XavierX
I'm in fairly good shape, but my stomach, well its flat but can't see the abs basically but i am in good healthy shape. Just wondering, the 180grams of protein, is it ok if its protein shakes only?
Or is it better to eat chicken and what not, since the protein shake has all that you need in one drink.
Abs showing through is entirely dependent on genetics (sorry) and body fat percentage. You can fight this multiple ways, but really you need to get as lean as possible. Also, and I might be stating the obvious, but you need to do *real* ab workouts. Crunches and sit ups don't do **** for you. They are *aerobic* by nature, meaning they exercise the muscle but apart from small gains they don't *build* muscle. What you want to aim for is anaerobic exercise, which builds muscle. Do this by treating your abs like any other muscle. You wouldn't expect your biceps to grow if you just lifted your arm up over and over and over again with no weight, would you? Get some weights from a bench press and put 1 on your abs when you do crunches. Trust me, it doesn't take a whole lot, so start off slow with 5 or 10lbs. This will help them shine through, combined with dropping body
fat %
HIIT cardio burns almost exclusively fat, so be sure to do a lot of these sessions spread out throughout your week when time is fitting. Do not do 30 minutes of HIIT, it loses its affect and drains your hormonal system. Keep it short. Keep it intense.
If you take in all your protein from just shakes, then something is wrong. Your body needs whole foods, carbs and fats. Use your shakes as a last resort when whole healthy food isn't available, and after your workouts + before bed. Again, some products like pure whey protein are for immediate after workout consumption. Use these powders in water for faster absorption. For before bed, look into a mixed product that contains casein protein (which is slower absorbing) and use milk to mix your powders. Not only does it taste a hell of a lot better, but it does a lot more for you than just pure whey.
If you cant follow strict meals, and lets fact it a lot of us cant, just "graze" on healthy food. Often times I buy a whole broiled chicken and leave it in the frig and just scavenge some, throw it on a slice of wheat bread when I'm hungry. The more you eat, the faster your metabolism, and the more muscle you gain. Its just a matter of burning off the excess, and eating the right foods.
XavierX
Or is it better to eat chicken and what not, since the protein shake has all that you need in one drink.
Thats a big misconception. Science cannot replicate the chemicals and compounds that occur in nature perfectly or as nearly efficiently. Not even the best, most expensive Meal Replacement Product (MRP) is a perfect meal replacement. They are called supplements for a reason. They should only be used in addition to whole foods. Theres no problem using them as a substitute for a meal you otherwise wouldn't have time to make. I use a MRP before bed and sometimes for breakfast. Also, if I'm hungry, and theres nothing healthy around, I fire up a shake. You should never starve your body. If you are hungry all the time, thats a positive sign, because your body is asking for more resources to throw into the fire. Trust me, when I first read "six meals a day" I balked and then once my metabolism got going I often find myself eating more than that. You cant hurt yourself by eating chicken, so long as its not KFC fried or whatever. Just use common sense.
So ultimatly I'd be better off ditching the 30-45 minutes of bike doing this high intensity interval training on my off days? I may be able to squeeze in 15 minutes before bed. Problem is in the winter when it snows, but I guess that'll help my balance
Absolutely. Your body wants to spread the stress (read: working out) over as much time as possible. You don't want to over train, which will throw your systems out of wack. If you do HIIT like that article shows for a few sessions, you will notice the difference. Your metabolism will be through the roof and so long as you feed your body healthy foods, the fat will come melting off. If someone could get a six pack by sitting on a bike all day, well hell id do it! But it doesn't work that way.
Running a HIIT session before bed will help you sleep better as well. Just time it with some music or use a stop watch. Have fun with it. Personally, doing HIIT is a lot more rewarding for me, as I know its kicking my *** and I'm working hard. Sitting on a bike peddling away can become tedious. Like I pointed out before, HIIT also burns a higher % of fat versus regular cardio. Some articles have it somewhere as 9x more effective. When you do long sessions on the bike, your body eats itself in order to keep going. Who's more muscular; marathon runners or sprinters?
Some food suggestions:
Breakfast - Eggs (preferably whites), bagels, protein shakes or MRP products. Important meal. Do NOT skip.
Throughout the day - Chicken, Turkey (very lean), Tuna and then other meats
At night - cottage cheese, MRP/Protein Shake before bed
If you guys have questions about specific supplements you hear about or see on TV, PM me. I'd be more than happy to explain the science behind it, whether they are reputable, whether it works or not (i've tried a lot of stuff) and whatnot.