...fat burners, metabolisam increasers and supplements????
Would either like to share what you've already learned about these products, like which work and which are a waste of money??????
Can be as simple as the widely available Metabolife to the super secret gym rat special blends.

Beachboy =a Mod?.....dont ban me cause im chiming in and im not EdAvSr or Mp906.But I think alot of that stuff is CRAP!Power[rolleyes]bar=candy.IMO.However a simple whey protien+freshfruit shake is my reward after a good workout session.Some of those vitamin serums that go under tongue are not bad either.I believe there is NO magic pill/concoction,you get 'outofit'what you put in to it.IMO.But then Im a cynic!

Ed,Sr.

Thanks for the links, interesting reading.  Personally, I have been eating a PowerBar Protein Plus (24 grams prot.) bar with a bottle of water after my workouts.  A mulitvitiamin when I remember to take it and have started taking Metabolife for Men (2 a day) to help kick it up.

I favor Whey protien shakes for the bulk of my diet supplementation.  I get the cheapest, biggest can of chocolate that I can find.  It's all the same as long as it has adequate amounts of protien.  I also look for low overall calories and carbs in the mix.  Try to avoid stuff w/ aspartame. Causes cancer apparently:)

I also use Soy shakes(chocolate again).  They are great for muscle-building protien and lowering your cholesterol.  I find that if I mix the more gritty Soy w/ the more powder-like Whey that the shake will mix easier in milk.

I use Creatine and Glutamine, 5g each in 8oz. of apple juice after my workout, followed by the shake mentioned above.  

I usually drink 2-3 shakes a day, depending on if I get enough meat that day.

I take a Centrum every day and drink LOTS of water.  I eat a well balanced diet.  I also occasionally eat a protien bar for kicks, but have yet to find one that was'nt gross.

Works for me.


I would stay away from diet supplements all together, especially anything with Ephedra.  That stuff can kill you.

Oh, and stay away from "amino acid" pills.  They don't work because they lack sufficient amounts of the right kinds of amino acids.  100mg of 20 different kinds of amino acids and some gelatin don't build muscle.


-Good luck

Just a point of view here,but the power of suggestion to the mind in a pre-workout enhancement/supplement has a lot to do with its effectiveness on a workout.IMO.Granted the pro-ball players probally get the good/real stuff you or I cant buy legally.I also drink the whey protien stuff in shakes after a workout.

If you need something for an energy boost and calories to burn Twinlabs Iron man bars aren't to bad, they have a 40-30-30, balance of carbs, protein and fat. Be sure to drink plenty of water though they tend to make you thirsty.[USA]

Man, you bit off a huge chunk getting into supplements.

The bars are great for pre-workout, quick bite on the go type situations. They are fast, relatively healthy, and some even taste pretty good. Just be sure to look at the ingredients, and the nutritional break down.

For immediate post workout, a meal replacement shake is the way to go. Not just the whey protein shake, but a meal replacement. They provide a good source of the nutrients found in a solid meal in a more readily digestable format. This means that the nutrients your body is craving can get to the muscle quicker and begin the rest/recouperation phase of your routine more quickly and efficiently. They also provide more carbs to help keep your body from using that vital protein for energy.

The protein shakes out there are bedtime/midnight snacks if you remember to get the low carb versions. Gives your body a good supply of building blocks to repair muscle tissue broken down during your workouts, at the time when most of the repairs are going on so to speak.

Xenadrine, Hydroxycut, Metabolife, and the like are good supplements for most who use them, just be sure that you are in good health, and have NO HEART CONDITIONS! If you are not sure, see your doctor, because they can kill you if you do. The big fuss about these products is that they are dangerous to the uneducated consumer, so educate youself about the product and yourself.

There are alternatives, or at least supposedly. Bally Nutritionals markets a supplement that does not have any stimulants, ie. ephedrine/caffeine, but instead "provides you body with the raw materials used in burning fat, so that your body is better prepared to burn fat during you sessions". So they claim, I have no personal experience with this and don't really know more than that.

A high quality multi-vitamin/mineral is essential to an active individual. Granted most of us who are eating realtively healthy are meeting the biggies as far as the RDA's go, but for the active individual, those requirements are increaced. The need for the trace minerals not necessarily provided in our diets is also increaced, and as such a supplement is definitely recommended.

As for whose stuff works, stick with Designer Whey, EAS, Optimum Nutrition, and Muscle Tech. All of these companies offer high quality protein supplements. EAS and Optimum Nutrition both offer a good variety of other supplements as well. Some of the GNC stuff is pretty good I hear, but I don't have a lot of experience with most of their line, so.

I could keep going on this stuff, but I think this should be a start towards the answer you were looking for.

Good info, USP40C.
Thanks.