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How many HBers use supplements when they workout? I have used them for years and think they do help when it comes to recovery and growth of muscles. My wife and I got into an arguement about them and she said they are a waste of money and that I can accomplish the same things without them. What do you guys think? I think she doesn't know sh!t and just wants something to argue about.

http://www.examine.com

 

That should be your source for straight up supplement knowledge. No bro-science. Actual science.

 

That being said, here's my take on supplementation. It's not very hard nor complex, but it can be hard to wade through the marketing machine that wants you to buy all of it.

 

First realize that they're supplements, not replacements for actual food. Eat actual food. Whole foods, at that. (no, not the store. I mean generally not sh#t that comes in a box)

 

There are really only a few that have actual measurable benefit. None of which you actually *need* to achieve your goal. They can help just a teenie tiny bit.

 

First, protein powder. I actually consider this more of just quick and easy food than an actual supplement. I use it when I need some quick food and don't have time to actually warm up something.

 

Second, creatine. There is undoubtedly more research done on creatine than any other supplement. Studies show (check out examine.com) that it does actually increase performance along with some other actual benefits. It's cheap as hell too, at least in the US. I take about 3g a day. No need to load it or do any other sort of protocol, but you can if you want. Once you read up on what it actually does, you can make a decision on whether to use it or not. Oh, and don't be fooled by fancy creatin (buffered, etc). Plain creatine monohydrate is not only the most studied, it's also the cheapest.

Here is the first of three parts on how creatine works. I believe it to be accurate. Kind of interesting if you're a dork, like me. http://athlete.io/3562/the-ultimate-guide-to-creatine-supplementation-part-1/

 

Third, vitamins. If you eat a varied diet of mostly whole foods, you probably don't need to bother with a multi but take it if you want.

Most people are deficient in Vitamin D in the northern hemisphere, especially in the winter. You know, when the sun is friggin gone for months or only comes out when you're inside.. So, I think it's a good idea to take 1000 to 2000IU /day. Liquid or liquid caps.

Fish Oil. There are studies that show some benefit at the 1-2g / day level but that's about it.

 

BCAA's or branched chain amino acids. I like these in spots especially if you're eating at a caloric deficit. All protein, hardly any caloric load and doesn't really require any digestion to be processed. I use them occasionally but never really worked them into a routine.

 

Hope this helps. Check out examine.com though and come to your own conclusions.

 

Great read Dave. Thanks

 

I have taken supplements for years and have used the same ones. I take fish oil pills, Vitamin D, zinc, and magnesium pills. I use a pre-workout that consists of NO2, citrulline, beta-alanine and creatine. I take a intra-workout of BCAA's and have a post workout shake with protein powder and glutamine.

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I take creatine. I drink whey protein shakes but not religiously enough which is stupid on my part because I'm still adding mass. I take a tribulus supplement. I also take C4, which is a preworkout.

 

Some of this stuff does help me. I'm 33 years old so I feel like I'm beginning to plateu on some of my lifts.

 

I once took a new preworkout supplement called Taze3. This stuff seems like the best I've ever taken. My strength increases were immediate and I didn't get that jittery feeling that C4 and some others can give you. Unfortunately it's about 20 bucks cheaper to stick with C4.

 

Regardless, some of this stuff might give me an energy boost or a natural testosterone boost, not much at all though really. There is no substitute for hard work. When I go to the gym, which is usually about four - five times a week, I am working harder than pretty much anybody there.

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This is the current list of supplements I'm taking with links:

 

Pre-workout, Pre-Jym: http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/jym/pre-jym.html

Post-workout, Post-Jym: http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/jym/post-jym.html

I add this in my post workout as well, Post-Jym Carb: http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/jym/post-jym-carb.html;jsessionid=C57EA368AD2B137C4B38C9591C58A423

Protein I'm currently taking as well, Pro Jym: http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/jym/post-jym-carb.html;jsessionid=C57EA368AD2B137C4B38C9591C58A423

 

I'm currently doing his Shortcut-to-Size weight lifting program as well which has increased my strength and size: http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/shortcut-to-size.html

 

I like Jim Stoppani's stuff because he's got a PHD and his stuff seems to be pretty high quality supplements. There is science behind his thoughts so it's not just bull crap that he is spewing. I'm following him on facebook and he's spoken with me personally several times so he takes the time to make sure people understand his stuff. I'll be cutting all pop and beer out of my diet starting March 2nd as I start training for an adventure race at the end of June on that date. So I'll have nothing, but three full months of hardcore cardio, biking, running, and rowing to get myself ready for this 12-hour adventure race. Diet's always been something that's been hard for me, but I don't eat terrible either. A few tweaks on some things and I should be good.

 

Currently my stats are 5'8" 205 lbs with probably around 12% body fat, I'm hoping to be below 8% and drop about 15 lbs by the time the adventure race comes around. Bulking season has went well this year, but I was hoping to be closer to 215 by this point. Back injuries have slowed my progress there.

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Currently my stats are 5'8" 205 lbs with probably around 12% body fat, I'm hoping to be below 8% and drop about 15 lbs by the time the adventure race comes around. Bulking season has went well this year, but I was hoping to be closer to 215 by this point. Back injuries have slowed my progress there.

You sir must be jacked!

 

 

 

I really only use protein powder and creatine as supplements. The powder is because I simply have a hard time getting enough protein in my diet, and it's a cheaper alternative to steaks and chicken. I just started using creatine for the first time late last year and I like it so far. It's just ON micronized creatine. I didn't get any bloating and I may have gained a pound or two but nothing really worth noting. However, it helped me break through a plateau I had in my strength from cutting too long. It's also helped me maintain and even gain a little strength on my latest cut.

 

 

I got a free sample of NO-Xplode preworkout and gave it a try once, absolutely hated it. It tasted good and it did give me energy, but it was the nervous kind. It felt like a fight or flight response where you're just amped up with adrenaline but unsure of everything and a kind of jittery. Definitely not how I wanted to feel when I needed to be in strict control on DB shoulder press with a heavy weight for me.

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Currently my stats are 5'8" 205 lbs with probably around 12% body fat, I'm hoping to be below 8% and drop about 15 lbs by the time the adventure race comes around. Bulking season has went well this year, but I was hoping to be closer to 215 by this point. Back injuries have slowed my progress there.

You sir must be jacked!

 

 

 

 

 

No doubt. That's pretty damn lean.

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I once worked out a diet to get the right amount of protein and try to get the idea ratio of calories from protein/carbs/fat. It required looking up numbers for various foods and was a lot of work. It was the calories from fat that killed a lot of possibilities to get enough protein without excessive calories and red meat was a real problem. One guy I met said that he gained most of his strength over a two year stretch and ended up spending a small fortune on fish. Another person had his doctor tell him that is a really bad idea due to all of the mercury you would take in. The good thing about a protein supplement is you can get the protein without excessive calories. Protein has 4 calories per gram so I look for protein powder whose calories per serving is closest to 4 x the protein per serving. I also learned that the amount of protein needed per day is every day so I take same amount of protein supplement on non workout days and workout days.

 

I've seen noticeable difference in gains with and without creatine but I do think I get bloated.

 

I don't seem to notice a difference with Glutamine but it could just be that I forgot what it's good for and wasn't looking for that difference. I still take fish oil but why? Omega something needed for something... :dunno

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So I read through that Dave posted on creatine. It basically recommends a maintinance intake of 30g a day for someone like me (220lbs), which is 6 times the amount that any study uses or that companies recommend on their bottle. I'll probably try increasing my intake since I seem to be plateauing on my 5-10g intake, but question...

Has anyone tried taking that much for an extended period of time (other than "loading"), and what was your experience/results?

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Here is my biggest question on protein supplements.

 

My son is a Freshman and just now starting to lift. He will be ramped up to lift harder this year going into his sophomore year. We went to GNC (as recommended by HS trainer.) and purchased what seemed like the top of the line protein powder they had.

Here's the problem. He can't stand it. He literally gags every time he tries it.

So....what are your suggestions on how to consume this stuff?

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Here is my biggest question on protein supplements.

 

My son is a Freshman and just now starting to lift. He will be ramped up to lift harder this year going into his sophomore year. We went to GNC (as recommended by HS trainer.) and purchased what seemed like the top of the line protein powder they had.

Here's the problem. He can't stand it. He literally gags every time he tries it.

So....what are your suggestions on how to consume this stuff?

 

First, I would take it back to GNC and get a refund. They have a 30-day guarantee. Explain that he can't stomach it, they have to take it back, per company policy. I've taken back half empty tubs of pre-workout that was causing me problems sleeping.

 

Personally, I really like Dymatize Elite 100% Whey in Chocolate Fudge. It is the best tasting protein I have ever had and has great reviews for protein quality/content. It mixes "thin" and mixes very well. I take it straight with water immediately after workouts with no problems. It tastes very good. If comparing different proteins, Bodybuilding.com has a pretty good rating system for taste.

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So I read through that Dave posted on creatine. It basically recommends a maintinance intake of 30g a day for someone like me (220lbs), which is 6 times the amount that any study uses or that companies recommend on their bottle. I'll probably try increasing my intake since I seem to be plateauing on my 5-10g intake, but question...

 

I think you misread and miscalculated.

 

You weigh 99kg (220 lbs)

 

For loading 99*0.3 = 30g for loading (5-7 days)

Then, maintenance is 99*0.03 = ~3g indefinitely

 

Or just take 3g indefinitely.

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Because of the gap in research, I have to make some assumptions, but I’ll make reasonable ones. When we use these numbers to look at whole-body creatine status, we see that in order to increase the amount of creatine we carry to a level above the baseline (1g/lb), we need at least two grams per day for maintenance, plus 0.4g for every lean pound of muscle. Using the example of a 200 pound male with 10 percent body fat, we can give a rough estimate of at least 60 pounds of skeletal muscle. This would yield a reasonable calculatin of:

(0.4g/lb * 60 lbs)/0.95 + 2g ≈ 27.3g

My hypothesis is that this would be the minimum amount of creatine needed on a daily basis to maintain maximum intracellular levels (the division by 0.95 takes into account the amount of creatine absorbed by the rest of the tissue in the body). I’m saying this is the minimum daily amount needed because the well-controlled research shows that using the standard 2g/day dosing returns intra-muscular levels of creatine back to normal within 6 weeks.

 

 

There’s no need for a loading period if you’re going by these formulas. If you’re fairly lean, this leads to a simple formula to calculate your daily creatine intake:

In Pounds: Bodyweight * 0.15 = grams of creatine monohydrate to ingest

In Kilograms: Body mass * 0.3 = grams of creatine monohydrate to ingest

Even though I started from the actual difference in what muscles can hold, you’ll notice that these calculations give numbers that approximate the 20 grams studies, since many of the participants were around the 150 pound threshold. Unfortunately, the researchers didn’t extend their research to include the rest of the world.

 

NOTE: These formulas appear to overestimate needs, but since one gram of creatine monohydrate is only 88 percent creatine, the overage takes this into account.

 

I was a little shocked when I first read it so I reread it several times, he definitely appears to be calling for almost 30g a day. I haven't read anything else contradicting or confirming this except for bro science, which say you'll just pee it out and waste money. I wish he would have cited the studies so I could look at what he's referencing and how the ran their trails.

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