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Post by Deleted on Dec 12, 2014 14:11:35 GMT -6
Here's a review for the MusclePharm Combat Crunch Bars in Cookie Dough. I took the pictures from my work table, so it'll appear less appetizing than it is.   It has a killer nutrition profile. 20 grams of protein isolate, 28 grams of carbs (of which 12 grams is fiber), and 7 grams of fat.  This is what it looks like unwrapped. The work table coupled with the paper towel makes it look like a log of sh**, but it looks like a candy bar to be honest. The outside is coated with chocolate and crunchy chocolate chunks making it taste initially like a Crunch bar.  Cut right down the middle. Again, please disregard the unappetizing appearance, but this is where it differs from every other protein bar I have ever tried. It actually tastes good. The outside is crunchy like a Crunch bar, but the inside tastes like a Snickers bar without the caramel. Very nougat-y. I said earlier it's like a Twix bar, but I meant Snickers bar without the caramel. It's very good, and it hits the spot for a quick replacement meal. This and a bottle of water is usually how I break my fast. Then I have a real meal an hour or two later, coupled with a Quest nutrition bar because those are loaded with WPIs and fiber. Doesn't taste nearly as good as the Combat Crunch Bar, but the Quest bar has the best nutrition profile I've ever seen from a protein bar. One Combat Crunch Bar and one Quest nutrition bar fulfills my daily fiber requirement of 30 grams of fiber. At $30 a box, 12 bars a box, it is pricey per bar. But $30 for 2 boxes is a steal. In the last 6 months since this came out, this is the second time I saw it for buy one box get one free. And one other time when it was buy two boxes, get one free. But it's actually so good that I actually buy it at full price as well. Probably should have done this review the other day, but I just got my 4 boxes of Combat Crunch bars in (took only 2 days for shipping even though I paid for UPS ground). Bodybuilding.com is amazing, and these bars are amazing. |
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Post by Deleted on Dec 15, 2014 8:54:34 GMT -6
ickesTo answer your question from the other thread. I am not saying I will get there but this is what I am shooting for:  and not this: 
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Post by ickes on Dec 15, 2014 10:09:47 GMT -6
ok, right, so we're on the same page. Most of us can't achieve the bottom pic anyways without the use of testosterone therapy, HGH, pro hormones, or steroids. So the thing is, for you to achieve the results in the top pic you will have to gain muscle mass. It may seem strange but it's true. So you're at 160 now and I believe you said 18% body fat? You stated you want drop body fat but stay at 160. So to drop body fat what do you have to do? Lose weight. So say you drop a bunch of body fat and get down to 150. Well now you're ten pounds lighter so what do you have to do to gain ten pounds back and get to 160? Well you either gain it all back in fat and go back to square one, or you gain the weight in muscle mass. If you gain it in muscle mass you will be a leaner 160 than you previously were but you will have bigger muscles. If you do what devastitis suggested and do the workout and don't eat as much then yeah, he's right, you will definitely loose weight. The problem is you will risk becoming catabolic. If you do you will get smaller, you're muscles will get smaller, and you will likely become weaker. I absolutely do not reccomend this. I hope this all makes sense. |
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Post by Deleted on Dec 15, 2014 10:49:37 GMT -6
ok, right, so we're on the same page. Most of us can't achieve the bottom pic anyways without the use of testosterone therapy, HGH, pro hormones, or steroids. So the thing is, for you to achieve the results in the top pic you will have to gain muscle mass. It may seem strange but it's true. So you're at 160 now and I believe you said 18% body fat? You stated you want drop body fat but stay at 160. So to drop body fat what do you have to do? Lose weight. So say you drop a bunch of body fat and get down to 150. Well now you're ten pounds lighter so what do you have to do to gain ten pounds back and get to 160? Well you either gain it all back in fat and go back to square one, or you gain the weight in muscle mass. If you gain it in muscle mass you will be a leaner 160 than you previously were but you will have bigger muscles. If you do what devastitis suggested and do the workout and don't eat as much then yeah, he's right, you will definitely loose weight. The problem is you will risk becoming catabolic. If you do you will get smaller, you're muscles will get smaller, and you will likely become weaker. I absolutely do not reccomend this. I hope this all makes sense. It makes total sense. Any recommendation? I read about the Arnold program and would really want to give it a try. Is it anything that I should twist? My waist is 31.5 today and would like to stay around the same. Just want more muscle and not fat. I know I am not fat but would like to lean out with muscle. I was able to get down to 148 about three years ago but I was pretty much starving myself. It wasn't a great experience. |
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Post by wisdom on Dec 15, 2014 11:26:50 GMT -6
@wils.. if you do the Arnold workout and adjust the reps up 50-100% and back off the weight by 30-50% or so, I'd guess you'd get a killer fat burning/toning workout. Keep rest periods to 45 sec, though.
Disclaimer - I'm not a professional at this type of advice.. just have lots of experience.
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Post by ickes on Dec 15, 2014 11:42:24 GMT -6
@wills; I would just do the Arnold workout as is. that's the cool thing about this workout is you are only resting 45 seconds and that is so key to building the lean mass. This isn't a normal mass routine that most think of where you are purely lifting for strength like a power lifter would train, taking 3 to 4 minute rests between sets. You are resting 45 seconds and that alone will get your heartbeat up and will be cardio training at the same time. I sweat like crazy doing this workout. I will literally leave a trail of sweat on the gym floor, no exaggeration..lol.
I think the Arnold routine will give you exactly what you are looking for @wills. Everybodies body reacts differently but I think it should give you the results you want. Just give it a shot, do the 8 week cycle and check your results and see how you feel about it. If you like the results then start the 8 week cycle over and keep doing it.
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Post by ickes on Dec 15, 2014 11:44:06 GMT -6
jeez, how the hell do I tag you MiddleAge?!
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Post by Deleted on Dec 15, 2014 12:57:14 GMT -6
jeez, how the hell do I tag you MiddleAge?! use wils (one L) |
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Post by ickes on Dec 15, 2014 13:13:09 GMT -6
ahh...thanks @david.
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Post by Winterland on Dec 15, 2014 16:19:23 GMT -6
jeez, how the hell do I tag you MiddleAge?! use wils (one L) If you hover your mouse over the members name in profile it shows actual name that you can tag. Not sure if you can do it on phone. |
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Post by ickes on Dec 15, 2014 16:26:52 GMT -6
thanks Winterland. No it doesn't work on a phone but you can click on their name and look at their profile to get their user name. |
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Post by Deleted on Dec 16, 2014 17:44:43 GMT -6
I have to respectfully disagree with you, MattIckes. As you said, the Arnold program is for advanced lifters, and not for the average or casual lifters. Your workout requires hundreds of reps each day, and that in my mind, is insane for anyone who isn't a gym rat, for lack of a better term. I have achieved the body type that Wils is looking for without having to do crazy high rep workouts. It mainly came down to a few basic things.
1. Diet
Measure your BMR, and eat at an excess with moderate fat/high protein/moderate carbs on workout days, and at maintenance or slightly below maintenance with high fat/high protein/zero carbs on non-workout days. Fiber doesn't count as carbs, so get about 30 grams of fiber per day.
Also, look into intermittent fasting (IF for short), Leangains.com is an amazing resource regarding IF and has a fantastic reverse pyramid training guide to go with it, and targeted ketogenic diet (TKD for short), Bodybuilding.com is an amazing resource for TKD.
2. Workout
Free weight compound lifts are the name of the game, as well as keeping it simple and consistent.
Sample workout that I followed to success was a progression 3x5 workout (each lift needs the progressive warmup sets, and <2 minute rest per warmup set, and 3 to 5 minute rest per work set):
Workout A
Barbell Back Squats 3x5
Barbell Overhead Press or Dumbbell Military Press 3x5
Kroc's Rows 3x5 or 1x20
Kettlebell Swings for either reps or time.
Workout B
Barbell Back Squats 3x5
Barbell Chest Press or Dumbbell Chest Press 3x5
Pendlay Row 3x5 or Bent Over Dumbbell Row 3x5
Kettlebell Swings for either reps or time.
Week 1
Monday = Workout A
Wednesday = Workout B
Friday = Workout A
Week 2
Monday = Workout B
Wednesday = Workout A
Friday = Workout B
Every other day = Rest
Bump squats by 10 lbs each workout, everything else 5 lbs.
3. Rest
It's not a bad thing to have more rest days than workout days, and crucial to have 8+ hours of sleep a night.
Not a bad idea to go out for a walk, but nothing strenuous on your days off.
4. Workout Log
Logging everything, and not guessing, is a huge key to success.
Again, MattIckes' workout is guaranteed for success, but only if you can stick with it. But if you don't have the dedication and determination of an upper intermediate to advanced lifter, i.e. Ickes, I wouldn't recommend it. I'm not saying be fat and lazy, and make excuses for yourself, but I'm just saying be realistic about yourself, and the type of lifter you are. You jump into a workout you're not ready for, you'll lose motivation and tire out quick. I've been lifting on and off for close to a decade now (a lot more off than on), but I know what I can and can't do, and I realistically do better and show better consistency on simple 5x5/3x5 progression workouts, and not on full out assault workouts. Just my 2 cents.
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Post by wisdom on Dec 22, 2014 17:19:28 GMT -6
Thought I'd throw out a quick update on ickes' workout. I'm starting day 29 today and only skipped day 13 (legs) because of a calf strain.. I probably could have worked day 13 without risk of injury, but was also dealing with a particularly busy Saturday. Now, nearly 30 days into the workout, I'm looking forward to each workout and loving the results. I've gained about 10 lbs of lean muscle mass and am up to about 148 lbs. This is significant for me because I have never broken 147 in my life. I used to box and tried desperately to move up a weight class to 147+ and was unable to do so, no matter what I did with my diet. Also, my waist has fluctuated a bit throughout the cycle of the workout. I felt myself expand a bit for the first 2-3 weeks, but week 4 was more of a high-rep cardio routine and I'm feeling my clothes fit better than they had been during weeks 2-3. Another thing I'm trying to do is stick religiously to the 45 or fewer seconds between sets and I do my best to hustle between exercises. Overall, I'm hooked on this workout and love the results. I'm honestly not sure how healthy it is to put on so much weight in such a short amount of time, but I don't feel like I'm doing anything harmful and actually feel much stronger and energetic. I do miss the cardio and, if I can find the time, will work it back in to my day, separate from the weightlifting. It's not realistic to expect the gains to continue like this indefinitely.. I'm also wondering if my body will get used to some of the same exercises over and over. The blueprint mixes it up a little bit, but I'm wondering if I can swap out flat bench with dumbbell presses or flies with cable crosses.. stuff like that. I firmly believe anyone who can push through the first two weeks of this workout will love the results and be hooked on the routine. |
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Post by Winterland on Dec 23, 2014 0:29:35 GMT -6
Thought I'd throw out a quick update on ickes' workout. I'm starting day 29 today and only skipped day 13 (legs) because of a calf strain.. I probably could have worked day 13 without risk of injury, but was also dealing with a particularly busy Saturday. Now, nearly 30 days into the workout, I'm looking forward to each workout and loving the results. I've gained about 10 lbs of lean muscle mass and am up to about 148 lbs. This is significant for me because I have never broken 147 in my life. I used to box and tried desperately to move up a weight class to 147+ and was unable to do so, no matter what I did with my diet. Also, my waist has fluctuated a bit throughout the cycle of the workout. I felt myself expand a bit for the first 2-3 weeks, but week 4 was more of a high-rep cardio routine and I'm feeling my clothes fit better than they had been during weeks 2-3. Another thing I'm trying to do is stick religiously to the 45 or fewer seconds between sets and I do my best to hustle between exercises. Overall, I'm hooked on this workout and love the results. I'm honestly not sure how healthy it is to put on so much weight in such a short amount of time, but I don't feel like I'm doing anything harmful and actually feel much stronger and energetic. I do miss the cardio and, if I can find the time, will work it back in to my day, separate from the weightlifting. It's not realistic to expect the gains to continue like this indefinitely.. I'm also wondering if my body will get used to some of the same exercises over and over. The blueprint mixes it up a little bit, but I'm wondering if I can swap out flat bench with dumbbell presses or flies with cable crosses.. stuff like that. I firmly believe anyone who can push through the first two weeks of this workout will love the results and be hooked on the routine. Wow 10lbs. Are you getting much fat that you can see? |
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Post by ickes on Dec 23, 2014 0:48:11 GMT -6
I have gained a very minimal amount of fat with my gains but overall it's lean muscle you put on because of the short rest periods keeping your heartrate high. I would guess it would be the same for wisdom but I'm not trying to put words in his mouth. During the winter I usually put on a bit more fat anyways but it's still relatively low. My six pack is just a little less visible than in the summer. |
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Post by wisdom on Dec 23, 2014 9:07:46 GMT -6
Wow 10lbs. Are you getting much fat that you can see? Not at this point, but to be honest, I felt a little less defined and cut while I was gaining and conditioning the first two weeks.. I feel a combination of me really pushing the cardio piece and the increased reps in the routine have brought everything to a suitable stasis where I'm gaining muscle and strength while not gaining fat or bulk. I'm realizing that this workout isn't just about following the script.. it's really about pushing yourself to the point of constantly being uncomfortable (for me, at least).. that means upping weights when things get too easy and being disciplined about the 45 (or fewer) second rest periods. I've started setting a stopwatch while I exercise and hitting "lap" to count the number of sets I've done to keep track (there are double-digit set requirements!). I've also played a bit of a game with the timing and often only rest 30-40 seconds just to make sure the set hits 50 second to 10 minute mark (including rest).. it's some lame OCD thing I've got.. not sure how many people will understand what I'm doing, but I don't like seeing the minutes outpace me.. it helps push me a bit. |
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Post by brentkuz on Jan 1, 2015 7:59:35 GMT -6
Bump this up for post New Years lifting.
Finally the holidays are over and I can eat better without the threat of random cookies, pies and cakes at every corner.
Using bodybuilding.com I am doing the 12 week kris gethin muscle building program. Really dynamic and I have dabbled with two weeks of it already but Sunday I'm starting from day 1.
Also my New Years resolution was not to drink or spend money on fashion until April 1st.
For anyone that is a more experianced lifter and wants a change in their workout I really like the 12week muscle building program by Kris.
Sunday starts it all. I am going to take measurements and pictures today.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 1, 2015 9:37:16 GMT -6
Bump this up for post New Years lifting. Finally the holidays are over and I can eat better without the threat of random cookies, pies and cakes at every corner. Using bodybuilding.com I am doing the 12 week kris gethin muscle building program. Really dynamic and I have dabbled with two weeks of it already but Sunday I'm starting from day 1. Also my New Years resolution was not to drink or spend money on fashion until April 1st. For anyone that is a more experianced lifter and wants a change in their workout I really like the 12week muscle building program by Kris. Sunday starts it all. I am going to take measurements and pictures today. I am also on that 90 day no fashion spend challenge. Yesterday I pulled the trigger on thermals and a pair of Nike Flyknits 4.0s. I'm not planning on jogging more than a couple miles, and will be more focused on sprinting, so I think the Nikes will do the trick. Starting back on Reverse Pyramid Training, with my first session being yesterday. I'm all about the LeanGains diet and LeanGains workout. Planning on taking a nice vacation after the 90 days, so I gotta get my ass back in shape. I also have three pairs of Gustins that sewed up small but to spec (Zimbs, Super Heavies, and Raw Umbers), but I can't get the top button on. Good luck to us all. |
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Post by brentkuz on Jan 1, 2015 10:11:35 GMT -6
I did want to get a IH thermal but I held out. Bought alden 403's as my Christmas gift to myself.
I def need to drop weight. Strength is up but still too high BF %.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 2, 2015 15:43:35 GMT -6
So many good work out plans being suggested here... and need to pick one... more confused than before....  |
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Post by Winterland on Jan 5, 2015 16:31:20 GMT -6
So many good work out plans being suggested here... and need to pick one... more confused than before.... Seriously the hardest part is just getting started. Just pick one and do it. Doing anything, even just do body weight exercises, pushups, planks, etc no equipment needed will be 100 times better than nothing. Once you get started you will see the results and get motivated to explore other options. I have spent summer cutting and the fall eating at maintenance. I just started eating more and am now pushing past all my lifting highs. It is a great feeling especially if your are a results driven person. Going to do a slow bulk. Don't want to gain much fat this winter. |
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Post by Deleted on Jan 5, 2015 17:11:39 GMT -6
So many good work out plans being suggested here... and need to pick one... more confused than before.... Seriously the hardest part is just getting started. Just pick one and do it. Doing anything, even just do body weight exercises, pushups, planks, etc no equipment needed will be 100 times better than nothing. Once you get started you will see the results and get motivated to explore other options. I have spent summer cutting and the fall eating at maintenance. I just started eating more and am now pushing past all my lifting highs. It is a great feeling especially if your are a results driven person. Going to do a slow bulk. Don't want to gain much fat this winter. Thanks for the comment. Sadly, I gained 10 lbs of pure fat during the 2 weeks vacation.... eat WAY too much.... those good Japanese and Chinese food did me in.... |
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Post by brentkuz on Jan 5, 2015 21:01:42 GMT -6
@wils back to normal non holiday life.
Contrary to what most people do I find it much easier to cut January-April than spring-summer.
After the holidays are over it's straight cut mode. 30lbs to drop.
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Post by ickes on Jan 6, 2015 11:24:07 GMT -6
So many good work out plans being suggested here... and need to pick one... more confused than before.... Seriously the hardest part is just getting started. Just pick one and do it. Doing anything, even just do body weight exercises, pushups, planks, etc no equipment needed will be 100 times better than nothing. Once you get started you will see the results and get motivated to explore other options. I have spent summer cutting and the fall eating at maintenance. I just started eating more and am now pushing past all my lifting highs. It is a great feeling especially if your are a results driven person. Going to do a slow bulk. Don't want to gain much fat this winter. This is so true. Look at what prison inmates can do to their bodies by simply doing Calisthenics for the most part. |
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Post by brentkuz on Jan 7, 2015 7:36:30 GMT -6
ickes you have a lot of prision workout buddies?
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