Hello everyone. This is my first post here at T-Nation. I was hoping to get help from you guys/gals.
I have been reading tons of forums and articles on this website as well as other websites and I still cant get a good understanding on which supplements to take.
I am 5’8" and weigh 155lbs. I havent worked out in 3-4 months and when I did, I usually benched 205lbs five times max. And worked on back, shoulders, bi, tri and abs. I didnt really focus on legs because I love to run long distance. During this time all i took was a GNC whey protein with 21g of protein in it when i woke up and after my workout.
Now that Im ready to start working out again, I wanted to try to taking some supplements. Which supplements do you guys/gals recommend? I have been overwhelmed with all the supplements everyone recommends here on this website.
But from what I have read, it seems like everyone recommends taking whey protein. Now, is the GNC 21g whey protein enough? Or should i get one with more protein? Also it seems like everyone recommends creatine, or some sort of supplement to take right before working out. I read that the Surge powder works pretty good also. What do you guys think? I have read that NO is also a good supplement to take. And there are so many different creatine and NO it is confusing the heck out of me.
I would like to keep my body lean. So im trying to stay away from products with lots of calories or fat.
Please help me! What do you think is the best way to start off if this is my first time taking supplements?
In your situation you should only be eating food and training. The only supplements you need are fish oils and maybe a whey protein - that’s it.
Supplements help you in progress when your diet and training are in order, other than that they will not do anything for you. You aren’t even training and you want to take supplements? What kind of crazy talk is that?
My recommendation provided you are eating correctly already. Grow! Premium Whey to bolster your protein intake, Surge and Creatine for your post-workout recovery. If you can add in Flameout that would be a good bet for overall health which will also enhance gym results.
Also, use the beginners section to bring up your knowledge in regard to training and nutrition. Your results hinge on being educated on the process and we never stop learning in these areas.
For brands of most types of supplements, Biotest is always a good name
Something I heard on The Fitcast is a nice summary to many (most?) people’s results from, and reactions to NO supplements (especially those here on T-Nation?):
Take NO for no results!
(that is to say, it doesn’t really work that well.)
[quote]djsk wrote:
Is monohyrdatre creatine the best one to take? Or is ethyl-ester hyrdrochloride creatine better?
Would taking whey protein and creatine be enough? Or would adding Surge into the pack be better?
Thanks![/quote]
Creatine Monohydrate is all you need. You will pay more for fancy creatine names then needed. With creatine you need an insulinogenic stimulating catalyst for optimum uptake. Surge fits the bill more then nicely for this. Whey and creatine would be fine however, Surge and creatine would be better.
The Grow! Whey is to add to your overall protein intake. The Surge and Creatine are for post workout recovery only. Three different products I am recommending for you. PM me if you have additional questions.
I am kind of a newb myself but since i had a somewhat similar question and a small bit of advice I figured id Offer it. Protien and creatine is a good start. but you should definatly take more then 21gs in the morning. i would recommend more like 3 40 gram servings(usually 2 scoops) 3 times a day. (1 shake with breakfast, one shake before your workout and one shake after your workout to clarify).
also you should look for a creatine with sometype of carbohydrate with it to drink before and after your workout as well. GNC offers a creatine/dextrose combo drink.
A creatine/dextrose combo worked pretty well for me, i used it ffor about 4 months and gained about 20 lbs of solid muscle and about 80lbs to my max bench. which brings me to my question.
I am 6’0 about 180lbs. im in decent shape but still somewhat mediocre. i carry a little bellyfat i cant get rid of and im dont look that big. My diet is good. I workout 4-5 times a week but ive never been able to get really cut or big. im not familiar with the products sold here.
i was kind of interested in Alpha Male. is it a good idea for me? if not what is? (ps. Im recently stopped taking creatine)
good advice guys. I’ll just add that you should be working your legs even if you like to run. Just don’t make yourself so sore that you can’t run when you want (this will probably happen anyway the first couple weeks until you get used to it). Some cool research results on triatheletes and long distance runners who weight train vs those who do not.
Seems you can drop your running volume by near 20% if you weight train and you’ll get better efficiency and power over the same distance over the guys who don’t weight train and do their regular thing.
Also, I just answered this question for another newbie, so I want to throw it in–NO-Xplode and other NO supplements are beyond trash. They are horrible. NO is a free radical. Yes, that kind of free radical (there’s only one kind). It is one of very few radicals that serve useful purposes in the body (dilate the arteries), but its production and lifetime are extremely tightlly regulated by the body because it is harmful (free radical thing again).
But if you’re ok with paying through the nose for 5-10 minutes of pumps from a potentially harmful substance, go ahead. Pumps will subside shortly after that because the body can and will break down large amount of it to keep radical levels low. It’s worse than snake oil in my opinion.
