Do you have pull-up power

Everyone in the gym is pushing, or trying to push big weights and you would think that these guys should be able to do at least 12 pull ups right?  But look around your gym. How many people actually do pull ups?  I’d bet my mortgage that there is not that many, if any at all. This will be because pull down exercises and assisted pull-up machines have replaced this once staple muscle building super move.

Even the people still sticking to classic body weight lifts are performing them so poorly that they are getting only a fraction of the potential benefits and are also placing enormous shearing forces on their shoulder joints by doing so. One reason why a  lot of trainees don’t perform pull-ups is because they believe they’re too difficult. But isn’t that why you train? to get stronger, and push yourself to the limit?

So here are four different moves to increase your pull-up power, whatever your current ability might be.

Increase Your Pulling Power

Beginner

To increase the number of pull-ups you can do, first increase your time under tension. On your final rep (even if you can only do one), try to take 30 seconds to lower yourself back to the bottom. This will increase your muscles time under tension, forcing them to grow stronger faster.

Intermediate

More advanced individuals should try ten sets in one session. If you can do six pull-ups. So ten sets of three reps. In your next session try to increase the total number of reps. Just make sure you leave at least three days between pull-up workouts.

Advanced

Shoot for a specific number, say 30, as quickly as you possible. Perform as many sets as it takes to get to 30 reps and then, next time you do 30, try to beat that time. Leave at least five days between attempts at this level.

Try and ignore images like this demonstrative as a pull-up. Trust me never in my lifetime, have I seen someone dangle from chains, nor have I seen a moder gym have chains. But I do admit, it does make for good vieweing.

What Is The Perfect Pull UP

 

Hold the bar or handles with an overhand grip, hands just wider than shoulder width apart.  Extend your arms fully in the down positioned let your body hang straight down, but don’t swing. Keep your chest facing the ceiling squeeze your last and pull up until your chin is above the bar.  Lower slowly to start position without swinging your legs.

Your are working a big muscle group with your back so remember that recovery supplement intake is important, pre-workout energy before such a focused exertion may also be recommended.  Purchase the new Multi Compartment shaker from Core 150 ™ The Athlete’s Shaker, and we recommend powders from either Musclepharm, MyProtein, GeneticSupplements, Kinnetica, or Maxi Muscle

You can fill a selection of any of the above sports supplements in your Core 150 ™ The Athlete’s Shaker as demonstrated below, ready to use. Hydration is absolute critical during exercise, Core 150 ™ delivers 1Litre of water for optimal hydration.

Nutrition and Hydration gets simple with Core 150 ™ The Athlete’s Shaker allowing for three accurate 50 gram measurements of your chossen nutrition, leaving 1 Litre of hydration for when you need it. What you put inside the Core 150 ™ is up to you, and when it comes to working out all you need is to apply the effort from the FREE hints and tips we give and you should be on your way.

 

Shaker cups have become a necessity

Protein shaker cups used to be something you received free from your supplement company as a giveaway product, but did any of us ever think they would become such an important feature of our gym bags? The recent innovation of sports shaker cups have seen the introduction of blender balls and under carriage compartments to hold supplements separate from the shaker cup itself.

This was all well and good but one of the main issues with some, if not all of the compartment based storage shakers was that they never gave you the ability to measure your supplements back into your cup. Core 150 is the newest shaker on the market and is a very innovative product indeed with the ability to hold in excess of 150 grams of sports nutrition within three removable centre compartments.

The shaker also has many additional unique promotional features that allow for brands to promote there product from embossing the internal lids of the inner compartments, straight through to its patent protected ability of promoting multiple powders from an optional disposable design.

The sports shaker has taken everything into account by offering an exact measurement of 50g of any chosen supplement which is ideal for professional athletes who are measurement conscious. The Core 150 shaker bottle holds one litre of water for optimal mixing and hydration which is yet another massive selling feature of this product.

With all of this being available in one cup you would think that it would have to be much bigger than your standard shaker cup, but in actual fact it is not. Core 150 has a flat spine at the rear of the cup which completely reduces the width allowing for an extremely comfortable grip without reducing the cups volume holding capability. This is one area of the design that is impressive and further demonstrates a high level of attention to detail with user in mind at all times.

When you put the convenience of having all your supplements to hand as and when you need them together with one litre of water held within one device its easy to see why this particular shaker cup is not only a gym must have but will become a permanent feature of your gym bag, locker or work place.

 

Promoting your supplement brand has changed forever

Core 150 is getting ready to revolutionise the way supplement companies and manufacturers promote their protein powders giving them greater freedom when it comes down to branding and packaging. Core 150 is the only protein shaker in the world that permits promotion of your powder on 3 dispensable compartments held inside the shaker bottle. Promote new products, inspire sales of different flavours, and guarantee your name is recognized the bodybuilding and sporting world over.

One of the good things (and there are plenty) about the Core 150 is that it’s been built with both consumer usability and brand promotion in mind. Customers will be in a unique position to try many different flavours of protein and other performance products thanks to the innovative design of Core 150. Where it is online or in a high street store the consumer will be in no doubt of what product he/she is sampling as your your brand name and logo can be embossed across the lid of the powder compartments.

Core 150™ Personalised Promotional Protein Shaker Cup from Core 150 Shaker Cup on Vimeo.

The disposable form filled sealed compartments are designed to simply snap off making for a very handy technique to showcase a number of different products. You can select for the outer surrounding of the Core 150 to be printed with your brand name leaving buyers in no doubt as to what they can anticipate finding inside. Core 150 is also patent and design protected so you get the additional reassurance that you are using a promotional product that is protected, innovative and unique.

When you’re looking for a new way to promote your protein powders or performance based products the Core 150 could be the perfect solution. Whether you are arranging a seminar, exhibition, in-store promotion, or you have got an online storefront, you can be absolutely certain that you will get maximum impact when you use the Core 150 for your branding. In addition to branding of the throwaway containers you also get lifelong branding on the re-usable centrepiece as well as your logo placed on the outside of the cup, and thanks to the robust construction of those items, you can be sure your name will be on view for many years.

Core 150 helps you to take product sampling and promotion to a whole new level. If you’ve got a new product launch in the pipeline, Core 150 will help you bring your product to market quickly and effectively directly into the hand of your target market. The bodybuilding supplement industry is heavily competitive and Core 150 is probably the most inventive and creative way in which to promote a product since shaker cups began.

Personalised shaker cups are the final statement of how much you value your consumer and by providing the best protein shaker and shaker bottle your consumer will take note that you do in fact value them as a consumer as apposed to giving them a cheap shaker bottle.

 

Does your protein shaker bottle do this?

Like everything in life things move on and products get innovated, the same applies to shaker cups and drinking bottles. For years I used to think the reason why my protein powder would not mix properly was down to the poor quality of the powders themselves, and in some instances maybe it was, but my perception on this has since changed.

Shaker Bottles have now evolved by introducing whisk balls and other mixing gimmicks but my advice to you is to not pay a premium for these gimmicks as they will turn out to be just that. To try this I placed my powders in my shaker cup and mixed them with 600ML of water, I then repeated the exact same process with the shaker bottle that both have mixing gimmicks in them and there was no difference on thickness or smoothness to my whey protein shake.

What I did see is a load of expensive whey protein powder stuck to either the gimmick or the bottom of my shaker bottle with the cups I tried, including the mixing gimmick shakers. So I proceeded to max out the water holding to 800ML and I started to notice a slight difference. The bottom of my shaker still had powder stuck to it, but a lot less than before. I then added another 200ML of water and shook normally, job done.

It then fell back to the amount of water the shaker could hold and very few people will put water back into their cup to mix the remainder of powder that often gets pushed down from force during shaking. So how much water do we really need in a shaker to get the perfect shake? Some whey proteins have their own recommendation of 350 ML’s but this will only be the amount you will need to mix the powder and should only be used as a manufacturers guideline. In my opinion 350ML is nowhere near enough and my test with four market leading protein powders appeared to demonstrate just that. 1 Litre is the optimal mixing allowance any shaker should cater for if they have the user in mind for all types of protein powders i.e. whey protein or mass gaining which are noted as being conventionally thicker and harder to mix.

With the introduction of multi storage shaker cups now entering the market, eyes appear to have been taken off the convenience factor entirely, or indeed the entire purpose of a protein shaker. The more storage you try to add outside the cup the less room you can apply to the water vessel of the shaker cup itself if you want the shaker to remain convenient. This is just a mathematical fact. Size and convenience are still more important than ever before, after all there is no point in having a shaker cup that is oversized and awkward to hold.

But what if you could get one shaker cup that stored 150 grams of powder and allowed for one litre of water for optimal mixing and hydration? Well now you can and it is called the Core 150 ™. I am asked to write for a lot of companies in the sports nutrition industry and I will not write anything that cannot be backed up by the product itself. But insofar as storage shaker cups go, or indeed shaker cups themselves no product can come close to this shaker by way of design, functionality or convenience.

 

Why Ready-Made Protein Shakes May Do More Harm Than Good

It might be tempting to pack a few cartons or bottles of ready-made (ready to drink or RTD) protein shakes into your bag, but have you ever checked the labels on these products?  Like many convenience products, ready-made protein shakes can be packed with a whole host of harmful substances and chemicals that can do your body more harm than good.  Many RTD protein shakes are long-life and that means they are packed with artificial preservatives.   Think how quickly a fresh shake made with protein powder and water would go bad and it gives you an idea of how many additives go into the ready-made shakes.

Another downside to buying ready-made is the calorie content.  Many shakes also contain a high percentage of carbs whereas protein powder can be minimal and often close to zero.  All in all, you’re going to take a hit not only on your body but also on your wallet if you choose the more convenient option, and it could affect your training results quite rapidly.  A much better option would be to choose a way to use your protein powder more efficiently.  If you’ve ever seen other bodybuilders in the gym mixing their protein on the go, they are probably using a cup with multiple different compartments.  These mixer cups are a great idea and give you all the convenience of an RTD shake without the downside and with all the nutrients contained in your regular protein powder.

At least with a good quality protein powder you know what you are getting.  When mixed fresh you get the best taste and the best results without the additives, without the unnecessary calories and without the additional carbs.  And when you add a Core 150 shaker cup into the mix, there aren’t any RTDs that can compete with the convenience.  If you see RTD’s at your local gym it’s not because they are good for you it’s because they take up less space than a 5lbs tub of protein powder and less time for staff to make so keep that in mind.

Before you reach for that ready-made protein shake, think about its contents and the negative effects it can have on your body and your training regime.  It’s all about choosing the right ingredients to fuel your body and dismissing those that are going to waste your time and give you zero results.

 

What’s the Right Age to Start Taking Protein Shakes?

Protein shakes can actually be used by anybody at any age as a method of supplementing protein in the diet.  Protein isn’t just essential for bodybuilding.  It’s also essential for many key stages in human development including toddlers, young children and teenagers.  In fact, many parents use protein shakes to ensure their children get the right amount of protein especially if they have allergies or are particularly fussy eaters.

The amount of protein you should consume on a daily basis varies and will depend on age, metabolism, and activity levels.  Protein is essential for the human body throughout life, but especially when growing and when following a bodybuilding regime.  Imagine it this way – when you are young, your body needs protein to grow to its natural size.  You then need to take on a balanced diet containing the right amount of protein to sustain your adult body.  When you switch to a bodybuilding regime you are effectively growing your body again and that means you’re going to need a boost in protein from food or protein shakes for your muscles to keep up.

It’s important to recognise that not all protein powders are the same.  Many can be harmful to the health especially when consumed in excessive doses.  According to the American College of Sports Medicine, teens and younger children can be more susceptible to toxicity when taking protein powder shakes and this can cause major health problems.  Any teenager following a bodybuilding regime should consult his or her doctor before embarking on a protein shake programme.  This will ensure the right dose is administered and that the right products are used.

Whilst protein is essential for human bodily function and growth, it’s important not to overdo things.  Too much protein, taken as food or protein shakes, can have adverse effects that could lead to serious health conditions.  When you take on too much of anything, the body needs to deal with the excess.  Excess protein usually ends up passing through the liver and kidneys and this can put real strain on these organs causing problems such as kidney stones, chronic kidney disease, and cirrhosis of the liver.  You will also be taking on too many calories, carbs and fats when you take on too much protein powder.

Protein powder shakes are in the main safe and totally legal for anybody to take as long as the guidelines are followed and the right dose adhered to.  Sensible consumption and training is key to ensuring the best results.  Many teenagers are still growing and therefore may not experience the results they expect until they have reached true adulthood and it’s also important to speak to a doctor before embarking on any protein powder regime.

 

All Your Daily Protein Shakes in One Cup Accurately Measured and Ready to Go!

I don’t know about you but when I get serious about my dietary goals or start my supplements I measure everything. But wouldn’t it be great if you could carry your daily protein dose with you in one cup, already measured and ready exactly when you need it?  The Core 150 protein shaker cup allows you to do just that.  Now, you can kiss goodbye to hauling containers around in your gym bag or using storage areas with no exact measurement attached to the underside of your shaker cup.  The original storage shakers where OK when first released but anyone who is serious about their nutrition will know that accurate measurement is critical to any diet or safe supplement consumption.  With the Core 150 you have your protein with you ready to shake with accurate measurement the moment you need it with no mess and zero fuss.

If you’re currently transporting your protein powder separately, or within other so called multi compartment shakers then you’re probably making life very difficult for yourself.  Not only do you need to make a finger in the air judgement call when pouring your powder back into your shaker, but you’ll also need to measure your powder on the fly risking your daily dietary balance while risking over consuming your supplements that can have health implications as well as having an impact on your wallet!  With shakers that have no exact measuring capability you’ll also need to ensure you have a clean scoop with you defeating the convenience factor entirely – the germs or tummy bug you could get from using an un-sterilised scoop will stay in your memory for a very long time!  With the Core 150, you simply measure out your daily protein intake directly from your tub then insert into one of three individual 50g compartments and you’re ready to go, no scoops, no risk of second guessing measuring, and no hygiene issue. The Core 150 cup is also 100% leak-proof so you don’t need to worry about spills or your gym kit getting damp.

You can store 1 litre of water inside the Core 150 when the compartments are removed and this makes for a smoother shake experience and is also perfect for mass gain powders that require more water to get the right consistency.  Mixing is a breeze thanks to the innovative design of the cup and you’ll always have enough supplements on hand to get you through the day no matter how hard you train, from novice to professional.  The compartments of the Core 150 are completely removable allowing for easy cleaning and re-filling of your supplements.

Core 150 also allows you to be totally flexible with your protein intake during the day. If you’re using a number of different powders for different results, you can choose exactly which ones to take with you for consumption as and when you need it.  Those following a Pre/During /Post Workout regime will find this particularly convenient.

Size matters when it comes to choosing the right shaker cup and because Core 150 cancels out the need for additional protein powder containers, scoops and tubs, you get a lot more room in your bag.  Core 150 is dishwasher friendly so that you can have it hygienically ready for its next use.  There is no other shaker cup on the market can compete with the Core 150 on functionality, water volume delivery, quantity of powder storage or convenience all within one very handy and trendy cup.

 

Are your protein shakes the quality you think?

It is easy to get confused on what the best protein shakes are with so much variety on the market to choose from and in such a cluttered market place the decision is becoming even more challenging for the everyday consumer of supplements.

With companies now offering a manufacturing solution to anyone wishing to start up a proverbial supplement company with minimal investment how can we be sure of one quality whey from the other?

Most supplement companies would want you to believe that whey protein is just whey protein but the reality could not be further from the truth. There are many different types of whey protein powder designed to deliver perfect protein shakes and the powders can go through multiple manufacturing processes and contain a mixture of protein sources to increase quality. The key of judging the quality of a whey protein lies hidden in the percentage breakdown.

Small and large protein powder manufacturers are not transparent when it comes to divulging this information and to the disconcerting consumer 80% whey seems like a high quality product right? On appearance you would be right in thinking so, but the reality is that it could be made entirely from whey protein concentrate WPC, the cheapest form of whey protein from a manufacturing stand point.

I wonder if the day will ever come when we will see a breakdown on what percentage of whey protein is actually in the tub. Statements of “triple whey complex” are appearing on some whey proteins but they don’t tell us what percentage is concentrate, hydrolysed or isolate which I feel the supplement companies have an obligation in doing. It could be that 78% if concentrate 1% hydrolysed and 1% isolate giving the company the right to market the powder in this fashion and that is simply not good enough.

If a supplement company does makes claims of “having multiple whey protein complexes” in there protein contact the manufacturers and ask them to break down the percentage of the sources they are marketing. They are obligated to divulge this information to you. Open and honest marketing is now being forced in the supplement industry by the OFT and FDA which is fantastic news for consumers of supplements and with expansive points of resource available online to consumers wishing to ensure they are getting value for money the only people who stand to lose from being dishonest are the supplement manufacturers who are ignorant to displaying facts to their target consumer.

 

Core 150 ™ Protein Shakers help close the Muscle Recovery Window

Getting the best results from your whey protein requires perfect timing.  The optimum time to consume your protein is around 40 minutes after a workout.  This is the time your muscles need protein the most in order to heal and grow.  Your body starts to heal muscle fibres directly after a workout so delivering protein into the body at this time will ensure it has the fuel it needs to recover quickly and efficiently and you do this by releasing your choose protein powder via one of three internal storage compartments on offer by Core 150 ™ Protein Shakers.

The ‘muscle recovery window’ as it is known is the one-hour period that immediately follows exercise. This is when your muscle recovery is much more pronounced than any other time and also when any nutrition you take on board will be absorbed faster too.  Core 150 ™ is the worlds first triple-compartment sports shaker and holds a thirst quenching 1 Litre of water for hydration that will help to replenish any fluid lost during physical exertion and carb re-loading will help to replenish the fuel in your muscles, but it’s the whey protein that’s going to give you the most benefit post-workout.

By consuming protein during this window after each of your training sessions, you will start to experience faster and more effective muscle gains than ever before.  The Journal of Physiology recently revealed a study where subjects were given a protein supplement either 2 hours after exercise or immediately after.  Those that were given the protein supplement immediately after their workout experienced a 15% improvement in strength and an 8% improvement in muscle size whilst those who consumed their protein later experienced no difference in strength or muscle size.

It’s not only important to ensure you get the best protein shakes into your system, but also when you take them on-board.  You’ll always come across people who do things differently and you need to find what works for you – for example you might want to take protein one hour before you train too – but the one-hour post workout window is what you need to remember and you need to try and aim for 30-40 minutes after training to get the best results from your protein and to ensure your muscles can repair and grow faster.

The good news is that many of the protein powder developers on the market today give clear and concise instruction on how to take your protein and when so you should be left in no doubt how to use your protein shakes.  When protein is taken correctly and at the right time you can expect to experience some really awesome results!

 

Shaker Cups have just got trendy are you due an upgrade?

Do you use a shaker cup for your protein shakes? If you’re using a ‘shake and go’ cup that allows you to take just one mixed shake to the gym, then you might be due an upgrade. You see, going down the local gym with a standard protein shaker nowadays is like going to the gym with a sweat band and luminous vest top on then wondering why you get some funny looks. Using standard shakers may also lose you some serious gym cred by finding yourself being subjected to comments such as “you can’t be serious about your nutrition using that” or “are you still using a tape deck to listen to your music? Nice shaker” to mention just a few humorous comments. However, on a more serious note, shaker cups have evolved somewhat over the past few decades in both design and construction and those changes have dramatically improved the safety and convenience of the modern day protein shaker.

You may have heard of the changes made to many consumer plastic products. Baby bottles, flasks, drinks bottles, and shaker cups have in the past been made from plastic, but more recently many manufacturers have changed their production techniques to use FDA approved polypropylene instead. The FDA has approved polypropylene for food contact and as a result many manufacturers across the food and beverage industry have modified their containers so they provide a safer alternative to plastic.

Shaker cups themselves hadn’t changed much until a few years ago when the first compartmentalised cup was introduced. These cups allowed you to take powdered protein in a compartment ready to mix whenever the need arose. These cups were and still are very popular, but they only allow athletes and bodybuilders to carry one does of protein with them. For those taking protein before, during and after training, this was no good.

There are now cups on the market with two compartments such as smartshake (excluding the cup) and the new Core 150 which has even three separate compartments (excluding the cup). The compartments or pods are inside the cup and give you the perfect vessel for carrying your entire day’s supply of protein whilst still having the feel and convenience of a standard shaker cup. Life’s too short to be messing around with lots of different containers measuring powder on the go. What you need is a shaker bottle that does it all and that also ensures your protein is delivered in an exact measurement as well as mixed to the smoothest and most palatable consistency.

If you’re looking for a shaker cup that can fulfil all of your needs and ensure you always have enough protein to hand the new Core 150 protein shaker holds a staggering 150g of protein measured across a number of containers. That means you need never take a huge protein powder package around with you or have to measure out your powder on the fly. Each protein dose is ready when you are and kept dry and fresh in its own individual compartment.

The most important part of training is the training. You don’t want to have the worry of when and where you are going to mix your protein or risk that the local gym sells quality pre, during or post workout supplements. The new shaker cups on the market today make it easier and more convenient than ever before to take your protein supplements on the go and they are available at a really affordable price online. So throw away your old plastic bottle and upgrade to a brand new Core 150 ™ triple compartment shaker bottle instead and be the talk of the gym for all the right reasons.