Supplement Advice

jack90210

Currently I take a protein shake before and after weight training. Am going to the UK soon and I'm thinking of getting some BSN NO Explode and BSN Cell Mass (the new rules actually alerted me to their presence instead of putting me off ). Is No explode all its cracked up to be? Is cell mass better than the older type of creatine (i.e Creatine Monohydrate)?

Would this be a good way to take these supplements on a weights day:

2 hours before Protein
1 hour before No explode
Straight after Cell mass
1 hour after Protein

Thanks for any help, as you can see I'm a bit green!

Superdub2

Hey,

No xplode is full of crap in my opinion and in the long run i think its a bad idea. When you first use it you will think its brilliant but when you consistently use it you will find the "effect" becomes less until you feel no difference whether you use it or not. i also think people can become dependant on it. Thats just my opinion as i used it for almost a year.

Take a creatine monohydrate supplement instead.

Also if you are going to use it you will get the best effect if used on an empty stomach and as far am i am concerned anywhere from 30 minutes beforehand right up until you do ur warm up is as good as a time as any to take it. An hour before is too long in my opinion.

If you are doing weights i recommend a wheyprotein shake afterwards. I doubt you will be hitting it so hard that cell mass will be of any real benefit to you, but i could be wrong of course. A protein shake straight after then a good meal about an hour after. I have tried protein shakes before hand but i found they left me feeling full and bloated and generally slowed me down but i have heard other guys havent had the same problems.

jack90210

Superdub2 wrote: »

Hey,

No xplode is full of crap in my opinion and in the long run i think its a bad idea. When you first use it you will think its brilliant but when you consistently use it you will find the "effect" becomes less until you feel no difference whether you use it or not. i also think people can become dependant on it. Thats just my opinion as i used it for almost a year.

Take a creatine monohydrate supplement instead.

Also if you are going to use it you will get the best effect if used on an empty stomach and as far am i am concerned anywhere from 30 minutes beforehand right up until you do ur warm up is as good as a time as any to take it. An hour before is too long in my opinion.

If you are doing weights i recommend a wheyprotein shake afterwards. I doubt you will be hitting it so hard that cell mass will be of any real benefit to you, but i could be wrong of course. A protein shake straight after then a good meal about an hour after. I have tried protein shakes before hand but i found they left me feeling full and bloated and generally slowed me down but i have heard other guys havent had the same problems.

Do other people feel the same about No Explode? Could you take it cycles?

Why would creatine monohydrate be better? How much weight training is required before creatine should be taken? Is creatine better to be taken in cycles?

Is it generally done by most people not to take protein before a workout? I've noticed it does leave me feeling a bit bloated when I take it before.

Any other help?

Jimmy Bottlehead

I found the same for NO Xplode... worked the first time like magic, but nothing much after that... My mate said the exact same thing. But then again I knew guys who swore by it, so probably down to the person.

ICX

Ya I have found the same with NO Xplode... feel like beating down the doors of the gym to start training at the start but after about a week your body seems to gets used to it.
Its expencive too, nutrition x have a product xplodeII supposed to do the same thing and much cheaper..

Gumbyman

Howdy,

What exactly is creatine? I've been taking RAM after weights training but nothing before (apart from light breakfast). I'm changing my program next week to something a fair bit more challenging - trying to put on a bit of muscle - would you recommend taking creatine before and the RAM after?

THanks,
Gumby.

Hanley

Gumbyman wrote: »

Howdy,

What exactly is creatine? I've been taking RAM after weights training but nothing before (apart from light breakfast). I'm changing my program next week to something a fair bit more challenging - trying to put on a bit of muscle - would you recommend taking creatine before and the RAM after?

THanks,
Gumby.

Without trying to sound in anyway scientific...

Creatine is your muscles fuel stores. As you lift weights these fuel stores empty out, so you've less energy to lift more. Creatine allows these stores to regenerate quicker so you can lift the same weight for more reps than you could without it. It's only a marginal effect and best, and to be honest it's pretty unneccessary for most people. I cant reember the last time I used it.

It also tends to draw more water into the muscles making you appear bigger and more muscular. But again, margainal effect.

EDIT: I should really state that it functions pretty differently to how I described it, but basically it acts as stated above.

If you wanna get fancy, your muscles run off a "fuel" called ATP, adenosine-tri-phospate. As your muscles you use up this "fuel" the ATP is changed to ADP, adenosine-di-phospate, which is pretty useless when it comes to giving you energy. From my LC chemistry, the act of breaking the ATP bonds down to ADP is what creates the energy for your muscles to function, afaik.

Creatine bonds with a phosphate ion when entering your body. It then gets shuttled to the muscles via the bodies bus service (insulin). This is the reason it's recommended to take creatine with a simple sugar, the resulting insulin spike lets it get to your muscles and do it's work quicker.

Anyway remember your body runs off ATP, and it's broken down to ADP. The bond between the creatine and the phosphate that it picked up when entering your body is weaker than the bonds between the phosphate's in ADP so the creatine "gives up" it's phosphate ion to give to ADP to reform ATP which is a useable energy source.

Hope that makes sense.

ICX

Im interested to know a little more on RAM.. normally after the gym I have whey with some glucose, would RAM be more beneficial??

Hanley

ICX wrote: »

Im interested to know a little more on RAM.. normally after the gym I have whey with some glucose, would RAM be more beneficial??

They're pretty similar tbh.

I always referred to RAM as a DOM's killer. (DOM's = that horrible pain you feel the day after being in the gym)

RAM is just whey and carbs in a 1:2 ratio (which some fancy science type has show to be optimal!!). It also has electrolytes and other stuff to restore the balance that may have been knocked out of line in the gym.

Oh and if you get the orange flavour it is pretty much without doubt the nicest tasting supplement in the world.

ICX

Cheers Hanley might give it ago. Doms in chest especially can last 4/5 days.Disaster.

Gumbyman

Thanks Hanley. That's some fine posting there! I remember the old ATPs and ADPs from LC Biology. Good times......

So the gist is that the Creatine lets you pump longer which means your muscles can build faster? Might give it a lash for a while and see how I get on. Actually, first thing I'll do is price it. I have a feeling it be a lot of money for a marginal effect! Be great if shops gave out samples of things like this instead of having to buy a silo of it!

Thanks again.

hardtrainer

Creatine acts as a fast source of energy in your muscles and it is found in them naturally. The idea of supplementing with extra creatine is to help avoid a state where you have run out of creatine and the basic theory is that creatine supplementation allows you to train harder for longer.

This does not mean you will build muscle faster. Thats where the marginal effect really needs to be stressed. The most obvious effect from taking creatine is the extra water that the muscles pull in because of the extra creatine they now have. This makes people look bulky and pumped up. I've no doubt that this little side effect (harmless as it is) is responsible for people swearing by creatine. They look bigger and they feel like they're building more muscle. Of course, once then stop taking creatine, they p*ss the water all away and their muscles lose that pumped look.

If you know what you're doing regarding your training and diet and everything is looking good, then sure, take creatine and see if you get added benefits. If you're not on top of your game, save your money and don't bother with the creatine.

Jimmy Bottlehead

As an added question, should creatine be cycled? I was thinking 8-12 weeks on, 8 off...

Hanley

Jimmy Bottlehead wrote: »

As an added question, should creatine be cycled? I was thinking 8-12 weeks on, 8 off...

When I do use creatine that's what I tend to do. 6-8 weeks on. Off til the next competition!!

That being said I haven't used it during prep for the last 2 and I hit huge PR's in both.