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The Workout Thread


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44 minutes ago, Sean Monahan said:

I notice a bit of performance boost with creatine. There’s loads of research to support it but there are people that are non-responders. 

Most of the research with creatine is performance based not necessarily body composition. At its roots phosphocreatine is used for up to 10 seconds of max effort in the muscles. So if you’re a power lifter or going for 1 rep max you’ll notice something. But I laugh when I hear guys say they take creatine to get big. Creatine is a monohydrate it’s just water making them feel full and big not muscle. 

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1 minute ago, NucksPatsFan said:

Most of the research with creatine is performance based not necessarily body composition. At its roots phosphocreatine is used for up to 10 seconds of max effort in the muscles. So if you’re a power lifter or going for 1 rep max you’ll notice something. But I laugh when I hear guys say they take creatine to get big. Creatine is a monohydrate it’s just water making them feel full and big not muscle. 

For sure. But doesn’t the increased ATP help with recovery between higher rep sets too? Increasing workload would lead to increased gains, all things being equal. Recovery, nutrition, and whatnot being accounted for. So as a byproduct, wouldn’t creatine improve body comp?

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Just now, Tortorella's Rant said:

you don't need any

Eat well, hydrate properly, sleep well/relax when you can prior to the gym, that's more than enough to get you through a workout

Yeah, so far, I’ve done really well without anything. Do all the above.

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35 minutes ago, Monty said:

Yeah, so far, I’ve done really well without anything. Do all the above.

If you’re doing fine without any supplementation I’d just stick with your current plan. 90% of supplements are crap and the remaining 10% should just be used to fill in gaps. If there’s no gaps to fill, carry on as you were. 

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2 hours ago, Sean Monahan said:

For sure. But doesn’t the increased ATP help with recovery between higher rep sets too? Increasing workload would lead to increased gains, all things being equal. Recovery, nutrition, and whatnot being accounted for. So as a byproduct, wouldn’t creatine improve body comp?

It does and doesn't. It increases the recovery period of phosphocreatine to restore in the muscles so that you are able to go for that max effort exertion sooner. However, it doesn't improve recovery between higher repetition sets as phosphocreatine is a short duration (up to 10 seconds) energy source. 

 

You are correct that yes if phosphocreatine can help you lift more on your 1 or 2 rep max lifts, then it will increase your gains, and all things being equal, it should help improve body comp. However, majority of the guys who take creatine thinking it's going to help them get bigger or shredded don't use it properly. They take creatine then go do high volume work outs and aren't actually using the benefits of the creatine.  

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33 minutes ago, NucksPatsFan said:

It does and doesn't. It increases the recovery period of phosphocreatine to restore in the muscles so that you are able to go for that max effort exertion sooner. However, it doesn't improve recovery between higher repetition sets as phosphocreatine is a short duration (up to 10 seconds) energy source. 

 

You are correct that yes if phosphocreatine can help you lift more on your 1 or 2 rep max lifts, then it will increase your gains, and all things being equal, it should help improve body comp. However, majority of the guys who take creatine thinking it's going to help them get bigger or shredded don't use it properly. They take creatine then go do high volume work outs and aren't actually using the benefits of the creatine.  

Makes sense, as I’ve only ever noticed an improvement in my <4-5 lifts and not in the higher volume stuff. When it comes to creatine  there’s quite a bit of research supporting it and it’s dirt cheap so I figure it can’t hurt. 

 

On the topic, remember about 10 years ago when glutamine was the next big thing?

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12 hours ago, Monty said:

Anyone have recommendations for supplements that are good for muscle growth and help definition?

Food!

 

100-200cal surplus above your maintenance should keep you lean and incorporate some strength training (progressive overload).

 

It’s tough and expensive to eat enough protein sometimes, so load up on some Kaizen protein from Costco when on sale.

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17 hours ago, Sean Monahan said:

Makes sense, as I’ve only ever noticed an improvement in my <4-5 lifts and not in the higher volume stuff. When it comes to creatine  there’s quite a bit of research supporting it and it’s dirt cheap so I figure it can’t hurt. 

 

On the topic, remember about 10 years ago when glutamine was the next big thing?

Now glutamine is an add in to almost every type of supplement on the market lol.

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1 hour ago, Monty said:

Anyone have tips on how not to be awful and out of energy when doing lunges?

Just don’t be awful. 

 

Your conditioning might be lacking, which would affect your overall work capacity. My conditioning is crap right now and I notice it doing higher rep sets. 

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2 minutes ago, Sean Monahan said:

Just don’t be awful. 

 

Your conditioning might be lacking, which would affect your overall work capacity. My conditioning is crap right now and I notice it doing higher rep sets. 

Probably that.

 

If anyone else has done, or currently does circuit training, what would you recommend for cardio afterwards? My personal trainer put me on 5 minutes of cardio to begin each workout, but nothing afterwards. I know that’s because circuit training done at a quicker pace, so it incorporates cardio. But I’ve been thinking I should add some in. But I don’t know.

 

Thoughts anyone?

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6 minutes ago, Monty said:

Probably that.

 

If anyone else has done, or currently does circuit training, what would you recommend for cardio afterwards? My personal trainer put me on 5 minutes of cardio to begin each workout, but nothing afterwards. I know that’s because circuit training done at a quicker pace, so it incorporates cardio. But I’ve been thinking I should add some in. But I don’t know.

 

Thoughts anyone?

Your trainer is putting you on cardio for 5 minutes to warm up your body and get the heart rate up. It's not meant to be to increase cardio. 

 

The rower is your best bet for improving cardio through steady state cardio.

 

You could also do a tabata workout for 10-20 minutes on the stationary bike, great way to increase cardiovascular endurance and get the legs a nice pump. 

 

However, a proper trainer should be including cardio bouts into your circuit training session if you have made them aware that one of your goals is to increase your cardio. Uphill sprints (treadmill is fine if you cant run outside) and winggate style bike intervals are a great circuit station for those wanting to increase their cardio. Also boosts your EPOC. 

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1 hour ago, Monty said:

Anyone have tips on how not to be awful and out of energy when doing lunges?

do you do any active stretching?

 

I used to lots in Karate and we did tons of lunges. Used to pride myself on them but I have let me legs go in the last few years. 

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@Monty like NPF said, Tabata style is the way to go. Even 4-5 minutes (if you truly give your max effort) will do plenty. If you’re looking to train for a half marathon you might want to try other methods but for general fitness/conditioning, that should be plenty. 

 

I like skipping rope too. Only thing, for me at least, is I have tight calves and some chronic Achilles tendinitis on my left ankle so too much skipping and that starts to flare up. Just something to consider. 

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2 minutes ago, Monty said:

In my 5 day circuit, one of those days is just cardio. Do 30 minutes, currently.

Personally, I find LISS cardio kinda boring. Depending how you do it I also find it harder on the body. Interval training just has me more focused and I can get pretty much the same benefit in a fraction of the time. It’s also better for body composition. 

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You folks know a lot....

Monty mentioned Russian Twists a while ago.

 

I heard that they were not good for your spine.

 

I like the exercise though and want to work on my obliques, do you think that the concerns come from doing them with heavy weight? 

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