The Sport Supplement Thread

[3 Justin 3]

Originally Posted by Kybosh

I recommend eating real food (fresh meat, veggies, fruit etc.). Most supplements are the lowest of the low for food quality.

No way in hell am I eating 150+ grams of protein a day. I'm only getting Whey Protein for my after work outs, and then some fishoil and multivitamins.

I ain't got the money to buy NO, Casein, and everything else.

[PeteLFan]

I would give sndcanada a look it's cheaper then gnc and popeyes, a little bit more then bodybuilding.com you get your stuff quicker plus free shipping over 99 purchases.

Supplements are meant to supplement your diet. I use protein because I don't get enough throughout the day, and making a shake is quick and easy. You should be getting the bulk of your nutrients and protein intake from whole foods.

Casein is a waste of money, just get a blended protein like combat by muscle pharm or myofusion from gaspari nutrition.

I would suggest staying away from fat burners, especially hydroxycut. If you really need something loom for green tea or acai products. One other thing to make sure is to have your thyroid checked, it be very useful in weight loss so you can pick the proper products.

[PeteLFan]

As far as NO products, be very careful if a pre workout is something you take. Bsn no xplode is a terrible product from experience. The only times I was exploding was when it kicked in high gear and I was running to the toilet.

[stang]

What about PGX for losing weight? Any experience with this?

[Azure]

Originally Posted by stang

What about PGX for losing weight? Any experience with this?

I'm also wondering about this.

It is advertised to help with some of the exact things that can make you gain weight, but for some reason it seems like nobody ever wants to talk about it.

[Azure]

As for what I take, usually just fish oil, Vitamin D, and a multi-vitamin when I haven't had a good day with what I eat. Usually take the multi up to 3x per week.

The fish oil is important for obvious reasons. Omega 3 is very important in so many different ways.

Vitamin D is something not a lot of people take, and they should because most of us don't spend any time in the sun, or at the very least we don't spend enough in the sun. I took 7000IU for about 6 months, and have since cut down to 3000IU, or 3 small pills.

A lot of people would freak out over that kind of intake, but I can prove them wrong the old-fashioned way. Most doctors will recommend 1000IU per day, or at the most, 2000IU.

Reason I took 7000IU/day is because when you are deficient in Vitamin D for a long period of time, your ng/mL level can drop pretty low, and in order to get it up to the desired 20 ng/mL, you have to take more than the 1000IU generally recommended.

I had a blood test done after 5 months, IIRC, and my level was at 25 ng/ml. After that I dropped down to 3000IU, which after 3 more months has kept my ng/mL level right at 23 about.

The health benefits of Vitamin D are obvious, but not really talked about much until recently. IMO, it'll be the next Omega 3.

[Azure]

I forgot to mention that post workout intake of easily digestible carbs/protein is very important to any long-term fitness goal/program.

Chocolate milk is a favourite of mine, but I've also just drank 500mL of whole milk. Interestingly enough, I have tried taking protein powder after a workout, and compared to just drinking 500mL of chocolate milk, there is absolutely no difference. Besides the price of course.

[Jedi Ninja]

Originally Posted by Azure

I forgot to mention that post workout intake of easily digestible carbs/protein is very important to any long-term fitness goal/program.

Chocolate milk is a favourite of mine, but I've also just drank 500mL of whole milk. Interestingly enough, I have tried taking protein powder after a workout, and compared to just drinking 500mL of chocolate milk, there is absolutely no difference. Besides the price of course.

Where are people buying their protein powder that it is so expensive? The protein powder I buy at Costco is around $0.40 per serving, and milk is about $0.25 per serving. Keep in mind that the milk has about 10g of protein per serving, whereas the powder is about 30g, so I wouldn't say either product is a clear winner in the economy department. Not dissing milk, it tastes a whole lot better than the powder, and chocolate milk is very popular right now in the fitness crowd. When I drink milk, it's skim, though. I personally can't afford the extra calories in choco milk or whole milk, that's the downside of having a middle-aged metabolism.

As for vitamin D, I think most GP's are already encouraging patients to take a supplement. Mine is, anyway.

[Winsor_Pilates]

Cheapest store in Calgary is Sampsons. 2 locations.
Online is by far the cheapest though.

[3 Justin 3]

I got some Whey Isolate today from Costco. It is a pretty decent price and would be the same as if I shipped ON from the States. From the reviews I have seen, the stuff is pretty good so it isn't crap quality.

1 scoop plus 250ml of milk gets me 44g of protein, as I really don't eat a lot of protein outside of dinner I think I'll just double up and get the 90g of protein for my post-work out. It still won't fill my bottle so I don't see the harm. If I go for 1.5g of protein a day per pound I need over 210g (I'm a skinny mofo) and I ain't getting 110+ from eating.

Picked up some Omega 3-6-9 pills, all 3 in one! Was $11.99 for 240 pills which is a pretty good price. The pills are huge as well!

[fundmark19]

If you want to lose weight and don't plan on being an olympic or ncaa athlete ephedrine and caffeine from sndcanada You will shed the weight but don't do more then 2 doses a day since it can be incredibly bad on your heart if you abuse it

[Jedi Ninja]

Originally Posted by 3 Justin 3

I got some Whey Isolate today from Costco. It is a pretty decent price and would be the same as if I shipped ON from the States. From the reviews I have seen, the stuff is pretty good so it isn't crap quality.

1 scoop plus 250ml of milk gets me 44g of protein, as I really don't eat a lot of protein outside of dinner I think I'll just double up and get the 90g of protein for my post-work out. It still won't fill my bottle so I don't see the harm. If I go for 1.5g of protein a day per pound I need over 210g (I'm a skinny mofo) and I ain't getting 110+ from eating.

Picked up some Omega 3-6-9 pills, all 3 in one! Was $11.99 for 240 pills which is a pretty good price. The pills are huge as well!

Seriously, dude, you should be tackling your basic diet as well.

Anyway, you will get better absorption of the protein if you break it up into smaller servings over the day. Ideally, in 30g servings.

Protein bars are also a good price at Costco.

[SHOGUN]

Originally Posted by 3 Justin 3

I got some Whey Isolate today from Costco. It is a pretty decent price and would be the same as if I shipped ON from the States. From the reviews I have seen, the stuff is pretty good so it isn't crap quality.

1 scoop plus 250ml of milk gets me 44g of protein, as I really don't eat a lot of protein outside of dinner I think I'll just double up and get the 90g of protein for my post-work out. It still won't fill my bottle so I don't see the harm. If I go for 1.5g of protein a day per pound I need over 210g (I'm a skinny mofo) and I ain't getting 110+ from eating.

Picked up some Omega 3-6-9 pills, all 3 in one! Was $11.99 for 240 pills which is a pretty good price. The pills are huge as well!

Protein from whole foods > Whey protein shakes.

What's your exact goal? Add size? Lose fat? Just improving overall health?

[Azure]

Originally Posted by Jedi Ninja

Where are people buying their protein powder that it is so expensive? The protein powder I buy at Costco is around $0.40 per serving, and milk is about $0.25 per serving. Keep in mind that the milk has about 10g of protein per serving, whereas the powder is about 30g, so I wouldn't say either product is a clear winner in the economy department. Not dissing milk, it tastes a whole lot better than the powder, and chocolate milk is very popular right now in the fitness crowd. When I drink milk, it's skim, though. I personally can't afford the extra calories in choco milk or whole milk, that's the downside of having a middle-aged metabolism.

As for vitamin D, I think most GP's are already encouraging patients to take a supplement. Mine is, anyway.

Powdered chocolate milk is even cheaper. Unless you were talking about that.

Milk is beneficial in other ways. Mark Rippitoe has written extensively on that subject.

[3 Justin 3]

Originally Posted by SHOGUN

Protein from whole foods > Whey protein shakes.

What's your exact goal? Add size? Lose fat? Just improving overall health?

My ultimate goal is to gain 60 lbs (over the course of the next 3 years). At the moment my goal is 5-10 lbs by the end of summer. I'd like to gain 30 lbs by years end which would be 6 lbs a month which is reasonable if I take 3500-4000 calories in a day.

Every day I see tons of ad's for losing weight, or people talking about losing weight. I am the exact opposite, I need to gain weight, a lot of it.

Hell, If I gain 15 lbs by years end I'll be happy.

[d_phaneuf]

I am going to assume that is muscle you want to gain

I might down your calories a tad to try and limit the amount of fat you gain during that time (never going to be able to make it 0% but if you do a clean bulk you will gain a higher % of muscle)

[TheSutterDynasty]

Originally Posted by 3 Justin 3

My ultimate goal is to gain 60 lbs

That is quite possible the most ######ed thing I've ever heard.

[Coys1882]

Originally Posted by 3 Justin 3

My ultimate goal is to gain 60 lbs (over the course of the next 3 years).

What? Wow - I hope you weigh 110lbs right now.

[Gunkle]

The sports supplement industry is voodoo science. It's actually really frustrating. Many of these stores hire some beefed up 18 year old that spews out senseless (and unscientific) terms and evidences that are baseless.

My complaint has always been that in a $30 billion dollar industry - very little 'science' exists. You see the classic axioms of 'for me', etc. This industry is the king of anecdotal evidences.

That being said...I can only pass along my own anecdotes. Stick with what makes most sense. Your body needs proteins to manufacture and repair muscle - so, high quality proteins and BCAAs.
There are also 'essential' fatty acids that your body can't replicate on its own, hence - the essential part. You can get this from flax, but go with something like nutra sea's Omega-3.
Vitamins (and minerals)..... the classic conundrum. There are water soluble vitamins (body used immediately and excretes what is residual - ie. vitamin B, C). This is why you have to take vitamins such as these numerable times of day - you increase frequency to ensure that these building blocks are always at hand. There are fat soluble vitamins as well, and they can sometimes be 'banked' more a little later use.

Becareful with 'pre-workout' drinks. These will smack the crap out of you, and offer things like nitric oxide, creatine, and a smattering of caffeine. There are some people who link caffeine to weight gain (just like stress) through ramping up for cortisol levels. Cortisol is the body defense mechanism - it locks down the body and holds on to fat reserves because it thinks that you've basically gone to war, and will need the reserves later.

So, aside from protein, BCAAs, vitamins/minerals, and essential fatty acids....what else do you 'need'. Nothing really....I use creatine, not to bulk up, but to increase water in the cells, which helps to expel lactic acid, and rejuvenates the cell (ie. healing) that much faster.

Now....take this all with a grain of salt - you have to decide what's best for your body. You can doubt the efficacy of the products I have suggested, but you can't say that any of them could be 'bad' for you. There are many products out there that seems 'fun', but scare the crap out of me.

[Komskies]

Originally Posted by Gunkle

The sports supplement industry is voodoo science. It's actually really frustrating. Many of these stores hire some beefed up 18 year old that spews out senseless (and unscientific) terms and evidences that are baseless.

My complaint has always been that in a $30 billion dollar industry - very little 'science' exists. You see the classic axioms of 'for me', etc. This industry is the king of anecdotal evidences.

That being said...I can only pass along my own anecdotes. Stick with what makes most sense. Your body needs proteins to manufacture and repair muscle - so, high quality proteins and BCAAs.
There are also 'essential' fatty acids that your body can't replicate on its own, hence - the essential part. You can get this from flax, but go with something like nutra sea's Omega-3.
Vitamins (and minerals)..... the classic conundrum. There are water soluble vitamins (body used immediately and excretes what is residual - ie. vitamin B, C). This is why you have to take vitamins such as these numerable times of day - you increase frequency to ensure that these building blocks are always at hand. There are fat soluble vitamins as well, and they can sometimes be 'banked' more a little later use.

Becareful with 'pre-workout' drinks. These will smack the crap out of you, and offer things like nitric oxide, creatine, and a smattering of caffeine. There are some people who link caffeine to weight gain (just like stress) through ramping up for cortisol levels. Cortisol is the body defense mechanism - it locks down the body and holds on to fat reserves because it thinks that you've basically gone to war, and will need the reserves later.

So, aside from protein, BCAAs, vitamins/minerals, and essential fatty acids....what else do you 'need'. Nothing really....I use creatine, not to bulk up, but to increase water in the cells, which helps to expel lactic acid, and rejuvenates the cell (ie. healing) that much faster.

Now....take this all with a grain of salt - you have to decide what's best for your body. You can doubt the efficacy of the products I have suggested, but you can't say that any of them could be 'bad' for you. There are many products out there that seems 'fun', but scare the crap out of me.

This entire post can be summed up in one word. Broscience.