Hi, im wondering if anyone know what can i drink to build larger muscle. Im doing P90X , but want additional help. Im 155lb and addicted to exercises lol. Also i have have been sleeved for about 8 months. I have an obsession with women body builders. I do one hour of cardio and 30 min of weight lifting. Any advice is appreciated.

sounds like you are doing exactly what you need to do! good protien intake and lifting weights is right on for building muscle!

'Ivonne'... don't forget about some well-timed slow digesting carbs to go with your lean protein after your lifting sessions. My carbs of choice are broccoli, brown rice, sweet potatoes, oats and quinoa.

Sounds good, i will try that thanks.

Ivonne, you have an antibolic window of about 45 minutes you need to take advantage of after lifting. Your muscles grow while at rest, not while lifting. You create micro tears in the muscle while lifting, they grow during rest and recovery. A good amino acid stack with Protein is excellent for recovery after lifting. Look into a product called Myogenix Aftershock recovery. It has the proper amount of protein for absorbtion levels, Amino stack, Creatine, BCAA'S and it has glucosemine for your joints. This product has great review on any website including bodybuilding.com .

Good Luck.

Wow thanks

When is it safe to start p90x. I am 15 days out. I was thinking 5 weeks so I'm past the safe mark for a leak. Can I have help with this?

Switch the 60 minutes cardio for 60 minutes lifting, and don't do cardio on lifting days unless is LISS (Low Intensity Sustained Cardio). Start out with compound movements, big muscle groups, bench press, deadlift, squats should all be in your workouts on different days. You CAN do deadlifts and squats same day, but it's tough at first. Don't add any supplements until you've got a proven, working routine going for lifting. Protein is a must, obviously, some BCAA's won't hurt, but anything other than those two you'll be wasting money on expensive poops. You can look in to 5/3/1, starting strength, Texas Method for starters. Anything that focuses on the big 3, squad, deadlift and bench press. After a good foundation has been created, we're talking at least a years worth of growing with those, you can start tearing down workouts by muscle groups. Until then, work the big 3, and work on accessory lifts for them. Continue the cardio but do it on a lesser intensity. Remember, the female bodybuilders, most of them, have been training for a very long time and it will take a lot of time and commitment to start building that muscle, and in their cases, some chemically altered medications. Just get committed to it, work hard and keep pushing yourself in the gym.

To add: Getting a good, clean creatine with your protein is going to help facilitate the anabolic window. Some do claim the anabolic window is a myth, but there are plenty of studies showing to give it at least some credit. There's suggestively, a 3 hour window post workout to get clean carbs and Proteins during. According to a study by J Physiol, after an 1 in that 3 hour window you'll drop anabolism within your body from 115% to roughly 64%, then 34%, etc etc.

Article FOR the window http://healthuncut.com/2012/07/the-anabolic-window-is-it-a-myth/

Article AGAINST the window http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19478342?dopt=Abstract

The most beneficial thing you can do is get in the gym and take care of those workouts.

Wow great information and what i needed. Thanks. What is creatin do u recommend?

ivonne.... I suggest a weight lifting program like Stronglifts.... you can google or search for it on youtube.... add that to what Mark said

To add: Getting a good, clean creatine with your Protein is going to help facilitate the anabolic window. Some do claim the anabolic window is a myth, but there are plenty of studies showing to give it at least some credit. There's suggestively, a 3 hour window post workout to get clean carbs and Proteins during. According to a study by J Physiol, after an 1 in that 3 hour window you'll drop anabolism within your body from 115% to roughly 64%, then 34%, etc etc.

Article FOR the window http://healthuncut.c...w-is-it-a-myth/

Article AGAINST the window http://www.ncbi.nlm....2?dopt=Abstract

The most beneficial thing you can do is get in the gym and take care of those workouts.

Mark.....since I try to limit my sugars some, I've heard there is a type of creatine that still absorbs well without needing as much sugar or simple carbs to go with it. Do you know of a creatine that I can take that will be effective without a lot of simple carbs?

Creatine will absorb no matter what, it just really depends on if you want to create the "staged" insulin spike for optimal timing, i.e. right after a workout to help replenish muscle stores and get to the repairing process ASAP.

Bottom line, you will get absorption regardless, I've been in ketosis for weeks at a time and have still been able to feel the "pump" from creatine, it just wouldn't be as noticeable. It's always easiest to start with creatine monohydrate, in my humble opinion. #1, and best reason, it's the cheapest, haha. I've used the $10 batch of mono, and the $50 batch of Creatine HCL, and got like results. If mono doesn't work for you, you can branch out to other forms. The only benefit I really liked about HCL is it limits bloating, and there isn't any cycling or loading phase. With mono, I'd say go with 2-3g on workout days, but for a week, slowly build up to 2-3g, and then maintain that for 4-6 weeks, then quit for a week, you can "unload" by taking smaller doses for a week, I never have though. WIth mono, there is a good chance you will retain some Water weight, which essentially is a good thing for the muscles, not for the scale, but it's only water weight. Since you're low carb/sugar, you may not see any change. It was very minuscule for me.

Gaspari's Qualitine is a good start, $15 for 60 servings.

There are some pretty outrageously priced pre-workout supps, but they can yield some good benefit. Another choice is Monster Milk Protein, which includes both Creatine and BCAA's along with 50g protein per serving, and 3g carb, I think 20g sugar, I don't remember off the top of my head. It was a staple during my low carb days for protein intake and creatine.

If you want to try Creatine HCL because you're worried about water retention/bloating or stomach cramps, you can always try Promera Sports Con Cret. Warning, the Snake Fruit flavor tastes like roasted snake ass, get lemon lime or blue raspberry. Another favorite is BSN Cell Mass, I was given a tub by Ronnie Coleman one day at the gym since he's a BSN rep after a our workout, he told me to try it and get back with him on what I thought. In reality, it's super legit. Tasted awesome, like most BSN supps, but the price was the catch. $40 for 50 servings. If you break it down and buy aminos, glutamine and such, you're not coming off too bad, but it was still cheaper to buy each supp on their own.

Great, thanks for the info Mark!

http://healthuncut.com/2012/07/the-anabolic-window-is-it-a-myth/

This article says getting a pre-workout shot of aminos and glucose/carbs will do you much good. A scoop of whey and 30 grams of carbs of some type, timed correctly before workout will help you build. I found it on the internet so you know it has to be true.

I have worked out faithfully for one month now, taking maybe 4 days off in that entire time. About 10 days ago I started focusing on weight training and cardio instead of just cardio. I feel good, I can feel myself getting stronger, having better balance, but I'm also *up* 4 pounds and when I take my socks off at night I have imprinted ridges and a sock "waist" indentation around my shin.

What the??

Globetrotter- it is mostly just Water weight. As you break the muscles down, they need a lot of water to repair themselves (hence, up 4 pounds). Your weight will drop soon enough as soon as your muscles let go of the water (glycogen store / burn cycle).

This process of building muscle definitely requires rest so do get a day off at least once a week or even in between lifting days if you lift every other day. Rest is so important to building muscle, second to a good eating plan.

My trainer told me more than once that a person's weight, especially for women, starts going up a few pounds before it drops to a new low. I did experience this slight gain before drop, and it sounds like you may fit the pattern too. In addition to scale weight, your clothes will fit better, you will feel smaller, you will feel stronger, you will notice in the mirror, people around you will notice, etc.

Hang in there. It will get much better and easier for you soon enough with your commitment to success.