Must Have Supps?

I’ve read a good amount about the many different supplements sold by Biotest and, ideally, I would try just about all of them. Unfortunately, I don’t have the funds to spend hundreds of dollars on supps at this time in my life. With that being said, which ones are most crucial for a beginner like myself to use? I currently use metabolic drive protein (love it, better tasting than most all other kinds I’ve tried, and just makes me feel better in general), LIT preworkout (thinking about cutting this out and using that money on something else), and Beyond Raw BCAA’s. I have some plazma ordered and am excited to give it a try. Would dropping the BCAA’s and maybe getting Mag10 be a good idea?

Here is a video from a former muscletech sponsored athlete on the topic

Bottom line: as a beginner especially, there are zero supplements that you need. Focus on dialing in nutrition and training first.

5 Likes

If you are absolutely insistent on buying supps, just get protein powder and creatine. Those will make noticeable improvements to your recovery.

If you feel like you need preworkout to have energy to workout, you should instead eat more carbs, drink coffee before workout, etc. Preworkout formulas are mostly just caffeine, sugar, and other compunds that stimulate pump, they’re not that important.

What’s your primary focus and goals?

None.

So the general consensus is they truly aren’t a “need”, especially for someone like myself who has just been working out for about 8 months now. I forgot to mention that I already take creatine as well. I intend to continue using the metabolic drive protein, as otherwise I won’t reach the amount of suggested daily protein intake. I understand that there isn’t some magic supp that will instantly make me huge, and I hope I didn’t come across as someone who thinks that. I just want to make sure I am doing everything “right”, and putting myself in the best position possible to get big and strong.

Drop the BCAAs because they’re redundant when you’re having protein shakes. Mag-10 isn’t as essential between your diet and Metabolic Drive shakes. Also drop the pre-workout mix. Go with Plazma for a “pre-workout” and workout drink. Pop a No-doz before training if you want a caffeine boost.

Yes and no, depending on what you’re talking about. A lot of people think stimulant-loaded pre-workout formulas are “essential”, but they’re absolutely not. Basic workout nutrition (fast-acting protein and carbs immediately before/during/immediately after) training is pretty fundamental to optimizing recovery and progress, explained here.

Something like Micro-PA, for example, is definitely unnecessary for you now because you’re not in a position where you’ll be able to add it and say “Ah, I can tell it’s working.” But creatine is probably a supplement that every lifter should be using as soon as you’re consistently training hard and eating right.

Creatine, whey, and caffeine are the only things I use. Used to use more but as I learned more and got more experience I boiled my list down to these 3.

One of these days I’ll start taking it again…

1 Like

Could you go into a little further detail on why that is?

You could try Laxogenin, jury is still out on it but it did work for animals so I don’t see why it doesn’t work for us. It’s supposedly got the same anabolic/androgenic ratio as Anavar and is not something to mess with your hormones.

I take it but I also like trying all the different supps as I work at a sports nutrition store :sweat_smile:

you’re an idiot. An androgen IS a steroid hormone. For something to even HAVE an ‘anabolic/androgenic ratio’, it affects your hormones, by definition.

I looked up laxogenin, and based on what I read, it is indeed a steroid. Steroid talk has no business in the supplement forum.

If you’re going to sell products at a sports nutrition store, maybe you should learn what they actually are.

3 Likes

It sounds too good to be true.

The research is long and strong with studies going back 25+ years to the early 1990s, and some studies have looked at years of continuous/non-cycled use; it’s inexpensive; has no significant side effects for the overwhelming majority of people, even with long-term use; and typically has a distinct and trackable strength benefit (as in: add it to the plan, change nothing else, and you’re able to directly see more reps/heavier weights).

It’s also been shown to have some non-lifting-related heart/brain/blood sugar health benefits (discussed here) that sound almost too good to be true, so I’m not exactly telling my mom to start taking it yet. But still, if it pans out on that end, it could end up along the lines of a health supplement that has training benefits, like fish oil.

1 Like

Jesus Christ, this guy is selling people AAS under the pretense that it won’t affect their hormones? This is literally criminal stupidity.

What gorilla raised you and that mouth? As you have looked it up but come to the conclusion that it is a steroid (and by how you’re acting I will go ahead and make the assumption you believe it to be an AAS) I can only assume you skim read and attempted to make it look like you did something to say something, so…bravo?

So seeing as how you can’t be bothered to collect the information, here we go boy-o :notes:

5a-hydroxy-laxogenin is a plant based steroid from the brassinosteroids family of plants. While sharing similarities to oxandrolone, it is a natural plant derivitive, does not raise testosterone levels or even screw with your estrogen levels and has been shown to inhibit cortisol levels all while being non liver toxic! Laxogenin has been shown to potentially do many things such as build lean muscle mass, burn fat, recover faster, lower bad cholesterol and more! (I’d say look up the others but we know how you do with Google searches at this point. 5 seconds and “I’m done!”) The compound is not on any banned substances lists, and natural competing bodybuilders are allowed to take it without fear of getting the dreaded ban hammer. (Now if you’ll pay close attention to where I said supposedly in my previous comment, I did not present that part as fact.) It is worth noting that any reference that I’ve found in talking about it’s similar anabolic androgenic ratio being similar has always been quickly glossed over, my only conclusion to this is that it is mentioned only because of its similar muscle building capabilities of oxandrolone without the androgenic side effects.

Some issues while taking the supplement is that it normally does not survive the stomach to make it down to the intestines to really do it’s work, some lipid pills are out that should work and you can apply transdermaly.

Side note just because something has the word steroid in it, does not mean it’s an AAS, I’d love to see you get buff with cortisone.

you’re an idiot because you’re acting as if the only hormones in the body are testosterone and estrogen, which is not the case. I didn’t say it affected those 2 hormones. YOUR CLAIM was that this steroid does not affect hormones, and that just isn’t true. Every steroid affects hormones. Cotisone affects hormones. No, you won’t build muscle with cortisone. Still affects hormones.

Let’s look at the facts. AAS stands for Anabolic-Androgenic steroid. You’ve already admitted that the product you’re promoting is a steroid, so need to disagree there. You’ve also said it has an anabolic-androgenic ratio. So, please tell me how a product can be a steroid, have an anabolic-androgenic ratio, build muscle, and not be AAS?

For your information, trenbolone is another steroid that does not affect testosterone or estrogen. That fact has nothing to do with its classification as AAS.

Skim reading again are we?

If you’d look even closer you’d see I also mentioned cortisol which is also a hormone, so no I’m not acting as if testosterone and estrogen is the only hormones in town. But perhaps I should have clarified for people like you, it hasn’t been shown to not affect the hormones testosterone and estrogen.

I also said it’s worth noting that any references of it having a similar ratio was quickly glossed over, and gave a possible explanation as to why for I don’t really know. Yes it doesn’t make sense to give it a ratio when it doesn’t have any androgenic effects. Not to mention even further back I said supposedly.

When talking about an androgenic anabolic ratio in an AAS we are as the abbreviation states talking about anabolic androgenic steroids, which laxogenin is not. Yes trenbolone does not affect estrogen but rather raises your progestin, and where the hell did you get doesn’t affect testosterone? Unless you consider suppression not a thing to be considered as ‘affecting testosterone’

AAS term is given to things that are either synthetically derived from testosterone, synthetic androgens or naturally occurring androgens that also cause androgenic effects (think masculine traits, deeper voice, increased facial hair, etc. Which hey! Tren does as well thus it being in the catagory). Laxogenin fits none of those descriptions, and just to add it one more time because I know you don’t like reading, I agree it is confusing for it to be given a ratio. And AGAIN only assume its mentioned because it build muscle in a very similar manner to oxandrolone. (Increases protein synthesis and nitrogen retention among reportedly other things) but hey by all means bro if you think you’re smarter then all the researchers out there, and those that control the stupidly strict banned substance list for natural bodybuilding shows. By all means; feel superior.

good lord this is dumb. i’m out.

So there’s a plant-based supplement out there that builds as much muscle as anavar (which is the most anabolic steroid in existence on a per mg basis) and doesn’t shut you down?

Sounds legit. Good to know we can all stop using steroids forever.

1 Like