Posted: 5/27/2009 12:35:08 PM EDT
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So many supplements out here seem like snake oil. Creatine - actually seems to work for me Protean - good stuff Anything else that works? |
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Creatine helps your muscles retain water, giving some dude a "soft" look.
N.O. Xplode is good stuff, like liquid motivation. Black Powder actually works better but I find it is too "fizzy" and upsets my stomach. If you are trying to get big eat lot's of lean protein, I think whey is absorbed fastest by the body. Eat protein until people start complaining about how horrendous your farts are.  You also want to carbo load IMMEDIATELY after your workout if your only goal is to get big.
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I noticed a difference from when I took and didnt take the following:
Creatine monohydrate. Glutamine. Protein shakes (ON Whey is the one I took). N.O. Product (BSN Nitrix worked good for me). Those are the only ones that I found that really worked for me based on my log that I had kept while working out. J- |
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Vanadyl Sulfate, Chromium Picolinate, and Cinnamon work well as "insulin helpers".
This can be very useful if you're trying to lose weight/fat, or have Type II diabetes or pre-diabetic syndrome. I've taken them before with good results as part of a weight loss program, but had slacked off. The doctor has me on Glucophage/Metformin for my Type II, and it has worked somewhat. I've lost about 20 lbs. in six months on it. However, my blood sugar had continued to see-saw, I'd get hypoglycemia, with my blood sugar down in the 60's, I'd feel weak, have the shakes, trouble talking and thinking etc. However, I'd eat, and I'd just go hyperglycemic, my blood sugar would go up into the 280's or higher, and I'd still feel like shit, because the sugar wasn't getting used or getting into my cells. The Metformin helped a little, but not enough. Type II diabetes is where your body makes enough insulin, but your cells just refuse to use it or the sugar in your bloodstream. After adding the Chromium Picolinate back in to my pills and supplements, I still get the Hypo/Hyperglicemia, but it's much, much less, much shorter, and my blood sugar stabilizes when I eat much sooner. On that basis I'm adding the Vanadyl Sulfate and Cinnamon back in. And another +1 for Omega 3-6-9 fish oil, or Flax/Borage oil. My doc wanted me on it to get my HDL's up, ("good cholesterol") no matter how much I take, I can't seem to budge them above 40, but I notice a lot less joint pain, and my knees don't pop or crack when I bend or squat. Also, most Americans are Vitamin D deficient, unless you drink lots of store-bought fortified milk. |
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creatine monohydrate, it will make u fat as fuq if u don't work out pretty hard tho http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKjxFJfcrcA |
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The others have pretty much covered supplements. I just want to add that you should make sure you have your diet in order before worrying about supplements. Good food and hard work always have to come first.
My stash includes: Optimum Nutrition Whey (Coffee flavor kicks ass) Creatine (whatever is cheapest) Fish Oil Glucosamine Multi-vitamin I only use whey protein because it's a convenient source, and it helps cure my sweet tooth. The same effect can be had with regular old food, if you so desire. |
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+1 on:
Creatine, Optimum Nutrition whey protein, Fish Oil, I also add: Alive multi Vit, aspirin, and C. When I'm on an extended workout program - I add Cissus RX. (No sides, better joints, legal, - not a miracle muscle pill - but it does work. See pubmed for studies. |
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Only problem with creatine is, it might mess up some of your lab work. It can make your kidney function readings look much worse than they are.
NOTE: It will NOT hurt your kidneys! It MIGHT produce false readings. Tell your doc if you're on it before he checks out your blood work. |
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ask a scientist.
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creatine monohydrate, it will make u fat as fuq if u don't work out pretty hard tho LOL WUT? Please explain how creatine makes you "fat" Yes please. Do tell.
I take Whey Protein Creatine Glutamine Fish Oil Advil Thanks.  Make an allegation then say "ask a scientist" when we ask for you to explain yourself.
Well I did a lot of reading about it before taking creatine (as I do with anything I take) and I feel like I have a pretty good understanding of what creatine does to your body. Nothing in this process involves body fat regardless of how little exercising you do. I'm asking you to explain what I think is a completely baseless accusation. As far as I know there is absolutely zero science behind your statement. If there is any I would like to know about it. Here is a good summary of how creatine works: Creatine is a substance that is naturally formed in our body. It is an amino acid-based compound and stores energy from the already existing amino acids and foods in the body. Some creatine rich food are fish and red meat. Creatine is stored in human body as a compound know as "phosphocreatine", which further works as a reservoir of phosphate. Phosphocreatine is a substance that stores energy in the muscular tissues and provides energy for the muscular contractions. Phosphate produced from creatine is needed for regenerating adenosine triphosphate (ATP) molecules, which is the main fuel for the enzyme motors of the muscle in initial high-intensity muscle activity.
During muscle contraction, ATP (adenosine tri phosphate) loses a phosphate molecule to create energy and gets converted to adenosine di phosphate (ADP). Now in order to produce more energy ADP must be converted back to ATP. Now when ATP is depleted, creatine acts as a source of phosphate and converts the ADP molecule to ATP molecule. The more creatine is availaible to the body, the more faster body can produce ATP molecules, so that more and more energy is availaible for the muscle contractions. This is how creatine acts as a great energy source for short bursts of exercise such as sprinting, bodybuilding and other athletic activities. These increased amounts of creatine slow the possibility of fatigue. Creatine helps in the synthesis of protein, which further promotes muscle growth and development. The fact that creatine can provide energy just instantaneously, in a short span of time makes creatine a very succesfull supplement for athletes and weight lifters as they need those sudden burts of energy very frequently. Creatine has been shown to be especially effective in performance of repeated bursts of exercise because it enhances recovery. Just to add to this, your body has a limited capacity to store phosphocreatine. If you ingest more than you can store, your body does not turn it in to fat, it is processed through the kidneys and turned in to waste. This is why over supplementation of creatine is pointless and potentially harmful. That said, there is no pathway to turn phosphocreatine in to fat. Most people's creatine reservoir is operating at about 1/3 full. 5 gram per day supplementation can kick that up closer to 80% without any harm to your kidneys. |
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Good article from Sports Illustrated on supplements. Be sure to read the labels and understand what you are taking.
http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1155395/index.htm I would not take a product like NO Xplode until I had researched every one of these ingredients and I'm far too lazy to do that. That's why I keep it simple. 
N.O.-Xplode™'s Proprietary Blend18,000mg**
(Contains A Patented Nutrient Suspension Matrix & Efforsorb™ Delivery System) N.O. Meta-FusionPatent Pending** L-Arginine AKG, L-Citrulline Malate, RC-NOS™ (Rutacarpine 95%), L-Citrulline AKG, L-Histidine AKG, NAD (Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide), Gynostemma Pentaphyllum (Leaves & Stem) (Gypenosides 95%) AVPT (Advanced Volumizing & Performance Technology)** Modified Glucose Polymers (Maltodextrin), Di-Creatine Malate, Trimethylglycine, Creatine Ethyl Ester -Beta-Alanine Dual Action Composite (CarnoSyn®), Sodium Bicarbonate, Sodium Creatine Phosphate Matrix, Creatinol-O-Phosphate-Malic Acid Interfusion, Glycocyamine, Guanidino Proplonic Acid, Cinnulin PF® (Aqueous Cinnamon Extract) (Bark), Ketoisocaproate Potassium, Creatine ABB (Creatine Alpha-Amino-N-Butyrate) Ener-Tropic Xplosion™(Patent Pending)** L-Tyrosine, Taurine, Glucuronolactone, Methylxanthine (Caffeine), L-Tyrosine AKG, MCT's (Medium Chain Triglycerides)[Coconut], Common Periwinkle Vinpocetine 99%, Vincamine 99%, Vinburnine 99% (Whole Plant) Phospho-Electrolyte Replacements™** Di-Calcium Phosphate, Di-Potassium Phosphate, Di-Sodium Phosphate Glycerol Hydrating Polymers™** Potassium Glycerophosphate, Magnesium Glycerophosphate, Glycerol Stearate |
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Ask you doctor for Testim or Androgel. Also know as the Cream and the Clear by Mr Barry Bonds. I t works well. Nothing over the counter works. Just good ole fashion hard work and diet. Natron WTF? Since when is testim or androgel = THE CREAM or THE CLEAR from BALCO? Good god get your facts straight, testim and androgel have LEGIT uses for testosterone deficiency. "THE CREAM" was a composition of testosterone and epitestosterone designed to increase the natural level of the steroid testosterone while not disrupting the ratio of testosterone to epitestosterone manufactured by BALCO labs.(think masking agent for steroid use) "THE CLEAR" was Tetrahydrogestrinone or THG manfucatured by BALCO labs(earliest version WAS Norbolethone, later changed to THG). Neither one was available to the general public, nor easily acquired, except BALCO athletes. |