Supplements

[Alone]

Recently I started taking supplements again. I'm moving out of the accommodations on base into an apartment so I'll be able to eat the right food when I'm supposed to, so I'd like to get back in shape.

So, along with a strict diet and a coombination of weights and cardio (something like starting strength and runs on off days), is there anything I should change in my current lineup?

Morning
1x CLA
1x Multivitamin
4x BCAA
1x Beta K (creatine/beta alynine)
2x Zeus (test booster)

Afternoon
1x CLA
1x Multivitamin
4x BCAA

Evening
1x CLA
1x Multivitamin
2x Zeus
1x Beta K

I know it's a lot, but I've been suggested things by other friends in the military, but I'd like a more diverse opinion.

Also, how much water should I be drinking while doing all this?

5'10
175lbs
Male

 

[Koing]

Make sure your p!ss is relatively clear is the best advice I've been given. If it's yellow your dehydrated already.

morning creatine

at work morning protein shake
4 omega 3 oils
1 glucosamine tablet

lunch
3 omega oils

5pm pre training
protein shake
3 fish oils

pre training drink of surge with added bcaa (2 5ml scoops), beta alanine, histerine, leucine

No multi vits for me.

I'm going to lay off the beta alanine, histerine and leucine and see if I lose anything and I think probably not...

Creatine is probably the single best supplment for you when your training hard as well as a rounded protein shake. I'm trying the others as they aren't hugely expensive.

Koing

 

[Gonad the Barbarian]

I personally don't go much beyond the multi/fish oil/protein trifecta. I think most folks that are consistently taking more than 4-5 pills a day are probably overdoing it or need to take a serious look at their diet.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

So, along with a strict diet and a coombination of weights and cardio (something like starting strength and runs on off days), is there anything I should change in my current lineup?

Yes. Stop wasting your money on supplements that have no basis in research. You're spending a ton of money on these things that don't help as much as if you honed your nutrition in with high levels of fibrous foods, leafy greens, fruits, lean means, nuts, olive oil, etc. Start with your diet. Supplements are just that - supplemental. They are not essential. However, having a good diet is essential for good progress. On top of that, supplementing one certain amino acid (i.e. alanine) will mess with absorption of other amino acids since they are competitive for certain transporters. It can also mess with hormone levels. Supplements aren't going to make you better, unless you're already the best. Even then, they don't guarantee anything.

 

[mchammer187]

I cycle creatine and take protein/fish oil and nothing else unless you count shots of espresso

 

[SociallyChallenged]

I cycle creatine and take protein/fish oil and nothing else unless you count shots of espresso

Why do you cycle creatine? It's not a steroid. Out of the supplements that actually have research proving their effects, creatine is one. There's no need to cycle it whatsoever.

 

[TallBill]

Supplements aren't going to make you better, unless you're already the best. Even then, they don't guarantee anything.

Eh, that's not necessarily true. Sure they don't guarantee anything but a lot of them do work.

Anyways, I get what you're saying, no need for people to overdo things. Personally I take a multi, joint complex, fish oil, flax oil, liver tabs, and I take caffeine and and ginseng then drink waxy maize during workouts. My shakes have bcaa's + eaa's in them.

For me, all of that is pretty standard. But I have taken a test booster and very obviously saw the results in strength and body composition. I wouldn't openly recommend it to people, and of course there are risks in taking anything, but it did work (and didn't cost a lot).

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Eh, that's not necessarily true. Sure they don't guarantee anything but a lot of them do work.

Anyways, I get what you're saying, no need for people to overdo things. Personally I take a multi, joint complex, fish oil, flax oil, liver tabs, and I take caffeine and and ginseng then drink waxy maize during workouts. My shakes have bcaa's + eaa's in them.

For me, all of that is pretty standard. But I have taken a test booster and very obviously saw the results in strength and body composition. I wouldn't openly recommend it to people, and of course there are risks in taking anything, but it did work (and didn't cost a lot).

I'm sorry, I meant to say that they usually don't give you benefits without significant costs. For example, if steroids didn't have any side effects, everyone would be using them.

 

[brikis98]

What exactly are your goals? And why do you think that you need to turn your body into a chemistry experiment to achieve them?

 

[TallBill]

I'm sorry, I meant to say that they usually don't give you benefits without significant costs. For example, if steroids didn't have any side effects, everyone would be using them.

Agreed! I know that its probably not a good thing to mess with testosterone. I've definitely seen mental side affects when I've taken it, physically who knows.

 

[Lamont Burns]

I liked the ear tingle of beta alanine the few times I've tried it, but I can't say it did a single thing other than make me tingly.

 

[Lamont Burns]

I don't even take a multi anymore. I just do fish oil and protein as needed to get to 1xLBW.

Did creatine for a while, now off of it as I guess I'm "cutting." ie, eating less while still working out the same way. It actually works!

I must admit I am interested in some of the natty test boosters out there(ie not steroids). I might even get blood work done before and after to see if it did a damn thing. I got some $$ to burn for an experiment.

 

[surfsatwerk]

The best supplement that I take is pork. I cook up about 15 to 20lbs of pork butt every weekend and make sure I consume at least 2lbs a day in addition to my normal diet. I have zero appetite for sweets after eating all that food and I can almost feel myself growing after a killer workout.

 

[Lamont Burns]

Local Wurstmart was a few weeks ago. I have 10 lbs of pork sausage and 20 pork chops, all local grown. YUM

 

[BlackTigers]

I tend to just go with the ... Fish/Multi/Protein/Creatine .... and it works. Simple. Four pills in the morning, and I just mix my creatine into my morning shake,

 

[MyThirdEye]

fish oil, creatine monohydrate, multi vitamin, loads of fat burners throughout the day (vitamin b12), a well rounded protein, and glutamine.

quick question: i take the creatine, which is in capsule form, 30 mins before my workout. i take my glutamine, which is in powder form, during my workout. is that bad? i read somewhere where "the receptors mess eachother up.." or something of the sort.

Can anybody help me out?

 

[SociallyChallenged]

fish oil, creatine monohydrate, multi vitamin, loads of fat burners throughout the day (vitamin b12), a well rounded protein, and glutamine.

quick question: i take the creatine, which is in capsule form, 30 mins before my workout. i take my glutamine, which is in powder form, during my workout. is that bad? i read somewhere where "the receptors mess eachother up.." or something of the sort.

Can anybody help me out?

I can help you out. Stop taking the glutamine. Problem solved.

 

[MyThirdEye]

I can help you out. Stop taking the glutamine. Problem solved.

I work my ass off every time i step foot in the gym, and i'm ALWAYS sore.

is this the reason? I take the glutamine for recovery, not sure if it's working.

and i always stretch before and after.

 

[MyThirdEye]

I can help you out. Stop taking the glutamine. Problem solved.

I work my ass off every time i step foot in the gym(6-7 days a week), and i'm ALWAYS sore.

is this the reason? I take the glutamine for recovery, not sure if it's working.

and i always stretch before and after.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

I work my ass off every time i step foot in the gym, and i'm ALWAYS sore.

is this the reason? I take the glutamine for recovery, not sure if it's working.

and i always stretch before and after.

Glutamine SAYS it helps with recovery, but research says that it doesn't. On top of that, glutamine can very easily be converted to glutamate, an excitatory neurotransmitter in the brain. If you increase glutamate too much, you can throw your hormone concentrations out of whack and essentially over-stimulate your brain (excitotoxicity). On top of that, stretching doesn't help with delayed onset muscle soreness. It helps with flexibility though, which is good. However, doing dynamic warmups before a workout is better since static stretching actually damages muscle and can result in a lesser ability to generate force. Static stretches are good for after a workout.

What kind of a plan are you on that ALWAYS keeps you sore? Your body should adjust eventually and you should be less sore eventually. If you're on a bodybuilding split where you lift for each body part once a week, then that's your reason.

 

[Koing]

I work my ass off every time i step foot in the gym, and i'm ALWAYS sore.

is this the reason? I take the glutamine for recovery, not sure if it's working.

and i always stretch before and after.

Being sore from the gym 'everytime' you go isn't an indicator of an effective training session...

TallBill was that a 'legal' testerone booster? Surely it would fail a drugs test?!

Koing

 

[KoolDrew]

I work my ass off every time i step foot in the gym(6-7 days a week), and i'm ALWAYS sore.

is this the reason? I take the glutamine for recovery, not sure if it's working.

and i always stretch before and after.

Glutamine does have some benefits, but we're talking in doses of 20-30 grams a day and only during periods of extreme stress. And by that I don't mean an intense workout stress, I'm talking burn patient or other holy-shit-i-might-die types of extreme physical stress.

 

[TallBill]

Being sore from the gym 'everytime' you go isn't an indicator of an effective training session...

TallBill was that a 'legal' testerone booster? Surely it would fail a drugs test?!

Koing

Yes, completely legal within US laws, dunno about over there. As far as testing, it depends on your organization. It's legal for most, they can tell the difference between raising your testosterone and injecting it.

 

[soccerballtux]

Agreed! I know that its probably not a good thing to mess with testosterone. I've definitely seen mental side affects when I've taken it, physically who knows.

Hm this is very interesting. Could you explain what exactly you noticed? Felt angrier for often? More things set you off?

 

[TallBill]

Hm this is very interesting. Could you explain what exactly you noticed? Felt angrier for often? More things set you off?

Mostly just weird swings in sex drive. Either really high or really low.