Help with protein powder and building muscle please.

Don't stop the boxing (at least punch a heavy-bag). High intensity cardio is better for muscle-building than LSD running and you can't neglect cardio in favor of "just strength". You have to do both to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Your diet should consist of some type of fish/flaxseed oil combination bought at a health store, a good multivitamin, two scoops of protein (after a workout), and a completely natural diet consisting of vegetables, fruits, dairy, lean meats, fowl, fish, herbs, spices, teas, and the better whole grain complex carbs (like unprocessed oatmeal with cinnamon sprinkled on top of it). You will also need a calorie surplus and a weight-training program to go along with the diet. You can easily design a program using dumbbells and bodyweight exercises to achieve this goal if you don't have access to a barbell. You just need to make sure you include the "Basic 6" exercises (Quad-Dominant, Hip-Dominant, Vertical Push, Vertical Pull, Horizontal Push, Horizontal Pull). This will give you a healthier lifestyle and it will make you stronger as a person, but it will hinder your boxing life and you will find it very hard to compete at a new weight class; since the main emphasis is no longer focusing on sports-specific exercises. My 2 cents.

 

You need a lot less protein than you might imagine to build muscle, protein powders are a waste for most people.

You'll get planty of protein, and in much better and more accesible forms by eating a balanced diet with plenty of fish, chicken and pulses.

If you want to build size the simple rule is lift heavy weights. Use compound execises (squat, benchpress, rows etc) not isolation exercises and use heavy weights for a low number of sets and reps (2-4 sets 8-12 reps) but use as much weight as you can, eat well and get plenty of rest. A heavy weight workout 2 or three times a week is the most you should do and many lifters find better gains from only doing exercises like squats just once a week.

You dont need a bench to use a barbell. There are loads of exercises that dont need one, but they are very handy. Try and pick one up out of the free ads or something for next to nothing.

With what you can start off with twice a week. Get used to how much weight you can handle in each exercise and use the most weight you can with dropping below 8 reps. If you can easily to 12 you need a bit more weight.

Squat 3x10
Military press 3x10
Deadlift 3x10
Bent over rows 3x10
Straight leg deadlift 3x10
Calf raises 4x12 (if they are easy for you do them 1 legged and I'd suggest doing this every time you do ab work)
Upright rows 3x10
Front dumbell raises 3x10
Tricep press 3x10
Side dumbell raises 3x10
Barbell curls 3x10

If you have anywhere you can do dips they are great for the chest. If you dont perhaps try weighted press ups if someone can load you up. If neither 3 sets of 1 arm press ups either side will keep you going or if thats too hard just normal press ups. When you get a bench add in 3 sets of flat bench press and if it can do it, 3 sets of incline press.

Abs recover much faster than most other muscle groups and so you should be training them every other day or even every day. I'll leave that up to you. 20 crunches followed by 20 leg raises repeated 3 times is a good place to start.

 

Just seen your reply above about the diet.

Go with what you like to eat, but work with it and see where you can improve what you eat without any stress. Okay you dont like fish... dont eat it. How about chicken or turkey? Loads of protein in baked beans and eggs. I wasnt a great fruit lover tll about 2 years back, but I alays liked bananas and stawberries so I went with them. Any fruit you do like? Any veggies you do like? Even if its just sweetcorn or spuds start with that.

If you are a fussy eater try and get used to trying different veg cooked different ways pretty regularly. You will probably find something you do like sooner or later even if its something you had before and didnt like cooked another way, or you may find like most people you taste changes over time and you start liking stuff you used not like.

 

The answers to your fruits and veggie problems are: smoothies and soup.

 

The whole quad-dominant, hip-dominant, vertical push, vertical pull, horizontal push, horizontal pull is the basic body movements. You need to include at least one of each in a complete program. This makes it easier to choose exercises for a weight-lifting program. You get the choose the exercises you want to do. For example: horizontal push means you can choose to do something like weighted pushups or a bench press variation. These are some examples: Squats (quad-dominant), Stiff-Legged Deadlifts (hip-dominant), Bench Press (horizontal push), Standing Military Press (vertical push), Bent-Over-Rows (horizontal pull), Pullups (vertical pull). I also disagree with Big Harry's workout. Here's a better one (imo) that you can do. Dynamic means 5 or more sets with less reps. The rest are done for 3-4 sets and the rep range is shown below. If it says low reps, keep it between 3 and 5 reps. If it says high reps, keep it between 8 and 15.

DAY 1:
1 dynamic effort push exercise
1 pushing exercise (low reps, heavy weights)
1 vertical pull exercise (low reps, heavy weights)
1 horizontal pull exercise (high reps, light-medium weights)

DAY 3:
1 dynamic effort jumping exercise
1 hip-dominant extension exercise (high reps, medium weights)
1 abdominal exercise
1 lower back exercise

DAY 5: 1
1 max effort push exercise
1 pushing exercise (high reps, light-medium weights)
1 vertical pull exercise (high reps, light-medium weights)
1 horizontal pull exercise (low reps, heavy weights)

DAY 7:
1 lower max effort exercise
1 unilateral exercise (high reps, medium weights)
1 abdominal exercise
1 lower back exercise

 

Throw the protein powder in the bin. And no im not joking.

 

Soup is an excellent idea smoothies not so good, processed fruit will be instantly taken up by the liver to replenish glycogen, if your glycogen levels are full it will just be stored as fat, avoid fruit juices you need to eat proper fruit.

 

What are you talking about?

A smoothie is made by blending fruits, alongside with yogurt for example. A smoothie is not fruit juice.

And even if it was not all the sugar in fruit juice is fructose. Plus the fact that the same principle is true for every possible food item there is. If there's no use for it, it will be stored. I'm kinda assuming we're not fat people who eat a complete meal when their blood sugar is high already.

 

What do you put in your smoothies?

 

My current smoothie:

yogurt
quark
flaxseed
bananas
strawberry
blueberry
raspberry
red currant
cinnamon

 

Protein is a supplement. Remember that word supplement. It supplements your diet. That is all.

I drink 3 proteins shakes a day. One during the mid morning at work between breakfast and lunch where I also eat some bagged popcorn or dry oatmeal and chew some nuts. I consider this a meal. The protien shake is providing the protien for that meal. Not a muscle building miracle, just a meal. I have another one with my mid afternoon meal where I eat the same as before and one after my workout when my body is screaming for quick sustenance.

Its not a magic bullet. It’s just convenient. Sure I could eat chicken breast instead but chicken breast takes time to cook a shake does not and I hate canned tuna.

 

You're **** must smell rotten. The body consumes what it requires and dumps the rest. By the sounds of you're lifestyle all that protein is a waste of time. And Tuna is a poor source of protein. Chicken is better. Either way i dont understand why you would drink 3 shakes a day when eating is far better.

 

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