Where To Get Protein??

[CivicLx]

I just started working out again for the first time in...well about a month...ok so I just started working out again for the second time in about 3 years. I'm lifting to increase strength for tennis, but I also want to bulk up. I'm probably 5'10 and about 170 pounds. I think I've weighed the same weight for the last 4 or 5 years. Anyway, I'm concerned with eating a lot because now that I'll be burning even more calories, I'll want to make sure I'm taking in plenty when I eat...so anyway I'll jus get to my point...besides any kind of supplements, like powders/weight gainers, what kinds of food do you guys eat that has a lot of protein? I have a good idea on what kinds of food I should be eating, but I'm not a very good cook so for right now I'm going to have to stick to hard boiled eggs and tuna fish sandwiches.

1. What do you guys eat that has a lot of protein?

2. Who lifts weights just to stay in shape for tennis and who lifts weights to bulk up too?

[TwistServe]

u want to make a difference you need about 2-3 grams of protien per body weight.. tuna, chicken breast, eggs, .. supplements from www.dpsnutrition.net (http://www.dpsnutrition.net/) are the cheapest around.. they are very reliable too..

i used to lift to bulk up.. got to 160lbs and benched 285 max back in college.. i'm only 5'9.. now I just left to so that its easier to create a heavier ball, and so i can hold a heavier stick.

[Stuck]

Tuna or Grilled chicken.....weight lifter's best friend. Eggs also have a ton of protein.

[PhilsterT]

I'm into bodybuilding. It's commonly suggested bodybuilders eat at least 1-1.5 grams of protein per desired body weight. I wouldn't go much higher then that because it will eventually get wasted out. What's your routine like? What kind of lifting days?

Here's a forum link that gives you exactly what it claims (what a bodybuilder eats):
http://www.wannabebigforums.com/showthread.php?t=46565&highlight=bodybuilder+eats

Tuna
Chicken breasts
Milk
Cottage Cheese
Tofu
Eggs
Shrimp
Nuts
Peanut butter (natty PB only)...

[CivicLx]

Thanks for the replies...I used to take weight supplements, but they never seemed to help that much. Of course, I never really ate that much in the first place and protein shakes are supposed to be taken in addition to big meals and not just replace them...well I think I'm going to go back to my old routine which is
Day
1) Chest and Biceps
2) Quads/Rear Delts/Forearms
3) Off
4) Back and Triceps
5) Shoulders and Hamstrings
6) Off and repeat on the 7th day. Because I'm going to be playing tennis also, I might change some things, but that's what I'm planning to do for now. I'm actually thinking I might switch forearms to day 4 and calves and abs would be mixed in. Not sure what kind of cardio I'll be doing.

And as a side note, I'm strictly a rec tennis player right now...but I don't take part in any kind of tournaments.

[TwistServe]

Thanks for the replies...I used to take weight supplements, but they never seemed to help that much. Of course, I never really ate that much in the first place and protein shakes are supposed to be taken in addition to big meals and not just replace them...well I think I'm going to go back to my old routine which is
Day
1) Chest and Biceps
2) Quads/Rear Delts/Forearms
3) Off
4) Back and Triceps
5) Shoulders and Hamstrings
6) Off and repeat on the 7th day. Because I'm going to be playing tennis also, I might change some things, but that's what I'm planning to do for now. I'm actually thinking I might switch forearms to day 4 and calves and abs would be mixed in. Not sure what kind of cardio I'll be doing.

And as a side note, I'm strictly a rec tennis player right now...but I don't take part in any kind of tournaments.

Just off hand i think your routine might be too much .. you build muscle while you rest, not while in the gym.. the toughest thing for me was to stay away from the gym and when i did i saw tremendous results.. your current schedule looks like a 4.66 workouts days per week.. that might be too high.. lots of people have success between 3.5 to 4.0 workouts per week.

[PhilsterT]

1) Chest and Biceps
2) Quads/Rear Delts/Forearms
3) Off
4) Back and Triceps
5) Shoulders and Hamstrings

Agreed. A little heavy on the routine. I have a very similar routine and I spread it out to last every day once a week. You don't need more.

How come you have "chest and biceps" and "back and triceps"? You know that the triceps and chest are both pushing muscles and they are generally worked out together, while back and biceps are both pulling muscles and are generally worked together. I think it would be better to move your tricep and biceps.

[bee]

Go for a well-rounded fit body. Becoming excessively muscled up will impede your tennis strokes...and the girls don't really like it. It's a mark of narcissism. Well muscled and strong? Yes. Fit and trim? Yes. Bulked up and looking like a bodybuider or steroid user? Nope. Looks contrived and doesn't translate well to sports.

Having said the above, I have lifted weights for the past 40 years, but I know it can be done to excess. I do a rapid circuit routine about twice a week, sometime more like every 5 days, in addition to playing tennis about twice a week, swimming twice a week or so and doing some walking and riding a Schwinn Aerodyne twice a week or so. I really like what weight lifting does for me, particularly for the serve.

Protein? Most Americans get too much of it in our diets, esp. animal protein which generally comes with a hefty dose of saturated fat. For most folks, I don't really rec. the powdered proteins either. Best source...fish, esp. fatty fish such as tuna and salmon. Mercury risk is overstated. My favorite fish is Mahi-mahi pan stir fried in cannola oil. I've tried lost of fish and that's my favorite at the moment. Nothing wrong with eating shellfish. Also beans are a good source of protein. Population studies aimed at figuring out what component of a diet translates most to longevity concluded...legumes (beans and such). Surprised me, I thought it'd be fish. But all the countries with the best health are fish eaters also. So, fish and beans! Yes, that's the answer. Life can be good. I'm assuming you want to live it for a long time.

[Mikael]

Lean cuts of beef and chicken and eggs won't harm you.

[bee]

Agree. Don't mean to sound too extreme. But, fish and beans are actually very good for you. What's referred to as a plant-based diet with small amounts of animal products is a healthy approach.

[Mikael]

Personally I've found that a caveman type of diet, with plenty of meat but limited grains/starch provides better results for me, but hey, I guess anybody that cuts out sugar and stuff full of preservatives is following a pretty healthy approach... The rest isn't that important healthwise IMHO.

[CivicLx]

thanks again for the replies. As for the routine, I think it's definitely extreme if I'm playing tennis too, but this is the routine that I used to do. I know what you're saying TS about your body growing the most while it's resting, but with my current routine, everything gets worked ever six days so it's not like I'm working chest or bis a few times a week.

As for the chest and bis and back and tris...this was the routine that my dad used to do when he competed...ametaur...and so I just stuck with it. I've never tried a chest/tri or back/bi routine, but I think after doing some presses, my triceps might be pretty worn out. I mean you can't help but use some triceps when you do bench presses or dumbbell presses...and by the time I got to triceps, I might not be able to go as heavy on something like some close grip bench presses or bar dips.

But I do understand why you're asking and it does seem like a lot of people work chest/tris and back/bis, but I'm a rebel damn it!!!! :mrgreen:

[Ace Rimmer]

The food with the most efficient protein uptake is eggs. In order to avoid denaturing the natural enzymes that occur in the yolk, it is best to cook them with the yolk liquid to a certain degree. Statements made by the medical profession warning against high concentrations of cholesterol in eggs is mostly baloney. As far as other high protein foods that are derived from soy or other beans, the way your body utilizes them depends largly on you as an individual. Some do OK on legume protein sources, while others find them quite undigestable, and others still are sensitive to them (especially soy in some cases). There are some studies floating around that blame soy for a higher incidence of estrogenic activity as well, which is not necessarily good for muscle building. Nuts are a pretty good source of protein - especially black walnuts. They also contain a lot of essential fatty acids, which are very important for aerobic muscle function.

Regarding your workout, you might want to consider super-setting: working out antagonistic muscle groups during the same workout. This helps to balance antagonistic muscle groups and is purported to enhance muscle strength and mass. Examples of super setting would be: triceps/biceps, bench press/rows, incline press/lat pulls, leg extensions/flexions, military press/lat pulls, etc. The idea is to do a set on one muscle group, then follow up immediately with a set on another muscle group who's action directly opposes that of the first muscle group. You can do 3-4 sets like this. That way, your risk of having golgi tendon organs or muscle spindle fibres malfunction is minimised.