What supplements you taking

empirix

Alright lads,

I've decided to up my training and train for 5 days a week 1 body part a day, lifting heavy etc.

I'm kinda stuck on the supplements thing though, I'm not sure of what combination to go for. I'm aiming to bulk up more and build muscle.

I was wondering what supplements you are taking, such as brands etc and how well are they working for you.
Any feedback appreciated, epecially from those on similar routines.

cheers!

rs

steak, pork chops, chicken, eggs and milk

Also slow release multi-vitamin, cod-liver oil and vitamin C

Works great.

dudara

Like rs, slow release multivitamins and flax oil as my knees tend to be a bit creaky sometimes.

silverside

shouldnt need supplements

except maybe some multivitamins

fruit,veg,milk,tuna,sardines, balanced diet basically.

empirix

Thanks for the feedback lads, but i think your little off the mark from what i meant.

I'm talking about bodybuilding here- supplements are a must.

cheers anyway

rs

Originally posted by empirix
Thanks for the feedback lads, but i think your little off the mark from what i meant.

I'm talking about bodybuilding here- supplements are a must.

cheers anyway

Bodybuilders existed long before supplements did. Look at pictures of Steve Reeves, Larry Scott, Bill Pearl, Reg Park from the 50s and 60s

Supplements can be very helpful, but they are certainly not a must. They are a money making machine for those that sell them.

Johnny Versace

Supplements work for me.

I drink Progain and Promax. Progain daily, Promax after my workouts.

I have issues gaining weight so I need to take supplements.

empirix

I have to say i am with Versace here, if you don't hit the supplements your gonna have to eat a whole lot of the food you suggested earlier throughout the day.

Agreed they are overly expensive, but to build good muscle and i feel they are a must along with the various amino acids etc

Just my opinion!

rs

I had issues gaining weight too.

So I bought bigger steaks and more pork chops.

A pound of steak contains over 100 grams of protein. Same for a pound of pork chops.

And with a bit of pepper sauce, it's so much nicer than any shake.

mmm, steak.

mmm, pork chops.

I have taken protein powders, years ago.

I've noticed no difference between then and now. Progress was consistent.

I'd never say they are not useful, because they are.

But I'd rather eat real food.

Kev

Do you put your pound of steak in a blender and drink it when you come out of the gym

I'd say protein powder can be as cheap or cheaper than regular food sources of protein.

How much does a litre of milk cost ?

Johnny Versace

I find Progain can make me gain an extra stone a month.

Eating steaks etc etc is not as effective for me, and it costs a lot of $$$.

Also, you learn to love the shakes. They defo have a large psychological effect on me (they make me feel like I'm growing.)

rs

Originally posted by Kev
Do you put your pound of steak in a blender and drink it when you come out of the gym

Hell no, I toss it on "the George" for 10 mins.

Then I savour its meaty goodness

dudara

Steaky goodness mmm..
But rs, steak cooked for 10 mins isn't steak but wood.

Metal skillet as hot as it can go, steak cooked for 1 - 1.5 mins either side. serve with pepper sauce and that's real fast food.

i eat a lot of meat as I prefer a high-protein, low-carb diet. As meat can be quite expensive, I buy at Tesco, in the "reduced to clear" section. It's pot luck, you don't always get steak or a great choice, but it goes into the freezer when I go home for later consumption.

I don't see the point in supplements when tinned tuna, chicken breasts and beef etc offer as much protein and taste a hell of a lot better.

One litre of Tesco milk is ~70c afaik. Natures best in a bottle.

BrianD3

I take Holland & Barrett whey protein chocolate flavour mixed in water. Tastes very nice which is the main thing for me. Other protein powders (eg tmof, promax) might have a greater percentage of protein and/or are better value, but what's the point if they taste disgusting and you have to force yourself to take them. Personally I find Promax tastes vile and sickly.

Don't know whether the extra protein does me any good. I have gained muscle mass while on this supplement - but I've also increased the amount of protein and calories in my diet so it's impossible for me to say how much of my gains are due to the supplement.

I find Progain can make me gain an extra stone a month.

I find this hard to believe. I assume Progain is a "weight on" type supplement rather than a whey protein one - still, gaining 1 stone in a month (even if the weight gain is mainly fat) is a huge weight gain in such a short space of time.

BrianD3

Johnny Versace

Originally posted by BrianD3


I find this hard to believe. I assume Progain is a "weight on" type supplement rather than a whey protein one - still, gaining 1 stone in a month (even if the weight gain is mainly fat) is a huge weight gain in such a short space of time.

BrianD3

I assure you this is true.

It works like this -

No alcohol.
Lots of water.
Lots and lots of food. Basically continuous eating.
Progain.

This is combined with a very low cardio workout (cardio makes me lose weight like you wouldn't believe...)

The problem is, I gotta end my social life to keep this going. So I settle for a middle ground (about half a stone a month.)

Corksham

My .05 euro's worth:

I went through a lift heavy, eat loads of protein and take protein, creatine supplements etc... Be very careful with your diet I put on 3 stone and alot of this was fat as I was lifting alot but doing no cardio, and please dont fool yourself into thinking you'll do cardio 2/3 times a week or after a workout etc.. i found lifting heavy makes ya too tired for cardio. Anyway I no longer lift heavy have lost 2.5 stone (I feel so much better) and will never take supplements again. Bottom line - I'm not against them at all but dont just take them and expect to end up ripped etc... have certain goals and aims when taking supplements

Trojan

No supplements currently (or to date). Don't have anything against them but I carry a fair bit of mass, and put it on too easily as well. It's really cutting that's my problem (although mad amounts cardio is doing the business at the mo).

I usually eat a fair bit more protein than the man in the street, but a well balanced and healthy diet is doing me just fine (ok, I do go over the top Guinness and Shiraz-wise occasionally).

Al.

trotter_inc

I started taking Promax about a month ago - havent really seen much of a difference yet. Will give it another month and see what happens then - if not I'll just go back to eating loads of meat... ummmm!!!

The jock

Before i run every morning i eat chicken and three raw eggs for protein.
During my run i drink water.
i take promax after i run and work out.

Chicken and eggs are far better than supplements if you take them everyday.

McGintyMcGoo

The Jock - Maybe you can answer the age old question about which came first or which you have first - the chicken or the egg?

Corksham - you said "My .05 euro's worth", but its still "My 5 cents worth" ... Euro.Cents

daveirl

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Stark

Tried whey protein powder (plain, I can't eat sugar). Made me feel like wretching . So not worth it. Tried flavouring it with stuff and still the same. That horrible grainy texture oozing its way down my throat, had to fight back the vomit reflex for all I was worth.

trotter_inc

Yeah - most of them are rotten - Promax is fine taste wise tho - chocolate isnt too bad at all once you get used to it.

DMT

Originally posted by empirix
I'm talking about bodybuilding here- supplements are a must.

They're also exempt from medical testing and usually are contaminated with steroids. There's no substitute for hard work....

trotter_inc

Are steroids used for strength or do they just bulk you up no matter how strong you are?

Ive noticed some guys in the gym who are obviously on "something" who are huge but not able to lift that much weight!

Guv

'Contaminated with steroids'.

One can but hope that you were taking the p1ss when you said this. This is the biggest pile of sh1te I have heard in a long time.


Supplements are taken as an aid to your diet and training regimen.

silverside

Fact is these supplements could be contaminated with anything, thats why serious (international-level) athletes are warned against taking anything thats not prescribed. Various athletes have blamed positive drugs test on contaminated supplements in the past, I would say at least some of them are telling the truth.

I dont see any need to take supplements. There are plenty of high-protein natural foods out there, fish (esp tuna),chicken,steak, tofu, vitamins from a balanced diet with fruit and veg, anything else - let your doctor prescribe it.

daveirl

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peterk19

Im Taking Creatine and Branch Chain Amino Acids they seem to work for me ive been trying to condition my body for the past year and a half started takin this 3 months ago i made more progress in the 3 months than any other time in the year and a half so they do work Im not takin protein cause i dont want to get any bigger just more definition and loose some excess fat thats been evading me id recomend taking supplements to anybody just do some research into what you want from them beforehand.

Peter

silverside

daveirl,

i'm interested. Please tell us more about what type of supplements people/teams typically take, and what they do.

I could see how taking amino acids may be useful to get a balanced protein intake. I think creatine is a bit dodgy though and could put strain on your system. I really reckon you shouldnt mess with your body, I personally dont even like taking headache tablets .

I was talking to the person who manages the Sports Council testing programme, who said anyone who takes supplements is taking a big chance when it comes to drugs tests, since with a lot of supplements nobody really knows what is in them.

Supplements are classed as food not medicine so they don't have to go through approval and they may be contaminated. The British Tennis federation got themselves into big trouble for giving out dodgy supplements a few years ago.

Guv

Let's ignore the fact that most athletes who tested positive more than likely use steroids. It is easy for them to blame their nandralone on someone injecting it into his toothpaste in Dieter Baumann's(German 200m runner?) case.

Supplements like protein, creatine etc. are tested prior, during and after manufacture to ensure they are as they should be. Do you think a $6BN dairy company is going to have traces of steroids in it's protein? Traces will not give a positive test like the athletes had where in some cases they were 1000 times over the normal limit! They are classed as food supplements but they are regulated and anyone who assumes that just because a company obtains a PL/PN for it's product that this makes the product better or safe is an idiot. CO's obtain PL's as it allows them to make medicinal claims and also when it is on prescription they can charge the earth for it. Big Pharma co's have had more dodgy products on the market, bad side effects, contaminated and more.

All top endurance athletes in any sport take at least a carb supplement and probably an electrolyte supplement as well. Many would also use protein.

Rugby players take the basics like creatine, glutamine, protein , multivit etc.

Person in the sports council is obviously a fountain of knowledge.

silverside

I wouldnt class electrolte drinks or multivitamins as supplements. Protein drinks are fair enough as well, they're just food really.

The things I think are dodgy are the Tony Quinn type products where you dont know what is in them.

In athletics/endurance sports, I don't know many people who use supplements, they just have balanced diet, I think the creatine is more used by rugby players etc.

Guv

Electrolyte drinks, protein powders, vitamin c tabs and creatine are all supplements. Most health food shop supps are harmless and should contain what the label says. If they differ from what the label says it is usually that they have less than the stated amount or none at all.

Technically one could fail a drugs test after taking a caffeine supplement but you would need about 6-8 x 200mg tabs to be in danger and you'd need to be tested pretty quickly after ingesting them as well to be caught. This many caffeine pills would NOT help your performance.

There are pro-hormones but they are pricey and have more side effects and less athletic benefits than actual steroids and are even more expensive. Any athlete who tests positive for a banned substance usually only have themselves to blame, however trying to blame the supplement company appears to be a get of jail free card for them.

All rowers use supplements. It's easier to drink a 1000kcals than to eat 250grams of pasta and that is why they use them.

daveirl

This post has been deleted.

dudara

It's like the story that every athelete spiels out when caught for banned substances. "Oh, it was just some vitamins my coach gave me, i didn't know what was in them"

I'd just keep the supplements simple, therefore you know exactly what you're ingesting.

silverside

Its not just me who thinks a lot of supplements may be contaminated.
here is a UK Sport Press Release which says

The report draws on research conducted over the last two years which has confirmed earlier findings of banned substances not listed on the labels of some supplements. For example, 94 out of 634 samples from non-hormonal dietary supplements tested last year in Cologne were found to contain prohibited anabolic-androgenic steroids not listed on the label. In addition, the Austrian Federal Ministry for Social Security and Public Welfare carried out similar tests on 54 supplements. It found that 22% contain banned substances.

pissing_razor

i use supplements that i got from tony quinn in stephens green shopping centre and jervis centre.....i forget wat they are called..but you are guaranteed to gain 8lb of MUSCLE in 5 weeks...2 boxes...each 45 something......the boxes have a study done on them which is proof that they work....its based on a new formullay containing creatine but this formula actually gets the creatine into the muscle wherelse creatine alone is mostly wasted...email me on pissing_razor@hotmail and ill tell you more......and the name

p.s i find the best supplements are the ones made by weider...www.weider.com who have been making them for over 40 years now

(someguy)

Hmmm sounds like someone's a bit biased, maybe even *shock horror* affiliated with a company somehow !!!!

Guv

Aimno-Or is TQ's popular product.

Musashi

Does anyone know the brand of protein most "contaminated" with Steroids??
I'd neck a shed load! Cheaper and easier than having to buy steroids from a dealer
Also, where can I go and leave my drink to have it spiked?? Sounds like a cheap night out to me!



Disclaimer;
Attempt at humour I provided to amuse some readers.Not all will find these comments funny and some may actually take offense.I don't take steroids,Ecstacy or Crack because I'm a winner,and winners say "NO"