"The placebo effect is when someone uses an inert substance, which should produce no effect, yet somehow still experiences an effect. This occurs frequently when pharmaceutical companies test a new drug. They give one group the real drug and another group an inert sugar pill. Interestingly, the group receiving the sugar pill often has a series of side effects like dry mouth, headaches, dizziness, adding ten pounds to their bench, etc. ? all caused by their own minds!"
Total BS. It's all in my mind? Gimme a break.
Interesting article though, and I know you have some experience with weightlifting and supplements because you've replied in some threads with some advice and know-how on the topic. But I am not convinved that it doesnt work just because some guy wrote an article about it. If my body tells me something, it's the truth.
I am a professional powerlifter for 7 years now (doesn't include non compeition training), so I like to think I have some experience..
And, I must say that although you are going to hate to hear it, but you are brainwashed by all the BS advertising. I understand you think it works, and to a degree it might, but it probably is not the arginine giving you that "edge". The next time you order your next cycle, I suggest skipping over the arginine (just this once) and using that money for something solid (a great creatine and multi vitamin, more protein, bulk luecine etc), and compare the results.
The reason why I am trying to get you to not waste your money on the NO supplements is because I also fell for the advertising when many of those NO supplements came out an sweared they were working, when in fact when I got extremely serious with my training and the science of supplements before I started competeing and did a few logs on NO products, I concluded that they defintely don't do jack sh!t for me. Trust me, you can spend that money on something that will get you better gains then the gains you feel you are getting now.
EDIT: What NO product specifcally are you using?
I use a lot of supplements. And I've tried almost everything. My supplementation is pretty much consistent and has been for quite some time. I take something for everything from 32X to Cissus RX. It's a bit addictive, and Im sure you agree. The NO supp I was taking was BSN Xplode. I used that as well as a CEE (Xceed) until Universal released Animal Pump. Now I just take Animal Pump with respect to a "pump" supplement.
You said that the NO supp did nothing for you. Another point worth mentioning is that everyone's body reacts to different supplements differently. Some people's bodies even have no response to creatine. A friend of mine and myself did a 50 day cycle of X-Factor, Im not sure if you've heard about it or not. He did not see any results where as I gained about 5 lbs.
BTW, which NO supp did you use?
wheresmybacon
Diamond Member
- Sep 10, 2004
- 3,899
- 1
- 76
www.fitnessone.com
www.bodybuilding.com
www.bulknutrition.com
Don't even bother picking it up at GNC or Vitamin Shoppe. You can get it at these websites for significantly cheaper.
Don't buy any supplements anywhere but online for that matter.
Starbuck1975
Lifer
- Jan 6, 2005
- 14,698
- 1,909
- 126
Don't waste your money on expensive supplements, energy drinks and all that other crap at GNC.
First, are you looking to bulk-up? Trim down? Improve muscle tone? Cardio?
Secondly, break into a routine slowly...if you go too hard too fast, your body will go into over training shock, and negate most of the benefits of your working out.
Also, dont go on a diet AND an intense workout routine...if you are eating a balanced diet and working out, the benefits will become quickly apparent...even if your calorie intake increases, that is ok...starving yourself AND intense workouts = bad idea.
I typically work out before work...the logic being that your body has no calories on deck, and you are therefore directly hitting the fat reserves.
I wake up 5am, usually eat a piece of fruit and take a generic multi-vitamin...my workout routine is as follows, all with dumbbell exercises...free weights, if you have access to them, are far better then fancy machines:
Mondays: Biceps, triceps, back and chest.
Tuesdays: Legs and shoulders.
Wednesday: 30 minutes intense cardio and abs
Thursday: Biceps, triceps, back and chest.
Friday: Legs and shoulders.
Saturday: 30 minutes intense cardio and abs
Sunday: rest
I also vary my routine every two weeks...so weeks 1 and 2, high repetition, low weight workouts, with lots of rest in between sets...weeks 3 and 4, higher weight, less repetitions, little rest between sets but more of them...weeks 5 and 6, highest weight, fewer repetitions, more sets...rinse, wash, repeat.
I also get in 2 to 3 sessions of soccer a week for cardio as well.
The biggest mistake people make when starting a new workout routine is over training...which can result in fatigue, depression, and weight gain...all of the things a good workout routine should prevent.
EDIT: Also, don't use weight as a measure of success...take your body measurements at the start of your fitness journey, and take them again periodically as you move forward.
I was in the Army, and our fitness routine was such that I never had to worry about working out...when I got out, civilian life got me soft real fast, and I had to develop my own routine to compensate for sitting in a cubicle all day.
Once I got going, my clothes started to fit better, but my weight stagnated and actually started to go up...this is ok...because my body fat and body measurements were going down.
Might want to invest in a scale that does body fat % measurements.
First, are you looking to bulk-up? Trim down? Improve muscle tone? Cardio?
Secondly, break into a routine slowly...if you go too hard too fast, your body will go into over training shock, and negate most of the benefits of your working out.
Also, dont go on a diet AND an intense workout routine...if you are eating a balanced diet and working out, the benefits will become quickly apparent...even if your calorie intake increases, that is ok...starving yourself AND intense workouts = bad idea.
I typically work out before work...the logic being that your body has no calories on deck, and you are therefore directly hitting the fat reserves.
I wake up 5am, usually eat a piece of fruit and take a generic multi-vitamin...my workout routine is as follows, all with dumbbell exercises...free weights, if you have access to them, are far better then fancy machines:
Mondays: Biceps, triceps, back and chest.
Tuesdays: Legs and shoulders.
Wednesday: 30 minutes intense cardio and abs
Thursday: Biceps, triceps, back and chest.
Friday: Legs and shoulders.
Saturday: 30 minutes intense cardio and abs
Sunday: rest
I also vary my routine every two weeks...so weeks 1 and 2, high repetition, low weight workouts, with lots of rest in between sets...weeks 3 and 4, higher weight, less repetitions, little rest between sets but more of them...weeks 5 and 6, highest weight, fewer repetitions, more sets...rinse, wash, repeat.
I also get in 2 to 3 sessions of soccer a week for cardio as well.
The biggest mistake people make when starting a new workout routine is over training...which can result in fatigue, depression, and weight gain...all of the things a good workout routine should prevent.
EDIT: Also, don't use weight as a measure of success...take your body measurements at the start of your fitness journey, and take them again periodically as you move forward.
I was in the Army, and our fitness routine was such that I never had to worry about working out...when I got out, civilian life got me soft real fast, and I had to develop my own routine to compensate for sitting in a cubicle all day.
Once I got going, my clothes started to fit better, but my weight stagnated and actually started to go up...this is ok...because my body fat and body measurements were going down.
Might want to invest in a scale that does body fat % measurements.
Of course you feel Animal Pump and NO-Explode work, they are great products. But, it wasn't the arginine, more of the stimulants and creatine. Nothing wrong with taking products with added NO, because it cannot hurt. But seperate NO products like NO2 and Nitrix are crap.
Molecular nutrition (BK, Bill and some other guys I know) who created the product still don't know all they should about it, especially when it comes down to omega oils. They will be writing a FAQ 2.0 soon, which explains more about the diet, and other things they are just now learning about the product. That is not to say it is a bad thing, as the MN guys I know are good guys, they just had mixed studies on whether fish oil, NSAIDS, and other diets effected X-factor's effectiveness (apparantly fish oil is okay now). Just now are they really getting to know Arac. Acid, and Gaspari Nutrition is now coming out with a methyl size on AA product with liscencing from MN. My point is, X-Factor does work, but it's results highly differ due to diet, and who knows what other factors.
Also though, I do know bodies react differently (that is a number one rule), but many others have experienced the same results I should have added.
Xceed is a great non-stim product (the only DS supplement I will buy), and with caffeine pills it is awesome.
Except for two things, which I have bolded:
1. There is no such thing as "toning" - you make muscles grow by training heavy and eating in a caloric surplus. You increase definition by training heavy and eating in a caloric deficit. You cannot change the genetic shape of your muscles.
2. Working out first thing in the morning on an empty stomach is a bad idea. You may burn more fat, but you also risk cannibalising your muscle as well. Think about it - when you wake up, you have not eaten in ~8 hours. Your body is in a catabolic state. Working out in and of itself is catabolic, so you are just making the situation worse. If you want to work out first thing in the AM, have a protein shake and some high-GI carbs beforehand.
I would like to briefly address these two comments.
1st: "Quick results" are usually not the best results. If everything was quick and easy, everyone would do it. Obviously you have to put in a lot of work beyond just taking this "pump," but when you say "quick results" there is almost always a downside. See my next point-->
2nd: No lasting effects? How long have you been taking these things? Unless you've been using them for decades (and I doubt these "pumps" have been around for decades), I don't think anyone is qualified to say anything about lasting effects. Just about anything in enough excess is bad for you, in one way or another. Pumping this stuff through your body will have a lasting effect in the long run, and it probably won't be a good one.
I'm not trying to argue with you about the effectiveness or safety of anything. I'm stating two pretty simple facts. If you want the guts & glory of going to the max everyday, you go for it; that is every person's choice. But don't be so simple minded as to think that there are no lasting effects.
My supplement list is pretty simple.
GNC Mega Men Sport - time release vitamin
GNC Amino 1000 - 1000mg of complete Amino's 3 times a day
GNC Whey Protein - 20g of protein 3 times a day (helps a skinny boy like myself)
My workout is simple: I cycle three days a week on my Felt roadbike. We routinely cycle as far as 60 miles each day.
GNC Mega Men Sport - time release vitamin
GNC Amino 1000 - 1000mg of complete Amino's 3 times a day
GNC Whey Protein - 20g of protein 3 times a day (helps a skinny boy like myself)
My workout is simple: I cycle three days a week on my Felt roadbike. We routinely cycle as far as 60 miles each day.
I find a big high carb (pasta and chicken) dinner the night before, with a protein shake before bed and right before cardio on an empty stomach is great for fat burning, and muscle loss is not as much as it would at other times of the day. The bodies ability to store carbs is good enough for the dinner the night before to give energy. The few times I have cut, I have always used this method to great sucess.
Let me clarify a few things, because it doesnt seem like you quite understood what I was saying.
1. This is what I mean when I say "quick results." We all go to the gym for one purpose, to get in shape. For those of us who are always trying to gain a few more lbs of muscle, the patience and work required to do so can be long ang grueling. It takes time to put on muscle, and most people who start a workout program to put on a few more lean lbs quickly give up because they dont see the results they want soon enough. The "pump" is the only "quick" physical result you get to give you more motivation and to keep moving forward with your workout program.
2. When I said "Lasting effects", I was again referring to the "pump". Im sure you know what a "pump" is, but just in case you dont, it's when you're muscles feel like they're gonna explode. Your skin feels like it's going to rip and your veins are bulging. You're in the zone. This "pump" will go away within a few hours after the gym. That is what I meant by saying that there are no lasting effects with a "pump" because as I just explained, they go away within a few hours. Your comment about the risks involved with taking these supplements are true. No one knows the lasting effects of any of this crap we put into our bodies. But to many of us, it's worth it. You might think that steroids are stupid and dangerous, but again, to many bodybuilders and weightlifters, the short term benefits seem to make up for the long term negative effects. Even creatine has only been used in the sport for the last 10-15 years; we still dont know what the "long term" negative effects are of that supplement.
I've never taken NO supplements, and I won't take anything like NO-Xplode because of all the caffeine; however, I get massive pumps when I work out. What keeps me motivated is seeing results every week, and that could be adding plates to the bar, pounds added to the scale (or removed if I'm cutting), or just that overall feeling of being in the zone when you start working out (sometimes it's hard for me to get there; usually the right music does it for me).
In the end, if you think it gives you an edge then that's probably good enough. I work out late in the evening due to my work schedule (i.e. no caffeine that late), so the only way I can get an energy edge is to literally pump myself up mentally.
Starbuck1975
Lifer
- Jan 6, 2005
- 14,698
- 1,909
- 126
Guess I should have clarified a bit more, as I didnt specify what I typically eat the night before.
I do not couple my workouts with a fad diet, so my dinner meals have balanced portions of carbs and proteins...I don't typically like to eat a lot before working out, so usually grab a banana on my way to the gym.
However, I have been at my routine for about 5 months now, and have not made the strength or definition gains I was expecting...could be I need to down a protein shake before working out in the morning. Would explain why my body fat is decreasing, but I am not developing much muscle definition. I just assumed that because I am not 18 anymore, it would take a bit longer to experience the rather quick gains I noticed while in the Army.
What would be a suitable protein shake for having in the morning before my workouts to kick start my body? The protein shakes they sell at GNC, both powder form and premade, are ridiculously expensive.
Your body fat is decreasing, so of course your muscles aren't getting bigger. You need to eat a lot, and lift heavy to see muscle gains.
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