“How do I build more muscle”?

This is a very broad question, and it starts with nutrition rather than training. If I want to gain ten pounds of muscle I must increase my caloric intake accordingly, since each new pound of muscle needs an additional 50 to 100 calories a day. If I increase my calories through diet or supplements while gaining muscle then revert to my previous caloric intake, I will not maintain my muscle size. My advice is to keep a good record of your diet so you can determine your caloric needs to increase and maintain muscle size.

What is the most important supplement to take when weight training?

Weight training brings with it many benefits including: increased muscles mass, increased bone density, lower blood pressure, and cholesterol, but it is can be very hard for your body to recover! Protein is essential to your body’s ability to recover and build muscle. Protein is found in the foods that we eat, but it is hard to include enough in your diet with food alone. Your goal should be to eat 1 gram of protein for every pound of lean body weight! That would mean that if you have 180 lbs of lean body weight then you would have to eat 12-15 chicken breasts, or 23 eggs a day just to meet your protein requirements! Not only would you be so sick of chicken or eggs, you would also go broke paying for all of that food. Liquid protein shakes can provide 20-50 grams of protein in an inexpensive, fast, and easy to digest way! If you are lifting to get in shape, tone up, gain size, or just stay in shape protein can be difference between reaching your goals and just having goals!

Trainers suggested protein: Genetidyne’s Whey Complex (54 grams of protein per serving) Chocolate, Vanilla, and Strawberry

What products do you recommend post workout?

After a workout session is a great time for your body to assimilate many important nutrients. Your muscles are striving for protein, your body is depleted of carbohydrates, and your body is ready to absorb many important supplements.

First I recommend a high protein liquid shake. A liquid shake is absorbed quickly after a workout, and you can digest almost twice as much protein after weight training. For example if I can eat and digest 15-20 grams of protein any time during the day, after a workout I could digest 40-50 grams of protein.

Your body needs carbohydrates after a workout to replenish the glycogen that it used. Your body uses glycogen that is stored in the muscles and it needs to be replaced after using weights. This is one time a day that a simple carbohydrate such as sugar would be a good choice. It will digest fast and raise the blood sugar back up.

After a workout is also a good time to take other supplements because they will digest extremely fast. If you are taking any joint products that would be a good time to add them into a shake. Also, after a workout, creatine and glutamine would be a good addition to any supplement program.

Trainer Tips: Some products offer a combination designed to give you all of your supplements after a workout. Check out Genetidyne’s Aftermath. It combines carbohydrates, creatine, glutamine, antioxidants, glucosamine (for: joint repair), and amino acids all designed to help recover after a workout.

What is the best fat burner (diet pill) you have?

The answer for this depends on who is asking it. If someone is healthy and does not have any preexisting conditions (example: high blood pressure) then I would suggest a product that mixes both metabolic enhancers and fat burning products. A good example of this would be the product LOSS; it has L-Carnitine and N-Acetyl-Cysteine along with a few other ingredients to help transport fat. It also has Tyrosine, Caffeine, and Alpha Lipoic Acid to give a boost in energy.

If someone does have any health issues, or is taking any prescription medication then a product that has no stimulants such as Beverly International’s Lean Out would be a good choice. It has fat burning products with no stimulants.

If someone is looking for an all natural product to help in weight loss, products like L-Carnitine, Green Tea Extract, or CLA (conjugated linoleic acid) can be taken.

Trainers tip: When looking for a diet pill, look at the exact amount of ingredients in each product. It is common for a diet pill to list the ingredients as a “Proprietary Blend”. This allows a product to have small amounts of quality ingredients, and larger amounts of cheep ingredients.

Why do I need a multi Vitamin if I have a healthy diet?

In a perfect world where all of the food you eat is grown in fertile soil, the food is sold fresh, and you eat the recommended amount of vegetables (and who wants to do that) we may not have much need for a multi vitamin. That is of course not the world we live in. Our food is not giving us the nutrients that we need. The soil is not as fertile as it was in the past, and after the food has been shipped, stored, and cooked it is even lower in nutrients. Also if you are active, your daily requirements go up even more. Even if you’re eating huge amounts of fresh vegetables you are not getting enough vitamins or minerals. If you start taking a good Multi Vitamin you should see an increase in energy right away.

Trainers suggested Vitamin:
Sci-fit makes a vitamin designed for athletes called “VitaSport”. It comes in 120 cap and 240 cap sizes. This vitamin will give an athlete the recommended amounts of minerals along with high doses of antioxidants. It is in a capsule so it is certain to digest in your body and you will absorb it.

Are there any Testosterone enhancers that work like Andro did before it was banned?

There are quite a few products that replaced Andro. First there are stacks of natural testosterone boosters that mix products like Tribulus, Eurycoma Longifolia, and ZMA together to make great products. You can also buy individual products like DHEA, ZMA, or Tribulus.

The strongest products are called pro-Testosterone boosters. These products rival Andro in strength and results. Many of my customers tell me about 10-15 pound gains in size and strength.