TL;DR: Buy some protein powder, drink two cups of coffee if you need a boost before training, take creatine for fuller looking muscles and more strength and muscle-endurance in the gym.
It’s a sketchy area within the fitness industry filled with snakeoil salesmen and monetary pitfalls; supplements. Every supplement promises these amazing results, but most are bogus. In this post I will be recommending 3 types of supplements that I have found to be effective in my 4 years of weightlifting.
1 Protein Powder
Ah, the classic. There’s a reason why this supplement is on the top of my list. It simply is the most straight to the point. Protein powder can be extremely beneficial when you need to squeeze those last couple of grams of protein in your day when you really don’t feel like cooking meat. There are a couple of different types of protein powder. I’ll keep it simple and stick to whey and casein. Whey is a fast releasing protein, whilst casein is a slow releasing protein. Science is still arguing which one is the best for muscle growth, but in my experience a mixture of both works best as whey seems to be more beneficial for protein synthesis and casein is great for muscle retention. In case you don’t have casein and whey laying around, just mix your whey with milk for similar effects.
2 Pre-workouts
Whoa there, don’t get this wrong. Don’t go out buying your favorite YouTubers pre-workout supplement, as it is probably shit. You don’t need their over-marketed, over-priced gunk. Pre-workouts can be just as simple as protein powder. I advise you to only take pre-workout when you really need it, as that is when you get the most bang for your buck. Feeling down, haven’t slept well, or just fatigued by a long day at work? Take some pre-workout and you will perform better in the gym. You might be wondering what pre-workout I find most beneficial. I will get to that now.
Caffeine
Found in nearly every American household in the form of coffee. Yep, that’s right. Coffee can be a great pre-workout. Caffeine is such a great pre-workout as it can boost strength and suppress the effects of fatigue. 1 Caffeine can also be supplemented in the form of a powder. Don’t go overboard with caffeine, as you most likely already have some sort of tolerance to it if you’re a daily coffee drinker. Caffeine is extremely susceptible to tolerance, but taking a 3-day break once in a while (read: 1 month) should reset your tolerance. If you decide to buy the caffeine powder, for the love of god, watch your fucking intake. It’s easy to go overboard when you can just throw 1000mg of caffeine in your shaker cup. Don’t do this. 4mg/2.2 lbs of your bodyweight is the maximum I would recommend. This means that a 225 lbs male shouldn’t go above 410 mg of caffeine before training.
3 Creatine
Creatine is a supplement that increases strength and muscle-endurance in the gym. Creatine will draw water into your muscle bellies, giving them a full look. Creatine can improve your performance in the gym, which will in turn allow you to load more volume on your muscle, which can lead to more muscle growth. It may just help you speed up the process of making gains by a tiny bit. Some people claim that you need to cycle creatine, but that’s bullshit. Just take 5g of creatine daily, drink plenty of water, and you’re golden. There are some studies claiming that some people don’t experience the benefits of creatine as they should, so don’t expect this to be a magic pill. As for which type of creatine to buy; just stick with monohydrate. It is the most researched and I have benefited most of it myself. Creatine is so fucking cheap, just try it out and see if you like the effects.
Conclusion
You don’t NEED supplements. They might just give you that little extra help in the gym. Take protein powder to reach your daily protein goals, take pre-workout whenever you need a kick up your ass and get to the gym and finally, take creatine to increase strength and muscle-endurance in the gym, which may lead to more gains. And most importantly; supplements wont do jack-shit if you aren't eating right and lifting consistently. Put in the work.
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zyqkvx 5y ago
Fuck that. For me the zen is slipping in nutrition. An overly expensive (or regular) toaster oven can crank out endless servings of roasted brussle sprouts coated with Kosher salt, olive oil and pepper. Broccoli, with cheese, sprinkled with a tangy cumin/chilli powder and topped with some piped sour cream. I'm trying to get in to asparagus. It tastes to me and is as easy as the others, it's only a mental block to start cooking it. A simple pan of various roasted vegetables is fricken delicious.
I've had a few good runs (3 months or more) eating lots of toaster oven [mostly green] veggies when working out. If you can stay within your macros, with veggies making up ALL of the carbs in your macro, it's not only great for me, I go in to almost monkish mindset of pureness. I'm like biblically pure workout guy. Self image gets strong.
Another 'Secret' according to me is make the broccoli, stuffed bell pepper, etc something you look forward to 'grubbing'. Add some of your favorite spicy powder and 4 lines of sour cream on broccoli and: grub.
Fuck anything that has to do with marketing. And fuck drinking caffeine every day. 100% clean..pure will power and pain. Sweet as honey and sweat.
I see people using these products always seem to have a weird disposition. Look like a drug addict with big muscles. Or are big and have a manic presence even when they aren't on caffein because basically trained their body language to be reminiscent caffeine addict while working out.
I start getting STRONG IOIs after a 3 month haul (that's how I think of workouts). It's not just the detail of my features, it's my not shit supplement, non drug, non fuckery vibe I send out.
It's possible it's a placebo effect. let me tell you a parable I made up a long time ago and have told about 3 times since.
A guy goes to doctor. Has awesome body. Doctor asks what he is doing that others are not. He says the secret Is carrots. I eat 8 carrots a day. It's a special food. I eat them and work out 4 hours a day in a perfect mental state, in perfect forum. The doctor is certain this is complete bullshit. 4 years later the doctor sees the guy win an olympic metal [becomes famous, rich, endless pussy]. Doctor can't believe how weird the fucking world is that some bonehead like that can succeed.
moral: It's the man who can finish his vision that takes all. Don't sweat the small stuff, if eating carrots is making you gains keep doing it. Master abstractions that no-one else sees or talks about.
The 'clean' motif keeps me going back to the gym without second guessing myself. Feeling pure makes even bench press feel like progress. When a girl is eyeing me I think about how my last vegetable shit looked, and my discipline. I don't have to sell myself my worth. I know my diet is superior, and my worth is more earned than hers (without thinking like a total dick about it). She feels knows it. I'm not like those other men (including the one on roids).
Guess that's my 'workout game'.
mallardcove Endorsed Contributor 5y ago
Personally I am a huge fan of Elite Folgers Pre-Workout, Smucker's All Natural Protein Butta, Kroger Brand 60 Count SUPER-PUMP eggs, and Valley Farms XTREME Chocolate Milk.
warmbutteredbagel 5y ago
the fitness industry has you right where they want you
Skyhawk_And_Skyhead 5y ago
the fitness industry wants to give him a job
ssj4kevin 5y ago
This an Alan Thrall reference?
mallardcove Endorsed Contributor 5y ago
Yep
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JeremiahRants 5y ago
Quit reading when I saw Protein Powder
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Cribdeath 5y ago
LSD + Racial slurs - pre anything = performance gains
ZeusTheTrueGod 5y ago
And one more thing - if your testosterone is low and all the supplements, training and behaviour does not help - go to the good doctor, even better to a specialized anti-aging clinic, and ask for testosterone shots, to reach the T level of 1200 ng/dL or even more. Your gains in gym will obviously skyrocket, and your regularly blood checks will help you to ensure that you are not pushing over your natural limits.
If you choose this way, though, educate yourself a lot about the topic - now you have the sole responsibility over your testosterone, e2 and a lot of other hormones.
Cribdeath 5y ago
What's the cost roundabout for being a patient at one of these clinics?
ZeusTheTrueGod 5y ago
Gross estimation is certainly $100-$1000 per month. To be more specific, first 1-2 months you need to check your health, not because that is required in order to get testosterone, but because it is for your safety and well being. Also you'll start using a certain protocol (for example, sustanon-250 once a week, anastrozole 1/4 every other day, human growth hormone 2IU every day, HCG 1500 IU once a week), then those first months your hormones may be a bit of unbalanced, thus you will adjust and get used to your new state. In few months most chances everything will be settled for you, and your costs would be about $50 for checking your blood levels and $100 for testosterone and anastrozole. And HGH, which is certainly an extra few points, may cost you $200 per month. Anyway, because that all is illegal without the prescription, the clinic can take as much margin as it wants to. Especially if they offer you that Sustanon 250 once a week (That is a lite steroid course and puts you above 99% of natural men).
Personally, I just get 2 shots per week, I estimate my spendings at about $200 per month and of course I feel awesome. My T level varies between 1200 and 1800 ng/dL.
Oh yeah, if you want to have kids, start from HCG, that helps a lot with fertility and increases your own testosterone production, and stay away from any form of the mentioned testosterone. There is a pretty big chance to become sterile while your are on a protocol, and anecdotal evidence says that you'll need about 3-6 months out of testosterone injections to become fertile again. And after moving away from the therapy, you'll start feeling pretty bad. A side effect, no doubts.
Cribdeath 5y ago
I really appreciate your response and detail ! What is the average age range of men at the clinic? I'm 29 and interested
ZeusTheTrueGod 5y ago
Hi, I can not say this for sure, certainly I've seen a teenager with a pretty bad mood and nagging all the time, but really I think most people are 30+ . I'm not living in the US, you'll have to check your own clinic, overall, all you really need is to keep claiming that you are interested at living only at high ranges of testosterone. Whatever you think, research this topic a lot. I think there are millions people who are augmented this way. And check the steroids sub, it is funny as hell
GodOfDinosaurs 5y ago
Watch out for creatine if you're prone to male-pattern baldness. It spikes your DHT
NastyThrowawayAcc 5y ago
Blood DHT and free T has nothing to do with baldness, but tissue DHT (which is located) and genes (if your follicles are affected by it). The first one is about your tissues metabolizing it, the latter one is the reason no one's neck follicles fall due to baldness, but some people lose the top area. Source, but many other studies & info about it can be found: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4171668/. Extract: "Increased serum concentrations of DHT were not correlated with the advance of alopecia."
If blood DHT/free T converted to DHT were responsible for baldness, people would stop loosing hair the more old they become since they get lower and lower T (hence DHT converted by 5α-Reductase), but it happens quite the opposite.
The way finasteride works is by inhibiting the 5α-Reductase so it can't bound to free T to form DHT (lowers DHT by 70% aprox), so in the end there won't be DHT in your tissues. But if you, like every man, have DHT it just depends on how your tissues metabolize it and if your genes say your follicles are vulnerable, from there more blood/serum DHT won't translate to more baldness as the study says.
BiborSonOfBibun 5y ago
I was about to ask that. Thanks for your comment. I am prone to baldness (but I take care of it, so no problems yet), therefore I won't take creatine. I'll stick to diet. Again, thanks.
BostonPillParty 5y ago
Can you share more information about this?
[deleted] 5y ago
Yeah I started losing my hair while on it at age 22. Stopped it after a month or so and it has mostly grown back, but I think thats just because I caught it early.
The gain in strength was pretty minor anyways, like +5lbs on all my lifts.
chrisname 5y ago
Could be a coincidence. I lost hair while taking creatine when I was 19, and my hair recovered when I stopped it. But I just started taking it again at 24 and haven't noticed any hair loss this time. Your hairline just changes as you age and when you're stressed. Maybe extra DHT expedites the process but if you're not already losing your hair I don't think it's going to do anything.
siversex 5y ago
So that’s why I went bald at 25
Well too late now lol
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seekere 5y ago
That isn’t conclusive. There’s been one correlational study on creatine and DHT and you can’t do the whole A=B=C thing in research with these things.
https://examine.com/nutrition/does-creatine-cause-hairloss/
jasondougies 5y ago
how to find out if you're prone to male-pattern baldness?
BiborSonOfBibun 5y ago
Check your hairline. If there's less hair, you may become bald. Ask someone (idk, your mom, dad, best friend) to check the top of your scalp and see if you are becoming bald there too.
Check old photos of you, and compare to your look nowadays. If there are some changes, you may become bald.
Are your mother parents, or her, bald? Is your father bald? His parents? If yes, you have a tendency to become bald.
What helps is Minoxydil, apply once a day 1 ml where you are loosing hair. It helps a lot. In my country it's pretty easy to buy it, I don't know in America.
[deleted] 5y ago
Genetics/see where ur at with ur hairline now
Reunn 5y ago
By going bald.
No but seriously, probably hereditary. Check if other males in your family have it, specifically your father and grandfather.
max_peenor 5y ago
On the net, you are more likely to get baldness from your mother. General baldness is caused by a defect in the X chromosome. However, pattern baldness can come from your father. Mother first--pattern baldness from father second.
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Brewju 5y ago
Props for keeping it simple. Nothing beats caffein for preworkout, especially an espresso (for me). Dont waste your cash on branded pwo for no reason. I also found out that fish oil caps help with joints, especially if lifting heavier weights.
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Ivan_The_Reddish 5y ago
No need to go online, you can pick 'em up at Walmart on your weekly shopping trip.
[deleted] 5y ago
I drink 4 cups of coffee a day. I find when I want that pre work out feeling I smash 2 bananas. can feels the carbs coursing through my veins while my stomach still isn't that full.
EscortSportage 5y ago
Try eating an apple right before you lift as well,
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FiftyShadesOfSwole 5y ago
I'm not so much a fan of fiber heavy foods before I lift, but that's just me.
EscortSportage 5y ago
Not sure on what the fiber does to you, but the quick hit of sugar from the apple will help you, that and a black coffee, you are ready for liftoff.
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PIQAS 5y ago
just want to add, whoever has problems with balding or gray hair, research Fo-Ti PREPARED version (not unprepared).
except that after some time it does get me burnout i drink it and after 1 hour i get ultra sleepy and tired throughout the day... some say chronic stress/adrenal fatigue~ ..meh, breaks fixes it. but brain wants caffeine too.
check this out https://examine.com/stacks/increasing-testosterone/
TRPmc117 5y ago
> while supplementing it your bodies temporarily shuts down its creatine production
Another broscience myth. Incorrect.
wendysNO1wcheese 5y ago
I like chewing gum when I work out. Keeps me focused for some reason and kind of amped. Probably just me. Almost sure it's just me.
AttikusEUW 5y ago
Creatine is linked to an increased hairloss if it is running in your family, so it depends what you value more
Count_Giggles 5y ago
If you got 7 min to spare, check out Jeremy's take on pre-workout meals
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1oqh-BzDRL4
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TRPmc117 5y ago
Recently I've started drinking matcha tea instead of coffee. Same caffeine levels, but less jitters and crash. Added benefit of tons of antioxidants.
kingbraderz 5y ago
What’s everyone think about those “bang” drinks?they’re huge right now
[deleted] 5y ago
I overdosed on caffeine pills and adderall while studying for exams one time. Veins were bulging out of my face and my neck. my neck was swollen up to 1.2 times its normal size and it was cherry red. Watch your intake. Plus that was the skinniest ive ever been in my life; stimulants take away your appetite and burn all your muscle. Watch your intake.
Hyper_Sonik 5y ago
I really don't agree with the advice of drinking coffee. On the surface it makes sense because of the boost factor but the effect on your body can be counter productive to your efforts. But hey coffee is one of those things that is different for everyone so to each their own.
catmanten 5y ago
If you don’t drink coffee, is something like redbull a substitute?
S-Blaze 5y ago
Just eat a fruit or something mate fuck redbull on a constant basis.
TRPmc117 5y ago
Try matcha tea. Same caffeine levels, less jitters and crash. Avoid red bull, it's packed with sugar (or synthetic sugar).
wendysNO1wcheese 5y ago
If you want to add some supps, krill or fish oil and magnesium are ok. Vitamin D is good too.
Just read about Pine Pollen. Anyone have any experience with it?
Most supplements are a scam. There are a few that are maybe worth it. If you're eating right, you should be good.
SKRedPill 5y ago
You would hardly need much whey (except for a quick workout recovery) if you were getting your protein intake from normal food. Personally my diet was lacking in protein, so it's only after about boosting my overall protein intake by another 50-60g (About 45 of that from whey) I started gaining. Till then I often fell sick (cold) after 2-3 days of workout, the soreness wouldn't go, I'd feel sleepy all the time. Never knew why. That's when I discovered how terrible my diet was.
A much more important supplement IMHO, is Vitamin K2.
amekooky 5y ago
phenibut has been a huge factor in my fitness change this year simply because it made cutting alcohol much easier.
Restlessmindsyndrome 5y ago
Careful with that shit, I've seen people withdrawing from it and it ain't pretty. But I agree it's helpful if you keep it at once or twice a week.
amekooky 5y ago
I essentially use it if I go out with my friends on the weekend. Twice a week max
staymighted 5y ago
Don’t waste your money on protein powder, buy real food.
PIQAS 5y ago
many people are lazy. but i agree
didudidule 5y ago
What would be more expensive, buying protein powder or food with same amount of protein?
staymighted 5y ago
Well let’s see, I can buy 450g of lentils for $1.30, 35g is equal to 9grams of protein.
Protein powder is typically 30 servings at 24g of protein per serving. Let’s be generous and say the 2lb tub is $35.
So for $35 I get 720g of protein powder, protein
For $35 I get 1,350g of lentil protein
Imadethisforyeezys 5y ago
Also with eating 100 grams of lentils you might get 25g protein but also a good amount of carbs. Not as suitable for dieting as a protein powder.
csajhr 5y ago
Yeah but one takes effort and tastes bad and the other is delicious and instant. Also the protein I buy is more like 50 cents per serving, so they are actually the same price. Try buying your protein in bulk.
staymighted 5y ago
Money isn’t an issue, I just prefer whole food sources. Also, I would never eat plain lentils, GROSS lol. And yeah I get it, convenience is everything it seems, well for some.
csajhr 5y ago
I agree, if I had the time and the patience to cook protein sources I would enjoy eating, I would probably do it, but convenience is king when you're trying to pack away 4500-5000 clean cals a day.
simkessy 5y ago
Magnesium and Zinc. Almost impossible to hit them with food.
[deleted] 5y ago
I would add Omega3 (3g Fishoil) daily.
liberty1127 5y ago
Fish oil has been proven to only assist joint health of people with rheumatoid arthritis and it does nothing for cardiac health. If you have high triglycerides it can lower those levels, but It shouldn't be recommended to anyone other than by a doctor because it literally doesn't do anything unless you already have problem.
Higher doses also can increase your risk of prostate cancer.
EDIT: Prostate
liberty1127 5y ago
And heres the study on rhematoid arthritis and fish oil https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/7639807/
TRPmc117 5y ago
This comment could not be more wrong. Fish oil is packed with Omega 3s. Omega 3s (as opposed to Omega 6s which occur in large amounts in red meats) have massive benefits for your cardiovascular health. Your body can't make Omega 3 fats on its own, they have to be consumed. I'm not even going to post a study because this information is so readily available.
liberty1127 5y ago
Well you can actually read my other comment which has the evidence to support what I'm saying or you could not cite your source.
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liberty1127 5y ago
It was prostate cancer my apologies. /www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3828934/.
Fish oil has been used lower triglycerides, but does not have much effect on someone with a good lipid panel. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3217043/ Also...fish oil has not been determined to have any effect on mortality, myocardial infarction, arrythmias... so the risks of taking it may potentially outweigh the benefits if you have a normal lipid panel.
Prankoff 5y ago
Good fucking shit. Straight to the point and clear. Kudos
liberty1127 5y ago
The issue I have with posts like this is that 99% of people here do not have a medical degree, are not nutritionists and do not have degrees in clinical dietetics.
There is going to be a lot of false information apread.
Creatine is safe.
Fish oil literally does nothing except increase your risk of cancer unless you have a bad lipid panel or a rheumatic disorder.
Some vitamins...particularly A, C and E supplemented increase risks of certain epitheliol tissue cancers.
BCAAs are only important if you have a lower protein diet.
The list goes on.
inferno1234 5y ago
For the exact same reason you don't trust the advice here I don't trust yours.. shoulda stopped after your initial statement or posted sources
liberty1127 5y ago
Later on I'll site my sources. You can literally go on google scholar, type in these key words and read the studies yourselves.
ReallyFuckinBored 5y ago
You say to "keep it simple" the proceed to recommend creatine. It offers very minuscule benefits with the downsides of making you look bloated, giving you early-onset balding (if you're genetically prone), and dehydration if you aren't hydrating at a much higher rate. Protein powder is literally the only thing anyone needs.
EscortSportage 5y ago
It goes much deeper than this.
I used to take whey and casein protein, and used to take creatine monohydrate for years.
hear me out gents, I love lifting and training but you have to think long term. 1. dairy is shit, guess what whey and casein are? Dairy
you are better off taking a plant based protein powder (i used to take rawfusion) check it out on bodybuilding.com
I have taken creatine for years, and just stopped like 3 weeks ago. Long term creatine use MAY cause kidney damage so what ive tried to focus on is eating even better than i have been. You can get creatine in fish and meat, im trying to get my nutrients from food, saving that money i would have spend on supps and buying more food. I do take GAT muscle martini amini acids
https://www.bodybuilding.com/store/gat/muscle-martini-natural.html?mcid=GGL_US_Products_Products_GAT_Muscle_Martini_Natural&bbkwid=39056086353&gclid=CjwKCAjwyMfZBRAXEiwA-R3gMyTYOIsflfXyCyAnXWMDSuWzazwu_K55sYEcbr503FZpSoAuz0N0shoC3oIQAvD_BwE
I also take like every other day 1 pill of
https://www.bodybuilding.com/store/opt/men.html?skuId=OPT2500476
and i take juiceplus which is plants/fruits/berries/omegas in pill form (contact me if you want to learn more)
what im saying is most supps are filled with artificial colors,sweeteners and junk fillers/preservatives/soy etc etc
FDA doesnt regulate this stuff so companies can put whatever they want in it, and there is limited research on long term use and what it does to our bodies.
We think working out and taking supps is healthy and fit but when you start to research what you are actually putting into your body its the opposite
liberty1127 5y ago
Long term creatine use does not cause kidney damage and has been determined to be one of the safest supplements for long term use https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5469049/
EscortSportage 5y ago
And that is what I always thought, and would say oh that person didnt drink enough water. But recently I met a guy who works in pharma and is really into human bio/nutrients etc and we have been having convos on everything from nicotine to caffeine to creatine, hence my post.
godintraining 5y ago
Better show some evidence than saying: a friend of some random stranger in internet said that creatine is bad
EscortSportage 5y ago
Trust me, i wouldnt lie here on trp. I met him at my gym and see him quite often. So naturally we get chatting and spotting each other etc. Strong guy, so im like what do you think or XYZ and it just grew from there.
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crimsonkodiak 5y ago
It's better. It's more bioavailable than other types of protein powders.
You should try for yourself though as YMMV.
womans_algorithm 5y ago
If i dont count my macros, do i still 100% benefit from whey?
realrickbrewer 5y ago
It depends whether or not you are deficient in protein, and you can only find that out if you calculate your maintenance calories. If your diet is light on protein, then sure, whey can help you.
womans_algorithm 5y ago
What if I get too much protein? Is it bad for the body or is surplus just not effective?
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realrickbrewer 5y ago
Too much protein isn't good either. In fact, most lifters already eat too much protein. 0.8gr/lb of bodyweight when bulking and 1gr/lb of bodyweight when cutting should do the trick.
womans_algorithm 5y ago
Which means, i wont use whey becausd i dont count my macros, creatine is bad uf youre prone to be bald (which i am) and caffein is when you really need it. The 3 elements OP wrote about.
talktothehand46 5y ago
Agreed. Many people take it too seriously and buy all these fancy supplements when all you need to do is keep what you put in your body simple.
amekooky 5y ago
agreed.. i know way to many people that have that fuckaroundtitis mentality that believe pumping themselves with supplements will reduce the need to put in hard work in the kitchen and gym.
tino125 5y ago
If anyone wants to learn about what works and what doesn't, examine.com is an incredible unbiased research resource.
Thecornerman 5y ago
There is not a single over the counter supplement worth the money period. That money would be better invested into good quality food, equipment or less legal supplements.
the_real_lunch_box 5y ago
sure there is, creatine and vitamins are dirt cheap. But yeah if you eat properly you don't need any of it. So focus on your diet first. And also the effort in the gym is the most important, and sleep. protein powder and become overpriced really quickly if you start looking at the specific blends.
beefthathasredmiddle 5y ago
Supplements are as simple as that, they supplement a proper diet. They are only an edge to those who advanced enough and need that extra push to grow. It’s not needed for an average lifter. Protein powder is great and caffeine for a pre workout is nice. That’s all you really to take, everything else is sprinkles on a cake.
realrickbrewer 5y ago
Yep, that's why I stated in my conclusion that supplements won't do much for you if you're not lifting consistently and eating right.
Razkolol 5y ago
Don't take creatine, fucked my stomach more than once, you'll be deloading your muscles via puking, overrated as fuck. Take glutamine and aminoacids for recovery/protein synthesis and maybe some whey (100%, no mass gainer) after your workout and train like you have a gun to your head on each set. Preworkouts are nice tho, c4, no explode, animal pump are pretty decent in my experience, especially if you're low energy before your workout.
liberty1127 5y ago
Creatine is one of the safest supplements in existence
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Razkolol 5y ago
So you're saying my personal experience is anecdotal but you proceed in giving me your own personal experience right after... Google what creatine does and how it gets processed, don't base your searches on bodybuilding.com articles and reviews (they profit from you buying that shit). I tried doing the whole creatine 10g a day loading for a week or so and 5g maintaing with multiple brands (Universal Storm, ON, myprotein, BSN, etc) multiple times, all of them cause the same side effects. You're better off injecting testosterone, you won't spend days puking and shitting diarrhea. I'm talking from testing/personal experience, you can dismiss it, i don't give a shit, I'm just saying what worked for me.
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Razkolol 5y ago
Strength gains are minimal, if you're already lifting for a few years creatine doesn't do shit for you expect putting on water weight that you'll quickly lose and stomach issues. My personal opinion after spending quite some money on the stuff is to avoid it, your money is better off spent on glutamine/bcaa/whey. I haven't touched test/steroids yet, i want to try tribulus & other natural ways to increase test before I even consider the stuff, but I would rather do testosterone than ever taking creatine again and puking my guts out.
It does tho, that's the #1 side effect of it, you google "creatine negative side effects" it's the first result. My advice is sound, if you're taking this shit you should think about your stomach, you can't lift if you're spending the whole week puking and shitting =>no gains
liberty1127 5y ago
Well, science has determined you are wrong. Maybe your stomach sucks https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5469049
Razkolol 5y ago
"significant health benefits may be provided by ensuring habitual low dietary creatine ingestion (e.g., 3 g/day) throughout the lifespan" only problem with this is that it was tested on 3g a day, do you do 3g a day during creatine loading? or even maintaining? more like 20g for loading/5g maintaing. Science has also determined that you just threw in a random link supporting your argument w/o even reading it. If you want to prove your argument to the max i suggest you ingest 100g of creatine a day and do a youtube series, it's gonna be a short one, let's see how good your stomach is gonna handle that.
liberty1127 5y ago
I actually loaded 10g a day and then dose at 3g? So...maybe you made an assumption?
Razkolol 5y ago
Well I suggest upping the dosage to 100g if you've never heard of anyone having stomach issues from it and science proves it's healthy as fuck. Imagine all the gains.
liberty1127 5y ago
Lol nice try being coy with me. 100g is obviously not healthy. The dosages outlined in that study were proven to be healthy long term.
Go hit the gym
Razkolol 5y ago
Oh so there's a limit for which it's not healthy to ingest? 100g might cause some stomach problems? But you said science says it's healthy and you didn't hear anyone having any side effects from it. You should at least test 100g, maybe you'll find some insane gainz.
I'm hitting the gym don't worry, and i'm doing so w/o the risk of puking my guts out in order to add some water weight on to look bigger. Maybe you should lay off the "supplements" for a while and do some actual lifting yourself.
liberty1127 5y ago
You can continue playing semantics with me. We all understood what I meant. Creatine is safe if you take it as recommeded...but here you have to add your 2 cents and waste your time. Creatine does more than just add water weight and someone with 0 understanding of physiology such as yourself would be troubled to understand the mechanism on which it acts upon.
the_real_lunch_box 5y ago
I a good source of advice about supplements is always hard to find because of all the marketing mumbo-jumbo. I'll add some points here that OP brushed on.
Creatine gives you some extra reps, this results in better muscle growth since you can place more stress on your muscles. Creatine is one of the few supplements that is almost always a recommended one to get. OP is right about having 5g a day this loading 5g 5 times a day is BS. Your body cant even take in that much and you just piss it out anyways. Some research has suggested it helps with recovery too, so no harm in taking some. Creatine gives your muscles more energy for high-intensity movements, ideal for weightlifting where you need more effort for relatively short periods of time. Creatine has no effect if you half-ass it, or don't place your body under enough stress for it to adapt.
Vitamins & Minerals: No harm in taking a good one, once a day to patch up some holes in your diet. But don't rely on it to get ALL the vitamins you need. As a man, additional Vitamin D would be recommended. Most guys have a sub-optimal level of vitamin D due to our modern lifestyles.
Fish Oil: Good stuff for joints, great for guys 30 and up. Usually clears up creaky joints and a good pill to take for those heavy squats. Also cleared up my dry elbows too.
BCAA: These really help if your a fat ass or person still leaning out. Huge amounts of fat loss can hurt muscle mass and even decrease strength. BCAA's help to keep those gains coming while you losing those love handles. The important thing about BCAA'S is to get the 2:1:1 ratio. It's more expensive but more worth it. Powdered is the way to go.
Pre-workouts: These have massive caffeine and sugars contents. Too much will badly affect your sleep unless you work out 1st thing in the morning. Sleep is much more important than any supplement so avoid caffeine and sugar late in the day. Caffeine has a half-life of 6 - 8 hours depending on the dose so this will hurt your sleep.
Protein Powder is considered meal replacement and not needed if you eat like a beast, its a time saver and also help out if you live in a part of the world where meat is more pricey and you need to make some compromises in your diet.
realrickbrewer 5y ago
Great additions to the post!
ImQuitingPorn 5y ago
BCAAs are waste of money if you eat enough protein.
They are only useful for fasted training.
Red_Faust 5y ago
I do leangains and use BCAA for fasted training. Loving them!
(upvoted you because you're right, but chimed in to mention that that's not too rare of a situation)
Bear-With-Bit 5y ago
I also take magnesium, fish liver oil, calcium, ginseng.
[deleted] 5y ago
Whey Protein, creatine and pre-workout is actually the only thing I take as a supplement these days, and I'm seeing pretty good results. Compared to before where I was taking a list of recommended supplements on a program on bodybuilding.com i was following. Was just bloated the whole day. Now im more fresh and i feel light.
realrickbrewer 5y ago
Exactly my experience. Keeping it simple helped me out a ton and saved me money. Sometimes less is more
AlexDr0ps 5y ago
Worth looking into ZMA as well. Everyone has different results with it but I sleep much deeper and wake up less often when I take it in the evening. Leads to me feeling fucking awesome in the morning and performing better in the gym.
EnragedParrot 5y ago
What's ZMA? (Google gave too.many varied results)
Daegend 5y ago
Mix of Zinc, Magnesium, Aspartate and Vit B6. Great support overall but still, definetly not an essential.
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Appex1 5y ago
ZMA is gold for testosterone production.
Work_In_Progress92 5y ago
A good multi-vitamin also goes a long way; one with adequate Vitamin D.
stylesm11 5y ago
Zinc magnesium and vitamin d3 also help maxing out natural testosterone increasing gains
ThinkGrowProsper 5y ago
You can get all these from eating real food people. Learn to be human.
stylesm11 5y ago
Expensive& hard to meet your requirements day to day, supplementing is a sure shot cheap way, but do you man
duntoon 5y ago
Yes, I'd add zinc to the list as well.
BurnoutRS 5y ago
was on the verge of not reading and just commenting "creatine and whey /thread"
Most people will benefit more from being told to drink more water than they will from any supplement. Of course thats due in part to most people being improperly hydrated to begin with. My rule is that I only add to my regimen when Im convinced im dialed in. Learn your unadulterated limitations, establish a baseline for what you can do with just the basics, then add supplements.
MCATandMDOG 5y ago
Great no BS post.
I would add L-Arginine + Orthinine or Nitric Oxide to preworkouts. They are vasodilators and in conjunction with caffeine you'll get a great pump. I would also add a disclaimer about creatine that if you're having issues with hair loss or male pattern baldness it can accelerate that process.
Daegend 5y ago
Those are definitely not essentials. OP wants to keep it simple and the ones you mentioned would be probably be 9th or 10th if not more on the list.
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trp_nofap_rewire2018 5y ago
All these three are BS as well.
Creatine can be found in meat. Just eat more meat and less chicken breast. On top of that, it masks the real gains because of the extra ATP available. Often times you’re not making progress, and creatine tricks you into thinking you got stronger. AND, recent studies showed that the DHT causes hair loss (I won’t link them, just google it up).
Whey is an artificial source of protein and can be considered processed food. Just eat more and stop being a lazy ass. Also it’s quite expensive depending where you live at. Use the money for something else.
Pre-workouts ... you are right about them. Sleeping enough and coffee is plenty.
[deleted] 5y ago
Yum cholesterol, whey is the bomb in terms of high availability protein. I disagree with your points entirely