Protein while on ECA

[chrisoh]

Hey all, I was taking Xenadrine for a while and i decided to go search for it and i read something about not being able to build muscle while on it and it even being catabolic by blocking the insulin receptors in your muscles. My question is should I still be intaking 150+ grams of protein a day if im not oign to build muscle while on Xenadrine? Would protein even make a difference when the ECA doesnt let you build muscle?

 

[Jacked Johnson]

That whole b.s. about not being able to build muscle while on ECA is just that- b.s. People think that because ECA affects the adreneal gland, that cortisol is released (a product of stress) and thus hinders muscle building. While some of this is true, it is in such minute amounts that it makes little to no difference. In fact I think the nutrient partitioning affect of the ECA stack far outweighs this minute problem. In other words, you can take ECA, diet, lose fat and retain your hard earned muscle. While science has given us alot of great supplements- sometimes I think we have to stop looking so deeply into it's research.

 

[chrisoh]

Thanks for the reply. Since you said I wont lose muscle I feel a lot better, now I bumped up my protein in take from 25g a day (severe cutting) to 200+ you think I'll gain muscle?

 

[HumanShell]

I think you need to read a lot of what is already on this board before you try, or ask anything. I wouldn't be suprised if you said "I heard you can't gain muscle while using ECA, so I stopped lifting weights." Why on Earth would you drop your protein to 25g per day? Do you only weigh 25 pounds?

 

[chrisoh]

Bulking was never in my interests before because I didnt feel like i needed to get bigger, im 6'1", 205lbs. with 11% BF and kept growing steadily over the past year with the low protein. i went through 5 cycles of ECA's and never lost muscle but never gained muscle and with all this new talk about it being catabolic, i was just wondering.

 

[Jacked Johnson]

NEVER, NEVER, NEVER cut your protein intake! If you want to make any noticeable gains you need to increase your protein intake to the tune of 2 grams per pound of bodyweight. Look, it seems that you are just getting into the game of lifting and dieting. I can tell you first hand that diet is about 80 percent of the game. If your diet is off, you won't gain a thing no matter what your lifting or supplement plan is. Before you hit ECA or any other supplement for that matter, do a search on this board. It has some of the best information out there- you can actually learn from other peoples mistakes and successes. If you have the loot, invest in The Poloquin Principles by Charles Poloquin, who is quite possibly the most knowledgeable guru on lifitng out there. Eat smart+ train smart+ rest smart= growth.

 

[chrisoh]

Thanks dude, but im not new to lifting and dieting, started at 16 and I'm 18 now, i was at 26% BF 2 years ago and I cut it down to 11% thanks to ECA and cardio/wrestling but lifting was always a second priority to me since im pretty muscular and strong naturally and wrestling is a workout in itself. Im eating 6 small meals a day with 2500 cals total, 40% protein/30 fat/ 30 carbs. i just cut the creatine out last week.

 

[HumanShell]

Im eating 6 small meals a day with 2500 cals total, 40% protein/30 fat/ 30 carbs. i just cut the creatine out last week.

Yet in your original post you ask if you should still be taking in 150g protein...At 2500cals, and 40% pro, that would be 250g pro.


Then, you say you dropped down to 25g pro per day, which would leave 2400cals to be made up of fat and carbs???


Now, you say you've upped it to 200+ per day....do you ever really know what you're eating?

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Plus, first you cut your pro down to 25g/day because of something you read. Then, one person tells you that what you read isn't true, so you change what you're eating again. Do you just change everytime someone tells you something different?

 

[chrisoh]

I dont see how the math would work, i def know im not taking in 250g a day of protein, when I said 25g, I means supplementing 25g of protein not counting what I eat in normal foods. When i said 200+ protein, it means Im taking that much protein through supplementation such as shakes.

 

[HumanShell]

Protein and Carbs both consist of 4 calories per gram. Fat is 9 calories per gram. If you're eating 2,500calories per day, and 40% (1000 calories) is protein, then that means you're eating (or at least say you're) 250g protein per day.