Red Frog Raspberry Protein Crepes – the ultimate fitness breakfast!

by Michel Klann | Jun 16, 2019 | Nutrition, Recipes

Delicious Red Frog Raspberry Protein Crepes Recipe

Looking for a tasty breakfast staple to help you start your day right? Look no further than Raimee Leigh’s nutritious and delicious take on Protein Crepes. Introducing: Red Frog Raspberry Protein Crepes!

Loaded with Evolve Whey Protein Isolate , frozen berries, a drizzle of peanut butter, a pinch of coconut flakes, and a little chocolate, this quick and easy recipe is the perfect way to pack more nutrients, flavour and satisfaction into your diet. But don’t just take our word for it; try the Red Frog Raspberry Protein Crepes at home for yourself!

Ingredients

60g of buckwheat flour
25g of Evolve Red Frog Raspberry WPI
2 egg whites
30g of crushed frozen raspberries
150ml of water (if making pancakes, only add water to desired consistency)

Method

Whisk all ingredients together in a bowl and place crepe pan on low-heat.
Scoop the mixture using a 1/4 cup for each crepe. Tilt the pan with a circular motion so that the mixture coats the surface evenly.
Cook the crepes for about 2 minutes until bottom is slightly brown, loosen with spatula, turn and cook the other side.
Roll all the crepes and cut into halves, place them into a bowl with all your favourite sides and toppings.
They go perfectly with yoghurt, fruit and, of course, peanut butter.

What is Evolve WPI?

Loaded with over 35g of isolate protein per serve and as little as 1.8g of carbohydrates and under 1g of sugar and fat, Evolve WPI is among the purest and highest value protein powders on the market, that will supply more of what your body needs to repair and grow. Better still, Evolve WPI contains no additives or filler ingredients and is complete with easily digested amino acids and low lactose.

Quick Tips for Big Results – what your training and nutrition might be missing!

by Michel Klann | Jun 16, 2019 | Nutrition, Training, Training and Nutrition Advice

Low Hanging Fruit Article

So, coaching out of a gym and even online, I get talking with a lot of people. Often when I speak with others, both guys and girls, we get onto the topic of what they’re trying to achieve and discuss what they’re doing to get there.

They want to be bigger, fitter and stronger

They want their ass to look like (insert instagram fitspo’s) ass

They’re prepping for a comp, event or holiday

Or they want to progress themselves because they loving pushing themselves, gain fulfilment through the health and fitness life-style and it makes them a better person.

These are all awesome, achievable and common goals that I’m sure you reading this can relate somewhat to.

We want our goals badly, often those I speak to vouch that they’re doing “everything they can to get results”. They’re training incredibly “hard” 6-7 days per week, getting their cardio in, eating all the “right” foods, eating 1 “cheat meal” per week. But the results are not coming quite as quickly as they’d like.

Dig a little bit deeper, in only a couple of questions, and it turns out they’re really missing a lot of the very low hanging fruit that pay off massively when tracked, monitored and then progressed!

Training Sessions & Log Booking:

Are you progressing week to week across your lifts, adding load, gaining reps. If yes, keep going, if not why? Something isn’t working, so it may be time to rotate an exercise out, drop or increase volume, change your weekly set-up, look at your exercise execution, push bodyweight up, if dieting introduce a refeed and the list goes on.

If we are not measuring this, via a logbook, each session you train you don’t really know if you are progressing from the session prior.

You’ll be standing at the rack thinking, “oh I hit the 30’s last week, or was it the 32’s. Not sure but my warm-ups felt hard, I’ll go with the 30’s”.

We want to eliminate that doubt and go in with a plan of attack to push forwards from the last time, as the body needs that stimulus to grow.

Yes, you’ll look at your book and think “fuck last week was hard, how am I meant to beat that” but you can. You push and you challenge your body to respond!

Programming:

Many either do one of two things, they go in and go by “feel” or they run the same session they’ve always done that they learnt from a magazine, an intro session from a gym attendant or what they did at football training.

Think of this; they don’t build Lamborghini’s by just throwing the pieces together, they have a plan and execute upon that. So how can we expect the build our greatest body without a direction to go.

This is where programming comes in. This is our blueprint to ensure you progress, we start where you are now and progress over time to where you want/need to be, it takes us from A to B then right through to Z and then onwards to every other potential.

Following a plan and progressing it will also show us how you’re responding and then adjustments can be made accordingly so you continue to progress.

Exercise Execution & Technique:

If we’re not performing a movement pattern properly, we’re not going to reap the benefits the exercise is meant to give. If some reps we sling the weight up, others we control and some we just go through the motions, how can we be for certain, that we are progress? We can’t, plain and simple.

We want and need precision in every single set and with every single rep so we know, with 100% conviction that we’re gaining what we’re after from a given movement.

It then becomes a simple matter of gradually adding weight to the bar over time.

Intensity:
The aforementioned Programming and Exercise Execution are absolutely nothing, without intensity. If you want really, really good results, and I’ll assume you do because you’re here, we need to really get after it within our sessions. It’s all well and good to check “train” off the to do list but to progress yourself forwards and get to where you want to be you must apply yourself.
Imagine you were only able to do one rep for a movement and then weren’t allowed to do anything else until the next session, one single rep…

How much effort would you put into that?

You would contract as hard as you can, squeeze it senseless and lower, resisting against it with all your might to make sure you made it count.

Now do that.

Do that for every single rep of every set, for every movement, for every training session. That is how you get stronger and that is how you get results. Don’t come in and half ass your sets and then put your hand out and complain.

Earn it.

Nutrition:

Whether you’re working to gain muscle, lose fat or improve performance, going by feel and eating intuitively doesn’t really cut it if you’re looking to really improve. Start by logging everything you eat in a food tracker app over the next 7 days. Now we have a baseline and from this point we can make adjustments up or down, backwards or forwards based upon what you really need, if you’re at your perceived maintenance. It’s quite a simple formula to work this out based on you Bodyweight (BW):

BW x 30 to 35 – This is your total calories
BW x 1.8g to 2.5g – This is your protein intake, multiply by 4 for calories

BW x 0.5g to 1g – This is your fat intake, multiply by 9 for calories
Take your total calories minus protein calories minus fat calories and divide that number by 4 and you have your carbohydrate intake

e.g – 100kg Male

100kg x 32 – 3,200 calories
100kg x 2.2 – 220g protein, 880 calories

100kg x 1 – 100g fat, 900 calories

3,200 – 880 – 900 = 1,420 calories divide by 4, 355g carbohydrate

There is your intake sorted so we have targets to hit. From here we want to get protein in from a variety of sources, same thing with fats and the same with carbohydrates. Avoid things that upset your digestion or do not sit with you, eat whole foods, eat your fruits and vegetables and drink your water.
That’s quite a simple breakdown, but using that information you can get yourself quite far, especially now that we have some numbers to work from.

Sleep, Recovery & Stress Management:

Now this one is a massive one, many monitor their training and nutrition but falter here. This is where we grow, get lean and restore our body to attack the sessions, along with our daily life ahead.

If your sleep and recovery isn’t at the forefront of your mind and being pushed to progress, just as hard as you push in the gym, you’ll find yourself spinning your wheels.

Sleep – With your sleep we want to aim for an average of 8 hours per night high quality sleep and there are a few things we can do to ensure we’re getting that.
Get your bedroom to a cool temperature 16º C or below and get it as dark in there as possible.
Turn your Wi-Fi off and mobile phone to flight mode so we’re not exposing ourselves to the Electro-Magnetic Fields (EMF) that they emit, which have adverse effects on our health.

Finally, the hour before you go to bed, spend time winding down in low light, reading, meditating, playing with your dog or watching a TV show.

Whatever it is you do, do so in a way that soothes your whole body and is preparing it for a restful sleep

Recovery – This is a broad brush that’s going to cover several things, but we want to think of stress management as our main factor here. We have so many stressors already going on in our life, then we add training on top of that, we must balance that out.
Going for walks with your dog, spending time with loved ones, favourite TV shows or comics, meditating, massage, float tanks and the rest, all these things benefit our recovery.
You don’t miss your gym sessions and you put effort into those, so do the same with the things that are going to improve your life and recovery!

These are all things that are very do-able and really make a world of difference. Put a bit more effort into tracking, progressing/regressing training, ensuring your sleep and recovery and you’ll start to notice incredible improvements, not just in your training pursuits but wholly your life experience.

I can’t wait to see your improvements!

– Brady

If you want help with building muscle, losing body fat or just improving your overall health and fitness get in touch

Brady Curtin

A | 99 Murphy St RICHMOND

P | 0458 957 686

E | bradycurtinfitness@gmail.com

Everything you need to know about Creatine

by Michel Klann | Jun 4, 2019 | Nutrition

If you’re heavily, or even moderately, into fitness, the chances are, you’ve likely heard the word ‘creatine’ floating around the gym, right? Yet, like many people, you probably steer clear of using it because you don’t quite know what on earth it does, who should use it, how to take it, or why it even exists?!

Don’t worry, you’re certainly not alone. But, what if I told you that adding creatine to your daily supplement regime could make a world of difference to your performance, endurance, strength, muscle mass and general health? Sounds too good to be true, but luckily for you, it’s not. As the world’s most widely researched and clinically studied supplement, creatine is among the most effective, and severely underrated, supplements for enhancing all areas of your performance, and contrary to popular belief, you don’t even have to be a strength or power athlete to reap the benefits of it. Curious to find out more? Let’s get started!

First things first, what is Creatine?

Creatine is an amino acid located predominantly in your muscles in the form of phosphocreatine (95%), as well as your brain, kidneys and liver (5%). Creatine’s core responsibility is to help increase your stores of phosphocreatine, which is a form of stored energy in your cells that subsequently helps you to increase the production of a high-energy molecule known as Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP). In simpler terms – Creatine plays an important role in providing the body with the essential fuel it needs to function at full capacity.

What’s ATP and why do I need it? Simply put, ATP is stored energy. For your muscles and every other cell in your body, ATP is the primary energy carrier in all living organisms and is the source of energy that essentially keeps everything functioning. Without ATP, cells would not be able to transfer energy from one location to another, subsequently prohibiting the growth and reproduction of organisms.

How can Creatine assist my training?

Whether you choose to increase your creatine levels by consuming protein-rich foods, such as chicken, steak and fish, or opt for the easier and more convenient option of adding a creatine supplement to your daily regime, the outcome will still be the same – it will increase your muscles’ phosphocreatine stores. Phosphocreatine assists in the formation of new ATP, and let’s not forget, more ATP equals more energy.

During a workout, ATP breaks down to produce energy, which is used for muscular contraction. As a result of the ATP being broken down into ADP (Adenosine Diphosphate), the amount of energy available to your muscle cells is limited due to the rate at which your body can effectively re-synthesise or reproduce ATP.

To quickly recap – The higher the levels of creatine in the body, the higher the levels of phosphocreatine stores in the muscle cells. Therefore, the higher your phosphocreatine store levels are in the muscle, the more energy you have readily available for your muscle cells. When you have higher levels of energy available to the cells, you are more likely to experience better workouts, strong muscle contraction, and reduced fatigue while training. Who wouldn’t want these benefits while training?

To put this into the context of exercise, here’s how you can benefit from creatine in the gym:

Promotes enhanced strength & performance – Creatine is suggested to help improve your overall strength and performance due to your body’s increased capacity to produce ATP. Generally, ATP is depleted after approximately 8-10 seconds of high-intensity exercise. However, by supplementing with creatine, your body can effectively produce more ATP, allowing you to train at peak performance for a few additional seconds.
Supports muscle growth – As creatine plays an important role in helping you to train harder and for longer, the long-term result of this benefit is generally muscle growth as your body is primed to push harder.
Helps increase Bone Mineral Density – Strength training has long been recommended for increasing bone mineral density and preventing osteoporosis. However, if you’re already lifting weights but haven’t added creatine to your daily routine, your bones are likely not reaching their full potential. An increase in bone mineral content is suggested to be related to an increase in muscle mass. As such, an increase in muscle puts a strain on your bones, which in turn provides the ideal stimulus for your bones to strengthen. While bone health may not be at the top of your list right now, you’ll thank yourself for it later!
Enhances brain performance – Anyone who is into fitness knows that results are based 50% on your physical output and 50% on your mindset and cognitive performance. In the same way creatine affects your muscles, it also improves your brain performance. Your brain uses creatine phosphate as a source of energy, and if not replenished, these stores will decrease during intense activity. Just as your muscles begin to fatigue after a certain number of reps, so too does your brain fatigue during intense mental activity. As such, a creatine supplement will not only improve your workout capacity but also your brain capacity!

Who would benefit from supplementing creatine?

If exercise is an important part of your daily routine and you’re serious about your results, you’ll certainly benefit from creatine supplementation. Let’s break it down:

Bodybuilders – Creatine plays an important role in improving the size and shape of your muscles, which ultimately impacts your entire physique. As such, if you’re a bodybuilder trying to increase muscle mass, creatine may be just what you need to up the ante on your results.
Fitness enthusiasts – As creatine is suggested to enhance muscular energy and decrease fatigue, it will be highly beneficial for regular fitness enthusiasts who are wanting to train harder and get more from their workouts.
Athletes – Much like fitness enthusiasts, athletes who are training for a competition can also greatly benefit from creatine supplementation as it may increase energy and decrease fatigue, allowing athletes to train harder and for longer before exhaustion sets in.
Vegans and vegetarians – If you’re serious about your fitness and results but don’t want to compromise your dietary requirements or preferences, creatine might be a great addition to your supplement stack. Since it’s considerably hard to source creatine from a vegan/vegetarian diet, a creatine supplement will ensure your body has adequate levels of the amino acid required to increase muscle mass, without bulking you up.

So, what’s the point of taking creatine supplementation when I can source it from food?

The short answer: You will receive a higher dosage in a more convenient and efficient manner with supplementation.

Eating a large volume of food doesn’t necessarily mean you’re eating the right food in the right quantity to get the levels of creatine that a supplement would deliver. Without adequate creatine levels, you will not be able to effectively maximise the benefits. While you can certainly source your creatine from your food if you’re committed to eating large volumes of the right food, creatine supplementation simply offers a faster and more convenient route to achieving the same results.

The average creatine supplement would generally supply 5g of creatine per serve. Let’s compare this to a few high-creatine food sources:

Steak – 5g of creatine per kg of uncooked beef
Chicken – 3.4g of creatine per kg
Rabbit – 3.4g of creatine per kg

Note: These figures generally differ between sources.

For vegetarians and vegans, it’s extremely difficult to source enough creatine from your diet alone. Cranberries are suggested to contain a generous source of creatine, however, you would be required to consume a large, and somewhat unrealistic, portion of cranberries to experience the same benefits you would from a creatine supplement.

So, how do I choose the right creatine supplement?

When it comes to choosing the right creatine supplement, it’s important to consider form, flavour and combination. The most recommended form of creatine is creatine monohydrate, which has been the focus of thousands of studies over time and is proven to be safe and effective. The next most important component is taste. Many athletes and fitness enthusiasts alike recommend opting for an unflavoured creatine product as it has no taste and can be easily added to your favourite drink – whether that be water, juice, your BCAAs or protein shake!

Our go-to creatine supplement is Evolve Creatine Monohydrate. As the name suggests, this

product contains 99.9% pure pharmaceutical-grade, micronised creatine monohydrate in an unflavoured powder form to promote fast absorption and utilisation, as well as the option to pair it with your favourite flavour. Not to mention, Evolve Creatine Monohydrate contains no artificial sweeteners, artificial flavours or colours!

How To Get Over The Easter Binge

by jonathan | Apr 21, 2019 | Nutrition

Have you spent the last four days eating and drinking until your heart’s content? Never fear, all is not ruined. See below for some quick tips to get you back on track

The long weekend Easter provides is a great time to catch up with friends and family, have a few beers and gorge on chocolate. Unfortunately come Tuesday reality sets in and you may be feeling a little flat after all that alcohol and sugar. Not to worry all is not lost. You can get back on track by just following a few simple steps. The key here is to act fast and not let a loose weekend turn into a loose week.

1. Make sure you’re well rested

Everybody feels like crap after missing a few hours of sleep. Sleep is super important to our overall well-being. Lack of sleep impacts our bodies serotonin, ghrelin and leptin levels. Having these three out of balance is going to play havok with your hunger levels. To combat this make sure you catch up on any sleep you missed over the long weekend.

2. Stay hydrated

Yes I know you’ve heard this on pretty much every article relating to your health but it’s brought up so often for a reason. H2O helps the body dissolve minerals and nutrients making them more accessible. It also helps remove waste products in the body… Water is vital for our kidneys to function properly and if your kidneys aren’t functioning properly waste products and excess fluid will start to build up. Iin short ensure that you’ve been providing your body with the water that it deserves!

3. Double down on the veggies

You want to be running at a slight caloric deficit for the week to make up 4 the weekends indulgence is. An easy way to do this is double down on your portions of vegetables. Not only is this going to increase the nutrient levels in your meals but it’s going to make you feel Fuller when eating resulting in you consuming less calories.

4. Avoid skipping meals!

This is probably the most important one. The worst thing you can do right now is skipping meals and starving yourself. If you do this energy levels will inevitably drop, you’ll be less likely to spend time training and your metabolism will suffer causing you to hold onto fat stores and calories. Do not skip meals.

In conclusion it’s great to let your hair down from time to time and you shouldn’t feel bad about it. But now that the week has begun don’t let a great long weekend turn into a sloppy couple of weeks.

But Where Do You Get Your Protein From? What people need to understand about vegan diets!

by jonathan | Apr 15, 2019 | Nutrition

If you’re a vegan, you’re probably sick of hearing “but where do you get your protein?

It may come as a surprise to some, but meeting your protein (as well as all other nutritional) needs on a vegan diet is actually really simple and cheap!

Great sources of vegan protein include: beans, chickpeas, lentils, tofu, tempeh, edamame, quinoa and many more. Not only are most cheaper than their meat or dairy alternatives, but they also come packed with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants!

Contrary to popular belief, a vegan diet actually has many benefits, and if followed correctly, can make it a lot easier to ensure your hitting your vitamin and mineral goals.

However, there are a few things you should consider and be aware of if you’re looking to go, or are already a vegan. You need to make sure they’re getting enough , calcium, iron, zinc and especially vitamin b12.
Vegan diets are particularly low in vitamin b12 as it is mainly found in meat products and very few natural sources. While it is also found in sources such as mushrooms, you’ll be much better off supplementing vitamin b12 or opting for fortified foods, as a deficiency brings some serious health risks with it. A lack of vitamin B12 can lead to anemia and blindness. It can also cause muscle weakness, tingling, and numbness .

This is by no means a fundamental flaw of the vegan diet, or that other diets are superior in this sense, but in the modern sterilised world, vegans are absolutely at a greater risk of getting a vitamin b12 deficiency. Vitamin b12 is naturally only created by bacteria and thus only found either in soil or untreated water. However, in our day and age, you’re unlikely (of course not impossible) to meet your b12 needs by relying solely on those sources and you might also incur other risks / costs. Why run the risk when supplementing with b12 is just very cheap insurance?