bringing your arms down until they are perpendicular to the floor. The squat position here is different than a regular squat position because, you should be on your toes with knees pointing forward, not on your heels with your butt sticking out.
Bodyweight exercises are very valuable resources both to fitness beginners and experts alike. It is great to be able to see noticeable results without having to buy expensive equipment or a gym membership.
Below is a great beginner bodyweight routine
Details about the exercises or routine can be found at the trainforstrength website.
One of the most basic and well known bodyweight exercises is the pushup. Pushups come in many shapes and sizes but they all target the same area: the triceps and the chest. Ordinary wide grip pushups work the chests more while "diamond" pushups (hands touching and under the chest) work the triceps the best. Once you progress past 15 or so reps, you may want to add to the difficulty to stimulate muscle growth. This can be achieved either by using a backpack with weights in it while you do pushups, or by elevating your legs (i.e. doing pushups off a couch).
Another good bodyweight exercise is the pullup. Pullups work mainly the biceps and the lats, or the upper back. Like pushups, pullups come in many variations, mainly depending on the grip used. When your palms face you it is normally called a chin up and targets the biceps more. When your palms face away from you, it is called a pull up and works the lats and forearms more. In addition to these differences, the wider the grip, the more focus is put on the lats, while the narrower it gets, more focus is put on the arms.
The last bodyweight exercise to be discussed is probably the least commonly known of the three: the hindu squat. Hindu squats were used for hundreds of years by Indian wrestlers to build enormous leg strength and endurance. And, contrary to what one might initially believe about the exercise, they are not detrimental to knee health at all, and are in fact beneficial to your knees. Hindu squats are performed by starting in a position where you are standing and extending your arms in front of you parallel to the floor. Then begin to descend into a squat position while simultaneously bringing your arms down until they are perpendicular to the floor. The squat position here is different than a regular squat position because, you should be on your toes with knees pointing forward, not on your heels with your butt sticking out.
Bodyweight exercises are very valuable resources both to fitness beginners and experts alike. It is great to be able to see noticeable results without having to buy expensive equipment or a gym membership.
Below is a great beginner bodyweight routine
Details about the exercises or routine can be found at the trainforstrength website.
UPPER BODY: 20-30 SECONDS REST BETWEEN SETS
REGULAR PUSH-UPS: Pyramid up to 12 and back to 1.
TRICEPS/DIAMOND PUSH-UPS: Until failure.
PULL-UPS:
REGULAR GRIP: Pyramid to 2 and back to 1.
NARROW GRIP: Pyramid to 2 and back to 1.
WIDE GRIP: Pyramid to 2 and back to 1.
DIPS:
4 sets of 8-10
LOWER BODY: 20-30 SECONDS REST BETWEEN SETS
SHOOTFIGHTING/HINDU SQUATS: 4 sets of 25
BOOT-STRAPPERS*: 4 sets of 25
LUNGES: 4 sets of 20
AB WORK: 10-SECONDS REST PERIOD BETWEEN EXERCISES
CRUNCHES: 20
SIDE CRUNCHES: 20
SIT AND TUCKS: 10
SIT AND TUCKS EACH CHEEK: 10.
V-UPS: 10
FLUTTER KICKS: 25
6-INCH CRUNCHES: 10
Monday, January 21, 2008
Fitness Tips - #2 - Essential Supplements For a Fitness Beginner
One of the most common questions that a beginner to the fitness world will ask is "What supplements do I need to start taking?" The answer to that is simple: you don't need to take any supplements, especially when you are a beginner. However, supplements can be very beneficial to your fitness. Another concern with supplements are the side effects. All the supplements mentioned here are naturally occurring and are present in normal diets. Supplements just serve to supplement our diets.
The first supplement a beginner should take is whey protein. Whey protein is a very fast absorbing protein and therefore is the best protein to take post-workout, at a time when your muscles are starving for protein to rebuild themselves. Whey should also be taken in the morning because your body has to undergo around 8 hours of fasting through the night. Whey should be mixed with water, not milk. Milk slows down the absorption rate that whey protein is useful for. Dextrose and maltodextrin are two other supplements that go good together with whey in a post workout shape because your muscles are also starving for glycogen after a workout.
After you have passed your "beginner" stage, you might wish to move on to creatine. Creatine is a substance found in our muscles that helps produce energy and in turn strength. Creatine is found naturally in red meat, but not in amounts sufficient for someone serious about fitness. Creatine supplements are not dangerous when taken according to the manufacturers instructions. This usually involves a "loading" phase, where a large amount of creatine is taken in the first 5 or so days, and then the normal amount is taken after that. While on creatine, it is extremely important to drink a lot of water, preferably upwards of a gallon a day, otherwise liver damage could occur.
Supplements are a very important part of fitness and yet they are often misunderstood by beginners. When the right supplements are taken correctly, there are no side effects and the benefits are enormous.
The first supplement a beginner should take is whey protein. Whey protein is a very fast absorbing protein and therefore is the best protein to take post-workout, at a time when your muscles are starving for protein to rebuild themselves. Whey should also be taken in the morning because your body has to undergo around 8 hours of fasting through the night. Whey should be mixed with water, not milk. Milk slows down the absorption rate that whey protein is useful for. Dextrose and maltodextrin are two other supplements that go good together with whey in a post workout shape because your muscles are also starving for glycogen after a workout.
After you have passed your "beginner" stage, you might wish to move on to creatine. Creatine is a substance found in our muscles that helps produce energy and in turn strength. Creatine is found naturally in red meat, but not in amounts sufficient for someone serious about fitness. Creatine supplements are not dangerous when taken according to the manufacturers instructions. This usually involves a "loading" phase, where a large amount of creatine is taken in the first 5 or so days, and then the normal amount is taken after that. While on creatine, it is extremely important to drink a lot of water, preferably upwards of a gallon a day, otherwise liver damage could occur.
Supplements are a very important part of fitness and yet they are often misunderstood by beginners. When the right supplements are taken correctly, there are no side effects and the benefits are enormous.
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