Protein, Creatine etc Benefits?
Bullet1
Posts: 161
After taking a year or so off cycling I just in the process of getting back in to it.
I'm currently 17 stone and ideally still got at least a stone and a half to lose (I'm 6'5" so carry it well?!?)
I'm currently getting out (snow depending) two to three times a week with either spinning on a bike in works gym of going out for a run another two to three times per week.
My plan is to get a couple of century rides in over the summer and seriously need to improve my hill climbing - half of which will improve through weight loss
At present I have a largely healthy diet but by no means obsessive and still love a beer and pies every now and then
So, the question is in my position is there anything to be gained by taking protein shakes post exercise or taking creatine and will either of them noticeably improve my performance?
I'm currently 17 stone and ideally still got at least a stone and a half to lose (I'm 6'5" so carry it well?!?)
I'm currently getting out (snow depending) two to three times a week with either spinning on a bike in works gym of going out for a run another two to three times per week.
My plan is to get a couple of century rides in over the summer and seriously need to improve my hill climbing - half of which will improve through weight loss
At present I have a largely healthy diet but by no means obsessive and still love a beer and pies every now and then
So, the question is in my position is there anything to be gained by taking protein shakes post exercise or taking creatine and will either of them noticeably improve my performance?
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Comments
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No.
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To my limited knowledge creatine makes your muscles withhold water more and so makes you weigh more, they have been shown to increase max output but many say due to the extra weight gained it is not beneficial for endurance sports. Protein helps you muscles recover quicker but the thing I find best with it when having it post training is it fills a hole in the stomach to you don't eat/snack so much. So while some may argue it holds very little benefit to increasing your strength it is not to say thats the only benefit it offers0
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ive no idea what creatine does, but if you eat a normal balanced diet you wont really need any protein drinks, at all, they will only hinder your weight loss unless you are under-eating to begin with. they are very expensive too.0
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They are cheaper than normal food by a long shot. Hence why they exist. High qaulity protein with not a lot else for a tiny fraction of the cost of meat etc.
You don't need them, but I use them because I feel it's quick and easy recovery and its cheap. I use whey and oats for breakfast. Costs bugger all.Blog on my first and now second season of proper riding/racing - www.firstseasonracing.com0 -
your right it is quick and easy, but i'd rather have beans on wholegrain toast with poached eggs for my recovery meal. and it takes me way under 10 mins to make. if i have a protein shake i'd want real food 10 mins later, because i like food.0
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Thanks - fine - I guess I won't bother on the assumption of you can't beat a balanced diet!
As half of my workouts are taken in my lunch hour, what would you recommend post workout for lunch? Currently having a plain omelette and baked beans....suitable?0 -
Ha ha - your post wasn't there when I wrote mine!
Thanks0 -
large chicken salad sandwich. boiled eggs in tuna salad. smoked fish with rice. homemade rice pudding made with vanilla and honey and raisins (no sugar). fruit. peanut butter and banana sandwiches. milk! hazlenuts.
take your pick. a litlle prep the night before but tasty, so take your pick0 -
creatine just fills your muscles up with water, no benefit to muscle growth or anything.. a person i knew was taking it and then he stopped, about a week later the muscles had lost the water and looked tiny again but with some extra skin.0
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Bullet1 wrote:
I'm currently 17 stone and ideally still got at least a stone and a half to lose (I'm 6'5" so carry it well?!?)
At present I have a largely healthy diet but by no means obsessive and still love a beer and pies every now and then
Hi Soni :!:0 -
Creatine does add water to your muscles but it does help with building strengh and muscle. Creatine is in your body already and when you train you use it up and the creatine you have taken replaces it so you can train harder and longer before muscle failure. So you get fitter and stronger.When you stop taking it you do lose the water weight. Protein shakes are very good for getting in the right protein and as a quick meal when you dont have a kitchen to prepare food.
I have found this site http://forum.bodybuilding.com/ a great site for infomation on anything with training, supplements and diet I no it says Bodybuilding but its not all about that. I am 5ft 7 and was 13stone 4 pounds, 8 months on and I am 11 stone with 10% body fat and I got a lot of advise from there just by searching
Hope this Helps Neil0 -
Creatine doesn't help you get fitter in the slightest. For anything other than practically all out exercise (10-20 seconds), creatine stores aren't the limiting factor for generating ATP.
There is reasonable evidence that it helps you get stronger, but as always poor evidence that getting stronger will make you faster on a bike.0 -
you probably get enough protein from your diet, most people do, and creatine is not an essential nutrient as it is manufactured in the human body.
ooo I remember beer and pies
my isetta is a 300cc bike0 -
Not sure i agree. Most of the advice on building muscle suggests 1 to 1.5grm of protein per kg of body weight. You need to work on yor diet to hit that.team47b wrote:you probably get enough protein from your diet, most people do, and creatine is not an essential nutrient as it is manufactured in the human body.
ooo I remember beer and pies0 -
poynedexter wrote:large chicken salad sandwich. boiled eggs in tuna salad. smoked fish with rice. homemade rice pudding made with vanilla and honey and raisins (no sugar). fruit. peanut butter and banana sandwiches. milk! hazlenuts.
take your pick. a litlle prep the night before but tasty, so take your pick
alright jamie oliver, calm down or you may wet your pants! (no sugar)0 -
How much protein does a cyclist need though? But then surely that depends on his workload and intensity of workouts. Then again, seeing the power top cyclists are able to generate convinces me that they do a lot of weight work on their legs in the gym!
When I was training I'd do squats concentrically and isometrically (wall squats), squat jumps, and split squats. Legs would be like jelly after and a protein shake would follow. Didn't do it too often, though. Should try it - 30 seconds, 45 seconds, 60, another 60, 45, and 30. Use 30 second break between each hold and ensure you are at 90 degree's when performing. Once complete, take 2-3 minute break and repeat. It's great :-D
As for creatine I used it a couple of times. Can't remember the brand but I think it was by USN and in a red see through tub. Felt rather dehydrated to be honest and didn't notice any difference whatsoever... apart from feeling dehydrated as already mentioned!0 -
Gabbo wrote:Then again, seeing the power top cyclists are able to generate convinces me that they do a lot of weight work on their legs in the gym!
That's due to your ignorance, nothing else.0 -
Stueys wrote:
Not sure i agree. Most of the advice on building muscle suggests 1 to 1.5grm of protein per kg of body weight. You need to work on yor diet to hit that.team47b wrote:you probably get enough protein from your diet.(
Sorry you are right, I should have said 1 to 1.5grm of protein per kg and let others work out how much they need, the OP did say he had a "largely healthy diet" so I assumed he was eating enough protein.
I was basing it on my weight of 55kgs so any 'normal' diet would probably easily cover my protein need as it would only be 55-82.5gms.my isetta is a 300cc bike0 -
Gabbo wrote:How much protein does a cyclist need though? But then surely that depends on his workload and intensity of workouts. Then again, seeing the power top cyclists are able to generate convinces me that they do a lot of weight work on their legs in the gym!
When I was training I'd do squats concentrically and isometrically (wall squats), squat jumps, and split squats. Legs would be like jelly after and a protein shake would follow. Didn't do it too often, though. Should try it - 30 seconds, 45 seconds, 60, another 60, 45, and 30. Use 30 second break between each hold and ensure you are at 90 degree's when performing. Once complete, take 2-3 minute break and repeat. It's great :-D
As for creatine I used it a couple of times. Can't remember the brand but I think it was by USN and in a red see through tub. Felt rather dehydrated to be honest and didn't notice any difference whatsoever... apart from feeling dehydrated as already mentioned!
assuming you didn't pay attention to the part on the creatine tub that says when loading to drink more water, you were dehydrated because more water was being retained by your muscles than normal0
