Your Supplement Recommendations?

[leeaw]

I'm looking for appropriate supplements to get energized and focused pre-workout and something to increase muscle strength and/or size post-workout.  Currently, I take whey protein only and am considering Jack3D -or- 1RM -or- Ravage...and...hydrochloride -or- monohydrate creatine.

 

What supplements do you guys use?

[alec_ar]

I've tried tons of supplements over the years and I have to say, I'm a total coq10 junkie. Ubiquinol (active form of coq10) is preferable albeit more expensive. I cannot say if coq10 directly benefits anything such as muscle growth, I doubt it, but I do feel a big difference in my energy levels when I'm on it and I can work out longer. I assume this is due to the fact that coq10 is one of the primary coenzymes that create energy production in every cell of the body. I'd definitely recommend it to anyone who is active, especially people in their 30s....

Otherwise I've taken astaxanthin in the past and loved that. I always try to think outside the box when it comes to supplements because I haven't noticed a difference when I take things like creatine. Lots of other homeopathic dietary supplements too but coq10 is the one I've stuck with over time.

[Keilani Gutierrez]

I've tried tons of supplements over the years and I have to say, I'm a total coq10 junkie. Ubiquinol (active form of coq10) is preferable albeit more expensive. I cannot say if coq10 directly benefits anything such as muscle growth, I doubt it, but I do feel a big difference in my energy levels when I'm on it and I can work out longer. I assume this is due to the fact that coq10 is one of the primary coenzymes that create energy production in every cell of the body. I'd definitely recommend it to anyone who is active, especially people in their 30s....

Otherwise I've taken astaxanthin in the past and loved that. I always try to think outside the box when it comes to supplements because I haven't noticed a difference when I take things like creatine. Lots of other homeopathic dietary supplements too but coq10 is the one I've stuck with over time.

yeah co enzyme Q-10 is an excellent nutrient and I completely agree with you. it kind of blurs between matter and energy

 

 

as for supplement recomendations, many can be made and many are good, but i'd suggest getting a genetic test done to know what is healthy to you and also have a magnetic resonance test done to see how your body's magnetic field is behaving with what you already put into it and how to correct said imbalances. 

 

I got it done and it told me that my joints were suffering(which is why i came to the forums and re-read BtGB, so that i could re-program my workout not to make any more damage under the hood)

 

a basic multi vitamin is recommended to everyone, Vitamin C, omega fish oils and anything to boost the immune system through phytonutrients and adaptogenic herbs. I feel great after a workout when i take vitamin B, vitamin C and a rhodiola before hand.

[Tyler Gibson]

I like creatine or caffeine pre-workout and protein post workout. Nothing fancy but it gets the job done (for me).

[Nigel Leeming]

You take a supplement, and perform better. You believe it helped. You take the supplement again and with the meme lodged in your mind, you believe you performed better whether you did or didn't. You believe it helped. You tell your mates it's great. They tell their mates. The marketing essays it's great and everyone else is saying it too, so it must be great. What it is, mostly, is extraordinarily expensive food, and you'd be better having a balanced diet. The only 2 supplements with anything proven are creatine a and caffeine. I once bought some creatine but never opened the lid because of water retention and hence increased weight. Caffeine on the other hand...

[FREDERIC DUPONT]

I like (...) caffeine pre-workout and protein post workout. Nothing fancy but it gets the job done (for me).

 

Caffeine is a banned substance... 

[Daniel Burnham]

Caffeine is a banned substance... 

Not anymore

[FREDERIC DUPONT]

Not anymore

Indeed:

 

 

The following substances included in the 2013 Monitoring Program (bupropion, caffeine, nicotine, phenylephrine, phenylpropanolamine, pipradol, synephrine) are not considered as Prohibited Substances.

At the top of page 8 in this pdf: http://www.wada-ama.org/Documents/World_Anti-Doping_Program/WADP-Prohibited-list/2013/WADA-Prohibited-List-2013-EN.pdf

 

Thank you for this precision Daniel

[alec_ar]

@Nigel, I agree about the balanced diet, and I understand the skepticism about overly advertised and overly expensive products. But when you said that creatine and caffeine are the only two substances with anything proven, was that in regards to exercise performance exclusively??

[Blairbob]

 I've been hearing pretty good things of the Beta Alanine+Creatine+HMB stacks. Looking to buy some once my paycheck clears later today.

 

 Tea actually works really well during workouts. Excellent hydrator.

[Martin de Jesus Ponce Robaldino]

 I've been hearing pretty good things of the Beta Alanine+Creatine+HMB stacks. Looking to buy some once my paycheck clears later today.

 

 Tea actually works really well during workouts. Excellent hydrator.

 

Tea?

Exactly what king of tea Blair?

 

Actually i like to use glucose powder, salt pills, whey protein powder, creatine and glutamine.

 

I regulary consume a lot of veggies, and some fish oil.

[Nigel Leeming]

Yes, in performance. Creatine helps you go at it with more vigour, and caffeine makes you more alert. I'm not counting protein as a supplement, it's kind of necessary.

[leeaw]

It seems that caffeine and creatine are the two essential components for maximizing potential during workouts.

 

I figured caffeine would be, but I only thought that creatine was good for building size.

[Daniel Burnham]

Meh. I've used creatine to some effect but ultimately I stopped buying it because I felt it wasn't worth the cost. And I really only noticed a benefit when it was stacked with beta alanine.

[Tyler Gibson]

In my opinion you shouldn't really rely on anything to get a good workout in. 90% of the time I don't take anything other than protein powder, and not even that if I can get some protein beforehand and a good meal afterwards. Every once in a while I'll take some creatine or drink something caffeinated beforehand if I really feel like I need the energy boost to be successful, but you don't make gains by taking supplements, you make gains by hard and consistent work.

[Martin de Jesus Ponce Robaldino]

No, actually i dont like to rely on supplements.

I dont take thm with the initial idea of having a better perfomance due to them. I do feel their effect, but i know that i can continue working out greatly without them

[optik169]

Food, water and sleep.  Definitely my top supps.  

 

That being said, I occasionally use either c4 or caffeine before a workout.  

 

I'm also experimenting with yohimbine HCL before fasted cardio in the mornings of my off days

[Joshua Slocum]

In order of importance:

Sleep (at bare minimum 7 hours after a workout, preferably 8.5)

Healthy food during all of the week (lots of vegetables, a good amount of meat and nuts, plenty of berries, very little sugar or grains)

Post-workout protein shakes

Pre-workout snack + caffeine

Multivitamins

[Joshua Naterman]

Indeed:

 

 

At the top of page 8 in this pdf: http://www.wada-ama.org/Documents/World_Anti-Doping_Program/WADP-Prohibited-list/2013/WADA-Prohibited-List-2013-EN.pdf

 

Thank you for this precision Daniel

They did this because there was such a huge variation in individual tolerance, and such a mixed amount of results from research. There just wasn't enough evidence to support the stuff being effective enough to matter, and there were a lot of doping issues from the ban because this stuff is all over the place, like caffeine in chocolate. It's naturally there, and it was totally possible to pop positive for caffeine if you were a chocolate junkie. The limit was absurdly low.

[Blairbob]

 Generally I just use instant tea. The stuff you can throw in a water bottle and shake up. Not the greatest, but works when on the go. Great for at work too.

 

 Lately I've been drinking this blackberry pomegranate green tea from Lipton I think. 10mg/caffeine a serving? Barely any.

 

 Really helps stifle my desire to drink some soda. Yes, it is artificially sweetened.

[Marcos Mocine-McQueen]

Short answer: sleep, eat real food, workout, drink water. 

 

As Michael Pollan put it, "...be the kind of person who takes supplements, and then save your money."

 

It may be true that those who take supplements are stronger that others. In fact, I would guess that this is so, but it ain't the supplements that are making them stronger.

 

I think this is very similar to vitamins. It's a fact that those who take vitamins regularly are healthier than those who don't but it isn't the vitamins doing the trick. It turns out that people who are diligent about taking vitamins are people who are interested in their own health. People who regularly take vitamins are likely to be people who exercise regularly, people who eat healthy food and people who get adequate sleep. They are, in other words, people who live a healthy lifestyle. It turns out that when you take away the vitamins these people remain just as healthy. On the other hand, when you give vitamins to people who don't exercise or eat good food they don't get any healthier. 

 

I believe that supplements are largely the same. People who are willing to invest time and money into supplements are people who are likely to work out regularly, who are likely to seek out effective, organized training methods and who are likely to pay attention to their food. The possibility of the supplement boost means that they are also likely to be excited about their workouts and make a strong effort. In other words, they have all of the traits that make a person gain strength and muscle. It's not the supplements, it's the lifestyle. The author Michael Pollan puts it well in the book Food Rules, "Be the kind of person who takes supplements-- then skip the suplements."

 

This all assumes a normal, healthy person with no medical oddities, which I assume you are. Vitamins and supplements can have good use in a a medical environment.

 

There are few independent, peer-reviewed studies that show any benefit for supplements. Whenever you see a study touting supplements look to see who is paying for it. Of the thousands of supplements on the market I've only seen evidence supporting a few. I'm talking "count on one hand" few. I've seen independent peer-reviewed research showing that creatine supplementation improved hypertrophy when used with weight training (the "loading phase" that was pushed by the industry funded research was debunked, however). Whey protein taken post or peri workout has some proven benefits which has shown up in legit research. Finally, caffeine has shown some benefits in certain situations.

 

I'm not a nutritionist so this list may not be complete... it's only what my personal research has found. As always, I'll point out that learning a few kitchen skills could really aid your gymnastic skills.

[Samuli Jyrkinen]

I was talking to one local nutritionist one day and he really made me change my mind towards many supplements. According to him 1) many who are taking supplements are already eating super clean and therefore in most cases having more than enough vitamins already, 2) the money spent on supplements is much better spent on more quality food instead and 3) fish oil and creatine are good to supplement though.

 

I used to be a guy who eats super clean but also takes way too much supplements... nowadays I am good with just using fish oil, creatine and occasional magnesium tabs. 

[Daniel Burnham]

Meh. Fish oil is largely overblown. If you are getting a very high quality one it might be ok, but I prefer to eat fish about 1-2 times per week. I'd assume you eliminate a large amount of both omega 6 and 3 fats rather than try to compensate by balancing them out. I am not saying don't eat them. Just stop using fish oil as a band aid to a perpetually open wound.

[Joshua Naterman]

Foundation:

 

1. Good food, with lots of veggies.
2. Getting enough calories THROUGHOUT THE DAY!
3. Protein at every meal/feeding.
4. Proper hydration.
5. Sufficient sleep.
6. Good coping abilities to lower stress.

 

Supplementation:

 

• Creatine (enormous list, but the important ones for fitness are increased lean mass gain and reduced bone breakdown, which leads to more rapid increases in bone density. That is a good thing.)

 

• Creatine + beta-alinine (appears to help with lean mass to a greater extent than creatine alone)

 

• Caffeine: helps with alertness and perception of fatigue. Could be from pills, powders, herbs, dried coffee, whatever. Doesn't matter. Typical cup of coffee is 80-100mg, for a reference point.

 

Those are the things that give you the most bang for your buck, and are the only things that are actually proven to work in real, live humans when there's no financial gain at stake (for the researchers).

 

The future may bring a longer list, but for now that's seriously it.

 

 

If you do not fulfill the foundation level first, all you are doing with supplements is spending MORE money to fill in the gaps in your foundation, and you'll be doing a less ideal job in the process. Save your money and build a solid foundation. This alone will take you very, very far. Perhaps as far as you ever want to go.

[ADRIANO FLORES CANO]

Josh, only those are the supplements that actually works better?

 

And the rest? Whey? BCAA's? Glutamine? Magnesium? Zinc? 

 

I'm not saying fancy things like carbs powders or bottles with lightning and thunders, or others things that there are marketing above all, but... basic stuff like that, not works? Or only works under certain circunstances?

 

Thanks.