New to trying supplements

[Juka865]

Hey guys. Just got a job and have some extra cash flow now. Was wondering if there was anything healthy I could take to help with the lifting and all. anything to help the muscles and make results a little bit more noticeable as of right now all i do is eat some type of complex carbs b4 i hit the gym and then a can of tuna after working out. Is there any powders or anythign i can get to help results from lifting? Suggestions how much and where it can be bought? Would like to buy it in a store rather than online considering i dont have a CC of my own yet. also is the supplement healthy to take i have a heart condition nothing major but I kno i couldnt take something with ephedrea in it or something like that.

[psyko1]

get some protein powder, and maybe try some creatine. if you have a heart condition then ask your doctor about the creatine.

[YellowJacket]

Before anyone answers any question, exactly what heart condition do you have?

[Juka865]

coactation of the a order. It was fixed. Im doing fine now For a more deeper explanation id have to ask my parents... But i can play sports etc I had really good doctors. Creatine im not sure on what that does though. Im such a newb to the stuff out there i dont wanna get ripped off im glad YJ posted on this because i know your like an expert on this kind of stuff. Is there anything i can take to b4 or after work outs that would help me gain more muslce ??? as long as it doesnt have anything to really speed up my heart im good. I cant take anything like epehdrea because my brother said its like coke and made him bug out when he took it.

[YellowJacket]

Ah, Coarctation of the aorta (spent some time in the medical field). In short, your aorta narrows where it meets the subclavian artery (may want to check that, its been awhile). If I remember correctly, it causes a contradiction in blood pressure between the upper and lower body.
So this isnt a very serious condition, but one that shouldnt be overlooked.
Your best bet for pre-workout is simply nutrient timing. Have a scoop of whey in orange juice (vanilla whey in orange juice tastes very good), or if you have the $$$, you can try something like Vendetta from Xtreme Formulations. As for supplements, avoid anything that lowers or raises blood pressure. I am not a doctor, nor do I want the responsibility of one, so all I can do is give you a yay or nay to any suggestions, but Id be happy to inform you of what each supplement does and its effects on blood (raise or lower blood pressure, effects on blood glucose, etc.)

Y ou know your body better than anyone here, so listen to it and keep an eye on your BP. Right now, nutrition is your best friend, and to be very honest, by not being able to use many supplements, youre not missing out on anything. A multi-vitamin, some flax or fish oil and protein powder combined with a stellar diet is just as good as anything on the market.

Keep us posted.

[Juka865]

wow yea you described my condition to the tee. Very very smart man you are! haha Ok ill try this oj with whey. It so happens i picked the vanilla tub. Big 5 pound one at costco. Everyone said chocolate but i went vanilla it seems more flexible yah know?? Im also going to add tuna to the mix.
You said you can inform me wut supplements do. Well what is creatine all about I see all these make your own recipes and if ppl should use but i havent seen exactly what its for and what it does. And what about m1-t??? Thx any info back is good info. Especially with you YJ

[YellowJacket]

Tuna and milk, you're on your own on that one :)

Homemade creatine recipes are simple, there's a myriad of them out there, but I like to use some r-ala, dextrose and monohydrate. Pretty simple and fairly inexpensive. I almost hate to say contact your physician before using any creatine product because the medical world in general shuns the use of it and are ignorant to its effects, but in your situation, it would be a good idea.

M1T is probably something you would want to consider (if at all) down the road. Its an aanbolic steroid and not for beginners.....

YJ

[Viral]

Nice to meet u Juka, YJ is giving u quality great advice.

All u need to do, is lift hard in the gym, push urself harder each rep, add more weight each workout (Dont kill urself) and besides that here are more basic tips as YJ has said as well:

Protein. Eat it, drink it, just get it ;) Protein powders are great, whey protein is the mose common muscle building protein. So, throughout ur day, take around 3-5 protein shakes, depeding on how much per serving it is and how much u weigh. All in all, each day shoot for 1g of protein per pound of body weight.

If u weigh 180, get 180 or more grams of protein each day. This combined with lots of eating of healthy food is the base of all muscle building ;) So good luck, take ur shakes, eat a lot. (When I say eat a lot, ppl think "No ill get fat" which for the most part is untrue. If u eat a lot (Id try to get 3,000 - 5,000 calories in a day) and keep it generaly clean food, combined with working out, the only weight ull be gaining is muscle and mabye a tiny bit of fat ;)

As for creatine: Creatine is the next step up from protein. It is for the most part very safe and very common for most ppl to take it year round non stop. Many many ppl use creatine.

Basic info:
Creatine is abundant inside ur body alrdy. When lifters use creatine as a supplement, they add more to their body, which in turn taken before a workout or directly after can help ur muscles "Get more water and energy" ect. It will help ur muscles recover quicker and some say it gives ur muscles more "power" or "explosivness" during a workout.

As for creatine and ur blood pressure, Im not recomending u take it due to the fact I do not know how it may effect you. You could ask ur doctor ect, but like YJ said most doctors dont believe it does much because they dont spend time learning much about it. So if u ask ur doc and he starts feeding u some stuff, just say "Doc, just tell me, can I take it or not?" ;)

Last but defineatly not least:

As for M1T, I know uve probably heard tons about it, but NO way in heck should u take it now. U could possibly be to yyoung, and as I can see u hvnt taken many supplements/let alone synthetic hormones.

Basically if u took m1t right now ud do more harm than good, plus if u get enuff protein and food, ull grow just as much.I am not a doctor, and the info im giving u is for information purposes only. I am NOT recommending u take creatine.

[Juka865]

Yeah m1t was a thought but if you both tell me its something i shouldnt be taking now then i wont. Im going to consider creatine because i need something like that for my work out. Right now i just go in there and work out. I can prolly have better performance if i took something before or during my work out but i dont know what to take pre during or post work out...

"but I like to use some r-ala, dextrose and monohydrate" YJ

What do they do??? And is it necessary to take all 3 or 1 or what??? If my questions get annoying feel free to tell me. I know nothing about supplements but am willing to learn/ know.

[Juka865]

also what are the sides of creatine ??? It makes you gain weight??? heh i worked so hard to keep it off wouldnt hate that. PPl say its water weight but i dont want anything that will make me look all bloated and puffy... what are some other sides ???

[YellowJacket]

Originally posted by Juka865


What do they do??? And is it necessary to take all 3 or 1 or what??? If my questions get annoying feel free to tell me. I know nothing about supplements but am willing to learn/ know.

No, its not necessary to use all. Creatine alone will yield results, the r-ala and dextrose are sort of boosters. The dextrose provides simple sugar, which illicts a insulin response, which drives the nutrients into the cell, it also provides the muscle bellies with stored glycogen (glycogen compensation) for that used during a workout. Pretty important.

The r-ala is pretty useful, although not necessary. I could write a book on r-ala, but in short its a great anti-oxidant used to kill free radicals which can damage tissue and its also very active in cell metabolism.

Its great youre willing to learn and we're certainly willing to help......

[Juka865]

can creatine r-ala and dextrose be purchased at a GNC???

[Juka865]

oh also was wondering if you can tell me some of the sides of these ??? weight gain ??? Etc??? Thx. Im going to read up on it as well though.

[Juka865]

this is somehintg i found on gnc. Ive been hearing some bad rap about gnc but can they really be all that bad ??? If you go in buying wut ur looking for instead of listening to them talk u into something else u cant go wrong right ?? any ways on the gnc website it says ...Creatine Clear™ cuts out the sugar, and all calories for that matter, so there is no weight gain. It also employs an effervescent delivery system that allows great creatine uptake into muscles without the "loading" phase. This essentially eliminates bloating and unwanted weight gain, and is thus ideal for an athlete looking to improve performance without turning into Arnold.
Would this be alright to use ???? Yj? I dont want all that sugar im still comming off a diet

[Viral]

Umm its not BAD. I cant rlly comment on it, ill leave it up to YJ. The reason GNC gets a bad rap is usually because of the limited "Muscle Building" products, mid-high range prices, and 90% of the time the ppl that work their have no idea what they are talking about, truly. Best bet:

Buy some simple creatine monohydrate from GNC if thats where ya gotta buy from. After that:

Ask if they have R-ALA/ALA or Dextrose. Adding dextros will add sugar, but this sugar isnt "bad" for u like other complex sugars, it also helps some creatine drinks with flavor taste better.

Besides that dextrose/ala dont cause sides. Creatine, well all Ive heard is a little bloat/puffy muscles, but thats often far from real for a lot of ppl, the ppl I know anyway ;) Sometimes some ppl get sthomach aches because they either didnt drink enuff water, or their body has tyrouble digesting it(If this is the case, effervescent creatine hasbeen said to work well). Creatine doesnt act like steroids, ProHormones ect, dont worry about it ;) But I would still find out more info regaurding ur condition.

Note: If u buy creatine from GNC, dont follow the directions on their bottle. I believe theirs says to take like 20+ grams a day which in my opinion is unecassary. What do u think YJ?