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Kettlebell S&S Physique (humorous, but not really joking)

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Pavel, you mention using BCAA. I have read mixed reviews and am just wondering if you notice a big difference from using them compared to not using them.
 
Pavel, you mention using BCAA. I have read mixed reviews and am just wondering if you notice a big difference from using them compared to not using them.

When I was into bodybuilding, BCAAs were the only supplement I used regularly. Helped with building lean mass, on top of a sound diet.
 
Pavel. What about things like fish oil and vitamins? And if so, what about timing?
 
Hello,

BCAA are a fast assimilation comparing to whey (for example). This it can be interesting to take it just before or just after training for a better recovery. Whey is more a "long assimilation" protein. This mean the daily dose of this one can be splitted throughout the day.

Kind regards,

Pet'
 
I have been practicing heavy TGU for the last few weeks, I think I'm seeing hypertrophy of the upper back already. Will report back in a few more weeks.
 
Hello,

I did not take BCAA but veg proteins (mostly rice).

At this time, I did not change my routine. It resulted an increase of lean mass (almost without fat) without changing my diet. I have taken 5kg in 18 months (from 58 to 63kg for 1,82m).

I took them firstly because I reached a plateau. Shortly after the first intakes, I succeeded some goals.

Kind regards,

Pet'
 
@Pavel Macek I've said it before and I'll say it again, you've got just the type of physique I want/need! When I cut down to 64kg over the next couple of months I hope I'll have a similar look to you, albeit about 4kg smaller! :)
 
Hello,

@Pavel Macek
Do you do a lot of "conditioning" for your martial art ?
Indeed, you have an impressive physique !

Kind regards,

Pet'
 
In my oldish age I have gone more veggie, but still eat meat about once a week. My body weight is same, but strength has gone way up with S&S (i also dont always have time to cook and prepare meals so I tend to eat a lot of fruits, macadamia nuts, lentils, salad, avocado throughout the day. I eat 2-3 eggs daily as well and uncured bacon- which is still a form of processed meat so not healthy, but good!).
 
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It is my very basic understanding that we can absorb plant protein much more easily than from meat. Unlike wild animals who can eat meat protein and directly turn it into protein for themselves, humans first need to break the protein in animal meat into amino acids, then we turn it back into a usable form of protein.

This makes no sense. None of it. Amino acids are the building blocks of protein. From my basic understanding of nutrition, the difference between plant protein and animal protein is that plant protein is considered "incomplete" because it does not contain all of the amino acids of animal protein. This is why a vegan or vegetarian strength athlete must make sure that he or she is consuming the right foods so that, in combination, the athlete is ingesting all of the amino acids. This works because even from plants the body breaks down protein sources into amino acids, which can then be used to build muscle and for other functions.

"Unlike wild animals who can eat meat protein and directly turn it into protein for themselves"

What does this even mean? If a coyote eats a rabbit the rabbit meat just goes straight to the muscle? No, the rabbit meat is digested, i.e., broken down into amino acids.

"humans first need to break the protein in animal meat into amino acids"

All digestion works this way unless you can cite to a source that says differently.

"then we turn it back into a usable form of protein"

Again this makes no sense. We break the protein down into amino acids which are then used to build muscle and other functions. In this sense, all protein is "unusable" until it is broken down into amino acids.
 
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And we dont require as much protein as everyone thinks

I agree with this. I havent eaten significant amounts of any kind of protein in 3 years and here I am, not stronger nor weaker than when I eat lots of meat.

I dont know much about protein absorption and all that so I wont comment. Aside from my N=1 experiment, we can also take a look at 3 animals for which the diet is well known and not disturbed by the strange eating habits of adult humans:

- Chimpanzees. We are very similar to them, and they eat more than 90% of their calories from fruit and veggies. Yes, they do eat some insects and other animals, even chimps, but not in significant quantities calorie-wise. They are pretty strong.

- Gorillas: They eat 100% leafs and some fruits. They are pretty strong.

- Human babies: They only eat 7% of their calories from protein, in spite that they can grow 30% their bodyweight in a month. They are pretty strong also, carrying that huge head around.

I´m not saying we shouldnt eat animals and all that, everyone can make their own decision on that respect. What I wonder is what makes us think we need 30% or more calories from protein when the above examples (quite similar to a grown human) do just fine with less than 10%.
 
plant protein is considered "incomplete" because it does not contain all of the amino acids of animal protein.

If I might be permitted to be pedantic, the word 'incomplete' in that context is somewhat misleading: Plant proteins do contain all the essential amino acids, however most plant foods have a less favourable 'balance' of these amino acids when compared to animal derived protein sources (with a few notable exceptions, such as soy, hemp etc.). This only becomes a problem if one tries to rely on a single food source to meet their dietary needs.
 
What I wonder is what makes us think we need 30% or more calories from protein when the above examples (quite similar to a grown human) do just fine with less than 10%.

First, there's nothing wrong with eating lots of protein. The idea that it will cause kidney damage in a healthy person has been shown to be false. Someone with existing kidney problems should definitely use caution, but there are no issues for a healthy person.

Second, your argument suffers from the logical fallacy of false equivalents. We may be very similar to gorillas and chimpanzees, but our digestive system evolved differently from these other primates. It would be great to have the physiology of a gorilla - oh to be muscular and crazy strong while eating nothing but vegetation. But we don't.

Your example with human infants is also a false equivalent. There is a reason why medicine has a separate specialty called pediatrics. Adult humans are different from infant and child humans.
 
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