Remember when all you thought a shake needed to contain was whey protein? Us, too. But muscle science keeps advancing, and now the research shows that whey hydrolysate and leucine can also be major factors in gaining size and strength. GNC’s Amplified Wheybolic Extreme 60 has both of these in addition to trusty old whey isolate, and we found it blended up pretty smooth (chocolate was our favorite flavor). Available at gnc.com.
The States (Per Serving)
60 Grams protein, 7.7 grams leucine
Todd from Marysville, OH, sent us his back workout to review. We graded it and provided a revision below.
Todd’s Old Workout
M&F Rating: B-
Smith Machine Bentover Row, Underhand Grip
Sets: 3 Reps: 8-10
One-arm Dumbbell Row
Sets: 3 Reps: 10
Plate-loaded Lat Pulldown
Sets: 4 Reps: 10, 8, 8, 6
Lat Pulldown, Underhand Grip
Sets: 3 Reps: 10
Machine Reverse Flye
Sets: 3 Reps: 10
Dumbbell Shrug
Sets: 4 Reps: 15
This ain’t half bad. You’ve got a reasonable amount of volume, and your workout hits all the major areas of the back. But watch the redundancy. The underhand grip you’re using on the Smith row and pulldown will emphasize the biceps. That’s fine, but your brachialis, forearm, and lower trapezius will not be activated as much. Switch your grip on one of these moves. Also, mix in some other rep ranges. Higher and lower ends of the spectrum recruit different muscle fibers.
