Doogie

As far as the negativity on soy...there are different opinions on this but I would be more concerned about the levels of BPA you are ingesting from plastic which is proven to mimic the effects of estrogen. If you consume massive amounts of it then there probably are some negative effects, but I'm guessing that we are all exposed to massive amounts of BPA and we are none the wiser.

I prefer Whey just because I'm more partial to the taste. I found I didn't care for soy...but could just be the particular brand I had. As far as differences, in my opinion, it really doesn't matter a whole lot. Whey does have more bioavailability...but I highly doubt that the masses are even getting the proper amounts in the proper way in their system at the right time anyway. I think you would have to have your diet etc refined down to the point of what professional bodybuilders do in order to gain that extra edge. Also, in order to get the best results, you need a simple carb with the protien just after the workout as well. Your muscles are depleted of glycogen which needs to be replaced, and you need the insulin spike to trigger the muscle build. Simplest and cheapest is to just drink a glass of chocolate milk after and then make sure you are eating a proper diet. If you want mix in a scoop of protien powder just to make sure then go for it. Your body can only utilize so much protein at a set rate anyway to rebuild muscle and the rest just gets converted for use as fuel much like carbohydrates and fat.

I do my workout routine similar to yours. Push routine,Pull routine and then Legs/Abdomen for the third. I stick to the 8-10 rep range which typically get both the fast twitch and slow twitch muscle fibers (it's a little more complicated than that) invovled. High reps are more for endurance, lower reps are more for explosive power. Think of a sprinter vs marathon runner. My Push/Pull routine is Push Routine Bench Press Machine Flys (could use dumbells) Shoulder Press Dumbell Incline Press Tricep Pushdowns Dips Pushups This starts with the heavy movement and then progressively works on the smaller muscle groups and end off with an exercise that will allow me to easily tailor it to get the muscles really exhausted (Push ups). To much heavy movements at the start fatigues the muscles and then you can't get the other supporting muscles properly exercised Pull Routine Seated Row Dumbbell Shoulder Shrugs Pull Down Supported Barbell curls Dumbbell Rows Dumbbell Curls I start this with the seated row as I have a problem with my lower back and I don't want to do this exercise later when my muscles get fatigued and my form starts to lack or muscles get fatigued to properly support. Same concept, start with the big muscle groups and then work to smaller groups with exercises that are easy to bring about a good fatigue. You could also increase the reps at the end exercises to get the other muscle fibers invovled. Not sure if this is the best routine, but through trial and error it works for me.

I stretch everyday right after my cardio first thing in the morning. Also throughout the day I'll ensure that I get other stretches in when I can i.e if I have to pick something up off the floor I'll do it while locking my knees to get a deep stretch in.

I use JEFIT (paid and got the pro). Works well on my android tablet, I believe there is an ios version as well. Good range of exercises on file. I like it as it keeps track of my progress. I created my own routines and start at 3 sets of 8 reps and work towards 3 sets of 10. Once I can do that, I increase the weight and start at 3 of 8 again and continue to work up repeating the cycle. The problem i had previously was trying to keep track of my progress (number of reps, weight,etc). This does all this for me and gives me what my previous workout results were so I can benchmark against it and ensure I'm making gains.

Hi, Just thought I'd introduce myself. I started back with Karate earlier this year after I put both my kids in for an activity that didn't involve something "electronic". I took it years ago and managed to get to my orange belt, but my enthusiasim exceeded my abilities and I stopped. I'm legally blind in my left eye which had/has it's challenges, but also discovered that I was missing part of my lower spine and had exposed nerves that got "pinched" when I was doing high kicks. My doctor recommended an alternate past time. Now that I'm older (39) I figured that I was going to be in control and not my limitations. Ironically enough, I have managed to improve in a lot of ways since taking it 10 years ago. I for some reason am a lot more flexible (no apparant issue with extreme stretching now) , have faster reflexes (I think it's due to more thought in how I strike) and seem to have stronger joints as submission holds don't seem to have much affect on me. I'm in better shape now than I ever was. Anyway, I have now managed to exceed where I was before (almost ready to test for my green belt) and I have no intention on stopping. There is a lot of information and expertise here and I hope to be able to offer more contribution as I gain experience.

Thanks for the reply! I'll focus on doing that that next time I'm sparring.

Hi, I tried a search but couldn't find anything on this topic. I'm looking for some drills that I can do to improve my eye hand co-ordination and ability to see more of the opponent when I'm sparring. I have no central vision in my left eye (perephial only and am declared legally blind in it), and hence I have a "learned" sense of depth perception. I find when I'm sparring and when I'm in close I will focus in on a particular part of the opponent (hands, eyes, feet), and my vision narrows and I can't/don't see the opponent striking. i.e I'll focus on his hands and I can't see the movement of his feet and don't see the kick. I sort of have a split second where my eye's try and focus which gives that extra edge to the opponent. I know I will never be as good as someone with perfect vision, however I would like to try and improve. Thanks!