Taiwan Update, Masculinity and Creatine

As you know, I have been working in Taiwan over the last 6 months. This job has been a great opportunity to experience a completely different culture and it gives me a better insight as far as controlling that Last 10 Pounds.

Yes, my last weigh-in in the U.S. was 190 and I am now at 176. I have also reached two new personal bests; a calculated 1RM of 275 on bench and a calculated 1RM of 414 in the Squat Rack. The actuals were 225 by 8 reps on the bench and 330 by 8 reps in the rack. And since my last blog entry two months ago, I have started back on BCAA’s and believe it or not, with all of my whining about Creatinine, I have added Creatine to my supplement list.

So first let’s digest some KPI Figures;

• My weight is at 176 lbs.
• My ‘calculated’ 1RM Bench to bodyweight ratio at 1.56.
• And my ‘calculated’ 1RM Squat to bodyweight ratio is now at 2.35.
• As of the last blog entry, these values have increased 10% on bench and 4% in the rack.

A 10% gain is substantial and NOT in line with any previous trends. The 4% gain is believable and is a normal progression for my frame size, age and personal goals.

As the numbers suggest, could I have really gained strength and lost another 4 lbs.? Is this possible and if so, how much is fat loss and how much is lean mass gain?  Or more correctly, I think the question should be what exactly did I lose the first few months in Taiwan and what has been restored?

Looking at the KPI’s from my last blog, you should note that even though I did not lose too much in the strength department, in reality I had made no gains and in some respects may have had a net loss. And I’m beginning to suspect that I claimed a Fat Loss victory too soon. A little ‘Monday Morning Quarterbacking’ would suggest that yes, while I lost weight the first few months in Taiwan, it was a combination of muscle, fat, water, bone and sinew; CATATONIC, just the effect I was hoping to avoid. And I would further speculate that between the supplements (BCAA and Creatine), a more relaxed work and home routine (better rest) and eating ‘just that much cleaner’, over the last two months (December through January) I have made definitive strength gains and a notable weight loss. This is where I want to be; strength gain and fat loss. Still 10% is a bit much. We’ll wait and see if this is repeatable. 

Supplements

Several blog entries back, I had mentioned trying Tribulus to improve my T-levels. I’m here to tell you this stuff is crap; it does nothing to improve metabolic issues. If it did improve testosterone levels, it was minor. The only reason I would try this supplement a second time, even in a ‘supplement cyclic mode’, would be to show before and after blood work results. It does NOT have any immediate effects like vitamin B3 or B6 and there is no relief from fatigue like I see with BCAA supplements. So save your money, invest in BCAA’s and a good stout vitamin B complex.

And as last note before I drop the subject of Testosterone; check out Mark Wilson’s site on low testosterone. The web link is; http://www.boost-your-low-testosterone.com/. I like this site; Mark has done a great job. I like his daily e-mails. They are very inspirational as far as ‘get off of your butt and do something’ (lose fat, eat clean and exercise). I like the fact that he does NOT endorse traditional testosterone treatments; e.g. creams, shots, pills, etc… These ARE man killers and more importantly, masculinity killers. He also attacks some of the chemicals and foods we are exposed to DAILY that cause a testosterone, estrogen imbalance in our systems; if you’re a guy steer clear soy and phenols or at some point you may find yourself looking at purses instead of wallets. However, I do not think nor does my personal experience reflect that the supplements recommended are as effective as claimed; even if cycled. Of course my experience is posted above; very minimal. Intense exercise, diet and muscle mass improvements (fat loss) are what I would focus on; period. I also have to warn you that Mark is very vocal when it comes to the more private matters of self-gratification. Don’t get me wrong, I agree whole heartedly with Mark that porn is bad ju-ju and that perpetual self-abuse in that department is draining, both emotionally and physically. I reiterate, taking part in these private rituals, in my opinion, is a form of emasculation. All MEN should practice restraint. As far as Mark’s site, what I don’t like is all of the enlargement and other ‘to the edge’ techniques he touts; its distracting and I think most men, if they just lost the ‘belly’ and gained a bit of muscle, that once they can actually SEE what they have would be satisfied with what the good lord gave them.

The Creatine is something new for me and comes from reading numerous articles on Creatinine (see previous blog entries). Some articles I had read suggested that Creatine could add 5 to 10 lbs. to your lifts in a matter of weeks and they may be correct, based on the gains I’ve seen in the last two months. However, to prove it was the supplement, when I run out of this batch, I’ll wait several weeks then retest my bench and squat. We’ll see if we really gained or if it was just the chemicals.

I was having a heck of a time trying to source any type of supplement that you would normally see in the U.S. here in Taiwan. I could find just about any kind of ‘Herbal’ supplement or buy bucket loads of Cialis of Viagra, however, I could not find (and still can’t) simple things like protein powder, BCAA, Creatine, etc…. or any other of the more popular supplements for active individuals.

For those of us that are on the other side of the world, the iHerb website (www.iherb.com) has all of the popular brands and ships internationally. Their prices are better than BodyBuilding.com’s web-store on both product and shipping. So I can get all of my magic elixirs from a single source; just need to think a few weeks ahead.

So from the 1^st of December through February 20, 2013, I have been actively taking 6 grams of BCAA’s and 5 grams of Creatine after my morning cardio routines. And yes, just like before, the BCAA’s pretty much eliminate fatigue after a good run and/or bike ride. And if the Creatine supplements are helping in the strength department, I shouldn’t be complaining. As far as my concerns I have with high Creatinine blood serum levels, I’m hoping that the focus on drinking Lots and Lots of water is the right answer. I’ll find out at my next physical and blood work, wont I?  

Also note that I have not been using any supplements before or after the evening weight routines. The reason; I just don’t feel the need, no fatigue. However, if there is a running session the morning after an evening in the squat rack, my legs are telling me they’ve been ‘spanked’. Although immediately after, there are few fatigue issues.

Sharing My Concepts

I also now have a workout partner; another American in Taiwan. She is an engineer working with my team on the project I am assigned too. She was initially interested in straight weight loss; just dieting. Then she read a magazine article (or two) that lead her to ask about muscle burning more calories and if the more muscle you carry would help in the weight loss department. That lead to conversations about fat loss instead of strictly weight loss and that just dieting (starvation conditions), your body has a preference to digest its own protein (your muscles) instead of its fat stores. Yep, she had no concern for what was under that layer of padding, just the thought process that weight loss was fat loss. And after discussing this issue at length she thought that maybe, just maybe, a little ‘intense’ exercise and putting on a bit of muscle (toning up) plus eating a cleaner diet has its place; e.g. let’s try Fat loss instead of Weight loss.

So several (maybe 10) weeks ago she started with light cardio and more recently has moved up to joining the Word Gym in Taichung and sharing my weight training routines. As you know, I am a dedicated believer that the Basic Core Lifts (squats, deadlifts and benches) are the best. And that I like the modified drop sets when performing those routines. They do work and work very well.

Has she made progress? We’ll see! The gym did a simple body composition assessment when she joined. World Gym uses an ‘InBody 220’, a bio-impedance device that looks at weight, BMI, percent lean and percent fat. I am not a big fan of these devices but at least it gave us a baseline and we can measure progress from there. And she’s finally coming around to tracking weight lifted to bodyweight ratios as another measure of Losing The Fat. As time rolls on, I’ll include her progress in future blogs.