This one's for the bodybuilders out there, or at least the fitness gurus that are very concerned about building or maintaining muscle mass.

I'm considering starting a course of Glutamine and Creatine to aid and preserve my gains in the gym. Frankly, at 2.5 months out, I feel weak as hell. All my reading suggests this is a safe and effective path, in the right moderation of course. I've seen many threads on here where folks are using supplements to aid their workouts. But I'd like to consolidate and see what your full day looks like for supplementation - if you'd be so kind as to humor me.

Me:

whey isolate - 2x day

B12 1x day

Multivit 2x day

Calcium & magnsium liquid 3x day

Creatine (gym days)

Glutamine (gym days)

Thanks in advance!

Jay

I'll take whey and cassein Protein, creatine and fish oil in addition to what my Dr/Nut requires me to take and what most other sleevers take. The creatine, I'll take it for about 2-3 months, then come off of it for a month or two before taking it again.

Here is my list:

Creatine monohydrate - 1 tsp (morning)

Beta-analine -1 tsp (morning)

Fish oil - 1 tsp (morning or.evening)

Calcium - 500 mg (3x day)

Magnesium 2 tsp (1 tsp morning, 1 tsp evening)

Optimen MV - 2 pills (Breakfast / lunch)

Whey (premier shake) - 30 g (breakfast)

Casein (ON) - 60 g (bed)

Xtend (scivation) - 7 g (post workout/evening/breakfast)

Amino energy (pre workout)

Protein matrix (ON) - 40 g (before workout mixed with 1/2 cup steel oats)

Am rap bar - mix protein and carbs paleo style (post workout)

I also eat about every 2-3 hours and eat mostly chicken and veggies, some low glycemic carbs from Fiber. Eating clean I think contributes most to building muscles ahead of gym time and supplements. You have to understand eating clean and balanced in terms of macros is 80% (or more) of building muscle. Supplements and working out will only result in gains if the diet is right.

Edited January 14, 201412 yr by Fiddleman

I'll second that about eating clean Fiddleman. If that's not inline, the rest really doesn't matter. I did not eat all that clean during the holidays and I'm trying to fix the damage now.

Thanks guys. I really need to police my total carb intake. I'm eating good lean Proteins and whole vegetables prepared from scratch. Everything else is shakes/bars or cottage cheese lol. I'm guessing my body just isn't ready for that stage yet.

Fiddle - do you need creatine on non workout days? (or do you workout every day?)

Thanks again,

Jay

I work out 5-6 days a week, but tend to take my supplements every day (even on off days).

I supplement daily as well training or not. Creatine is not a cycle sup. you should NOT be cycling off. Your body develops it just not in enough quantity to get required results. I use about 10grams on training days and 5 grams on off days. Your body needs 5grams a day minimum.

Thanks guys, good stuff. What brand/type/flavor of creatine do you use? I use EAS red powder mix but its kind of sweet. Are there any chews or bars?

There are Creatine chews out there and amino chews but they seem costly. Mono and HCL creatine are the 2 best and the more I read the more I find out using a combo of both is best as each body type is different and giving it both can cure the idea that one isn't as effective for you possibly (as useable). Look for German engineering on the creatine.

German engineering?

I guess you mean like this one:

http://www.athleticx.net/products/german-creatine

Here is a study on the effectiveness and purity of German engineered creatine:

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308814610010915

Does 3.5% impurities in the standard creatine products make a difference? Or is this mostly marketing...

I don't know fiddle. Hadn't read much on the impuritys. I know that most of what I find with creatine is you need a sole source of it and add it yourself to whatever you are consuming it with I.e. Your protien, amino it pre work out drink. I cycle C4 and assault so I add 5grams to that and then 5grams to my after workout amino drink. I drink the XTend during.

I don't know fiddle. Hadn't read much on the impuritys. I know that most of what I find with creatine is you need a sole source of it and add it yourself to whatever you are consuming it with I.e. Your protien, amino it pre work out drink. I cycle C4 and assault so I add 5grams to that and then 5grams to my after workout amino drink. I drink the XTend during.

What do you think of those pre workout drinks like c4 and assault? Assault ranks as #3 and c4 as #6 on the 2013 best pre workout drinks for men:

http://www.bestworkoutsupplementsblog.com/top-10-pre-workout-supplements/

I find that c4 used to be a pretty good drink, but does not work that well for me any longer no matter how long I cycle off it. Assault same sort of thing although I only used it once or twice. Some of these drinks taste like soap to me also for whatever reason. I would not mind the taste if the performance made up for it, but, alas, it does not. Maybe these drinks truly are designed for lifting alone and not metabolic conditioning workouts. I would like them to work for me, but they turned into more of a money pit. Maybe you have a different experience with them. It has been a while since I have used a store pre workout drink.

Instead I just go with items from the following list:

http://www.muscleandstrength.com/articles/supplementation-crossfit-athlete

I think caffeine is the biggest game changer in being able to release the longest and cleanest amount of energy for those stamina and endurance needs of metabolic conditioning, running or rowing. Just be sure to drink a lot of Water. Beta-alanine also helps, but does take a while to load (1month). You have to also not mind the skin tingling. They day it goes away after a few weeks, but I still get it months later. Not really sure how much it helps over the other stuff, but I appreciate being able to perform at high levels of fitness.

C4 is awesome for longevity in the gym. If I am going to spend 2 hours on hardcore circuits, 1000m row to man makers walking over a 24" box carrying 2 45lb dumbells (4 sets of 12) to clean and jerks with MIDO' (mechanical isolated down and outs) to hand stand push ups and 75lb barbell lunges and so and so on I drink C4 before. If I am looking to go big and crush some heavy weight, I.e. Bench, push ups, pull ups, squats or dead lifts I use Assault. C4 keeps me going. Assault is explosive and gives me tunnel

Vision with ZERO pain. Love it!!! Drinking Xtend the whole workout if course.

Oh, and if you want to get a little

Of both but look super pumped, get muscle milks pumped. A bit hard to drink but man the NOS in it really works.

Given your definition of when you use assault and when you use c4, which would you use for over 100 wall ball throws. Curious because that is my workout today and I will be needing staying power and explosiveness. Is it more of an assault workout or a c4 workout if it were you? And in case you are wondering, a wall ball is a combination of a deep squat and a push press, almost like a thruster I guess but maybe more explosive.

Edited January 24, 201412 yr by Fiddleman

Well, do you like to work out mad? Assault. If you just need to get through it and then keep working out? C4. If you really really want to kill it, N.O. Xplod