I also have found that, for me, various types of creatine don't really do too much.
Same here...never saw any benefit in anything other than monohydrate, cheap, simple & effective. No need to load it/cycle it etc..just take it, drink extra water, get some extra reps here & there & enjoy some more strength/size.
Sadly there's an incredible amount of 'bro-science' out there about it. The other day these two kids at the gym were talking about how creatine made them angry so they had to stop taking it...wth??
A friend of mine recently started doing intermittent fasting (
www.leangains.com). I had heard about it before but never looked into it too heavily; lately, I've been thinking about giving it a go too. Anyone here have any experience with it?
I've tried several different IF protocols (Lean Gains per Barkhan, Modified Warrior Diet, Eat-Stop-Eat) w/ varying degrees of success). It works (& works well) if it fits your lifestyle. Ive seen people use it for both cutting & lean bulking. For me, it was always difficult to get my cals in in the evening & I ended up under-eating on the whole.
I do incorporate some fasting periods still & train fasted fairly often with no ill-effects on performance/strength.
Oh I see. But if you do this every day, you will crash your metabolism.
Logically you might think so, but it does not. Your body doesn't care if it gets 2,500 calories in 2 meals in the evening or 5 meals spread thru the day. Lots of research out there about the whole meal-timing/frequency myth. With that said, it always comes back to finding what works for you & lifestyle.
On the subject of supplements, since they were mentioned quite a bit..for the majority of average trainees/lifters (which I think applies to most of us in this thread) you dont need much more than the basics, especially if your diet is in check. The more interviews I see with top powerlifters/strength coaches & even bodybuilders all seem to say the same.
You can buy the bulk ingredients in these pre-workout supps & mix them yourself (in actual effective amounts) for way cheaper. Add a crystal light packet for flavor & your good to go. But hey, if it makes you feel good to pay for the shiny label & the 'proprietary blend'...who am I hate? :w00t:
As far as goals go...right now I'm looking to run my first 5k. Having spent most of my life lifting heavy, this is a nice change of pace & I'm enjoying it. Trying to cut some weight for vacation in September as well.
After that I'm gonna try & get my numbers back up to where there were last year & look to increase them.