Hannah\’s Blog

This morning I weighed myself and I have put on another 1lb.  It doesn’t show itself to be water (which I thought it might be, due to the creatine), but I am taking ethyl esther which is a better creatine to take (see info below)

Creatine Ethyl Ester Info And Products
Absorbed Better Than Regular Creatine Monohydrate!

What is it and where does it come from?

Creatine Ethyl Ester HCL (CEE) is creatine monohydrate with an ester attached. Esters are organic compounds that are formed by esterification - the reaction of carboxylic acid and alcohols.

What does it do and what scientific studies give evidence to support this?Regular creatine monohydrate has been shown effective at increasing lean muscle mass^1,2,3,4, muscle strength^5,6 and athletic performance.^7,8However, regular creatine monohydrate is absorbed poorly by the body - and its effectiveness is dependant upon the cells ability to absorb it. The poor absorption rate of regular creatine monohydrate requires the creatine user to ingest large dosages of creatine to achieve desired effect.Because creatine draws water to the cell, and because most ingested creatine monohydrate is not absorbed, unabsorbed creatine will sit outside of the target cell with the water, and this will result in the “creatine bloat.”Long-term clinical studies have proven that creatine monohydrate is safe for use by persons free of medical complication⁹, but why would you want to ingest more creatine monohydrate than you have to simply because your creatine is inefficient?Creatine ethyl ester is creatine monohydrate with an ester attached. The attachment of an ester is significant, because esters are found in the fat tissue of animals. But, why is this important? What role does this have in the absorption of creatine?All substances that you put into your body will affect its operation. There are three ways that substances can affect a cells operation. They are:

1. Ligand binding to protein receptor sites.
2. Secondary messenger / metabotropic systems
3. Passive permeation of the cell wall via lipids

When a substance enters the body and affects the bodies operation, it is known as a ligand. The soma and dendrites of the cell have protein receptor sites to which ligands can bind. The process of a ligand binding with a receptor site is akin to a lock and key: only keys of a certain shape work with certain locks. When they work and cause the cells stimulation they are called agonists. When they block the cell from functioning they are called antagonists.

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When a ligand binds with the receptor site of a target cell, the cell, in the simplest of cases, changes its shape, opens up its ion channels and changes its function. In so-called “secondary messenger” or metabotropic cells, the ligand binds with the receptor site and an internal protein known as a g-protein is released. This released protein then binds to an internal site inside of the cell, and then the cell changes its behavior by opening its ion channels. Cells that operate in this way are known as metabotropic cells because their operation requires metabolic energy.

Passive permeation is a process that describes the diffusion of a substance across a cell membrane through the use of lipids as transport mechanisms. Because no “work” is being done by the cell in this model, this model is called passive permeation.

Creatine monohydrate utilizes lipids to permeate the cell wall and enter the cell. Because of this, the esterification of creatine, and the presence of esters in animal fat tissue, becomes significant.

Creatine monohydrate is semi-lipopholic. This means that it inefficiently uses fat as a transport mechanism. The esterification of substances will increase their lipopholic abilities, and thus esterified creatine will use fat more efficiently to permeate the cell wall and exert its effects upon cellular function than its unesterified creatine monohydrate counterpart.

This means, simply, that not only will dosage requirements be lower, but the absorption of esterified creatine will be increased and the infamous “creatine bloat” will be eliminated!

But I feel I am still holding a little water, but not as much as I have done in the past by taking just creatine monohydrate. 

Yesterdays workout was hard, I could still feel the effects a little from Saturdays workout, and right now (Weds evening) I can still feel my lats from Sat too!

I decided to continue with the same shoulder and arms plan as last week, but to cut out the rest pause sets and maybe to do the longer reps to get a real pump in my shoulders.  Military press went well and I thought my lateral raises were going well too, that was until Simon corrected my technique again.  I thought I had mastered it from Saturdays workout (as I was turning out too much in my shoulders on the raises), but I still was a little and once corrected, I was on my way to getting a pump.  I also was able to get a spot on my dumbell shoulder presses with the 15kg.  I did the usual pressdowns and cable curl warmups for my arms  and then did incline supination curls, hammer curls for biceps and close grip push and press and………….my energy had dipped.  I left out the dips today and went onto chest.  I have to be very careful when getting tired training, you almost feel guilty for stopping, or just not doing one more set (exercise junkie!) but I am realising, that once you’re blown, you must stop or you just won’t grow and to tire out the central nervous system when you have a long day ahead is just not the way to go!  Especially when you want to win in 2008.

When I got home today the BNBF 2008 dvd has arrived, will watch that tomorrow.  Have read an interesting article on Jenny Garside.  She is a trained figure competitor that won the BNBF and NPA last year and just took first place at the Worlds in 2007.  She will be on the dvd, so looking forward to her standard of posing and watching her routine. 

Got to get ready, for its legs day tomorrow and clients.

Brilliant class again last night, 27 ladies, “pumping iron” in my PUMP class at 6pm.  Hopefully it will also give them the confidence to lift more weights in the gym and realise that just cardio alone doesn’t change their body shape.

Did a 5km row this morning with Simon and Helen and some uphill walking on the treadmill.  Haven’t used the rower for ages and was nice for a change.  Helen and I practised our posing yesterday and so Sundays is the day where we meet with Simon and he goes through our posing with us.  We both did well and Helen’s lat spread is starting to come on, she will have no problem when she competes in a few months time.  Her shoulders are really coming on now with all the extra gymnastic training she is doing.  Makes me realise how much bigger mine have to be.  My shoulders and arms are looking a little thicker since last Sunday so that’s good.  I have4 put on half pound this week, so fingers crossed I can put a pound on this week.

Recap for the week, apart from writing this with really sore traps, shoulders and arms it has been a good week.  My weight had come up and it needs to be up again when I weigh on Tuesday.

I have been taking the Creatine and No2 religiously and my MCT oil.  I have ordered the Nabba and BNBf dvds of last year competitons and waiting for them to arrive.  I have had a quote from Chrys Corner regarding prices of suits to be made for me and have had a sample from the lady in the UK, but the quality and shape isn’t very good.  Maybe I will order from the States and then stone them myslelf.  things to think about for this week.  Had a good week with all my clients and their goal planning for 2008 and have taken on a few more too.  Looking forward to Tuesday workout, and training my delts with stricter form.  Got to grow!

Shoulder, back and arms - what a workout, felt sick and thought I was going to pass out.  Great workout!  Simon coached me today, we started on dumbell shoulder presses, working up to the 15kg and standing dumbell lateral raises.  He noticed that I was rotating my shouders out too much on the raise, and boy did I feel the difference!  We did ez bar upright rows and dumbell shruggs, oh my goodness that was hard.  Back was bent over rows (which I love) reverse grip and then we also did them with neutral grip, just in case I hadn’t targeted or tired my back out!  Back upstairs for close reverse grip pulldowns and dumbell pullovers.  My lats were virtually popping out.  Arms next!  Cable curls and pressdowns for warm up, arms had had it by then!  Seated dumbell supination curls and then I nearly passed out!  Triceps were as I mentioned work set for press downs, straight into overhead cable extensions, straight into close grip push ups (twice through) and then upstairs again for reverse curls and assisted dips.  What a workout!  45 mins of intense  blood pumping exercise.  I finished off with incline crunches and the planks.

Love it!!!

Leg day yesterday, loved it as usual.  My legs are getting thicker at last and will hold some size when i diet for competition,  My quad sweep is coming on as well.  Even though my program has changed this week, I have decided not to change the legs for the time being as I am showing good gains.  I was stronger this week, maybe its to do with the creatine and No2 together as food has stayed the same.  I got two more reps in my leg extension work set and the same for the leg press at 3 sets.  I went up on weight for the barbel lunges and took the weight to 23 3/4kg a side for the 3 set at 20 rep alternate leg lunges, reckon I could do more next week.  I went up on the incline hack squat to 17 3/4kg either side, kept the same weights for the 3/4 deads and standing calves.  I am getting a little better at holding the plank now, the side plank is getting easier, practice makes perfect.

My PUMP class went well last night and I have already got half the class pre-booked for next Monday, so that’s real good news.  Training Clients Sat and Sunday and then got my workout Saturday, shoulders, back and arms!

Yesterdays workout was Shoulders, Arms and Chest.  Today my shoulders and triceps are sore, maybe biceps will kick in later!

It was hard work but a good session.  Quite hard doing a military shoulder press on my own, so decided to use strip sets after my second work set instead of rest pauses, I did the same for dumbell shoulder presses and then straight sets for lateral raises.  I did a couple of sets pressdowns and cable curls for a warmup for arms.  Incline dumbell supination curls for biceps and push and press with the ez bar (stricter form this time on the pressing competitons and only one federation left to get dates.  I have been in touch with Chrys Corner who makes my suits in the States, to get prices of suits for this year and I have a number to call movement, that’s why they are sore today!).  Seated hammer curls and assisted dips (again triceps were stronger), it’s strange cos I had more of a pump in the biceps during the workout, so I thought they would be feeling ‘off the bone today!’.   Busy day working with clients and then a shift and then clients again.  Upped my doseage of coconut oil to 3 teaspoons yesterday. 

I have been collating more dates for body building today of a lady in England who makes suits, so will hopefully know more by the end of the week.  Just waiting for the Nabba Great Britain Novice 2007 dvd to arrive and the BNBF, to have a look at the physiques and routines. 

Going to have a little rest now as tomorrow is LEGS day and I can’t wait!

Starting Friday 25th January at 6pm I will be teaching another PUMP class due to demand.  Really looking forward to telling my class this evening.  They will be very excited!  Another opportunity for me to help change bodies!!!

A hard week for me as I have been tired, so I need to get more sleep and rest when i can or I will not recover enough and i will not grow.  My body has held up well this week and I have increased my MCT oil to three half teaspoons 3 x day.  I start a new program as of Tuesday, training shoulders and arms twice a week.  So i have to get everything right.  Also start Creatine on Monday.   I am also going to up my dosage of MCT oil to one teaspoon for one serving and the other two at half teaspoon and see how I feel on it.  Watch this space!

This morning Helen and I had a posing session with Simon.  We did our quarter turns and then started to learn Helen’s mandatory poses.  Quite exciting really, I was getting a chance to really flex the muscle!  The standing side tricep pose was the one I didn’t get at all and felt quite uncomfortable doing it, but practice makes perfect!  I find it hard to evaluate my body and this morning as I was tired, I looked quite flat, long and lean!  not what you want to see when you are trying to look bigger, but I had had a big workout less than 15 hours before, so what did I expect!  Need to put a little posing practice in after my workouts when i am pumped up, then I can evaluate a little better.

This afternoon I practised posing with Helen.  We are starting to work through our quarter turns and mandatory poses.  It was fun putting back on the ’stripper shoes’, but the small of my back was aching after the posing.  It’s the isometric holds that are the hardest part to hold, to be able to keep breathing and hold everything in tight and flex the muscle and to look like it’s all natural! (you see, its hard to read that all in one sentence, let alone holding the poses for 1-2 mins).  We did quite well, Helen has a problem with her lat spread and I know how that feels, took me well over 6 months of practising before I could feel it and then one day it clicked, so we have to help her as her European competition in Macedonia is in May.

Trained Shoulders and Arms later in the afternoon and Simon was there for our Saturday session as this is when he coaches me.  It was a hard workout, but I was a little stronger, (forgot to take my NO2, but I still got a pump) suppose its still in the system when taking the doseage every day.  We did drop sets on the standing barbel military press and the seated lateral raises, the incline supination curls were hard, but I kept them really strict and to finish off the workout I did free dips, that really got my triceps and to really blow them out, I went on the assisted dip machine and repped out!  Ouch!