I just started a workout program with this new trainer. He wants me to take the following supplements, and I was just wondering if any of you guys have tried any of these. Any side effects, etc? Heavy Weight Gainer 900 by Champion. I've taken this before. The Strawberry flavor is about the worst thing I have ever tasted in my life. My trainer told me to try the Chocalate flavor. The only side effect I had was that you had to go pee every freakin hour. Creatine Trac is the other thing I am suppose to take. Everyone I've talked to has said that creatine is really safe to take. This one is in power form. The third thing he told me to take (and this is really the only thing I am worried about) is something called 1-AD. Its in tablet form and is suppose to raise your testeserone (sp?) level before working out. He says its really safe to take, but I have my doubts. Any suggestions? In the last two weeks I have put on about 5-6 lbs naturally. He told me keep cardio to a minimum. Maybe 20 min total in a week. Has me doing heavy heavy (did I mention heavy ) weights. I seem to be going up naturallyl.
Do not follow this trainer's advice on supplements. It sounds like he is not giving you advice on how to build a strong, healthy body but instead trying to puff you up so you think you are gaining weight on his plan. Buy Power Eating by Susan Kliener. Follow the nutrition guidelines in that book and you can achieve any body type you want and be healthy without wasting money on useless supplements like Gainer 9000 or 1-AD. I have been an avid weight lifter for about seven years and was in the Texas A&M weightlifting club for two years. The only supplements I found were worth it after trying them all, including 1-AD were Myoplex/Met-Rx meal replacements and Creavescent creatine pouches. I actually don't even use creatine anymore and continue to push my Bench, Squat and Deadlift to bigger and better numbers. But you NEED myoplex twice to three times a day to get enough quality protein. Those Gainer 9000 things are filled with Carbs and a bunch of poor quality protein. Myoplex and Met-Rx both have very high quality proteins, ie they have a wide array of aminos. Also they have vitamins and minerals and if taken with milk will easily fulfill your calcium requirements. 1-AD is similar to Andro and these sorts of products. You will get a placebo like effect and it might temporarily boost your testosterone but also your estrogen. It was a fad going out of style. Creatine works, but it is best to cycle. I use it to get out of plateus. When it comes down to it, the only way you will get stronger and bigger is with hard work in the weight room. If you really want to get serious about lifting weights and getting in shape, subscribe to Muscle Media Magazine. It is put out by EAS so it does hype EAS products but that is okay because EAS does make the best supplements on the market, although overpriced. The articles in MM are all by doctors and trainers with great credentials and it is considered to be on the cutting edge of fitness and nutrition. Also, don't forget to do deadlifts and powercleans. When people leaves these out of their workouts it is like leaving steroids out of your breakfast.
Exactly. If you had no problem adding 5 to 6 pounds naturally, then there should be no reason to do that stuff. I have worked in a gym for the past 4 years while in high school and rarely does that stuff work. Natural is the best way regardless of what a trainer says. Protein is the best way to add muscle.
One more question, is Optimum Nutrition Whey Protein safe to take? My girlfriend is suppose to be drinking this thing.
Do you think you could elaborate a bit, especially in regards to powercleans? Why exactly are they so beneficial and what muscle groups do they work?
Thanks for the advice LeGrouper and Stevie. I did some research of my own and most websites seemed to claim 1-AD is safe. Some even recommend taking upto six tablets per day. My trainer told me to take just 1-2 per day. Regardless, I am going to tell him that I just don't feel safe taking 1-AD. It's not as if I want to be the second coming of Arnold. I just want to add about 20 lbs of muscle and I dont care if it takes 6-12 months. I think I will try out the protien powder and the creatine for about two weeks though. And my trainer himself had told me to do my own research before taking any supplements. He told me not to trust any guys at GNC, other health food stores or even the trainer himself. Asking around and doing your own research is the best way I suppose.
I am not an expert. But always keep this in mind:" You never know what will come up in the news about those unnatural food 10 years down the road". Science is advancing every minute. Those "experts" in the future might discover some new dire side-effects from taking those supplements. Sounds familiar? I have the same opinion about using a laser to correct my eye-sight or stuff like that. New technology = unstable technology.
I just started using Myoplex after I'm done workin out. I don't really think it's a unsafe supplement or packed with as much muscle buildin stuff as the thing the thread was aimed at, but it helps restore vitamins and stuff that contribute to building muscle. It's definitely a safe thing to use.
I work out 3 times a week, would it do anything for me to supplement a myoplex product before or after a workout? I am not trying to bulk up that much but I do want to stay tone {I am 36} and if this would help I would try it out..............any suggestions?
nothing is better than the food made from nature. so figure it out what is a good protein drink instead
Any exercise that uses the whole body in unison, in one powerful grinding force, causes the body to produce Growth Hormone and Testosterone. It is a response that is well documented in numerous medical studies, I will allow anyone here to research and dispute. GH and Testosterone promote muscle growth, fat loss, bone density and are the reason why body builders get so ripped and are why heavy lifters can eat so much crap and still have a six pack. Deadlifts and powercleans are two exercises that will do this. The squat is perhaps the single best exercise for starting an anabolic environment because it is utilizing the largest muscle group in the body for force and the remainder of the body for stabilization. That is why your biceps will benefit more from one day of squats and one day of bicep curls than it would from two days of biceps curls. Biceps curls do have a slight anabolic property and do stimulate bicep muscle fibers directly but do not produce the GH and Testerone response that squats, deadlifts, and powercleans do. To learn how to do a proper powerclean or deadlift I suggest you consult any of a number of books you can find in Barnes and Noble. Both exercises take time to learn properly but once you get them into your routine the results will be amazing. You will burn more fat and put on more muscle.
Thanks a lot LeGrouper for the great info. I've been laying off the cleans and power lifts this summer and have been wondering why my maxes weren't jumping up like they were during the year. I guess I'll start back up.
