Supplements!!!

[imarockstar]

Can someone with some knowledge recommend some useful supplements?

Currently I take N.O. Xplode, thats it. gives me a nice boost in the gym. I took it last year and after a few months I gained a tolerance for it and it no longer had the same effect, but I took a break from the gym so its working for me now.

Ive been thinking about getting CellMass to take after Im done my workout.

What do you guys think?

 

[Strelok]

You have to tell us exactly what are you looking for,it's hard to suggest a random supplement.

Are you looking for a pre-workout supplement? you need to recover faster?

 

[Fuglydude]

Can someone with some knowledge recommend some useful supplements?

Currently I take N.O. Xplode, thats it. gives me a nice boost in the gym. I took it last year and after a few months I gained a tolerance for it and it no longer had the same effect, but I took a break from the gym so its working for me now.

Ive been thinking about getting CellMass to take after Im done my workout.

What do you guys think?

Stuff like NO Explode and CellMass (BSN's post WO recovery product) are cool supplements. I use NO explode as well to give me a good kick in the ass pre-WO. However, they're not nearly as important as other basic things.

First of all remember supplements are designed to supplement your diet. There really isn't a substitute to whole food. As far as important stuff goes, the following should be the core of your supplementation program:

- Potent men's multivitamin (I use Allmax's vitamin pack)
- EFAs (I primarily use fish oil)
- Whey protein/MRPs/Mass gainer

These supplements ensure that you have a good nutritional foundation. Making sure your micronutrients and you omega 3's are "topped up". They whey products simply make it easier to consume more protein/calories.

The second tier of supplements include things like:

- Glutamine (for recovery... great product if you're training hard)
- Creatine (great for hydration and to aid recovery)
- BCAAs (again, very important for holding onto muscle when you're cutting)

The second tier in my books consists primarily of essential (BCAAs) and conditionally essential amino acids (glutamine) and creatine. These are supplements you can get away with not using, but will definitely give you benefits if you're training hard. I'd almost go ahead and put tribulus/test boosters in with this as well, but most younger guys like yourself won't need it.

Finally the third tier is optional stuff that's good to have but not really needed is all the fancy stuff like NO Explode, etc. These are supplements that'll help you perform in the gym, but really aren't all that essential to get huge. This tier includes stuff like:

- Pre-WO stuff (NO Explode, SuperPump, etc)
- Beta-alanine products (this is actually a very cool supplement)
- Other arginine products

Always remember that supplements are not a substitute for a good diet. They're expensive and you'll get a much bigger bang for your buck buying bulk chicken or ground beef vs. some kinda super duper nuclear anabolic intra-cellular fusion power stack.

 

[imarockstar]

fuglydude thanks for taking the time to write that, it will help me a lot. basically im about 165lbs, not really any fat, but im not as cut as id like to be.

im not out to become a bodybuilder, but i would like to gain 15-20 lbs more muscle, but have very low body fat. maybe i should get a nutritionist or P.T. to develop a diet/workout plan just for me.

either way i appreciate the feedback dude ill look into some of the things you suggested

 

[powpow]

here is what is gonna get you in shape

creatine - must have for every athlete. cheap too
protein - pre and post workout, and before bed. get one with all the bcaas
multivitamin - sometimes a lack of even one micronutrient will stunt your growth. this covers your base.

I also saw some good health benefits from fish oil. Like I felt like I have better circulation

Other than that, just pay attention to your diet and youre money.

 

[Alle_Gory]

NO Xplode is a very expensive form of creatine. You don't develop a "tolerance" for creatine. Your body can only store so much of it in the muscles. If you notice little improvement after awhile that means your muscles are full and you only need to take a little bit every day to top them off. This is why creatine has a loading period where you take like 5-10g per day and then a maintenance period where you only take 2g per day or so.


Regular creatine monohydrate is dirt cheap, I don't understand why you're wasting money on NO Xplode.


As far as better circulation, for you guys interested in that I reccomend gingko biloba. It's a plant extract from a tree. Very popular in Japan and China. It's really good for circulation when you take a decent amount (200mg range) or extract. It's got a few other benefits too like being an anti-oxidant. The Russians did experiments with this stuff during Chernobyl to reduce the effects of radiation exposure... that's how strong the anti oxidant effect is.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091019122956.htm


As far as multi vitamins get something quality. The Centrum and 1 a day vitamins are garbage. Mostly because the minerals are in oxide form. So on the label you will see something like "Magnesium Oxide" and "Zinc Oxide". This is garbage because the body cannot process oxides very well. If you want your body to absorb the minerals then loot at citrates. So "Magnesium Citrate" and etc. Yes, they're more expensive but they actually work.

Check out this multi vitamin thread discussion: http://www.sherdog.net/forums/f15/definitive-multivitamin-thread-935291/

 

[Fuglydude]

NO Xplode is a very expensive form of creatine. You don't develop a "tolerance" for creatine. Your body can only store so much of it in the muscles. If you notice little improvement after awhile that means your muscles are full and you only need to take a little bit every day to top them off. This is why creatine has a loading period where you take like 5-10g per day and then a maintenance period where you only take 2g per day or so.


Regular creatine monohydrate is dirt cheap, I don't understand why you're wasting money on NO Xplode.


As far as better circulation, for you guys interested in that I reccomend gingko biloba. It's a plant extract from a tree. Very popular in Japan and China. It's really good for circulation when you take a decent amount (200mg range) or extract. It's got a few other benefits too like being an anti-oxidant. The Russians did experiments with this stuff during Chernobyl to reduce the effects of radiation exposure... that's how strong the anti oxidant effect is.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091019122956.htm


As far as multi vitamins get something quality. The Centrum and 1 a day vitamins are garbage. Mostly because the minerals are in oxide form. So on the label you will see something like "Magnesium Oxide" and "Zinc Oxide". This is garbage because the body cannot process oxides very well. If you want your body to absorb the minerals then loot at citrates. So "Magnesium Citrate" and etc. Yes, they're more expensive but they actually work.

Check out this multi vitamin thread discussion: http://www.sherdog.net/forums/f15/definitive-multivitamin-thread-935291/

Allegory there's a lot of other stuff in NoExplode in addition to a few forms of creatine. There's methyl xanthine compounds (caffeine and stuff), as well as arginine compounds for vascularity pumps, etc. The OP probably meant that he was getting used to the stimulant-induced "jacked up" feeling in the gym, because as you said, you don't really get "used to" creatine.

Do you have any personal experience w/ ginko? I've heard several people swear by it, but I've never really used it. In theory I think many anti-oxidants could be used for protecting against the damaging effects of ionizing radiation. Remember ionizing radiation simply creates highly reactive free radicals by knocking electrons off of atoms. In theory any good anti-oxidant like NAC, ALA, Vit. C, phycocyanins, etc would be able to quench the free radicals. I guess it comes down to a question of in vivo bioavailability following first pass metabolism and transport into the cellular environment where the oxidative damage is occurring. I'm sure you'd get benefits even in the extra cellular environment... would be an interest tissue culture study anyways.

OP sorry for the thread hijack. I too support Espi in saying that unless you're competitive athlete with potential to make cash off your build you should probably hold off on the trainer/PT as you can make substantial gains on your own. Judging from your post you're probably still a beginner and you'll be able to get A LOT bigger than you think just by doing the fundamentals really well. If at a later time you wanna think about competing hire a trainer, but for the time being there is ample FREE advice around for you.

 

[Alle_Gory]

The OP probably meant that he was getting used to the stimulant-induced "jacked up" feeling in the gym, because as you said, you don't really get "used to" creatine.

I'm a big fan of stimulants, unfortunately they will burn you out long term. I would advise the OP to be aware of the dosage and the kinds of stimulants included in the product as well as what time of day he is using it. Stimulants before bed will fvck up your sleep.

Do you have any personal experience w/ ginko?

I use the supplement semi-regularly and I can confirm that it does work to increase circulation. I have poor circulation in my feet, they usually feel cold. Sometimes if I take a lukewarm shower, it feels like I dunked my feet in a pot of boiling water. With a larger amount of gingko, (150mg to 200mg), my circulation returns and it's not as noticeable.

 

[Collie]

There are many supplement's used by many person's.... like..
bodybuilding supplements
Casein Protein, Creatine, Gainers, Glutamine...
fat loss supplements
Caffeine, Conjugated Linoleic Acid, Green Tea,

 

[j0n24]

BSN/Gaspari/MRI and the work are basically overpriced brand names.

NoXplode is basically caffeine/creatine.
Cell Mass is just sugar/carbs/creatine/glutamine

IF you look at the nutrition label you will see all these big names but if you read the fine print and know what your looking for you will be able to find the basis of what they throw in the product.

Most of these type of brand names throw in everything and the kitchen sink to make it SEEM like they have lots of ingredients but lots of them cut corners.

Look at a few examples:

A few supplements I've seen this on MRI/Gaspari/ and a few BSN products.....they say that they have BCAA's in the mix but when you look at the nutrition label all the bcaa's are coming in at such a low precentage that your not getting anything of worth.

Lots of companies throw in 1gram of a supp and then they can SAY that its in the product.

All you really need I say would be
Protein
Creatine


IF you want to get more stuff I recommend
BCAA'S
Beta-Alanine


For a prework drink you can make your own with easy ingredients
BCAA'S+Protein+Caff pill
IF you want to get more in depth throw in
glucornlacatone powder
glycerol