Re: I Can BUILD Again!!!

proteins at night are not a bad choice since your body uses the rest time to repair itself and proteins are needed for this.

in a bulk cycle, proteins at night are good, in a cutting cycle, well… low calories protein shakes would be better.

Strawberry, youve touched on some good points. While its true that excess can be stored during sleep, its also true that your muscles only grow during sleep and protein is needed to rebuild. Without the proper amount of protein (going to sleep hungry), you stand a good chance of having protein pulled from muscle tissue, meaning youre actually losing any gains youve recently made and setting yourself back. Thats why casein protein is great for a bedtime snack, the more complex proteins are absorbed much slower than whey for instance. The trick to building mass is keeping and building. Im not saying you should stuff yourself completely, but I would never ever go to bed hungry. If I didnt eat for 4 hours before I slept, Id be gnawing on my foot all night. 😉

Im glad to hear youve taken up post-workout shakes, as pre-workout shakes actually work against you by drawing blood flow for digestion. You really need that quick protein post, as soon as possible (at least within 90 minutes of the workout).

Keep in mind that I can get away with alot of cheating, due to my higher metabolism. I understand your concerns about fat allocation and your goals, so take my advice with a grain of salt. Every situation is different, and bulking is just one specific cycle of bodybuilding (which has never been an exact science). In case youre wondering where I get my nutty info, I have a family member thats an pro bodybuilder and another thats a pro fitness competitor. I shouldnt drop any names, but chances are youve seen them both in magazines. In fact the fitness competitor is often in the ads on this very site. I consider myself very lucky to have them as resources, as both are knowledgeable on the subject and own related services. Being a family member has its perks. lol.

Calcium caseinate is probably the most common type of casein used in bodybuilding. Casein is usually found in products like protein bars, mass building stacks, and baby formula (seriously). Digestion typically takes around 6-8 hours, as opposed to 20 minutes with whey. 🙂

Im not sure what mix youre using, but if youre concerned about fat content you might want to consider using whey isolate… which is basically a filtered protein containing less fat than whey concentrate (the real common stuff). The cost is a bit higher, but its worth it (no bloating). Good luck.

Optimum Nutrition protein, 23 g of protein, and yummy (and inexpensive). I buy it from saveonsupplements.com. Those guys are great! Take this first thing in morning, after workout with some fruit, and before bed. If you wake up during the night, take another then. I do. I get the rest via food. Speaking of which, I need to go rescue my chicken breast off the grill.

Alright, I've heard a few good things here.  I've heard some nonsense as well.

Before I get started, I'm a studying Excercise Physiologist on his way to Physical Therapy.  I'm only mentioning this to give you credentials.  I've also spent the last 10 years of my life in the military.  I'm a sergeant and instructor at an armor school in Austin, TX. 

A lot of advice you're getting here is bodybuilder advice.  It's good advice, for a bodybuilder.  Despite what you think, that's not what you want while enlisted.  You'll be fighting the "fat boy" program your whole career.  I kicked out several soldiers for not making weight, but they weren't "fat" per se.  They were lean bodybuilders.  I always get taped for being overweight.  I'm 5'10" and 195 lbs.  That's not that big compared to some. 

Stop laoding your body with protien.  Half a gram per lb of LEAN bodyweight is plenty.  You can't absorb 163 grams.  As it seems your finsing out, it's ridiculous to try at such a low body weight.  Truthfully, you get enough protien in a balanced diet to gain.  Plus, too much protien can develop keytones in your circulatory system which makes blood acidic.  Granted, this takes time, but I have no idea how long you've been doing this.

Next, because you're going into the military, running should be HIGHLY important to you.  In the Army, at a young age, you're expected to run 2 miles in under 17 minutes.  I'm 29, and that's what I have to do.  I've run with some bodybuilder friends, they give up at the mile mark.  They're too heavy.

Food.  The biggest factor in any program.  Think about the laws of physics.  Energy in versus energy out.  To gain, you need to take in more CALORIES, not protein alone.  Yes, more protein promotes more muscle mass, but the amounts that a bodybuilder will give you are too much.  It's simply not necessary.  CALORIES are the key.  The average olympic athlete takes in 3500 calories a day.  Why?  They use every bit of it.  Are you as active as an olympic athlete?  If you take in more than you burn, you'll gain weight.  Muscle, fat, you'll gain weight.  take in less than you burn, you'll lose weight.  It's that simple.  You cna't do both at the same time.

Supplements.  Not a bad thing.  The stimulants are so bad.  They're addicting if you're not careful, but they aren't bad.  However, as stated above, if you're taking a stimulant, which raises metabolism, you're working against yourself to gain muscle weight.  Here's a little secret, lean muscle mass promotes resting metabolic rate.  More muscle means more fat burning.

The actual reps.  Really, for the military, you could lift twice a week and cardio 3 times a week and be in great shape.  I'd have to really know what you're going for to give you any advice here.  Weight?  The simple science is this: 1-4 reps heavy for strength, 4-12 moderate reps for hypertrophy, and 12-20 reps for endurance.  This is a very simple way to look at it, however.  Someone earlier said to stretch.  Great advice.  Warm-up and stretch, always.

I guess what I'm saying is, keep it simple.  Getting what you wnat out of your body isn't as hard as people make it out to be unless your doing something sport specific.  It's the military.  In the Army it's 2 minutes of push-ups, 2 minutes of sit-ups, and a 2 mile run.  The best way to improve these things?  Do them.  Diet?  Eat right, keep the protions to a respectable level, eat about 4-5 times a day.  A bodybuilder is a unhealthy lifestyle.  Yeah, I said it.  Problem is, that's who's by the weight most of the time so that's what people hear.  Let me know if you'd like some more information.  If I don't know it readily, I'll look it up for you.