Whey to Go - Designer Whey

Designer Whey has 18 grams of protein but only 100 calories!

This spring, I've been stepping up my weight training, especially since it's been so horribly cold to do much outdoors. All the same, weight bearing exercises builds muscle, torches fat and steps up your metabolism for up to 48 hours after your last rep. So I've really gotten serious about recovering with a good Whey Protein shake. Why? Well, all that lifting actually breaks down muscle cells, tearing into them. It may sound violent but this is the only way you get growth because this triggers new muscle cell regeneration. The trick is to have the building blocks available to facilitate that. You guessed it. Protein!

Designer Whey
Whey protein is derived from dairy and is revered by body builders as it is easy to digest and assimilate without causing bloating. Men especially should stay away from Soy based shakes as they contain phyto-estrogens or plant based sterols which can cause a feminizing effect. Soy is also notoriously difficult to digest so I stay away from products made with it.

Ready Made Designer Whey four-packs in French Vanilla & Chocolate

Whey to Go
I'm really liking these 10.5 fl oz shakes to go. They are so convenient for a walk, run or to pop in your gym bag. I keep a a pack cold in my walk in closet's refrigerator. When I finish with my machine workout, I'm able to grab one and run.  At 100 calories, only 15 of those are from fat and you get a mere 3 grams of sugar per serving. Pretty incredible especially as these taste so good to be THAT low in fat and calories.

Protein Satisfies
I had an early morning photo shoot last weekend in NYC and didn't have time for my usual Oatmeal-Quinoa breakfast. Instead, I grabbed one of these Designer Whey shakes and took it with in my 24 hour Bag. I got through hair, makeup AND the shoot with no problems, taking sips of the shake. Keep in mind that shakes also contribute to your daily water intake, drinking this helped keep me hydrated for the shoot. When we did stop for lunch it was pretty late but I wasn't ravenous. I was in control and ordered a healthy bowl of Butternut Squash Soup!

Crazy delicious flavors of Designer Whey Powders!

Mixology-Designer Whey Powders
While I really enjoy the convenience of ready made shakes, my creative side likes to mix things up every once in a while! I can add a scoop to a fruit smoothie or add my favorite strawberries or cranberries to the mix. The powders have the same caloric/nutritional profile as the ready shakes but offer more flavor choices:
White Chocolate, Luscious Strawberry and Vanilla Praline are just three of my favorite Designer Wheys. 
These also mix easily with no lumps using only a shaker cup for days when I don't have time for the VitaMix.  See more flavor varieties and products at DesignerWhey.com

Desginer Whey Powders mix well in my fruit smoothies.

 

Raising the Bar - Why You Need to Increase Your Weights

My Nordic Flex Ultra Lift Chest Press and Lat Bar maxs out at 15.  I am doing arm curls on 13 now.

I've had an epiphany. This year, I've made an effort to write down my reps and weight lifts for each session. Previously, I've just tried to rep out (blow out the muscle to exhaustion), but without recording my previous workout, I might not be moving forward. I recently moved up to doing my chest presses on "12". I could barely get the bar to move! Still, I took a breath and pushed with all I had. The first day I could only do 20 reps. The second day I cleared 30. That's progress!

So a few simple things can get you better results in your cross training routine:
 
1. Write down the results of your lift days including the weights used and amount of reps completed. A simple diary and note if the session was hard, easy or impossible.

2. On your next workout day, try to best your previous lifts either in weight or reps. Try to move up, not backwards.

3. Always include a recovery drink at the end of your session (within 45 minutes). I like Rainbow Light Protein Energizers and NeoCell Muscle Recovery Collagen Sport.

Muscle Growth Factors
In order for muscles to grow and develop, they need to be practically torn down and rebuilt. Muscle fibers, connective tissue, tendons and ligaments all need additional protein and collagen after a heavy workout. BUT... The heavier workouts are needed in order to build new muscle.

Women Don't Build Muscle Like the Men
If you are a woman who is concerned about bulking up, let me put your mind at ease. We just don't form muscle the way the guys do since men normally have about x10 more testosterone than us ladies. So unless you are doing anabolic steroids, don't be afraid of adding a little extra weight to your stacks. What you will find are smaller, tighter, firmer muscles that take up much less room in your clothes. 
 

Bone Density
Another major plus in upping your weight bearing exercise is that it helps to ward off osteoporosis. This tends to skyrocket once women reach menopause and a guy's testosterone levels fall off. Dairy based protein and calcium such as whey, is an excellent source of these nutrients without being loaded with fat. Running, cycling, walking and hiking are all great aerobic workouts but they are not weight bearing exercises. In order to build new bone cells or osteoblasts vs osteoclasts you need to put some weight on that bar!

Increasing Your Weights
Another good thing about proper recovery is that it prepares your muscles for increase without injury. It's one of the reasons why I'm now appreciating the NeoCell Collagen supplements. Not only do I recover faster but the next weight training day, I'm able to move ahead either in weight or reps. No matter which you choose, listen to your body. It if means grunting out only five more reps than last session...do it. Your muscles will thank you for it.

Lat bar reps result in toned shoulders, arms and torso that benefit other exercise activities.