I know quite a few of you guys lift, what supplements do you take?
inb4 jack3d gives me a heart attack.
inb4 jack3d gives me a heart attack.
Bodybuilding Supplements
- Thread starter Ookie
- Start date
jack3d+powder L-Arginine preworkout, tastes like complete ass but works well. other than that, protein, fish oil, a multivitamin, and green tea extract.
Nothing too freaky, and I only use stuff that has real scientific backing to the ingredients.
Nothing too freaky, and I only use stuff that has real scientific backing to the ingredients.
Getting back in the gym again after 5 weeks off, refocusing, focusing more effort on diet and rest this time around.
Here's what my new supp protocol looks like:
Animal pak multi + vitamin C + fish oil + protein + k-otic pre workout + bcaa's + dextrose + con-cret + hydro whey.
Here's what my new supp protocol looks like:
Animal pak multi + vitamin C + fish oil + protein + k-otic pre workout + bcaa's + dextrose + con-cret + hydro whey.
I found a bunch of studies that show you don't need to lift heavy weights to build muscle, light weights with high reps (20-30) to failure creates the same result. It's apparently not how much you lift, it's the effort you use in the final few reps.
For anyone interested in the studies...
http://fitnessblackbook.com/Size-Principle.pdf
This one found light weights with high reps could potentially be more effective than heavy weights with low reps.
Low-load high volume resistance exercise stimulates... [PLoS One. 2010] - PubMed - NCBI
Yes, this is true. But of course, varies from person to person in effectiveness due to endless variables such as dominant muscle fiber type, protein assimilation rates, hormone profiles, etc...It's damn near impossible to make concrete generalizations about the human body, but you can make decisions based around priorities.
I used to train balls out heavy bc I thought was the only way...no pain no gain right? Well, pain is exactly what you get, when you can't fully use your shoulders in 15 years...or tear your pec or rotator cuff. BB aren't exactly known for their longevity. I now train higher reps and love the results. Look better, feel better, enjoy my workouts much more, and most importantly, I plan on being in the gym when I'm 75.
Honestly, the way you train is far less important than just staying consistent and getting your diet dialed in. FOOD motherfuckers. The shit is damn near magical.
As far as supps... I think they are MOSTLY over rated. I say that because most guys start reading up on supps like arginine or creatine before they understand the difference between grass fed beef and corn fed beef....or farm raised salmon and wild caught, true free range eggs and slave camp eggs, etc.. That's akin to obsessing over the perfect WP plugins without any content on your site. If you really want to get serious about your physique, health, and longevity...get serious about food.
That said...I take just a few "key" supps.
In order of importance for MY goals and needs.
1. whey isolate
2. fish oil
3. cod liver oil
5. COQ10
6. leucine
7. nattokinase (I have high iron)
8. multivitamin when I'm slacking on the fruits and veggies
9. sure I'm forgetting a few, and these will change as I age
For pre-workout I've gotten to where I just prefer a strong cup of coffee and a banana
Whey, Fish Oil, Choline. Sometimes BCAAs. Don't feel like taking a laundry list of pills and powders consistently (though the idea is extremely appealing to me at times). Lift heavy, it's more fun and feels better.
Glad to hear this, I read a recent interview with Frank Zane and he said he wishes he never went heavy in his younger days. He had to have a shoulder reconstruction recently as a result, and has many other worn out joints.
Serge Nubret was known for his high volume training with light weights, dude came 2nd to Arnold in Pumping Iron. Mentions it in this interview...
"Sets of 12-20 reps with 30 seconds rest in between sets. So it is impossible to train with very heavy weights. I used to do 225 kg max on bench press and I trained with only 70/100kg."
Bodybuilding.com - An Interview With Six-Time World Champion Bodybuilder Serge Nubret!
Also, consider taking vitamin D too. It's very powerful stuff, and I was found to be severely deficient about a year ago. It's technically a prohormone similar to testosterone and cortisol, so don't let the innocuous name 'vitamin d' make you think it isn't important.
Yep... I know tons of old school gym rats that will say the exact same thing.
Almost used a Serge quote on my post: "Train, don't strain". At least I think that's Serge's quote, my bad if it isn't.
That's what the cod liver oil is for bruh, get it from nature...
Indeed, the poorly named vitamin D is very important.
I believe we are on the same page.
Cool story bro:
I used to manage a GNC store, and one of my regular customers lived on muscle beach back in it's heyday. He would bring in all these pics of him with Arnold, Lou, Serge, Franco... ALL the big names, a lot of which wouldn't be recognizable to this crowd. One day he brings in this old ass notebook full of notes that he had taken from conversations with all these guys. He said he sometimes would pay these guys $50-$100 an hour to talk with him on the phone, or at the gym and answer all his training questions. It was pretty badass.
Total bullshit? Possibly, but I saw the pics and just trusted this guy a great deal in general. I offered him $500.00 for it and he, of course, refused. I did get to flip through it for about 10-15 minutes though. Lots of info about cycles, diets and training, that all fit what was considered the norm for those days.
Cool starry bra.
I used to manage a GNC store, and one of my regular customers lived on muscle beach back in it's heyday. He would bring in all these pics of him with Arnold, Lou, Serge, Franco... ALL the big names, a lot of which wouldn't be recognizable to this crowd. One day he brings in this old ass notebook full of notes that he had taken from conversations with all these guys. He said he sometimes would pay these guys $50-$100 an hour to talk with him on the phone, or at the gym and answer all his training questions. It was pretty badass.
Total bullshit? Possibly, but I saw the pics and just trusted this guy a great deal in general. I offered him $500.00 for it and he, of course, refused. I did get to flip through it for about 10-15 minutes though. Lots of info about cycles, diets and training, that all fit what was considered the norm for those days.
Cool starry bra.
I'm a big fan of Universal Nutrition, specifically their Animal division. Ultimately it comes down to calories and cardio on a cut and quality calories, intelligent lifting, and sleep on a bulk.
Article Details
From that little chart my favorite is Animal PM -- I've had issues sleeping since I can remember as a kid. Even now I'm lucky to get 4-6. Since sleep is so paramount to most health related goals, that's my top pick. Couple that with the Pak and you'll cover the bases for most nutritional needs.
For those of you that aren't even in your 30s yet, you don't need to be worrying about stuff like Stak, Test, or Mstack to put on lean weight. Just eat right and eat big. Everyone knows what the fuck this means, but it is more profitable to wrap it in a complex formulae and sell it as a book, training guide, or DVD than it is to say stick to lean protein sources, lots of veggies, and whole grains (more in the a.m hours than p.m hours).
For those of you looking to lose weight, it'd be the Cuts product more for its anti-catabolic properties than any of the dieuretic/thermogenic properties. When you diet, your body tends to want to burn muscle, which is no bueno. Like the previous paragraph, eat the right foods, but just eat them in smaller quantities. Add in some cardio (doesn't matter if that just means take 1000 extra steps a day).
For me, I alternate between specific goals. Right now my routine is:
4am: wakeup, have a yogurt and head to office
6:30am: 2 scoops Torrent + 1 scoop Atomic 7 as a shake. Pak+Omega taken at this time.
7:15am: Rage + Pump (minus the stim since it is overkill when combined with Rage) + Uniliver
7:20-7:45am: Cardio...right now that's just walking on steep incline between 2.5-3mph
7:45-9am: Lift.
9am: Nitro
9am-much much later: work
10pm: Futility in first attempt at sleeping
Midnight: For fuck's sake, why can't I sleep for one goddamned night
4am: Here we go again
My trainer is also my training partner; the dude is 50yrs old, 250lb and is ripped. For comparison I'm mid 30s, 230lb and not ripped...I'd be ripped closer to 200. Anyhow, he got that way by eating right and training hard for decades. He doesn't look as big as dudes like Flex Wheeler, but that's because he doesn't do the exogenerous hormonal stuff -- he actually prefers an additional chicken breast+veggies to a daily vitamin too, but whatever.
Article Details
From that little chart my favorite is Animal PM -- I've had issues sleeping since I can remember as a kid. Even now I'm lucky to get 4-6. Since sleep is so paramount to most health related goals, that's my top pick. Couple that with the Pak and you'll cover the bases for most nutritional needs.
For those of you that aren't even in your 30s yet, you don't need to be worrying about stuff like Stak, Test, or Mstack to put on lean weight. Just eat right and eat big. Everyone knows what the fuck this means, but it is more profitable to wrap it in a complex formulae and sell it as a book, training guide, or DVD than it is to say stick to lean protein sources, lots of veggies, and whole grains (more in the a.m hours than p.m hours).
For those of you looking to lose weight, it'd be the Cuts product more for its anti-catabolic properties than any of the dieuretic/thermogenic properties. When you diet, your body tends to want to burn muscle, which is no bueno. Like the previous paragraph, eat the right foods, but just eat them in smaller quantities. Add in some cardio (doesn't matter if that just means take 1000 extra steps a day).
For me, I alternate between specific goals. Right now my routine is:
4am: wakeup, have a yogurt and head to office
6:30am: 2 scoops Torrent + 1 scoop Atomic 7 as a shake. Pak+Omega taken at this time.
7:15am: Rage + Pump (minus the stim since it is overkill when combined with Rage) + Uniliver
7:20-7:45am: Cardio...right now that's just walking on steep incline between 2.5-3mph
7:45-9am: Lift.
9am: Nitro
9am-much much later: work
10pm: Futility in first attempt at sleeping
Midnight: For fuck's sake, why can't I sleep for one goddamned night
4am: Here we go again
My trainer is also my training partner; the dude is 50yrs old, 250lb and is ripped. For comparison I'm mid 30s, 230lb and not ripped...I'd be ripped closer to 200. Anyhow, he got that way by eating right and training hard for decades. He doesn't look as big as dudes like Flex Wheeler, but that's because he doesn't do the exogenerous hormonal stuff -- he actually prefers an additional chicken breast+veggies to a daily vitamin too, but whatever.
wtf? dextrose, and bcaa+protein? BCAAs are what make up protein, if you take BCAA pills and protein, you're wasting your time and money. Plus your preworkout might have creatine in it. Stop overdoing it
Nah bro. BCAAs are the precursors to amino chains (protein). Having them in your body helps repair muscle damage. I take protein as well as BCAAs, and everyone should too.
In order of importance:
1. Leucine
2. Whey Protein Isolate
3. Creatine
4. Beta-Alanine
5. Glutamine
Source, this guy has 14+ years experience in personal training and body building. Intelligence + Experience = he knows what's up.
Watch the video and check out some of his other stuff.
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z2Rh9JPakMc"]Top5 Supplements UPDATED - YouTube[/ame]
edit: One of the more important things to note on this video is the using Beta-Alanine instead of L-Arginine as pre-workout.
1. Leucine
2. Whey Protein Isolate
3. Creatine
4. Beta-Alanine
5. Glutamine
Source, this guy has 14+ years experience in personal training and body building. Intelligence + Experience = he knows what's up.
Watch the video and check out some of his other stuff.
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z2Rh9JPakMc"]Top5 Supplements UPDATED - YouTube[/ame]
edit: One of the more important things to note on this video is the using Beta-Alanine instead of L-Arginine as pre-workout.