SUPPLEMENT SCALES

www.serioussuppliments.co.uk
Still using the generic plastic scoops you get when you buy your protein and other supplements ? 

I decided it was time to get this little piece of kit as my supplements were disappearing rather quickly, it was not hard to notice as the amount of servings I should get was far more than the amount of servings I was actually getting… 

So I conducted an experiment using my scales which are accurate up to 0.01 of a gram to see how accurate the guidelines on how to use the plastic scoops are… 

The results are shocking:

The experiment

Using MY-PROTEIN impact whey as an example. It tells you to use 1 large MP scoop is 25 grams for 1 serving 

Firstly I used the generic scoop:

Attempt 1 (g)	Attempt 2 (g)	Attempt 3 (g)	Average (g)
30.51	29.10	27.21	28.94

So from the results we can see that an average serving is just under 4 grams too much. 4 grams! You must be thinking that's nothing, lets work it out:

5Kg is equivalent to 5000g 

1 serving is 25 grams
5000 divided by 25 is 200
This means i should get 200 servings.

However with our new results:

5Kg is 5000g
1 serving on average is 28.94
5000 divided by 28.94 is 172.77
Rounding that up i am now only getting 173 servings
200 minus 173 = 27

So by less than 4 grams extra you’re losing out on 27 servings!

If you have one a day thats nearly a month. You may think well taking extra is good because it means more protein in your body but your body can only absorb so much. If you have to much you will excrete it out therefore wasting valuable protein and being a student, protein shakes are a privilege and wasting them is not cool. 

Now using my scales ….

Attempt 1 (g)	Attempt 2(g)	Attempt 3(g)	Average (g)
25	25	25	25

Now with the average serving is the correct 25g. I don't need to do the math. 

My overall rating 10 out of 10

Reviewed by Tom Millar

VIBRAM FIVE FINGERS (KMD SPORT)

I used to train barefooted as I felt it would benefit me more. I ended up feeling more comfortable without footwear in the gym due to training without them for so long. I decided I needed some type of footwear, so my feet would stop getting dirty and so I could get abit more protection so minimalist shoes were the answer. Now before I talk to you about these magical shoes I’d like to quickly tell you about some of the benefits of barefooted exercise.

-It's more natural

-Better ventalation

-Stabilizing muscles in the foot and ankle are strengthened

-Improved balance

-Flexibility in the foot can be improved

-Arches can become stronger 

-Muscle alignment can be improved

I brought the KMD sport lace due to its universal and versatile nature, I have worn these shoes to the gym, work, and sprint training. They can even be used for swimming. . As soon as they turned up I put them on and off I went to try them out. Straight away I discovered they aren’t the easiest shoes to get on your feet due to each toe being in its own little ‘pocket’. However unlike most shoes we buy, the heel is rubber and can be bent in any way possible and it will not break compensating for the fact they are a struggle to get on (until you get used to it). I had already decided after five minutes of my work out that they were the comfiest shoes I ever had. 

FIVE FINGERS IN THE GYM

Many people try to go for flatfooted footwear when in the gym, this is so when your squat and deadlift you are closer to the ground making your work the muscle harder but we'll get to that later. These shoes which that are commonly worn in the gym have cushioning though which actually takes away the stress you can put on the muscle. Vibram five fingers have almost no cushioning at all so to mimic your barefoot.

These shoes actually improve many aspects of your workout for example when you are performing deadlifts. Due to the shoe having a extremely thin sole you are in fact closer to the ground and actually makes it slightly easier to get the bar all the way to the ground giving a more effective set than if you were wearing conventional running shoes.As you get down lower, you also manage to get more stress on the muscle promoting to to grow more in time.

Conventional running shoes can make the set less effective, such as when doing a seated leg press. The sole will compact down and push back out as that is what the are designed to do (to prevent shinsplints when running). See it as like jumping on a trampoline, the trampoline being the shoe. As you weight gets pressed down on the sole it will push back up which could actually help lift the weight.

FIVE FINGERS WHEN RUNNING

I found when I was sprint training with these shoes compared to my new balance 610 v2 running shoes much better. I could feel my stride had improved due to more pronation of my foot which made me run more efficiently. When you wear conventional running shoes due to the high cushioning (its aim to spread the load of the impact over the whole foot) encourages you to in fact perform a heel strike. This creates a large impact on the heel due to the vertical deceleration of the leg going straight down.

When running with running shoes you actually infact slam your heel on the ground due to the cushiony sole taking away some of the force but this means you use more energy. This heel strike can actually cause damage to your foot and cause shin splints because of the amount of force struck on the heel. Vibram five fingers forces you to run like you would run barefooted like our cavemen counterparts elemintaing this heel-stike.

Personally I ran on the balls of my feet which drastically decreased the force of the heel-strike.
Running on the balls of your feet drives your momentum forwards carrying your body weight in front of you improving speed and efficiency. You do have to get used to them though, you end up changing your running style which is a good thing in the long run. So while going through this change your feet ache a little bit because of the changing process. This is all your tendons/ligaments/muscles strengthening. As these things are getting stronger your chances of injury decrease.

Below are two images of how the pressure changes due to the type of running shoes you wear. The first image will show conventional running shoes the second will show barefooted running which is very similar to minimalist shoe running.

(Graphs sourced from Joe Maller.com)

With running shoes

Without running shoes

We can see from the graphs above that with running shoes there is a much bigger spike of impact with initial impact to the ground than there is without running shoes. This is due to the heel strike. The peak of the impact on both graphs is about the same however  we can see that in the image below in the barefooted runner that the impact does not spike as much due to more rotational energy rather than vertical deceleration of the leg causing a dead stop.  

There are a few minor issues with the product:

-The price (as a student  £125 is a lot of money for me) but you do pay for what you get and come along with a two year warranty.

-The style which I have are the lace up ones and I find that when you pull the top to tighten it. When you do this the top of the shoe tightens leaving the bottom half of the lace loose. You then have to tighten the lower part bit by bit by hand which again is not too much of a problem but a pain if you have to be somewhere quick. 

-They are also designed with a lock to stop the elasticated laces coming undone when in use. Although the idea is theoretically sound. The lace loosens off, I have put this down to the lock on the lace as I find it comes undone rather easy but it is still tight enough to keep your foot in.

The product is brilliant, it helps alot for my use when exercising. I would highly recommend these.

My Overall Rating: 9.8 out of 10  

Review written by Tom Millar.

ELASTIC WRIST STRAPS

This is very cheap product by AQF. I got them for £3.49. I got a cheap pair so I could test them first. They are basically a large elastic strip of material which you wrap around your wrists to prevent injury.

Wrist straps are a necessity when you begin to start lifting heavy weights. This is because the joint is very small meaning it will ache when you put alot of stress on it. The straps simply stop the unnecessary movement in the wrists which causes them to hurt. I started needing them after every time is did a set I would rub my wrists. They support my wrists and provide them with stability while I lift. This allows me to lift greater weights meaning I can work my muscle more.

There is only a thumb loop aswell. I mention this because there is no fabric on your hand. This means there is no alterations to your grip. A brilliant aspects of any wrist strap with this design. As you can see in the title they are elastic meaning one size fits all. This means you can shop online with the comfort of knowing they will fit. Mine are quite new so I can't yet comment on the durability but ta the moment they are lasting well!

When it comes to your health and well being it is important that you do anything and everything possible to stay at peak physical health. As you get older your joints become weaker so protect them now to prevent yourself hurting everyday when you are older. Respect your body and you'll feel brilliant all the time.

This is a short post because, well there is not much to talk about. Again this is the same as the lifting belt, as they are all the same I will give it no rating but if they break I will let you know and also tell you what other brand I go for.

PADDED LIFTING BELT

I decided I needed a belt. I wasn't at my bodybuilding gym anymore so there wasn't a belt to share around. I decided I needed one after I started deadlifting pretty heavy and I could feel the strain on my back. I picked up my padded lifting belt at bodymax performance fitness in Nottingham at £14.99.

It's not genuine leather but it looks the real deal. It is thick at steardy and has a two prong locking system on it like most belts have. It also has a cushiony pad at the back which is very comfortable.

There are pro's and con's to belts:

Pro's -

• Prevents injury
• Can actually increase performance
• Prevents the back from curving inward

Con's -

• Can make your back less strong
• Can diminish core strength 

Now after looking at both the pro's and the con's its fairly easy to understand that the pro's out weight the con's. You don't agree? Well let me persuade you. It prevents injury. This means I will not have to take any time out of the gym or my sport because I will be healthy and strong. No time will be wasted on recovering as my back will not be hurt. Now your back is one of your most important parts of your body. You don't want to be getting older and having a bad back because what i'v seen it doesn't look very nice. So take care of it!

I have seen significant differences in the way I lift with the belt. I can lift more and my technique increases; that's a win win. Before you get to this stage of loving your belt though you will hate it. Why? Because you have to wear it in. I don't know if this is with everyone but certainly with me it was painful. This is because the belt is becoming less ridged and more molded to your body. I came out with cuts and bruises around my waist from it but I got through it and now it is very comfortable. 

As I think most padded belts are the same i'm not going to rate a certain brand. there is no point. All I will say is if you are getting serious with your lifting a belt is a must.

LIQUID CHALK

Now, I know this is not a supplement but it helps me in the gym so i'm going to review it.

I got this product from myprotein.com and it cost me £4.79. I use it a fair amount of time and you only need to use a little amount so I can see it lasting a while.

Grip. A very important aspect when lifting. Without it, there is no possible way of getting those last few reps out or increasing the amount you lift. Now I'm not relying on this product solely and neither should you. A strong grip takes a lot of work due to all the muscles in your forearm slowly getting stronger and your hands becoming much more rough meaning you can grab that bar and hold it for longer. This product is not going to help that part. Have you ever gone in for a deadlift or an exercise and your hands are sweaty? Well basically this will take the moisture away allowing you to lift the bar more comfortably. Now this could easily be used in other sports aswell. I'm going to use golf for example: sometimes before I grip the club, my hands will feel sweaty and the club will feel slippery in my hands. Now this could drastically alter where you want the ball to end up because you don't have a good grip on the club. So put a little chalk on and you'll have a nice grip. (Just showing that this product is versatile.)

Basically you put a small amount on your hands rub it in and then blow lightly on it. Your hands will then turn white and that clammy sweaty feel will instantly go away.  As this chalk is not powdery it does not come off on equipment and it doesn't make a mess. This means you CAN actually take it into commercial gyms which is a plus if you do not live next to a 'bodybuilding gym'. Also you can transport it easily due to in being in a resealable tub, you can just walk around with this compact tub of chalk in the gym and no one will bat an eyelash. As it is not powdery you wont inhale it which would lead to coughing and a bad taste I imagine, it would also alter your performance.

The only problem I can even think about is that your hands get very dirty as the chalk seems to pull the dirt off the bar. Doesn't bother me though as I clean my hands all the time.

My Overall rating: 9.5 out of 10

My protein state that this is not suitable for rock climbing.

Go make some gains guys. &&&& Leave a comment if you want me to review a specific thing for you, i'v had people asking me about ligament and tendon supplements so i'll have a look around!