What to eat before bed? Lifting straps are "cheating"? Ants eating my face.

[Junkers88]

Wondering what to eat before bed that will help my body recover after lifting in the morning and working all day out in the field. I'm currently taking Casein in a protien shake right before bed since it's a slow release protein. Anything I should add to that?

Ok I've started adding more weight to my workouts and sometimes while doing a dead lift or shoulder shrugs I have to limit the amount of weight I use since I can only hold up so much with my hands. I'm in cunstruction and have pretty strong forearms and a good grip but there is a limit. I was told that using lifting straps is cheating but I feel I'm missing out on my work out goals because my grip is limiting my liftable weight. Make sense? Advice?

Oh and why in the hell is it that some pre-workout drinks make me feel like I have ants eating away at the inside of my face?????


I guess that's enough strange talk for now. Thanks folks!

[mal1ce]

Casein is ok before bed, you don't *need* to add anything to it, but if you're trying to add calories, coconut oil is a good fat source that you could try.

Unless you plan on competing in a powerlifting contest go ahead and use lifting straps. Screw the "thats cheating" haters.

The "ants" could be coming from a Beta Alanine or Niacin based pre-workout.

[Montourage]

LOL I get the same feeling with MP Assault and I believe it is as Mal1ce suggests although for me it's more of ants on my ears!

[MASSter]

As long as you've hit your macro requirements sometime during the course of your day, there is no need for slow/fast or any other speed protein. If you like to eat late and eat Casein then do it. If not then don't. Simple as that. Your muscles won't fall off overnight without slow releasing proteins.

[2nd_chance]

Casein is ok before bed, you don't *need* to add anything to it, but if you're trying to add calories, coconut oil is a good fat source that you could try.

Unless you plan on competing in a powerlifting contest go ahead and use lifting straps. Screw the "thats cheating" haters.

The "ants" could be coming from a Beta Alanine or Niacin based pre-workout.

^^^ what he said

[ScubaDave]

Lifting straps aren't cheating if your back is stronger than your forearms...which I'm assuming it is. There are good reasons to avoid straps, but when the weight gets so heavy that you're risking lack of progression due to grip strength, then use 'em. If people call you a cheater then throw 'em your straps, and tell them to deadlift the 500 lbs you just popped up for reps.

[EB68]

I do not think using straps is cheating. I try to not use them until it is absolutely neccessary though. On deadlifts I used to only be able to lift around 245 without them, but have worked up to the 365 neighborhood. But I can dead 420/435 with them so I would be losing some good workouts if I refused to use them. I lift at night and have a protien shake before bed with regular whey isolate. If I am bulking I will add peanut butter/banana to it just to hit my daily calories. If Cutting I often just use skim milk and protien powder. Like stated above as long as you hit your daily calories and macro's it doesn't matter, I just like having something on my stomach before bed. And Beta-alanine does me the same way, I just use coffeee for a preworkout.

[TyronK]

I can't post links up because I have less than 50 posts but go to YouTube, look up Derek Poundstone 800 lbs Deadlift for 9 reps. I doubt anyone will accuse him of cheating (well this is the internet so some keyboard warriors may)

[BearLovesLuna]

Wondering what to eat before bed that will help my body recover after lifting in the morning and working all day out in the field. I'm currently taking Casin in a protien shake right before bed since it's a slow release protien. Anything I should add to that?

Ok I've started adding more weight to my workouts and sometimes while doing a dead lift or shoulder shrugs I have to limit the amount of weight I use since I can only hold up so much with my hands. I'm in cunstruction and have pretty strong forearms and a good grip but there is a limit. I was told that using lifting straps is cheating but I feel I'm missing out on my work out goals because my grip is limiting my liftable weight. Make sense? Advice?

Oh and why in the hell is it that some pre-workout drinks make me feel like I have ants eating away at the inside of my face?????


I guess that's enough strange talk for now. Thanks folks!

Nothing that prevents an injury is cheating, to an amateur who is just lifting for BB or strength. Anything that prevents injury is "smart".

Beta Alanine is one of he ingredients that creates the tingling... High doses of Niacin can cause a little, but it also can cause red skin flushness, rapid heartbeat, feeling warm. I would suggest that the tingling is the alanine.

[MecGen]

Nothing that prevents an injury is cheating, to an amateur who is just lifting for BB or strength. Anything that prevents injury is "smart".

^^^ agreed

Food for thought
The only time I seriously hurt my back deadlifting was using straps, as stated above somewhere, it depends on where ones weak link is. Mine was/is my grip, and for me, now not using straps is a good way to build my back safely and slowly while my grip strength catches up. Other people feel that using straps lets them concentrate on back form. To each their own, but apart from competition rules, I don't think its cheating.

Regards

[Jigfish]

I like using my straps. It helps me with my form and I can go heavier.

[JRT6]

Because my arms don't lockout anymore I have to able to drop the weight so I can't use straps anymore. TBH it didn't take long for my grip to catch up.

[Bo_Flecks]

Wondering what to eat before bed...

Sometimes I eat cinnamon oatmeal with a glass of milk, other times I have cottage cheese and steamed veggies. Just depends on what I feel like at the time, and what I need to do to hit my macros for the day.

I was told that using lifting straps is cheating ...

I use Versa Gripps whenever and wherever I deem necessary...and not a single fck was given that day about what anyone else thinks.

I guess that's enough strange talk for now.

This board has mostly sucked lately, so I am up for some strange talk as long as it is about bodybuilding related topics.

[ironwill2008]

Wondering what to eat before bed that will help my body recover ..

Anything you like that will fit into your remaining macro/calorie requirement for the day.

If you've already reached it, there's no requirement to eat anything before sleeping. Provided you ate to your requirements for that day, you already have plenty enough nutrients on-board to last you for many hours. You won't go 'all catabrolic' overnight.

I was told that using lifting straps is cheating but I feel I'm missing out on my work out goals because my grip is limiting my liftable weight. Make sense? Advice?

If you're training for bodybuilding, 'cheating' by using straps is nonsense.

In actuality, if you don't use straps to continue to work your back, you're "cheating" yourself out of potentially more gains. It makes no sense to allow your smaller, weaker forearm muscles to dictate to your much larger and stronger back muscles how much work they'll get.

Go strapless until your grip begins to fail. At that time, strap-up, and continue to overload your larger muscles.








If you're concerned about your grip strength lagging, try doing several sets of Bar Holds at the end of your Deadlift day workout.

Set the pins in a power rack to hold the bar a few inches below the point where it dead-hangs in your hands. Load it with your current deadlift max weight, pick it up, and hold it as long as possible. Do three 'sets,' working to increase your hold time week-to-week. When you can hold the loaded bar for 20-25 seconds per set, increase the weight.

Oh and why in the hell is it that some pre-workout drinks make me feel like I have ants eating away at the inside of my face?????

As stated already ITT, it's probably from beta alanine; it has that effect on some people.

[bigtallox]

I was told that using lifting straps is cheating but I feel I'm missing out on my work out goals because my grip is limiting my liftable weight. Make sense? Advice?

Everything has context. In the context of competitive powerlifting, yes it's "cheating", more like against the rules. But if you compete in strongman ( like I do ) then straps are typically allowed in deadlift events ( it's on a show by show basis, sometimes if the point of the event is to test grip then straps aren't allowed, but they typically are in most strongman shows ).

IMHO if you're a recreational lifter/bodybuilder and you can lift more than your grip allows, use straps, just don't get dependent on them and make sure you're still working your grip.

[OutdoorsinCO]

i had been debating on buying straps, i noticed my right hand grip on deadlifts is not as strong as my left and thought about straps...have to pick some up.

[MoldyGopher]

Straps are wonderful, use 'em.

Just once around the bar though - I see people tying themselves to the bar by wrapping it multiple times and that seems to add some (microcosmically small) unnecessary risk.

[Brackneyc]

Wondering what to eat before bed that will help my body recover after lifting in the morning and working all day out in the field. I'm currently taking Casein in a protien shake right before bed since it's a slow release protein. Anything I should add to that?

Ok I've started adding more weight to my workouts and sometimes while doing a dead lift or shoulder shrugs I have to limit the amount of weight I use since I can only hold up so much with my hands. I'm in cunstruction and have pretty strong forearms and a good grip but there is a limit. I was told that using lifting straps is cheating but I feel I'm missing out on my work out goals because my grip is limiting my liftable weight. Make sense? Advice?

Oh and why in the hell is it that some pre-workout drinks make me feel like I have ants eating away at the inside of my face?????


I guess that's enough strange talk for now. Thanks folks!

Bolded: BS.

[scullin]

The thing about lifting straps is, if you use them too often you're grip will get weaker because the straps are doing the job for you. This can also make your forearms shrink. This happened to me several years ago when I started using them all the time on deadlifts, chins, pulldowns, and rows. My back got huge and I was moving some big weights, but my forearms shrank and grip became weak. So I have since stopped using them years ago because of it. Just food for thought if you care about grip strength and forearms. Obviously you can do supplemental hand and forearm work but it's not going to be the same as heavy dealifts. Now I just use a mixed grip on heavy dealifts and I"m fine.

As for the ants eating your face thing, I know its weird but I like that feeling. lol

[TCO76]

I brought up straps a few days ago and I plan on buying some versagrips soon. I could care less what anyone thinks about them. I would rather my back get stronger than be limited to what a very small muscle group (forearms) can sustain. Anyone who claims that is cheating is a reginald... a hairy... dirty...reginald...

[Junkers88]

First off I need to apologize for the terrible spelling in my original post.... Jeez.


I did some bar holds today after I dropped my shrug weight, waiting on my straps to arrive, and my forearms are crazy sore which indicates they need some more work. I also changed my grip on my dead lifts (one had over and the other under if that makes sense) and it helped a TON.

Thank you all again. I really want this time to work. I spent several months last year lifting and getting nowhere (nutrition was all off) and don't want to repeat it this time or have any other excuses not to excel.