I’ve had a rather haphazard approach to supplement use lately so I’ve decide to try and narrow it down to a fixed schedule. My main concern is recovery, and keep in mind that I’m gradually diminishing my caloric intake to lose some weight. The Muscle Milk RTD in the morning is my breakfast some time between 8:30 and 9:00 (I get to work late) and the evening Muscle Milk shake is my supper since I usually get back from working out sometime around 20:30 – 21:00 and I’d rather not need too much after that.

My exact routine varies, but it usually looks something like this:

08:45 - Breakfast: Muscle Milk Ready to Drink, multivitamin
10:30 - Small Snack
12:30 - Lunch, Omega 3 Fish Oil (1st capsule)
16:00 - Afternoon Snack, Omega 3 Fish Oil (2nd capsule)
18:00 - Pre-Workout: Amino Acids, 1tsp of Glutamine in water or juice
--:-- During Workout: Water or Water with Gatorade Powder
21:00 - Post-Workout: Shake with 2 scoops of Muscle Milk and 1tsp of Glutamine, Amino Acids. Maybe a snack if I’m craving real food.
23:00 - Before Bed: ZMA

Does this make sense or do I suck at this?
What should I take on those days when I don’t workout? (I workout 3-5 days a week depending of work schedule and life)
Should I include some Glutamine in the morning as well (I’ve been thinking of mixing some into the Muscle Milk RTD before drinking it)?

Do I understand this right? you're eating 100% suppliments?

How many calosries a day are you eating? It seems you are only eating 1-2 real food meals and 2 Muscle Milk meals? Not good.

Muscle Milk pre bed is good as it has casein and is slow digesting.
Breakfast should not be a Muscle Milk.

What is the name of your amino acid supplement?

Muscle Milk post workout is good, but not ideal. Depending if you are taking a proper amino supplement, you might do betterl to take them post workout, and the Muscle Milk about 15-20 minutes later.

On glutamine: people are split on this I think, some love it some say it dosen't do jack for muscle building. Most I see on the net agree it helps the immune system and gut health. Either way you need more than a tsp (about 5 grams) to do anything

Do I understand this right? you're eating 100% suppliments?

No.

Right now breakfast, morning snack, lunch, and afternoon snack are all real foods, so is supper on days when I don't workout. I haven't started the Muscle Milk for breakfast yet, that's something the guy at the store suggested.

How many calosries a day are you eating? It seems you are only eating 1-2 real food meals and 2 Muscle Milk meals? Not good.

See my previous post. Food wise my biggest problem is supper. By the time I get home from work it's about 18:30 and I'm either at class or the gym by 19:00, so I can't have a real meal or I might leave it on the mat. I've been thinking of maybe having Muscle Milk at that time.


Muscle Milk pre bed is good as it has casein and is slow digesting.
Breakfast should not be a Muscle Milk.

Should I be taking something in the morning then? What?


What is the name of your amino acid supplement?

Dymatize BCAA Complex 2200 (http://www.supplementscanada.com/popeyes/product450.html)


Muscle Milk post workout is good, but not ideal. Depending if you are taking a proper amino supplement, you might do betterl to take them post workout, and the Muscle Milk about 15-20 minutes later.

What do you suggest then?


On glutamine: people are split on this I think, some love it some say it dosen't do jack for muscle building. Most I see on the net agree it helps the immune system and gut health.

I tried the Glutamine and BCAAs after reading stuff El Macho wrote. Seems to be working for me to help recovery. Now instead of being sore and feeling shity the next morning, I'm just sore.


Either way you need more than a tsp (about 5 grams) to do anything

Should of read 1 tbsp (tablespoon).

You should be taking breakfast in the morning. Like, real breakfast. I am in kind of the same situation regarding dinner on days that I train. Since I work a regular job I head to train almost immediately after work, and by the time I get home it might be too late to eat a real meal. If that is the case, I just have my shake and a little later a light snack to hold me for the rest of the night. I am rarely low on calories because I tend to eat slightly larger snacks during the day or have a bigger breakfast or lunch.

Since I started working out again and stepped up to 5-6 meals a day, I eat 2-3 "food" meals and drink 3 meal replacement shakes throughout the day. I use the EAS Myoplex (http://register.eas.com/OA_HTML/ibeCCtpSctDspRte.jsp?section=10116&JServSessionIdroot=00tdlr2r61.pR9vq79yml1KahDJqA5K qAfvq70L/AjvqMTxpQOUahmKa30-) shakes, but I know there are others out there that work just as well. I like the meal replacement shakes because they are quick and easy to use. They have a good mix of whey and casein so you benefit from them whenever you take them. I use skim milk in mine to add some more protein and carbs (and it tastes a hell of a lot better than using water).

See my previous post. Food wise my biggest problem is supper. By the time I get home from work it's about 18:30 and I'm either at class or the gym by 19:00, so I can't have a real meal or I might leave it on the mat. I've been thinking of maybe having Muscle Milk at that time.

Cool.




Should I be taking something in the morning then? What?
Morning is when you just break an 8 hour fast. So a Muscle Milk is fine but I would imagine you might want to add some more carbs in there also. I suggest putting your Muscle Milk in a blender with a cup of oats (not instabt or prepackaged, plain old olats). I love the way it tastes and it will give you carbs that are also very good for you, we could all use more whole grain.



Dymatize BCAA Complex 2200 (http://www.supplementscanada.com/popeyes/product450.html)

This is not an amino acid product, it is a BCAA product. BCAA's are amino acids (luecine, valine, isoluecine) but generally you make a distinction between the two. An EAA (essential amino acid, it contains 19 amino acids that the body must get from outside sources, and it includes the BCAA's) can be considered but BCAA's are fine.

You can buy BCAA/EAA much cheaper than that and be able to take a higher dose at www.bulknutrition.com

You currently pay $25 for about 100 grams. You can buy 1,000 grams for $39.99, it is in powder but you can throw it in your gatorade.



What do you suggest then?
Buy the 1,0000 BCAA. Then take 10 gram pre workout and 10 gram immediately post. 20 minutes later drink the Muscle Milk. Ideally you would drink a straight whey protein and some simple carbs but if you don't want to buy more supps don't worry about it.


I tried the Glutamine and BCAAs after reading stuff El Macho wrote. Seems to be working for me to help recovery. Now instead of being sore and feeling shity the next morning, I'm just sore.

Should of read 1 tbsp (tablespoon).

Cool.



Lastly, I reccomend taking the Muscle Milk pre bed. If you do you should drop the ZMA as Zinc and calcium do not mix. Anything containing calcium should be avoided around the time you take the ZMA so it gets used. I would imagine that having slow digesting protein before bed (Muscle Milk) is more valuable then ZMA. When I take Zinc supps I do it first thing in the morning, then eat about 15 minutes later.

You can also buy glutamine at that site for cheap.

You can also buy glutamine at that site for cheap.

I get my **** at a the local Popeye's, which is basically the "real store" version of SupplementsCanada.com

The cheapest I saw BCAA there was 336 grams for 39.99. You can get 1,000 grams for the same price at bulknutrition.com

1,000 grams glutamine at that site is about 50. It is 25 on the bulk site.

All amino acids are the same, buying a brand name amino is the same as a bulk supplier, just a lot cheaper.

Bro, a muscle milk RTD is not good nor sufficient for breakfast. However, a shake can be taken as a pre-breakfast snack - my g/f takes a protein shake right after her morning shower, and 90 mins later she has her breakfast (usually a bowl of oatmeal, raisins and yogurt) at work.

You are seriously murdering yourself with a lack of a good breakfast. You ask for a suggestion, I can give one, which is basically what I eat:

1. half a cup of oatmeal micronuked with water, some cinammon and raisins. Then you can either add 4 to 8 oz of yogurt and/or a teaspoon of peanut butter (peanut butter is your friend).

2. two eggs with 3 egg whites, salt and pepper and that's it. Maybe 2-3 brocolli florets (sp), also micronuked.

That's basically what I eat every day. Sometimes I eat them together, sometimes with 1 hour of separation between them. And if I wake up early, maybe a small protein shake an hour before that. But breakfast is there, always.

You can include a shake as part of your breakfast, or as a snack a few hours before your breakfast, but it can never substitute it. Remember this: a protein shake or bar is not real food; it is a supplement.



I haven't started the Muscle Milk for breakfast yet, that's something the guy at the store suggested.If that's what he said, literally, he's fucking retarded.



Food wise my biggest problem is supper. By the time I get home from work it's about 18:30 and I'm either at class or the gym by 19:00, so I can't have a real meal or I might leave it on the mat. I hear ya. Still, even if you have to swallow stuff at 23:00, eat.

Even if you don't feel hungry, eat. The simplest thing you can eat (small, easy to digest) is some tofu and brocolli, perhaps some turkey breast (my g/f and I buy this smoked, low-sodium turkey breast, which we slice and freeze some for later use - pretty fucking convenient.)

Brocoli is also your friend, specially at night. You need to get some protein (animal protein preferable, but tofu is fine as well), and soluble fiber (brocoli or cauliflower). Worst case scenario, a banana - fruits and breads are not ideal, but they are a thousand times better than going to bed with an empty stomach.

To be honest, I'm shooting suggestions in the dark. Can you describe, with luxury of details the type of meals (including fruits, yogurts, breads and granola bars BUT excluding protein shakes and bars) you have at different times of the day????

Lastly, I reccomend taking the Muscle Milk pre bed. If you do you should drop the ZMA as Zinc and calcium do not mix. Anything containing calcium should be avoided around the time you take the ZMA so it gets used. I would imagine that having slow digesting protein before bed (Muscle Milk) is more valuable then ZMA. When I take Zinc supps I do it first thing in the morning, then eat about 15 minutes later.

I take the ZMA to help me sleep on days that I work out and it seems to help.

A few more questions:

- If I take the muscle milk before bed, what should I take post-workout?
- On days that I don't train, what should I take? Should I still take the muscle milk in the evening on top of a real supper or would that be too much?
- Should I replace the evening Muscle Milk with straight protein on off days?
- Would adding a muscle milk shake before training as my "supper" be any good?

Thanks for the help

If you take the ZMA, do not use the Muscle Milk before bed. Wait an hour after taking the
MM to take the ZMA.

No reason you cannot take MM pre bed and post workout. I suggested a better shake for post workout though.

MM before training is fine. Just not if you are taking free form aminos also.

Free form aminos are best taken without anything else that would slow doen the absorption. The point of free form is so that it gets absorbed ASAP.

Here's the smoothie I eat for breakfast everyday:

1 small banana
1/4c unflavored protein powder (roughtly 1/3 whey, 1/3 caseins, 1/3 egg whites)
1 tsp Glutamine (4.5g)
1/3c nonfat plain yogurt
1/3c oats (whole, not instant)
~2Tbps flax seeds
1 bag Acai puree (http://www.sambazon.com/nutrition/frozenPure.jpg)
1 bag Acerola puree (http://www.sambazon.com/nutrition/frozenCherry.jpg)

Sometimes I sub in blueberries, strawberries, mangos, etc. for the last two. If I don't use the Acerola, I add some vitamin C powder to sub for it.

Edit: I actually used to use Evopro, which is the protein mix used in MM, but it was too sweet so I found a place that makes powders without flavor or sweetner. I tried straight whey, but it didn't seem to keep me feeling satisfied as long so I started playing around with different mixes. During the summer I get fresh eggs from my folks and use raw egg whites, which I prefer to powders, but they don't lay year-round.

^^^ There you go. Another good option for breakfast.