question about health supplements

[jakeyboy]

hey mates

im pretty new to health supplements.

well, in short, i have a tub of monohydrate creatine powder and a tub of protein powder. my question to you guys is... should i take the protein pre or post workout? and the creatine as well. i havent got a clue when to take them.

any advice greatly appreciated. thanks..

 

[Fumbduck]

Take protein every day...most importantly right after your workout. Your goal should be to get 1g-1.5g of protein per pound of bodyweight. So a 200lb person should get 200+ grams of protein.

As for creatine...take it before your workout...for the first week (5days) is considered the "loading" stage. Some people say skip loading, but i believe you should 'load' creatine monohydrate. It should say on the directions the reccomended serving size and loading.

-FD

 

[Heizen]

You should take creatine once a day (morning usually) and once post workout, no more then 30 minutes after you are done lifting. Whey is good to supplement, but it is fast absorbing, in and out of your system fast. If you get more slow burning protein (Eggs, meat, ect) it will get you more protein consistantly throughout the day.

The loading stage is only if you wan to. If you take it for a long time, it won't make a difference, after a week or so you will feel the same. The loading period will get you the full effect of creatine in the shortest possible time.

 

[MrFitness880]

Well its good you take the time to ask, but maybe next time ask before you but ... i say this only because there are a lot of bogus supplements and i would hate for you to spend some $$ on a useless supp.

you are going to get different opinions on the use of both.

I would use the creatine twice on workout days and the protein postworkout and possibly as the occasional supplement during the day

pre workout: take 2.5g w/ approx. 40g high GI carbs about 1 hr pre workout

post workout: approx 20g whey with 40 to 60g high gi carb and 2.5g creatine postworkout.

try to stick with real food for protein but if youre really in a jam or just out of time its ok to toss some protein in some milk and drink it down. if you find you are doing this often, and cant readjust to incorporate real food into that meal, look into a blended protein.

i wouldnt load creatine. whether it works is highly questionable, i never noticed a difference and a lot of ppl would agree w/ me. though to be fair you will get ppl who will disagree. i do know of one person off hand i have a lot of respect for who does prefer to load. i still say no. this one is up to you tho,.

 

[sfalexi]

FYI,

These figures of measuring grams of protein and whatnot probably sound REALLY friggin' ridiculous to you, but it works. You'll feel like a fool in the beginning charting out your meals and counting grams of these and that, but you'll eventually (I'm not sure how long) fall into a routine. And it'll be second nature, to the point where you don't even REALIZE you're doing it.

So if you're REALLY looking to get big and get into it all the way, do this. Don't worry about how stupid or ridiculous you might feel when you're measuring scoops of protein and watching the clock to see how much time is left before your next grilled chicken sandwich with a side of hardboiled eggs, because it WILL pay off in the end. And eventually, you'll get used to it anyway.

Alexi

 

[jakeyboy]

wow guys... thanks for this much needed information!

you're telling me alexi, some of these figures do sound ridiculous.

wow geez, everyone has their own idea of how these supplements should be used though, i guess i have to find out what works for me.

well, i'll give anythig a shot. thanks for the help mates!

anyways, ill try loading the creatine for a week (no harm to give it a shot), then fall into a regular routine. and as for the protein, ill take it post workout since most of you guys reckon so.

oh and mr fitness. i shoulda asked before buying eh? you guys know what are some protein supps out there that actually do work?

 

[semag]

you guys know what are some protein supps out there that actually do work?

How much it works depends on you, and how much effort you put into your training, diet, and such. It's a supplement used to enhance your gains, abilities, and speed up the process of getting big (or help you while getting smaller).

With this said, the best way to go is to find a basic protein powder that's pretty generic. If you're in the US, I'd recommend this to you. Go to www.1fast400.com and get some optimum 100% whey. It'll run you 30 bucks for 5 lbs.

 

[sfalexi]

Originally posted by semag
With this said, the best way to go is to find a basic protein powder that's pretty generic.

I agree, and so do most of my friends (some of which are/were HUGE muscelheads). They opted for GNC brand protein. Generic proteins are basically very good values (MUCH cheaper than branded ones, work almost as well, if not just as well).

Make sure (most of them probably already do), but check to see that L-glutamine is an ingredient. I can't remember EXACTLY what it does, but apparently it's very important to preventing muscle deterioration between workouts.

Alexi