Although not strictly necessary, most supplements and Keto work very well together. The only thing you have to be mindful of is the actual carbohydrate content of your supplements. Prefer those that contain very little or no carbs. Although not really needed if you are meeting your suggested protein intake with whole foods, Protein Powders (whey, beef, casein) are a quick and convenient way to increase protein intake. Aim for whey shakes that have less than 5g carbs per serving. Darthluiggi suggest between 20 to 25g Protein before your strength training sessions. Before you buy any brand of protein (or any other supplement), check for the reputation or effectiveness of the brand. There have been various cases in which the product does not deliver as marketed. For notable cases, read up these posts: The best and “must have” supplement for serious muscle building is Creatine Monohydrate. Along with it, any supplement that contains Caffeine may help you focus and train hard.
According to the International Society of Sports Nutrition, creatine (monohydrate) is the most effective ergogenic (performance-enhancing) nutritional supplement currently available to athletes for increasing high-intensity exercise capacity and lean body mass during training. “What does creatine do? In a very simplistic manner, creatine becomes a stored form of energy that can be accessed quickly by your body (faster than say, glucose). People who lift weights take creatine as it lets them eke out an extra rep or two when lifting. Yet creatine is far more useful than that. Creatine itself aids in cellular function. More info: Creatine supplementation with specific view to exercise/sports performance: an update Medium-chain triglycerides are generally considered a good biologically inert source of energy that the human body finds reasonably easy to metabolize. They have potentially beneficial attributes in protein metabolism but may be contraindicated in some situations due to their tendency to induce ketogenesis.
Due to their ability to be absorbed rapidly by the body, medium-chain triglycerides have found use in the treatment of a variety of malabsorption ailments. Most fat-burners labelled as thermogenics are a waste of your hard earned money – they are just “glorified” and expensive caffeine pills. The “jolt” you feel by taking them is due to caffeine, which the main ingredient present in most of them.Never seen a set of twins on here so thought to share our progress! Was originally just going to share our last cut progress (1.5 months), but decided why not the full journey so farThese were taken starting from mid-September, a month after we started lifting. Didn’t think to document our progress until then A picture of us together Comparison Picture from beginning to now. And comparison picture of the last 1.5 months. 162 pounds to 150 pounds Lifts at the beginning: Bench: 205, Squat: unknown, Deadlift: 335 *Unknown because wasn’t going past parallel.
Estimate would be 305 Lifts now: Bench: 260, Squat: 360, Deadlift: 435171 pounds to 160 pounds Lifts at the beginning: Bench: 215, Squat: unknown, Deadlift: 335Estimate would be 300 Lifts now: Bench: 260, Squat: 350, Deadlift: 460 Background: We’ve been varsity athletes for the past 5 years. We actually have had short stints of weightlifting in the past; in 7th grade (12 years old) for two semesters for 45 minutes a day, the first semester of freshmen year for an hour twice a week (football conditioning, though we both quit before the season), and the summer before our senior year for an hour twice a week (track conditioning, the sport we’re varsity athletes in. They added conditioning during our senior year). Just wanted to start off by saying this because posted before and got a lot of skepticism so wanted to clarify early Training: It was pretty variable at first. The first two months, we didn’t even deadlift because our main gym didn’t have it (hence the weak deadlift in comparison of the other lifts at the beginning).
Still not on a reddit program but we have a structured routine now Abs whenever we feel like it. Mostly 2-3 times a week of a high intensity interval training just abs, and 1-2 times a week of weighted decline sit-ups for a few sets. All of the weights go increasingly higher. We train to failure. We recognize we could get more volume if we didn’t, but both of us enjoy doing it to failure. That’s just what works for us. Barbell Bench Press (5x5) up to 225 Dumbbell Incline Press (4x8) up to 80 lb dumbbells Dumbbell Flat bench (3x12) up to 65 pound barbells Pull-ups (3xfailure) (around 15 each set, last one ~12) Standing overhead press (4x8) + Barbell Bent-over-rows (4x10) up to 105 Dumbbell Shoulder shrugs (4x25) + Stiff-legged Dumbbell deadlift (4x5) up to 110 Dumbbell Curls (4x8 (each arm)) + Dumbbell Bent-over-rows (4x8) up to 70 Hammer Curls (3x15) up to 30 lb dumbbells Squat (5x5) Up to 315 (Yup, that's all for squat day.
Though squats are almost always abs too) Dumbbell Overhead Press (5x8) up to 120 + Dumbbell shoulder shrugs (4x25) up to 105 Barbell Curls (5x5) + Barbell rows (5x8) up to 100 Dumbbell hammer curls (3x15) up to 30 lb dumbbells Deadlift (2x5, max out at 460/435, then 3x5, or just 5x5) up to 375 Day 7: Rest (if we feel like it. Generally eat healthier during cuts or otherwise we’ll starve. Generally eat less healthy during bulks because otherwise can’t get in enough food. We’re college students with 2 meals a day so we make do with what we have. Oh, and also allergic to nuts, peanut butter, and all fish so that eliminates a lot of snacks people suggest. Pork rinds are a life saver. And coffee with Splenda. Only macro goal was 140 grams of protein a day. Final points: Just wanted to wrap up the post with some advice Diet matters a lot. Was basically spinning our wheel for the first month because we continuously ate like shit while working out.
We’d say it’s about 50/50 gym/diet. We don’t even eat incredibly healthy; just get your protein in and count your calories. Don’t drink soda unless you’re realllly below on calories during a bulk or drinking diet (might get crucified for this but if it wasn’t for artificial sweetners, every other day would’ve been a cheat day)Unless you eat the same thing every day. Mentioned in the last point but honestly think would look almost exactly the same as the before pictures if we didn’t start counting them. It’s a 5 minute a day commitment, it’s not that hard. Don’t make yourself miserable with your diet. We see a lot of people say “eat 0 grams of sugar, only drink water, and the only carbs you should eat is rice, oatmeal, and those from vegetables”. If that works for you, great! But if either of us were to stick to that, we would’ve quit within a week. Find a healthy balanceJust go and stop making excuses. If you hate it, find something else. Fitness is a lifestyle and you’re not going to stick to a 4-8 hour commitment of something you despise.