The Official Lebanese Thread

[Alcastive]

Hi guys, Name is Ryan, Lebanese as well living in Lebanon.

This thread has so much brainwash from the supplement comapnies BIG TIME. You don't need any of the supplements, just have a balanced diet, your food has all of the supplements you are having in a more whole and natural form plus you get the privilege and satisfaction to eat FOOD and not "medecine".

Let's talk more about lifting...

I went off the typical lebanese bodybuilding bandwagon which makes you start with machines and splits on a "5 days workout, 3 hrs every session per week" and got introduced to Starting Strength like a year ago, followed the basic compound lifts and loved it a lot more and saw some real results. After 4 months of it I gained a bit of fat because of all the food gorging and the milk drinking advised by Mr.Rippetoe. I followed the IF protocol of dieting since and lost around 15 lbs while maintaining most of my lifts.

Current stats:
Weight 184 lbs, lifts : BP 176 lbs x6 , Back squats 225 lbs x6, Power clean 154 lbs x 3, deadlift 286 lbs x5, OHP 137.5 lbs x6, chin ups BW + 15 kgs x 6.

Lost so much time not focusing on technique so had to reset some of them and failing in my diet as well in some cases so stalled many times.

Currently I am trying to lean bulk, but finding my maintenance first, eating 2700 calories per day 1 week in and not gaining fat, just a bit of glycogen from the addition of carbs after cutting. Need to keep it for at least 2 weeks like this to see if that's really my maintenance. while doing that I reseted my lift 10 % and started Bill starr 5x5 which I'm loving, lifts feel good, energy feel good, Still fixing my PC form issue on the SS forum and I can only hope for the best.
Oh ye forgot, my real issue was always the 2 hrs of indoor football (for americans soccer) that I play every sunday night with my friends, this always intervened with my programming, maybe with this weekly linear progression, stalls won't happen.

TLDR: AHLA BEL SHABEB :P

Hey man, can you give us some more details ? like your age, bodyfat state ? do you do fitness or cardio sessions including these 3 hours training to keep your BF rate, i also train 3 hours 5 times a week (4 hours on Monday and Wednesday because of MMA sessions too).


@ Geo, lol you got that right burning calories before lifting is a really bad idea.

[AntNazgul]

Hey man, can you give us some more details ? like your age, bodyfat state ? do you do fitness or cardio sessions including these 3 hours training to keep your BF rate, i also train 3 hours 5 times a week (4 hours on Monday and Wednesday because of MMA sessions too).


@ Geo, lol you got that right burning calories before lifting is a really bad idea.

Sup, Sure, age is 25, bf % around 15 %, no need for cardio sessions man, all about calories in vs out, Cardio doesn't do magic, it just means you have to eat more if you do them

nonono you got me wrong lol its not 3 hrs every session, its 45 mins every session ( multiply it by 3 and its almost 3 hrs per week of lifting ) I'm kind of a minimalist, Compound exercises few times a week maintains a great body and strength without interfering much in your life, best 2.5 hrs invested in the world. Any more beyond that is a waste of time imo.

[Kadisha]

Sup, Sure, age is 25, bf % around 15 %, no need for cardio sessions man, all about calories in vs out, Cardio doesn't do magic, it just means you have to eat more if you do them

You're kind of contradicting yourself here dawg. Cardio doesn't do magic, but it does help with the calories in vs. calories out concept that you're talking about. You know... by increasing the calories out. If you get hungry then that's on you. Besides if you're eating the whole foods that you mentioned without concentrating too much on supplements then you shouldn't get hungry. I'm currently doing IF and on a slightly loose form of Paleo. I don't count calories anymore, and am shedding weight easily. Why? Because I'm full from eating whole foods. I might have a protein shake after a workout if I feel like my protein is lacking. Right now I'm at 12% bodyfat. Hoping to hit 8-10% and maintaining by the end of the year.

Btw, what kind of compound lifts are we talking about over here?

[geo1236]

I don't count calories anymore, and am shedding weight easily. Why? Because I'm full from eating whole foods.

Doesn't work for me,i can easily eat more than 4000 cal from whole food in one sitting.

[bigwolfman007]

I am Lebanese living in Dearborn i bet your cousins over here

[AntNazgul]

You're kind of contradicting yourself here dawg. Cardio doesn't do magic, but it does help with the calories in vs. calories out concept that you're talking about. You know... by increasing the calories out. If you get hungry then that's on you. Besides if you're eating the whole foods that you mentioned without concentrating too much on supplements then you shouldn't get hungry. I'm currently doing IF and on a slightly loose form of Paleo. I don't count calories anymore, and am shedding weight easily. Why? Because I'm full from eating whole foods. I might have a protein shake after a workout if I feel like my protein is lacking. Right now I'm at 12% bodyfat. Hoping to hit 8-10% and maintaining by the end of the year.

Btw, what kind of compound lifts are we talking about over here?

Definitely, but what I was saying is simply that if you do cardio and burn 300 cals and then eat an additional 300 cals , it's the same as not doing cardio at all so unless you like to eat a bit more, cardio is ok unless it starts intervening with your lifts.
I am not doing IF anymore btw, while cutting IF is nice, but I prefer eating normally without macro cycling and having breakfast while bulking, plus I have lots of meetings in the morning, I prefer having breakfast to keep my mind sharper.
Reason I don't need whey protein is that I always reach my protein content easily from food ( Steak lover over here ), I don't like not counting macros or cals because if I undereat without realizing my lifts start stalling. Tracking is always better imo.
Compound lifts: Squats, deadlift, bench pres, overhead press, power clean, chin up.

[Kadisha]

Doesn't work for me,i can easily eat more than 4000 cal from whole food in one sitting.

Give this a shot. Don't eat rice or bread or grains with your meals. Ya3neh mamnou3 el 7omos wel fasoulya :P Keep processed food to a minimum. I'm willing to bet you can't eat much protein, fat and veggies without getting stuffed.

[Kadisha]

Definitely, but what I was saying is simply that if you do cardio and burn 300 cals and then eat an additional 300 cals , it's the same as not doing cardio at all so unless you like to eat a bit more, cardio is ok unless it starts intervening with your lifts.
I am not doing IF anymore btw, while cutting IF is nice, but I prefer eating normally without macro cycling and having breakfast while bulking, plus I have lots of meetings in the morning, I prefer having breakfast to keep my mind sharper.
Reason I don't need whey protein is that I always reach my protein content easily from food ( Steak lover over here ), I don't like not counting macros or cals because if I undereat without realizing my lifts start stalling. Tracking is always better imo.
Compound lifts: Squats, deadlift, bench pres, overhead press, power clean, chin up.

Hey man whatever works for you. I try to keep supplements to a minimum as well. No need to go overboard with that stuff unless you actually need it to fill the gaps in your nutrition.

Your compound exercises look good. Try adding a little more variation to them if you can. For example do front squats, overhead squats, power snatches. You'll get that v-taper in no time

[geo1236]

Give this a shot. Don't eat rice or bread or grains with your meals. Ya3neh mamnou3 el 7omos wel fasoulya :P Keep processed food to a minimum. I'm willing to bet you can't eat much protein, fat and veggies without getting stuffed.

I have an EATING DISORDER man :P

You can't imagine how much i can eat in one sitting or during the day without getting full or feeling satisfied.
Iam eating around 2500 cal a day lately wich is my maintenance.

My diet consists of 2 Meals and snacks or fasting thru the day.

1st Meal in the morning upon waking up is Oatmeal, usualy in the 700-800 Cal range.

Then i keep snacking on veggies and fruits, when i say snacking i mean like i eat 700g of cucumber or 4 to 5 medium apples, pears, peaches.
OR i fast untill my postworkout meal.

2nd Meal wich is postworkout is usualy 500g of lean meats with TONS of veggies.
Lean meats: chicken breast, lean beef or fish, tuna.
Veggies: Green beans, eggplant, zucchini, Green peppers, onions, garlic, tomatoes, carrots...
Depends on the meal.
The volume of food in this meal is so HUGGEEE, i cant fit it in a normal big plate.
And then i wash down with 1.25L of diet pepsi.

Lately before bed to fill up my macros, i usualy have a sludge or pudding consisting of a mix of either PB, GY, Protein powder, honey...Depends on my macros.

THATS it .

Starting my Clean bulk tomorow the 1st of Oct on 2700-2800Cal.

[andrewkn]

What's up guys! Glad to see a Lebanese thread!

Recovering from a car crash and 4 knee surgeries. Down from 100 kgs to 81 kgs @ 8% bf. Just started a clean bulk targeting 3000 Kcal a minimum of 250 g of protein and low impact cardio daily to keep fat levels low.

Where do you guys get your supplements from? First Nutrition is too expensive and GNC doesnt have the variety.

[fa7mei]

hey man kifak?... lek sry 3am 3azzbak bass bedi es2alak .. ne22et talabiye se3ra 146$ w ne2et l supersaver byekhdou 40$ .. ye3ni oul kell shi lal bb.com 186$... bedi es2alak ennou byoussalou bl dhl ? w lezem edfa3 shi essa zyede lal dhl aw tva ma b3ref ktir bhal shi...w iza beddi edfa3 zyede lal dhl edde byekhdou ?...thx

[Alcastive]

Nutrition guys do any of you how many calories and fat are there in 2 chocomax teaspoon :P i started taking it 1 hour before workout (with 250 grams white bread)

@ andrewkn welcome to the thread man, don't harden yourself i am also training with a guy who is still recovering from a car accidents, i get my supplements from bb.com store, but when i need a small or 1 item like super amino for example i bought it from first nutrition very expensive way more than GNC, i also have a GNC gold card but i only bought once from them bb.com is my first choice, currently i have a 360$ items in my cart i will order it next month.

@ fa7mei welcome as well, let me tell you that DHL was the worst choice and if you choose protein in your stack you have an 80% chance that your items will be hold at the customs you must go to Beirut DHL customs (next to the airport) pay around 100$ to get your stuff with bribes. i told you guys do not ship with DHL ! plus it takes more than 22 days to get here. I know that UPS is double the price but it;s faster and more reliable it doesn't hold your items at the customs, usually with DHL they send you a paper notice that your items are at your local libanpost office so you go get them or another notice saying that your items are on hold at the customs where you face an awful day there, you pay 40$ maximum for your package if you get your stuff from DHL post office.

[geo1236]

Nutrition guys do any of you how many calories and fat are there in 2 chocomax teaspoon :P i started taking it 1 hour before workout (with 250 grams white bread)

1 Tbsp(18g) of nutella fiya 100 cal ta2riban.

[Alcastive]

1 Tbsp(18g) of nutella fiya 100 cal ta2riban.

Thanks man eh it's Nutella my fav. best per workout food for me (best substitute for chocolate bar too)


How's your bulking workout going ? do you see improvements ? are you taking protein or weight gainer ?

[geo1236]

Thanks man eh it's Nutella my fav. best per workout food for me (best substitute for chocolate bar too)


How's your bulking workout going ? do you see improvements ? are you taking protein or weight gainer ?

uuff 3al nutella!! i can eat the whole jar with a spoon in one sitting:P

My bulk is going gr8 and slow, can't see much improvements now cz i just started it.
But for the energy level , iam much better now with the 300-400cal surplus

Weight gainer?? HELL NOO !! i dont take gainers even if it's free of charge LOL.
I only buy protein powder with minimal fat and carbs ,to help me meet my protein requirements for the day.

I have now 1 tub of Balance WPI and 1 tub of myofusion probiotic series .

[Alcastive]

uuff 3al nutella!! i can eat the whole jar with a spoon in one sitting:P

My bulk is going gr8 and slow, can't see much improvements now cz i just started it.
But for the energy level , iam much better now with the 300-400cal surplus

Weight gainer?? HELL NOO !! i dont take gainers even if it's free of charge LOL.
I only buy protein powder with minimal fat and carbs ,to help me meet my protein requirements for the day.

I have now 1 tub of Balance WPI and 1 tub of myofusion probiotic series .

Hehehe eh better off the gainers, i don't like them either if you can take your fats and calories from food you don't need a gainer then. I saw a post on bb where ppl ask how many protein shakes per day they take imagine some ppl take 3 to 4 shakes per day, i donno how they calculate their protein intake anyway i only take one scoop, anyone here takes more 1 scoop (25g) of protein per day ?

First nutrition offer Myofusion buy get 1 free but i guess it's only the ashrafieh brand did you know about it ?

[geo1236]

Hehehe eh better off the gainers, i don't like them either if you can take your fats and calories from food you don't need a gainer then. I saw a post on bb where ppl ask how many protein shakes per day they take imagine some ppl take 3 to 4 shakes per day, i donno how they calculate their protein intake anyway i only take one scoop, anyone here takes more 1 scoop (25g) of protein per day ?

First nutrition offer Myofusion buy get 1 free but i guess it's only the ashrafieh brand did you know about it ?

yeah man gainers R a waste of money imo!
Ouuf 4 shakes is too much! do they even eat meat ?

i only take protein shakes when i find that my protein intake is low in that day, so sometimes i don't take any.
But lately iam starting my day with 1 scoop of protein mixed in my oatmeal and if i find out in the end of the day that my protein intake still low i take another one before bed mixed with GY.

yeah man i did the first nutrition offer me and my friend 50/50 and the offer is still going in all branches i think , i picked up mine from zouk branch.
They have different flavors too, i choosed the strawberry n cream.
Myofusion is the best tasting protein , and the macros are fine a bit high in carbs if your following a low carb diet with 9g for 1 scoop.

[PatrickSerhal]

@ kadisha

Well my weight is around 80kgs
My height is around 173cms
After some research i just have to lower my body fat percentage to around 10-12% then to start bulking up and maintaining that %..

[Alcastive]

Guys what brand of Protein / Pre workout are you taking ? let's share here and talk about the taste too, but before anyone tried the new ON pre workout "Pre-1" ? or the new Jack3D Micro, I didn't see the Micro one in the Lebanese store btw.

So after i finished my last tube of ON Gold standard i started taking ON Performance, Chocolate shake, i have to admit even i don't believe in this by adding a second scoop to hit my protein intake target because ON Performance is only 22 garms of protein, so i started taking 1 scoop in the afternoon and a second after my workout i have noticed some gains in my body in just 1 week, one of the best tasting protein ever i give it for 2 scoop 10/10 for taste and performance.

As a pre workout i am taking Cellucor C4 1 to 1.5 scoop it's is really good but still i prefer DS Craze i also have 2 tubes of superpump (10 serving each) planing to try them later. C4 watermelon rating 10/10 taste 8/10 performance

How about you guys ?

[PatrickSerhal]

@ Alcastive

Try razor8 blast as a pre-workout i think its a gd one with a gd value. 80 servings for 65$

[andrewkn]

I got razor8 sample from the in shape fair. 1 scoop did absolutely nothing for me, and you cannot take more than 1 scoop.

As a preworkout I have NO Xplode and Jack3d (from leb), nano Vapor, White Flood and Craze from bb.com. And I use each one of them for a different purpose. NO Xplode, Vapor on days where i have full body or more than 30 sets to perform. Craze and jack3d when I'm going for raw strength and trying to go for rep max. White flood is good all round but I need 2 scoops minimum to feel a kick. Also ON Amino Energy for a small boost before cardio/boxing or working on arms.

As for the protein, i'm currently on a clean bulk. Hitting my macros was pretty hard so I have added optimum procomplex gainer to the mix post workout and will try the EAS muscle factor during November. The gainer is coupled with ON creatine and Balance Beta alanine. So far i have gained 2 kilos (in one month and not much fat) as well as a decent gain in strength. 20 pullup max, 125 kgs bench press rep max, 100 kgs romanian deadlift @ 15 reps.

As of December, i'll see where i reach on my bulk. If I am on track, i will go back to gold standard and mix it with some wazy maize from all max nutrition and remove creatine from my stack.

Another new toy in my collection is D-Aspartic acid from anabolic innovations. I have received my package yesterday and will start a loading phase over 4 days (3 grams twice daily) followed by 8 days on (3 grams daily) and 1 week off. I have read alot of reviews on this supplement and it seems to work. Two servings in and i'm ealready feeling something positive, not sure what it is exactly yet.

http :// s15.postimage.org/rhfbks5tj/20121027_122232.jpg This is a pic of my stack taken about a month ago (Remove spaces)

[Alcastive]

I got razor8 sample from the in shape fair. 1 scoop did absolutely nothing for me, and you cannot take more than 1 scoop.

As a preworkout I have NO Xplode and Jack3d (from leb), nano Vapor, White Flood and Craze from bb.com. And I use each one of them for a different purpose. NO Xplode, Vapor on days where i have full body or more than 30 sets to perform. Craze and jack3d when I'm going for raw strength and trying to go for rep max. White flood is good all round but I need 2 scoops minimum to feel a kick. Also ON Amino Energy for a small boost before cardio/boxing or working on arms.

As for the protein, i'm currently on a clean bulk. Hitting my macros was pretty hard so I have added optimum procomplex gainer to the mix post workout and will try the EAS muscle factor during November. The gainer is coupled with ON creatine and Balance Beta alanine. So far i have gained 2 kilos (in one month and not much fat) as well as a decent gain in strength. 20 pullup max, 125 kgs bench press rep max, 100 kgs romanian deadlift @ 15 reps.

As of December, i'll see where i reach on my bulk. If I am on track, i will go back to gold standard and mix it with some wazy maize from all max nutrition and remove creatine from my stack.

Another new toy in my collection is D-Aspartic acid from anabolic innovations. I have received my package yesterday and will start a loading phase over 4 days (3 grams twice daily) followed by 8 days on (3 grams daily) and 1 week off. I have read alot of reviews on this supplement and it seems to work. Two servings in and i'm ealready feeling something positive, not sure what it is exactly yet.

http :// s15.postimage.org/rhfbks5tj/20121027_122232.jpg This is a pic of my stack taken about a month ago (Remove spaces)

Wow nice post! can you please compare No xplod 2.0, Vapor and DS Craze i've taken 2 tubes of craze was one of the best workout i've ever take now i am taking Cellucor C4, i want to try Vapor or No xplod but want to know if they are worthy as Craze, or even C4.

Good luck with your goal, btw i bought the First nutrition deal BSN Syntha 6 protein shake so now i am taking it too.

[andrewkn]

Wow nice post! can you please compare No xplod 2.0, Vapor and DS Craze i've taken 2 tubes of craze was one of the best workout i've ever take now i am taking Cellucor C4, i want to try Vapor or No xplod but want to know if they are worthy as Craze, or even C4.

Good luck with your goal, btw i bought the First nutrition deal BSN Syntha 6 protein shake so now i am taking it too.

Well NO Xplode and Vapor have lots of ingredients in common. Main difference is NO uses Arginine and has lots of prop blends (you do not know the exact dose of ingredients) and Vapor Uses citrulline with no prop blends. No Xplode makes me crash afterwards so I take it when I'm not going out, plus before I take it I have to go the bathroom, or else ... Tastewise I have both products that are fruit flavored, but vapor wins this battle for sure. On the pump level and on a one scoop basis, NO wins it. As for craze, well I cannot compare it to the others because it's a stimulant only. But it wakes me up and focus is very nice. I can go out afterwards and i'm very alert and can manage to have a great time. Its main problem is the lack of beta alanine.

What is good is that I have figured out what I need as preworkout and will start "collecting" raw ingredients as of next year. A decent preworkout for me should contain 5 g citrulline, 2 g beta alanine, 200 mg caffeine (or some Dendrobex from craze), 7 g BCAAs, 3 g of D-aspartic acid and some vitamins and anti oxydants. Mixed all with a 50/50 water/juice drink. Till date there is no such pre thay offers this, so pure ingredients are the way for me.

[Alcastive]

Wow great post man, hopefully bb.com come with these stuff, lately the produced lot's of good products loaded with great ingredients

Thx for the comparison i think i'll go with vapor next time.

[DarkHeart911]

Hey guys, how you been ? it's been a while since i got on this forum.

I have a question, did anyone place an order from bodybuilding.com lately ?? cause i wanted to place an order and saw that the economy shipment option has been removed and that only the priority and the super saver options are available, anyone else has that same issue or is it just me ?

[Alcastive]

Hey man nice T-shirt / hat did u get them from BB? Yes the option has been removed since a month or more and i havent ordered since, i will not go for priority i am not willing to pay 118$ for my current order just don't buy protein so they wont move your order to the customs.

[DarkHeart911]

Hey man nice T-shirt / hat did u get them from BB? Yes the option has been removed since a month or more and i havent ordered since, i will not go for priority i am not willing to pay 118$ for my current order just don't buy protein so they wont move your order to the customs.

Yeah dude bought both iconic shirts from BB.com, so you're gonna order with the super saver option ?
If I want to make an order consisting of Animal products do you think they will be stopped at customs, since there is no powder supplements ??

[andrewkn]

Guys, i have ordered so far 6 times from here and have found the solution. Keep your shipments under 1.5 kg, the shipment value less than 60 USD and not more than 2 items per shipment. Here are the details of my shipments:
Orange triad 2x + white flood 20 servings
Nano Vapor x2
AI Sports DAA X2
Primaforce Cissus + BB.com green tea extract
Craze + AI Sports Lcarnitine.

Most of these shipments arrived within 12 working days. However due to the recent medication scandal, I do not know if the regulations will be a bit more strict. I have three orders on the way, some orders only have 1 item.

So follow my advice and look for 2 for 1 deals so that if the package is snatched by customs, your fees will be minimal as the total of both items will be the cost of just one.

[Alcastive]

I think you can buy anything except protein my orders were around 10lbs and were not hold at the customs only the protein powder order which i order it alone with some accessories was hold at the customs.

[Hani111]

Glad to see all of you guys in here, am a frequent visitor to this forum.
Thank you Alcastive for this thread
La7 e7ke bel arabe shway cause betsawar mamnou3 ne7ke 3an other stores ..... Ana 3inde ma7al bi leb ma ba3ref eza 7ada menkon seme3 Fi it's Shape Up Supplement store... Google it anyway we are the exclusive distributors of Allmax Nutrition in lebanon w bi tabi3et el 7al we have good connections ma3 kel el dealers bel sou2. So I would gladly help any of you guys get stuff from the local market at good prices even from different brands...

Oh btw if you need any advice or tips concerning your diet, workout or supplementation I would gladly help...
Also am pretty sure you guys have ton of questions concerning the supp industry in lebanon and how things go in our beloved country, so here is your chance ask a store owner anything that comes to ur mind !