Muscle Gains Simplified –by Malcolm Marshall

Whether young or old, male or female, people are always asking for tips on how to grow lean muscle mass. The six main tips that I always discuss include:

1. Consume enough protein
2. Drink plenty of water – minimum 64oz per day
3. Get adequate sleep
4. Never over train
5. Consume plenty of lean, clean calories
6. Last but not least, don’t make excuses!

Our bodies consist of about 75% water, so it only makes sense that we must hydrate our muscles in effort to build lean muscle. When maximum muscle growth is the goal, it is very important to make sure to be consistent about your workout.

Most people fail to realize that rest and sleep are equally as important as training.  During sleep is when the body repairs and rebuilds.  Protein is of primary importance in how the body functions and building muscle. Our body uses protein to repair and generate cells, which is essential for the body to grow and maintain itself. Like water, protein makes up a large part of our bodies. Proteins provide the body with 4 calories per gram. They consist of the essential amino acids and can come from animal sources such as meat, fish, eggs, and milk or vegetable sources such as vegetables, cereals, legumes, and fruits.

My protein powder of choice is Whey Isolate by PROLAB.  PROLAB’s Whey Isolate provides ultra pure, rapidly absorbed premium grade protein to support lean muscle growth and help improve recovery time from intense training.  I would recommend consuming between 1-3 protein shakes per day – with one of those servings being immediately post workout.  Be consistent about your training, clean eating and consuming adequate amounts of protein – and you are on your way to lean muscle gains!

Protein Cookie Dough 2.0 -by Jeremy Scott

As an athlete with PROLAB, I am all stocked up on Whey Isolate Protein. Sometimes my day gets so busy I don’t often eat my 1^st meal until 1pm, I will just grab a few scoops of Whey Isolate thrown in a little creatine and l-glutamine and hit the gym!

When  I do get a little more time on the weekends or my “off days” I like to mix things up and try different combinations like this Vanilla or Chocolate Oats treat!

Vanilla or Chocolate Oats

• 3/4 cup rolled oats
• 2 TBSP Peanut Butter
• 2 Scoops PROLAB Whey Isolate – Vanilla or Chocolate
• 2 TBSP Coconut or Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk

Throw in a bowl mix and enjoy, think of it as the healthier version of cookie dough…..without the cookies and without the dough!!!

Going Back to Basics to Build More Muscle -by Charles Turner

When trying to add more muscle, I feel that a lot of trainees in the gym make it more difficult and complicated than it really needs to be. Sometimes it’s a matter of just going back to basics. These principles apply to everyone male or female; it’s not gender specific. Muscle is muscle. Building muscle is just as important for females and it is for males.  Remember the more muscle we build the more calories we burn while at rest.

1. Stick with Basic Compound Movements:  While isolation movements are great to add variety to your workout, they only focus on one primary muscle group. Compound movements on the other hand work more muscle groups at one time, allowing you to get in a greater amount of work in a shorter time possible. Also compound exercises have a positive hormonal response that is beneficial to building more muscle. For example doing a set of squats will activate more muscles, causing you to have a more intense workout, leading to greater muscle gains and fat loss.

Some examples of compound movements include: Bench Press, Squats, Deadlifts, Pull-ups, Good mornings, Barbell rows, Military Press, Barbell Incline Press, Stiff Legged Deadlifts, Front Squats

2. Eat Every 3 hours:  Try to consume some protein, carbohydrates and fats every 3 hours. Protein should be the staple of your diet; consuming 1 gram per pound of bodyweight would be most beneficial. Bottom line, consuming more protein builds muscle and leads to greater recovery.   A lot of times athletes will supplement with a protein supplement such as PROLAB’s Whey Protein Isolate to help ensure they’re meeting their daily protein requirements.

Carbohydrate and fats are your energy sources; they basically fuel your workouts. Remember to maximize results consume quality food sources, such as lean meats/protein sources, whole grains, fruits, veggies, and essential fat sources such as fish, nuts, avocados and flax seeds. Try to avoid heavily processed and refined junk foods.

3. Get Plenty of Rest:  The importance of rest can never be overstated, and I’m not just talking sleep. Getting sufficient rest between workouts is really important. Remember it takes any particular body part 48-72 hours to recover from a weight resistance workout, and sometimes it may take longer due to small micro tears in the muscle that we may not feel. So put some thought on how to set up your workout split to ensure you’re maximizing recovery between workouts.

Also remember sleep is vital as well. We should be getting at least 8 hours of restful sleep a night. During sleep growth hormone is produced, and protein synthesis occurs. These are two beneficial aspects of sleep. Bottom line, adequate sleep leads to more muscle growth and fat loss.

Remember don’t over complicate things. Don’t get caught in all the fancy workouts and diet plans out there. Sometimes it’s as simple as sticking with the basics.

Eccentric Muscle Training -by Malcolm Marshall

There are three distinct phases in the movement of the muscles and tendons: Isometric (no movement), concentric (contracting), and eccentric (extracting). Each phase has an effect on muscle tissue and tendons.

Eccentric muscle training is giving resistance to, or slowing down the elongation of the muscle making them work harder, which can lead to stronger muscles. Eccentric training promotes muscle growth and faster muscle repair. It increases metabolic rate, as well as protects joints from damage.

Also known as negatives, this style of resistance training will make you bigger and stronger. Weight training causes small microscopic tears in the muscle fibers. With adequate rest and nutrition the fibers regenerate and will become stronger than before.  Making future workouts more tolerable, while experiencing less damage, which equates to muscle soreness. After any workout, a weight training athlete normally has a metabolic window of 45 minutes to consume any post training supplements that he/she may need to maximize their performance. PROLAB makes a great line of post workout supplements, everything from Whey Protein Isolate, Creatine Monohydrate to BCAA Plus.  No one should be left out in their quest for great health and fitness!

 

Leg Day! -by Thanh Le

Legs are an important part of any training regimen.  Doing heavy legs increases testosterone and helps increase your overall body mass. Since my back surgery last year, I was not able to do legs up until about a month ago, and boy did I miss it. I have a love/hate relationship with legs which I’m sure most people do.  Legs are a pretty big body part and you should start repair and recovery before your workout by using PROLAB BCAA Plus and Glutamine as part of your pre-workout supplements.  Try the workout below which should have your legs screaming for mercy after you’re done.

Always start off your workouts by doing light warm-up sets and stretching. Let’s get started:

Leg Press (Shoulder width placement):

• 3 Warm-up sets to get blood flowing
• 5 x 15 pyramiding weight up; superset with Air Squats for 15 reps
• 1 x 20 half weight of final set; superset with Air Squats for 20 reps

Hack Squats:

• 3 x 16 – First 8 reps feet together; last 8 reps wide stance toes out
• Note:  Feet together works the outer sweep of the quad; wide stance with toes out works the inner teardrop of the quad

Leg Extensions:  4 x 10 – Hold each rep for 2 seconds. Last rep hold for 5 seconds

Lying Hamstring Curls superset with Straight Leg Deadlifts:  3 x 10

Walking Lunges:  2 x 20 – Do this with just your body weight

This workout should have you waddling out the door. Remember to take your PROLAB Whey Isolate, BCAA Plus, and Glutamine immediately after your workout to start recovery!

Ezekiel Turkey Tacos -by Jeremy Scott

Required ingredients:

• 1 Package Small or Large Ezekiel Wraps
• 2 Tsp. Coconut Oil – to coat the pan and yes I use Coconut Oil on everything
• 1lbs Natural Ground Turkey Breast
• 1 Packet Taco Seasoning – your choice (Whole Foods has a big selection)
• Chopped Tomato
• Guacamole
• Chopped Cilantro
• Grated Pepper Jack Cheese
• Spinach or Iceberg lettuce

Heat turkey meat until fully cooked, add seasoning per packet instructions and fill Ezekiel wraps with meat, guacamole, tomato, and cheese – simple, easy, and healthy all at once.

On a LOW CARB day – no problem ditch the Ezekiel wraps and throw this mix onto a bed of baby spinach and enjoy!!!

 

PROLAB Vanilla Protein Fruit & Yogurt Parfait -by Jeremy Scott

Hey guys we all know eating healthy can be a challenge and sometimes the monotony causes us to fall off the wagon. Well, here is a super simple quick snack you can eat for breakfast, lunch, dinner or an in between times to keep your nutrition plan in check. It’s a funky twist on an old favorite of mine!

You can go with chocolate of vanilla; I am personally a vanilla guy but feel free to play around with this. The benefits of this snack are almost endless, high protein, healthy fats, fiber and all the important probiotics we all need.

Ingredients List:

• 6-8 oz 2% plain Fage Greek yogurt or full-fat Fage Greek yogurt
• 1-2 Scoops PROLAB Vanilla Whey Isolate
• ½ to 1 tbsp chia seeds
• 1 to 2 tbsp chopped almonds
• ½ to 1 cup fresh or frozen berries of your choice – I love blueberries, blackberries are great as well with this.

Directions: Mix the protein powder and seeds in with the yogurt until smooth. Throw in fruit and sprinkle chopped almonds on top. Feel free to interchange the protein flavors, fruit types, and nut selections to keep this quick recipe fresh and fun! 

Give it a try and see what you think!

PROLAB Whey Isolate: My go-to Protein for Competition Prep -by Thanh Le

As an ectomorph, I naturally have a small frame and  high metabolism. During my competition prep, I  need to keep my calories high while I drop my carbs, so I need to increase my protein intake to do so. I need to do this to hold on to the muscle mass that I have and continue to feed and repair my muscles. Getting the needed 6-7 meals in per day is a difficult task and protein supplementation helps with that.

PROLAB’s Whey Isolate definitely does the job for me, and my favorite is the Vanilla Crème. I keep some handy at home and at work, and I even have some in my car. This is hands down the best tasting protein EVER and it’s super versatile. I use it in a variety of ways, with one being in the protein pancakes that I had a recipe for in yesterday’s blog.

One scoop of Whey Isolate provides you a whooping 23g of protein, ONLY 1g of sugar, and absolutely ZERO fat! Here are more examples of how I use PROLAB’s Whey Isolate:

–          Add to cooked oats

–          Mix with natural peanut butter to eat with fruit or on rice cakes

–          Add it to fruit smoothies

–          Drink it as it is

There are infinite ways you can use protein powder. See what you can come up with.

Protein Shake Supplementation -by Malcolm Marshall

Most bodybuilders eat 5 to 6 meals a day; each meal ideally containing a balance of quality protein, moderate to high complex carbohydrates and a low proportion of healthy fats.

The ability to eat 5 to 6 meals a day can sometimes be problematic. The beauty of drinking a protein shake is that you can supplement your protein, get your daily grams you need for that meal without all the added saturated fats and simple sugars that you don’t need. Get all of your nutrients in one quick liquid drink.

When making a whey protein shake a definite piece of equipment needed is a blender. While most people use a plain shaker cup, a blender will allow you to add things like fruit, peanut butter, PROLAB’s BCAA Plus, yogurt etc. Unless you’re lactose intolerant, milk is a great source of protein, carbohydrates and calcium to blend your shakes in. I personally prefer to use water to blend my shakes because of the absence of sugar and fats.

Most people are tempted to take 2 to 3 times the recommended amount of protein. Reminder: the human body can only process about 30 grams of protein at a given time, so it’s useless to try an take more.  There are a countless number of shake options in books and on the internet that will keep you satisfied, so mix and enjoy!

PROLAB’s Whey Isolate: A Staple in my Nutrition Plan -by Jeremy Scott

PROLAB’s Whey Isolate is one of my favorite products hands down and is a staple in my nutrition plan year-round.

Not only does it mix super easy, but the new vanilla tastes amazing. It’s quickly absorbed into your system pre & post workout providing nutrients and energy to your muscles. 

The whey protein also contains more branched chain amino acids than any natural food source.  BCAA’s can help to counter muscle tissue depletion and fuel new growth.  Making it the #1 post workout tool to build muscle and stay lean!