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.

MY PROTEIN AND OAT PANCAKES (PROTEIN OATCAKES)

I did abit of experimenting with oats the other day. This is because I have to eat them all the time to get good quality carbs in. There is only a certain amount of toppings you can put on oats before you get bored. I got bored. Very bored, so I decided to try something new. I had a look at recipes and did not like them at all due to them looking very boring and being full of fat, so here is my oatcake recipe:

Ingredients:
4 egg whites
1 egg yolk
2tbsp of honey
1 banana
1 scoop of protein powder (30g)
100g of oats

Crack your eggs into a bowl making sure you only keep one egg yolk in and whisk. In a another bowl measure out your your oats and protein powder scoop. Combine the eggs and oat mixture and stir. Now mash up the banana and add that to mixture aswell as the honey. The consistency will not be like normal pancake mixture, it will be abit more stiff but you don't want it too stodgy. If this happens just add either a little milk or water to loosen it.

Once you have your mixture, heat up a frying pan and put a very small amount of olive oil into it. (Make sure it is very hot before adding the oatcake mixture.) Spoon about two or three spoonfuls of mixture into the frying pan and spread into the pancake shape. Once this is done turn the heat down and watch carefully. Flip when needed, it should be golden brown by the end.

Serve straight from the pan with some warm honey and fruit.

(makes 3 to 4)

Here we go then...

So there is only 193 calories per pancake! This isn't the lowest calorie breakfast you can have but it will keep you going and feeling full for a good amount of time. It is a balanced breakfast to have which is full of complex carbs, proteins, fibre, salt and sugar! As you have just been in a resting state during your sleep you need a pick me up in the morning! This is because you don't eat during sleep and your body still burns a high amount of calories to keep your body going. By having all of this come into your body It helps restore what you have lost making you feel better.

As the oats are a source of complex carbs it provides your body with a slow release of energy. The protein helps repair muscles and the salts help your cells retain water so you will feel less dehydrated. The sugar from the honey also gives your a nice pick me up in the morning so before the slow release of energy kicks in you have that instant buzz from the sugar. There is not much fat at all in this recipe aswell. This is because I have taken the yolks out. I have kept one in because there is alot of good vitamins and minerals in there along with good fats. 

This is a very filling breakfast and did give me a nice lot of energy. If you want it to taste more fruity just add some more mashed bananas in. You can even substitute bananas for blueberries or even add both! If you make them thin aswell you can put two together and make a sandwich for your lunch, just take the fruit out. They are easily portable, can be eaten as a snack and are very cheap and easy to make!

Stack of oatcakes drizzled in honey

The uncooked oatcake in the frying pan

PRE WORKOUT: IGNITE

Well if you have seen my previous 'pre workout' post you'll know I don't really get on with them. I just feel sicky, but that is just me. I think before I get into the science bit i'll go through my personal experience with ignite.

I started taking it on a chest day. I took one scoop and I felt a difference in my performance. I wouldn't say I could lift more weight as I hate the people that say 'this supplement made me reach a pb for weight' or 'jumped up 20kg today on a certain exercise because of blah blah blah' . This is a stupid thing to say and helps no one decide what pre workout product they want. This comes from the unfocused people at the gym who probably don't push themselves everyday until they get that little push by the supplement which focuses them and allows them to push more weight. This is not a bad thing I just think they should stop saying it makes you push more weight. Months and years of continuous dieting and training allows you to push more weight.

What I will say is that this product cut my resting period significantly. This is an amazing aspect of ignite as the less time you rest the more you work your muscle. I was also able to push one more rep out which is the rep that I feel transforms your body. Obviously the more your muscles is worked and the greater stress that is put on it the stronger and larger it will become. The one scoop I took increased my energy levels and to my surprise I did not get any of the side effects which I got from 'Pulse V4' which I absolutely loved. An increase of energy and no little annoying headaches or stomach discomfort was brilliant & as my recovery time decreased so I was able to put another exercise in which means I worked my muscle more and harder than normal. How do I know I worked it harder? Well I woke up in the morning and felt I had a car resting on my chest. It was that nice post workout pain, (don't worry I haven't been in a car crash or anything).

I then proceeded to take two scoops for leg day........Wow. Just wow. I felt like this guy:

Photo by: www.churchyroll.com

At first I thought nothing was happening and then the 30 minute mark hit and got one of the best leg sessions out of it. Again, no weight was increased past what I have already done before but the intensity of the workout increased massively. After every set i'd be laying on the floor crippled and then do it all over again. I would also say that don't become dependent on the product otherwise you'll feel sluggish if you run out. What is also brilliant is it lasted my whole 2 hour workout. It wasn't a 10 minute buzz then nothing. I felt a release of energy throughout.

The price of the product is expensive. Especially for me being a student. £37.00 is very expensive for 720g, but what I love about it is the company. Icon nutrition have put every ingredient down on it, they are I feel a trustworthy company so with that in mind I feel it is worth the money if you have it. It would take me forever to explain every last ingredient but what i'll do is list them and pick the key ones out.

Picture from icon nutrition site.

Ignite will increase your metabolism through the caffeine and green tea extract. This means you will also be burning more calories and burning that fat away.

Everyone knows caffeine increases alertness, energy levels and focuses you.

Creatine turns into creatine phosphate in the body which helps produce the only from of energy your muscles use ATP (anedosine triphosphate) so this will increase the power output, for more info see my creatine post: http://mmillarnutrition.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/creatine-monohydrate.html

Leucine is an amino acid. Alot of research has been put into this and has been proven to improve and stimulate protein synthesis. For those who do not know what that is it, it's the process in which makes the muscles grow. 

Beta alanine is proven to increase muscle endurance and power output. 

I'v just noticed these go into alot more detail on their website but the ones above are just a basic overview. I would suggest you read about the ingredients before buying, i'd suggest you do this with all products.

So, the company are brilliant. The delivery was incredibly quick and they provide all of the ingredients clearly. I will say these are a very promising company to buy stuff from. Ignite increases your focus, energy levels, power output and your endurance levels. It will also in the long run burn fat and WILL help you promote muscle growth. My one concerning factor is the price. This is because I am in a student mindset but this is a high quality product. 

The positives are that there are no lies and the company has not misled me in anyway with this product & ignite says what it does on the tin but it is abit pricey so my score will reflect on this:

My Overall Rating: 9 out of 10