Hi! This might be a stupid question, but, I was thinking about getting the athletic/pro to use during my high intensity workouts (which are 6 days/week). It has creatine in it...is that going to make me gain weight? I'm not trying to "bulk up"...just tone up and slim down. It sounds like it would help with my energy and recovery though...any thoughts?

Hi Sarah,

I just took a look at your other posts here, and from what I see, I don't think Athlete Pro is necessary.

Thanks Sue! You're always so good about responding! I just wanted to fill you in on my daily workouts just to make sure. On Saturdays I work out chest and back and abs (1 hour 20 min) and some cardio (1 hr walking). Sundays I do plyometrics (1hr). Mondays I do shoulders and arms and abs (1hr 20 min) and spin (1hr). Tuesdays I walk briskly (1.5 hours) and intense yoga (1.5) hours. Wednesdays I work legs and back and abs (1hr 20 min) and spin (1hr). Thursdays I walk briskly (2hrs) and do cardio kickboxing (1hr). Fridays is my rest day.
Let me know what you think! Thank you for your responses!

You're welcome Sarah! I don't think you need it. :-)

Thanks again! So, who should take the athlete/pro then?

People who are seriously training multiple hours daily like professional athletes would.

Just curious. Are you feeling things like lack of energy, inability to progress in you weigh training, lack of strength, having difficulty recovering from one day to the next, etc?

Actually no. I have lots of energy (except when I work out too late in the day or too long after I've eaten), I feel strong and am progressing in my training, and I feel I recover well. I don't feel more exhausted than I feel I "should" during my workout.

The reason mostly I was curious about the athlete/pro was because I'm doing the p90x, and the always talk about this "recovery drink" that they sell to help you recover after/during your workouts (especially after the plyometrics)and it's supposed to give you more energy in a workout. I don't want to purchase their products being as they are not zoned and the carb content is super high. I just thought maybe I needed to find something to replace their "recovery drink". But maybe I dont!

Also, with my workout plan I mentioned, I have put myself in the "very active" range...do you think that is right?

Try either Active or Very. If you aren't lifting real heavy weight, you probably will be fine with Active. People tend to overestimate their activity level used for the protein requirement/block calculation. You don't want to eat more protein than you need. A Zone balanced snack after exercise should be fine. Of more concern is the length of your strength training sessions. You might want to reconsider spending 1 hr 20 at a time doing strength training. The Zone recommendation would be to split that into a couple sessions, not going over 45 min each. After 45 minutes of intense exercise cortisol levels elevate, which will work against your Zone efforts.

Thanks! The weights I lift are'nt heavy...up to 12 lbs each right now. But I am working out for about 13+ hours/week...would that only fall under the active range? I definitely don't want to be eating too much!
I typically eat a snack before exercise (I work out early in the morning) and breakfast after. I'm currently eating 13 blocks/day.

Thanks for the advice on the weight training! The video is about 1hr 20 min, but there's only 45min or less of the strength training...there is a warm up and cool down and about 16 min ab work. Good to know about the cortisol levels though!

Let me know on the Active/Very Active thing. I don't want to be overestimating my activity!

Hi Sarah,

Whether 13 is appropriate or not depends not only on you activity but also your LBM.

With my LBM of about 114 and training I eat 13 blocks using theactive level (0.8 factor).

My training is as follows:

1 hr cardio (change activities depending on season, for this summer it varies between brisk walking, hilly hiking, step aerobics on rainy days) x 5 days
1.5 hours cardio x 1 day
55 min strength x 3 days (no more than 8 to 10 lb weights)
30 min stretching daily
1+ hour yoga 2 days
25 min yoga x 2 days

Thanks Sue!

Yeah, the 13 was based on the calculator at being very active with my measurements and weight and height. If I just put active, I'm at 12/day. I'll stick with the 13 for now and if the weight and measurements aren't moving then maybe I'll recalculate.

Sarah, not knowing your LBM I was hesitant to comment on how appropriate 13 blocks would be for you, but since there's only a difference of 1 block for you when you go from active to very active, you should be ok with it. You see, the higher your LBM, the greater the block increase will be between activity levels. With my LBM, going from Active to Very Active increases my requirement by 2 blocks.

Oh! Ok! I didn't know that...My LBM is 101. So there is only a 1 block difference for me. I just recalculated it to make sure.
Thanks for your help!!!

You're welcome. I'm happy to help!