Whey protein with amino acids and lifting advice

PibblesRun · June 2013

I lift 3x a week...all muscle groups in one day. Its better for my schedule to just get it done in one day and only have to do it 3x a week since I have a little girl. So my first question is...is lifting 3x a week enough to build muscle. I don't want muscle muscle...just nice and defined and toned. I do the 5 sets of 5 reps at heavy weight, exercises for biceps, triceps, upper back, chest and squats. I use a weighted hula hoop as core/ab exercise and I walk every day for cardio. I have a fitbit and make sure I get in at least my 10,000 steps but most days I go for 20,000.

Also...my upper abs are getting more toned than the lower ones (which I know is a common problem) so what can I do extra for my lower abs?

Now the whey protein question...should I be using it? Is it beneficial to me to help build lean muscle? Or will it help me build too much muscle and would it make me gain weight? I have no clue about these types of supplements so any help and insight is appreciated. My main goal is to make it so my body doesn't use my lean muscle mass as energy since im trying to lose weight. I have L glutamine powder...would that be sufficient enough to help my lean muscle mass? Im a rookie when it comes to lifting and building muscle...but I want to be fit and not just thin.

Thanks for any help!

jasonp_ritzert · June 2013

It seems as though you and I are in the same boat, and I can share with you what has worked for me. I lift 3x/week and do a whole body 5x5 routine.

Lower abs - try planks (great for the whole core), leg raises (hanging or lying on a bench), or bicycles.

I am a big proponent of whey protein because it is easy to consume when other sources of lean protein are unavailable. I use it a couple times each day, particularly post-workout and even on non-training days. It will help you build lean muscle if used properly. It will probably make you gain some weight, hopefully muscle weight. If you go to bodybuilding.com, there are tons of resources there in the nutrition section that may be able to help you out. The take home message about building muscle is that if you want to gain muscle, you need to eat at a caloric surplus and the calories should come from lean proteins, complex carbs, and healthy fats. I personally think glutamine is overrated, I am a bigger fan of things like Optimum Nutrition 2222 amino acid tabs. Huge pills, but a more broad spectrum amino acid profile.

As a side note, I mix up my cardio between biking, walking, jogging, elliptical. Maybe if you change up the cardio every now and then, that would help as well. Good luck.

Lastly, congrats on the little girl. I'm just starting to learn how to juggle my schedule since my wife and I had our daughter about 4 months ago.

Acg67 · June 2013

I lift 3x a week...all muscle groups in one day. Its better for my schedule to just get it done in one day and only have to do it 3x a week since I have a little girl. So my first question is...is lifting 3x a week enough to build muscle. I don't want muscle muscle...just nice and defined and toned. I do the 5 sets of 5 reps at heavy weight, exercises for biceps, triceps, upper back, chest and squats. I use a weighted hula hoop as core/ab exercise and I walk every day for cardio. I have a fitbit and make sure I get in at least my 10,000 steps but most days I go for 20,000.

Also...my upper abs are getting more toned than the lower ones (which I know is a common problem) so what can I do extra for my lower abs?

Now the whey protein question...should I be using it? Is it beneficial to me to help build lean muscle? Or will it help me build too much muscle and would it make me gain weight? I have no clue about these types of supplements so any help and insight is appreciated. My main goal is to make it so my body doesn't use my lean muscle mass as energy since im trying to lose weight. I have L glutamine powder...would that be sufficient enough to help my lean muscle mass? Im a rookie when it comes to lifting and building muscle...but I want to be fit and not just thin.

Thanks for any help!

Defining will come down to dropping bodyfat and toning isn't a real thing

use protein powder if you can't meet adequate protein intake through whole foods and l glutamine is pretty worthless for body comp. if you're in a deficit you don't have to worry about building "too much muscle" simply by drinking protein shakes

PibblesRun · June 2013

It seems as though you and I are in the same boat, and I can share with you what has worked for me. I lift 3x/week and do a whole body 5x5 routine.

Lower abs - try planks (great for the whole core), leg raises (hanging or lying on a bench), or bicycles.

I am a big proponent of whey protein because it is easy to consume when other sources of lean protein are unavailable. I use it a couple times each day, particularly post-workout and even on non-training days. It will help you build lean muscle if used properly. It will probably make you gain some weight, hopefully muscle weight. If you go to bodybuilding.com, there are tons of resources there in the nutrition section that may be able to help you out. The take home message about building muscle is that if you want to gain muscle, you need to eat at a caloric surplus and the calories should come from lean proteins, complex carbs, and healthy fats. I personally think glutamine is overrated, I am a bigger fan of things like Optimum Nutrition 2222 amino acid tabs. Huge pills, but a more broad spectrum amino acid profile.

As a side note, I mix up my cardio between biking, walking, jogging, elliptical. Maybe if you change up the cardio every now and then, that would help as well. Good luck.

Lastly, congrats on the little girl. I'm just starting to learn how to juggle my schedule since my wife and I had our daughter about 4 months ago.

Congrats on your little girl! Mines 15 months...ive had time to figure out a good schedule which is why its taken me this long to lose the baby weight! Couldn't figure out how to do ANYTHING the first 5 or 6 months! lol Big adjustment!

PibblesRun · June 2013

I lift 3x a week...all muscle groups in one day. Its better for my schedule to just get it done in one day and only have to do it 3x a week since I have a little girl. So my first question is...is lifting 3x a week enough to build muscle. I don't want muscle muscle...just nice and defined and toned. I do the 5 sets of 5 reps at heavy weight, exercises for biceps, triceps, upper back, chest and squats. I use a weighted hula hoop as core/ab exercise and I walk every day for cardio. I have a fitbit and make sure I get in at least my 10,000 steps but most days I go for 20,000.

Also...my upper abs are getting more toned than the lower ones (which I know is a common problem) so what can I do extra for my lower abs?

Now the whey protein question...should I be using it? Is it beneficial to me to help build lean muscle? Or will it help me build too much muscle and would it make me gain weight? I have no clue about these types of supplements so any help and insight is appreciated. My main goal is to make it so my body doesn't use my lean muscle mass as energy since im trying to lose weight. I have L glutamine powder...would that be sufficient enough to help my lean muscle mass? Im a rookie when it comes to lifting and building muscle...but I want to be fit and not just thin.

Thanks for any help!

Defining will come down to dropping bodyfat and toning isn't a real thing

use protein powder if you can't meet adequate protein intake through whole foods and l glutamine is pretty worthless for body comp. if you're in a deficit you don't have to worry about building "too much muscle" simply by drinking protein shakes

So if im in a deficit and drink protein shakes I can also continue to lose...and if I can consume enough protein from food then I don't really need a protein shake? How much protein would you recommend?

And as long as im dropping body fat by diet and exercise I will also see definition?

grantdumas7 · June 2013

As long as you are in deficit you will still lose weight even with a protein shake. If you are getting enough protein then you don't need the shake. As far as how much protein, that's highly debatable and you will get a lots of opinions. I would shoot for anywhere from .85 to 1.25 LB per bw. So if you weigh 120 then anywhere form 102 to 150 grams.
I haven't read too much on glutamine but I don't think you need a separate glutamine powder.

PibblesRun · June 2013

Wow...then im definitely not getting enough for my weight! Im 163 now and get about 100-125 per day. So I need to up it or get a protein shake! Thanks for the tips!

Tilran · June 2013

As long as you are in deficit you will still lose weight even with a protein shake. If you are getting enough protein then you don't need the shake. As far as how much protein, that's highly debatable and you will get a lots of opinions. I would shoot for anywhere from .85 to 1.25 LB per bw. So if you weigh 120 then anywhere form 102 to 150 grams.
I haven't read too much on glutamine but I don't think you need a separate glutamine powder.

As they mentioned, you will get different opinions....and in my opinion, this advice is incorrect. You should not be gauging it based on body weight rather then Lean Body Mass (LBM)

You need to figure out what your LBM is, and then eat that number in protein. Do you know your Body Fat %? If you know that, you can figure out your LBM.

grantdumas7 · June 2013

As long as you are in deficit you will still lose weight even with a protein shake. If you are getting enough protein then you don't need the shake. As far as how much protein, that's highly debatable and you will get a lots of opinions. I would shoot for anywhere from .85 to 1.25 LB per bw. So if you weigh 120 then anywhere form 102 to 150 grams.
I haven't read too much on glutamine but I don't think you need a separate glutamine powder.

As they mentioned, you will get different opinions....and in my opinion, this advice is incorrect. You should not be gauging it based on body weight rather then Lean Body Mass (LBM)

You need to figure out what your LBM is, and then eat that number in protein. Do you know your Body Fat %? If you know that, you can figure out your LBM.

I went with .85 per LB since most people don't know their exact bodyfat and therefore their LBM. .85 per LB is close enough to 1 lb per LBM for most people.

Whey protein with amino acids and lifting advice

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