Supplements

[future_cop_]

Can anyone give me some names of supplements they have taken and feel that they have seen good/great results. I'm looking for mostly protein and creatine supplements in powder form, a good shake..thanks.

[Mike1986]

The only supplements you should spend your money on are protein and creatine supplements. Good protein powder is vital and creatine for when you're trying to build strength is a nice asset. You can never overlook a good multivitamin as well. This is my list of supplements that I believe every serious lifter looking for gains should have:

-Optimum Nutrition's 100% Whey protein powder (Lots of flavors including vanilla ice cream, chocolate, cookies n cream, etc); The best quality, best tasting and most cost effective protein powder on the market. The Vitamin Shoppe and GNC are always running specials on this product and you can buy a 10 lb bag of it for around $55 which is excellent. Also comes in 2 lb and 5 lb bottles.

-EAS Phosphagen creatine; This was the original creatine to hit the market in the early 90's. It's proven, cost effective at 100 servings for about $15 and doesn't contain all the extra junk that other creatines out on the market have which really do nothing and sound like they are superior. 1 1/2 teaspoons gives you 5g of Creatine and the powder is flavorless so it goes well in any protein shake as it is in fact an amino acid derivative.

-BCAA's; Branched Chain Amino Acids are a welcome protein source to any lifter. They are all part of the 9 essential amino acids which our bodies cannot produce on it's own and their presence in the body along with other non essential amino acids help to form complete peptide bonds and a totally useful molecule of protein that will not go to waste.

-Glutamine; An amino acid which helps the muscles recover faster and repair fibers more effectively. This supplement can be kind of expensive but they usually give you enough to hold you over for a while.

-Multivitamin; High potency always and Time Released if you can get it..the best insurance policy that you really ARE getting all of the nutrients needed through your diet and supplement program.

If you were thinking of buying a bottle of NO2 or some other supplement like that- save the money and take the trip to the grocery store and spend the money on fresh fruits and vegetables, eggs, chicken, oatmeal, whole grain breads, lean meats and good old fashioned milk which is one of the best growth tools out there.

For some people protein shakes are pretty bland and they find it hard to down them. Usually I tell them that's too bad...it isn't candy it's protein lol, but I'll share a recipe and ways to make your protein drink more palatable:

My after workout shake:
2 scoops protein powder
16 oz cold water
Few drops of whole milk or half-n-half
1 fresh banana
4 sliced fresh strawberries
Ice

Especially with a vanilla powder this shake tastes really good..gives you protein, fructose, electrolytes and since it is in water and not milk the whey protein will digest faster and the nutrients your muscles need will get there in no time.

Adding Half-n-Half or heavy cream to your shakes can help make them a lot thicker and more like a milkshake. Also you can add reduced calorie Cool-Whip.

After training- ALWAYS have your shake in a water base and not a milk base so that your muscles get the nutrients in time. Before sleeping it may be beneficial to have a protein drink that is based in milk as the milk provides two very good things aside from just protein in general:

1.) Milk has casein protein which differs from whey in the fact that casein digests in about 7 hours and whey digests in about 2 hours. The combination of whey and casein before you sleep will give your body a steady stream of fast and slow digesting protein and prevent it from eating away your muscle tissue since you are not eating.

2.) Milk has a good amount of natural Melatonin in it which is a great sleep-aid so your sleep is more sound and more secretion of growth hormone and muscle repair can happen.

Remember always that they are called Supplements for a reason...you [U]must[U] already have a good existing whole foods diet for these to work effectively. You simply cannot rely on protein shakes and bars all day. Food Food Food.

Good luck with everything and if I can help you out more, just give a holler.

[future_cop_]

Thanks for the indepth response, really appreciate it. Im not looking to make huge gains, just maybe a few pounds. I go to my local gym frequently but havent really been taken any supplement. Just been trying to eat good such as steaks and other foods with a good amount of protein in them. Any tyoe of diet you recommend? I try to eat good, but the key word is TRY and it doesnt always work out lol. Thanks again for your help.

[Mike1986]

Well I am going to tell you that diet really is everything. You really are what you eat. Dieting is the hard part of this task, it can suck I know lol but what most people don't understand is that it's actually cheaper to eat healthy than it is to eat take out or eat garbage food. I am not sure of your particular preferences, allergies, etc so I'll give some guidelines to consider and you can plan around them to suit your needs:

# 1- Stay away from fats, excessive salt and simple sugars. This eliminates 99% of the fast foods, munchies and soft drinks. Who needs them? In a few short weeks, you won't want them, wonder why you ate them and feel sick if you do.

# 2 - Eat a basic breakfast of complete carbohydrates and protein to set up your metabolism for the day and to provide fuel and muscle building ingredients. Basically, protein builds muscle and carbohydrate supplies fuel for energy. Breakfast can be an easy to prepare meal from a quality protein shake to a bowl of oatmeal, scoop of cottage cheese, fruit and coffee. Remember, if you don't feed yourself a small wholesome meal in the morning, your body will draw on your muscle tissue as a source of energy, putting you in a slump and in muscle deficit. Add a good vitamin and mineral formula each morning to put order and efficiency in your body chemistry.

# 3 - With whatever effort it takes, feed yourself every 3 to 4 hours throughout the day - each meal consisting again of protein and carbohydrate. Any combination of the following is perfect: tuna/rice, lean meat/baked potato, cottage cheese and fruit, chicken/pasta, etc.

# 4 - In simple English, to gain weight, eat more and eat more often. Be ready for solid bulk weight - lean muscle comes slowly but surely. To lose weight, eat less, still as often, consuming the majority of your calories early in the day.

# 5 - I have always instinctively leaned toward a higher intake of protein over carbohydrate to build a lean body. Though contrary to popular opinion, many doctors and bodybuilders I've talked with agree. Emphasize protein.

# 6 - Between meal snacking is okay if the snack is truly nutritious - no junk! Don't let them be a substitute for a meal or become a habit. Good snacks are fruits or vegetables, low fat muffins, protein energy bars, nonfat yogurt, whole wheat bagels, cottage cheese, etc.

# 7 - Simple carbohydrates (sugar and honey) provide us with a quick pickup but let us down just a quickly. Excessive sugar plays havoc with our insulin metabolism and leads to fatigue and fat storage. Not good.

# 8 - Fuel up before your workout. Eat a small easily digested meal 30-60 minutes before you train. With complex carbohydrates in your system, you'll train harder, longer and with more enthusiasm. You won't experience low blood sugar jitters or dizziness - you will experience a great muscle pump and probably get that last rep. After a long day's work, protein shakes and BCAAs are the kings. It's also a good time to restock your creatine stores.

# 9 - Similarly, you need to eat a hearty protein meal with plenty of carbs within 60-90 minutes of completion of your workout. This is necessary to provide the muscle building materials to repair depleted tissue and begin the process of building new muscle. Again, restore creatine levels.

#10 - The most important nutrient in your body is plain water. The quality of your tissues, their performance and their resistance to injury is absolutely dependent on the quality and quantity of the water you drink. Flood yourself throughout the day, especially during the workout.

#11 - Sleep, rest and relaxation are of prime importance. It's during periods of sound sleep that our bodies recuperate and build muscle tissue.

[future_cop_]

Thanks alot..thats alot of great info.

[Hekim]

Great info Mike, appreciate it.

[Mike1986]

Thanks guys...glad I could help.

[Dr Mario]

Damn Mike, that's the kind of information I'd pay the guy and GNC for. Awesome information and definitely is going to be my guidelines through all of this.

[future_cop_]

any specific type of creatine you would recommend? i was thinking celltech.

[Mike1986]

I recommended EAS Phosphagen creatine above. Cell-Tech is sugar filled garbage and wayyy overpriced. Phosphagen is the original creatine supplement and it's just straight up powder; it's flavorless and absorbs nicely into protein drinks or just plain water or juice. You get 100 servings per 15 dollars roughly, best science and bang for your buck.

Note: There is also Phosphagen HP which is good too, though it has sugars in it- it relies heavily on Dextrose which is a much better sugar to have creatine with. It's a little more expensive, flavored but that doesn't mean it is any more superior to straight up Phosphagen. Stay away from Cell-tech or CellMass or any of those other creatines that claim to give you 100000000000000% more strength because they add 1mg of Beta-Alanine in it or whatever they claim. Good luck.

[future_cop_]

thanks again for all the info.