Looking for Some Supplements

Hi there. im new here, and this is my first post as you can see. i have been lifting heavily for only about 3-5 months now, and so far the only supplement i have been taking is NO-Xplode. i was considering taking muscle milk, as well.

However, i just read the article about Glycocyamine (SP?) and figured i would steer clear of these supplements.

so now i am back to the drawing board. i am looking for a creatine supplement, a pre workout energy supplement (if the creatine supplement and pre workout energy supplement can be combined, like NO, that would be great)and also some form of protein supplement.

What would you recommend? i am 17, 6’4 and 150 lbs (i know =/) my metabolism as you can see is extremely high, so a high calorie protein supplement may be in order.

one last thing, thats REALLY important, is TASTE. it HAS to taste good. i bought some unflavoured sisu whey protein, mixed it with water and tried to drink it and gagged. the shits been sitting in my pantry ever since.

anyway sorry for the long winded post. any help is appreciated.

there is no glycocyamine in muscle milk anymore, unless the tubs you buy are over a year old. if it does not say glycocyamine in the ingredients list or on the front of the tub, it doesn’t contain the ingredient. but muscle milk is a high-protein meal replacement, not the best for pre- or post-workout.

Biotest sells different protein blends, go to the store and read about each one and pick one or two that you want. personally i buy muscle milk, and optimum nutrition whey for around workouts, both taste good.

it’s probably cheaper to buy your creatine separately as creatine monohydrate. as far as pre-workout energy, caffeine or ritalin do the trick for me but Biotest also sells two supplements for energy which you can also read about in the store

short version: buy whey protein for before/after your workouts, muscle milk is fine other times. buy creatine monohydrate by itself because it’s cheap and effective (they sell it on this site for a great price), and do some shopping around for a pre-workout stimulant. NO-Xplode has a good deal of caffeine if i recall so try plain caffeine first, it’s dirt cheap.

btw not to split hairs but muscle milk and other protein blends should be thought of more as food, you don’t ‘take’ them like drugs. they are powdered food, if you fed them to a sedentary person they would still be a weak fatass (unlike caffeine for instance which will make anyone hyper)

protein supplements/mrps just provide more raw materials for your body to use

[quote]Chump wrote:
Hi there. im new here, and this is my first post as you can see. i have been lifting heavily for only about 3-5 months now, and so far the only supplement i have been taking is NO-Xplode. i was considering taking muscle milk, as well.

However, i just read the article about Glycocyamine (SP?) and figured i would steer clear of these supplements.

so now i am back to the drawing board. i am looking for a creatine supplement, a pre workout energy supplement (if the creatine supplement and pre workout energy supplement can be combined, like NO, that would be great)and also some form of protein supplement.

What would you recommend? i am 17, 6’4 and 150 lbs (i know =/) my metabolism as you can see is extremely high, so a high calorie protein supplement may be in order.

one last thing, thats REALLY important, is TASTE. it HAS to taste good. i bought some unflavoured sisu whey protein, mixed it with water and tried to drink it and gagged. the shits been sitting in my pantry ever since.

anyway sorry for the long winded post. any help is appreciated.[/quote]

Dude, you’re 6’4" 150, there’s things more important than pre-workout “energy” supplements. You know how many good athletes/bodybuilders/strength athletes use crap like that frequently? Very few. Of course everyone’s going to have a day where things are messed up and they need a boost to get going, but if you need energy every time you go to the gym, you’re doing something wrong.

Hey man, when I first started lifting I did the whole no explode and muscle milk thing; but luckily met some people that guided me in the right way.

Here is what I take for supplements right now (I am 19 btw)

1.Creatine mono for preworkout
2. 200 miligrams of caffine for preworkout
3. 1 scoop of hydro whey protein based preworkout
4. BCAAs pre, during, and after
5. Hydro based whey protein with glutamine and BCCAs for post workout
6. Casein based protein before bed
7. ZMA 30 minutes after my shake before bed

As far as brand for proteins I had Biotest Surge for postworkout and it was really affective. Taste was good considering it was made with hydro whey.

Since your so skinny for your height maybe a weight gainer might idea, depends what your goes are.

Overall, stick with the basics and do not fall for all that other crap out there.

Adding supplements is great for when you hit a plateau…seeing as you’ve been training for 3 months are 6’4 and weigh 150 lbs I’d say stick to the Basics. At your stage in the game, you should be thinking about progress from workout to workout…always try to bust out one more rep than you did the last time, or add more weight than you did the last time!

There are NO easy ways out! work hard and stay consistent and Know that you can do it!

Oh, but def get a good protein powder, Diet is essential!

thanks for the advice.

to reply to people telling me to stick to the basics, i have been working out consistently everyday, (lower body one day, upper body the other.) except satruday i rest. i have put 40 punds on my bench since i have started, and i look more muscular, but i havent gained any weight.

obviously something is lacking. i never knew but now im beginning to think its my diet, however i dont have enough time to make myself a high protein meal at all times during the day, so i need supplements.

i think ive decided on a supplement routine. MM for breakfast with my other food, get some pure caffeine and throw it in some water or coke pre workout (i dont NEED energy for my workouts, but any more reps or weight i can do, the better) then have a whey protein shake right after, and then MM again later. obviously still eating all my meals in the day.

again, thanks for the advice.

[quote]Chump wrote:

…obviously something is lacking…[/quote]

Your missing ingredient is time.

Time + pushing and pulling on heavy stuff + food = more muscle

Keep doing what your doing and don’t expect results overnight. You’ll get there - but it takes lots and lots of time.

Good job on the progress Chump. 6 days/week is pretty demanding, make sure to listen to your body and give it the rest it needs.

I’m guessing you’ve never kept a food log.

Try tracking all your food for the next 3-4 days and see what kind of patterns you have developed. Sometimes it helps to see it on paper to correct it!

[quote]G-men27 wrote:
Adding supplements is great for when you hit a plateau…seeing as you’ve been training for 3 months are 6’4 and weigh 150 lbs I’d say stick to the Basics. At your stage in the game, you should be thinking about progress from workout to workout…always try to bust out one more rep than you did the last time, or add more weight than you did the last time!

There are NO easy ways out! work hard and stay consistent and Know that you can do it![/quote]

couldnt agree more, but he said he has been lifting hard for 3-5 months… i did the same mate… lifted heaviest i could constantly building up the weights, then hit a plateau… then took supplements. now making progress, but it is slower…

TO THE ORIGINAL POSTER

mate, dont bother with supplements, until your diet is spot on… eat shed loads, and i mean shed loads of veggies, get good meat, chicken, pork, buffalo, beef, and eat lots of fish too… mackerel, haddock, sardines, tuna… eat wholemeal boring stuff, like durum pasta, wholemeal pasta and rice… and for christ sake, eat oats, and fibre filled foods… sweet potato, oh my god, spinach, broccoli, kale, and FRUIT!!! EAT FRUIT MAN!!! blueberries, prunes and dates, apples, oranges and bananas…

if you eat healthy, get your diet right, you will notice bigger gains than using supplements alone with a shitty diet! they dont work on McDonalds or KFC all the time!

What’s missing is food.

The kid needs to quit debating over which pre workout stim he thinks tastes the best and learn to fucking cook something.

Eat:
Meat
veggies
Potatoes
Rice
Meat
nuts
veggies
meat
fruit
pasta
bread
meat

[quote]Chump wrote:
obviously something is lacking. [/quote]

Food.

You’re right, no one else has jobs or kids, we just stay at home cooking every two hours.

You don’t need a [quote]supplement routine[/quote]. You need to a diet routine. Prepare food ahead of time. I cook 14 pounds of meat a week. I do most of it on two days of the week.

Read the beginner’s stickies at the top of the forum, then go find some articles regarding nutrition. Nutrition for newbies, massive eating, etc.

*Edit: This post and the prior post should have been one. My mistake.

[quote]PozzSka wrote:
What’s missing is food.

The kid needs to quit debating over which pre workout stim he thinks tastes the best and learn to fucking cook something.

Eat:
Meat
veggies
Potatoes
Rice
Meat
nuts
veggies
meat
fruit
pasta
bread
meat

[/quote]

Supplement this with more food.

[quote]CthruPants wrote:
PozzSka wrote:
What’s missing is food.

The kid needs to quit debating over which pre workout stim he thinks tastes the best and learn to fucking cook something.

Eat:
Meat
veggies
Potatoes
Rice
Meat
nuts
veggies
meat
fruit
pasta
bread
meat

Supplement this with more food.[/quote]

it wouldn’t be supplementing, it would just be eating more. :wink:

[quote]PozzSka wrote:
CthruPants wrote:
PozzSka wrote:
What’s missing is food.

The kid needs to quit debating over which pre workout stim he thinks tastes the best and learn to fucking cook something.

Eat:
Meat
veggies
Potatoes
Rice
Meat
nuts
veggies
meat
fruit
pasta
bread
meat

Supplement this with more food.

it wouldn’t be supplementing, it would just be eating more. :wink:

[/quote]

Hey, he wanted the best supplement, and there it is. It even tastes good!

I hate to break it to you but you’re not the only one strapped for time. I’m 17 so I have a social life, 6 AP classes, SATs, AP tests, 20 hours a week job, 10+ hours a week of community service, and I’m a Freshman mentor, one of the highest ranked Key Club members (community service) in the region, and I’m in the midst of running for NHS President. Oh yeah, and I’ve put on 65 pounds of muscle and lost a good few pounds of fat in about 14 months. It’s all about planning.

If I can fit in 8 high protein, high veggie meals into my day and have only 2 of those using protein supplements, then I’m sure you can. I spend 2-3 hours every Sunday preparing my weeks meals and getting my food ready so that I don’t have to worry about missing meals. I suggest you do the same, it’s the secret of bodybuilding.

For now, buy a protein supplement and some fish oil and if you lack in the fruit/veggie department, look in Biotest’s Superfood, the only quality “multivitamin” I’ve seen. Once you add some solid mass to your frame then look into Surge, creatine, and high doses of BCAA’s. Also, don’t train 6 days a week. You’re a serious ectomorph so keep the intensity down and the volume/frequency moderate and concentrate on making progress in the weight department. Read everything you can on this site by Chad Waterbury and Thibadeau for training (although there are other great trainers that you should read as well at some point when you stagnate) and John Berardi for nutrition.

Here are some good places to start:
http://www.T-Nation.com/article/diet_and_nutrition/preparing_for_battle&cr=

http://www.T-Nation.com/article/diet_and_nutrition/7_habits_of_highly_effective_nutritional_programs&cr=

http://www.T-Nation.com/readArticle.do?id=459321

and the essence of the reality of body transformation:

http://www.T-Nation.com/article/diet_and_nutrition/the_secrets_to_body_transformation&cr=

So diet is obviously even more important than i thought. I remembered what ive had to eat recently, and i realized how terrible my diet really is. its not that i eat unhealthy, i just dont eat enough. especially with my metabolism.

anyway a couple of you have said you prepare your entire weeks worth of meals ahead of time, which sounds like it would work for me. what exactly do you prepare?

Chicken breasts - cook up enough to last me 3-4 days worth (so twice a week) and toss in tupperware.

Eggs - Hardboild anywhere between 12-24 eggs on sunday so I’m set for the week. Maybe the best BB food around!

Chili - 3-4 days worth in fridge - everything else in freezer!

  1. Read this again
    http://www.T-Nation.com/article/diet_and_nutrition/preparing_for_battle&cr=

:slight_smile:

  1. I usually will prep 7 pounds beef, 7 pounds chicken, then 3.5 pounds turkey, or instead of the turkey, I’ll make myself omelettes in the morning. I only weigh 175.
    :frowning: