Starting to work out: Creatine?

[Sneakypants]

for protein, id rather use tuna in a can.

Gahhh! Pouch FTW!

Creatine works if you use it right.

Before you use creatine you need to make sure your getting enough protein. Something cheap that taste good like Muscle milk usually works pretty good. Then I'd say take something like BCAA tablets, then Glutamine and Arginine.

If your doing all of that then I'd say take creatine, and only if your willing to drink a shit load of water while you do. Otherwise your pretty much wasting it. You take it with a sugary drink and load up in a loading phase. By shit load of water I mean I've seen guys carry around a milk gallon around filled with water and drinking it all day to make sure they drink enough. Without enough water you could end up feeling sick all day, or having no results what-so-ever.

And most importantly don't drink alcohol when you take creatine. If you can't quit alcohol there is really no sense to even take creatine.

Muscle Milk isn't the kind of protein anyone should seek out, imo. NOT quality.

As for additionally supplementing with BCAAs, arginine, glutamine, etc...Many protein powders come with all that you would need these days. Or if you do choose to supplement with a simpler protein powder, and add the extras, I highly suggest doing some research on supplement and nurtient timing so you have a solid understanding of what will work for you and your goals.

Water is vastly important when supplementing. Yes you should be drinking ~1 gallon/day, every day. No, you don't need to carry the 1 gallon container everywhere you go. That doesn't mean you are stuck drinking tap water either. I'd recommend that amount of water even if you're just active, not on supplements. Ditching the booze will help you if you supplement or not.

 

[Pompidou]

The only artificial nutrition I'm using, to start, is Centrum Performance Multivitamins. They don't have anything in the ingredients you won't find on the side of a cereal box. I fear I don't get all the vitamins I need, so I know this will benefit me. Just plain old vitamins A through K and all the minerals and whatnot I should be getting from three well balanced meals that I don't. Oh, and protein shakes. Risk free till I get smart enough to judge what would be best, since it seems everyone has different experience.

 

[Solan]

I tried Creatine and Whey Protein at different times, and didn't get alot of results from either. I'm a similar build at 5'9" 145 lbs, but I also think my metabolism is just freakish, because I eat like a horse and never gain a pound from it.

I'm just hoping to get lucky and see thin become the new muscular, so I'll have a head start on everyone when it comes to pickin' up the ladies.

I'm in the same boat Tim, I'm the same as Pomp 5'10 125lbs. I don't think I eat a super amount but I do eat about as much as all my brothers who are 'normal weight'. My metabolism has always been freakishly fast, even when I was a kid I was skinny and I had been eating main 3 meals and shit loads of snacks (ie candy, Mr Noodles, sandwiches, etc).

 

[Darkdante]

Gahhh! Pouch FTW!






Muscle Milk isn't the kind of protein anyone should seek out, imo. NOT quality.

As for additionally supplementing with BCAAs, arginine, glutamine, etc...Many protein powders come with all that you would need these days. Or if you do choose to supplement with a simpler protein powder, and add the extras, I highly suggest doing some research on supplement and nurtient timing so you have a solid understanding of what will work for you and your goals.

Water is vastly important when supplementing. Yes you should be drinking ~1 gallon/day, every day. No, you don't need to carry the 1 gallon container everywhere you go. That doesn't mean you are stuck drinking tap water either. I'd recommend that amount of water even if you're just active, not on supplements. Ditching the booze will help you if you supplement or not.

For BCAA's, Arginine, and Glutamine to work for you, they usually are taken separately from protein sources.

I feel it's more effective that way, if thats true or not.

From experience I've found it more important that you take the protein on a regular basis, rather than buying the most expensive type of protein. And to get me to take it on a regular basis it needs to taste good. Thus the Muscle milk. It's true its not the best, but it is good enough, doesn't break the bank, not loaded with sugar, and I don't have to hold my nose when I drink it.

 

[Sneakypants]

For BCAA's, Arginine, and Glutamine to work for you, they usually are taken separately from protein sources.

I feel it's more effective that way, if thats true or not.

BCAAs are BCAAs. You are injesting them, or you're not. Taken separately, however, you have the ability to fine tune exactly what you injest and when.

If your protein source includes BCAAs and other amino acids in the amounts you'd be taking separately, then there is no need for additional supplementation. If you prefer taking them separately, shoot for a plain Jane protein and then add the select other nutrients and amounts of those nutrients that you choose. If your protein source does include all you would take as separate supplementation, you should really ensure the timing of your protein source is appropriate. The most obvious ispost-workout. Aside from that, there are varying philosophies as to when is appropriate for your other 1-2/day.

Unless you are really looking to fine tune your supplementation, taking a well-rounded, quality protein source is just fine. And for someone who is just starting to work out, fine tuning their supplementation isn't something they need to be concerned with just yet. Establishing proper form, eating well, and getting proper sleep are the most important habits to develop and stick to. Supplementation cycles constantly change and can change with your overall goals or current phase, etc. No reason to inundate anyone with that really.

From experience I've found it more important that you take the protein on a regular basis, rather than buying the most expensive type of protein. And to get me to take it on a regular basis it needs to taste good. Thus the Muscle milk. It's true its not the best, but it is good enough, doesn't break the bank, not loaded with sugar, and I don't have to hold my nose when I drink it.

Taking your protein source regularly is important. I think that's called sticking to the plan. If you deviate, don't be surprised when the results aren't optimal.

Muscle Milk has too many calories and too much fat for lean mass development in my opinion. I remember when my girlfriend was supplementing with it (because it tastes good) and not meeting her goals, her trainer finally asked what brand of protein she was taking. Then she told her to switch brands.

http://caloriecount.about.com/calories-muscle-milk-i121265
This is one serving of Muscle Milk in water. WATER.
High calories, high fat, low protein content.


By comparison, Optimum Nutrition's Pro Complex in water:
http://caloriecount.about.com/calories-optimum-nutrition-pro-complex-i129670
It's also an excellent source of all BCAAs and other aminos.

So that's a fantastic one. Lean Mass Builder by ADS is amazing. ADS is an amazing company. They are still newer but they know their stuff. No, they don't have 5 billion page ads in all the magazines like some companies (cough*Muscletech*cough), but they know what a quality product is.


Best cheap protein, in my opinion, or one of the best anyway, is EAS' plain Jane 100% whey.
http://caloriecount.about.com/calories-eas-100-percent-whey-protein-i84161
It can be bought at most nutrition stores, various places online, or even Target for less than $20 for the 2 pounder. A five pound bag can be bought at Sam's Club for ~$27 and you can use that to refill the more convenient 2 pound container.


BSN's Syntha-6 is another one that isn't so great. It tastes good, but at the cost of your nutrition. And that shit's not even cheap. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone. And Muscle Milk is significantly worse than Syntha-6, so use that as reference.



The EAS, Pro Complex, and Lean Mass Builder all taste good. Not delicious good (like Muscle Milk or Syntha-6), but just good, and it won't gag you. That's just my opinion. I know a lot of people actually like the way Nitro-Tech tastes, but I have to disagree. Muscletech products are pretty decent, but I can't stand the way any of them taste, lol. And you are right, at least to the point that it has to taste good for you to take it. Most people will be the same, so by the lowest common denominator, for it to work, it has to taste good. I'll do something that's good for me that I don't necessarily enjoy, but most people won't. And why should anyone? There's a way to enjoy exercise, and there's a way to enjoy eating and supplementing.

 

[Sneakypants]

lol at injesting...It's ingesting.
I need coffee.

 

[Novolo]

From what i know about Creatine its bad... all it does is make you look bigger not make you stronger from what i know about it and I know they don't know what this thing will do to you in 20 years from now because it hasn't been out that long.

 

[Sneakypants]

Being that creatine is an enhancer, it will always be under fire and examined for potential negatives. However, it's been a mainstream product available to the public for ~15 years. It has existed long before that and countless tests have been done on its safety. While nothing conclusive has ever been discovered against the use of creatine, there have been folks that have had a variety of symptoms that happened to be users of creatine. Again, not remotely conclusive. The validity of these parallels is streamlined with something like, "I had 2 beers 5 nights ago, and tonight I wrecked my car into a telephone pole. I blame the alcohol in the two beers from 5 nights ago." Things can and do happen to the body without creatine use, yet people are so quick to point the finger at creatine as the culprit for all their ailments when in reality, the air we breathe is much more harmful. Any tests that have been done have shown it to be safe.

Please realize that, as I said earlier, the safety issues with creatine rise up from user error. People don't discuss usage with their doctors. They take advice from some snot-nosed friend of theirs instead. They misuse it and rely on it without cycling off, of for the appropriate amount of time. They don't drink nearly enough water, etc. There are tons of reasons why it could be bad for you, but those reasons all lie within user error. Until scientifically proven otherwise (and they've been testing it out for a long time now) it is safe. Those of you who have had bad experiences, well, it wasn't for you. How many of you discussed the use of creatine with your doctor before you tried it? How many of you were AT LEAST over the age of 18? How many of you ascertained there were no allergies involved? How many of you were supplementing with something else, or taking some kind of other medication? How many of you followed the directions on the label to a "T"?

There's a massive difference in the words coming out of some of the mouths here at QCDN, versus the failure of so many scientists to find a health risk in creatine. Take that at face value.

 

[Pompidou]

It's all good advice nonetheless. Once I establish a workout routine (I'm still learning and experimenting), and once I know what I'm doing, maybe I'll give it a try. I think starting off conservative and gradually adding to your chemical regiment is a good idea - if only to be able to immediately pinpoint an allergy if there is one. If I start all at once and something goes wrong, I'll have to try each one individually to single out the allergy. Not that I expect an allergy or anything - I'm not allergic to any food. I need to change my diet habits before I touch anything really exotic.

 

[Sneakypants]

It's all good advice nonetheless.

I can't agree with that at all. Some of it's decent. I'm not an expert myself, but at least I can provide some examples for you and make some sense. Ask yourself how much of that you're getting here. I wouldn't call all of this thread good advice.

That said, as I mentioned nutrient timing being important, this is a great book to help you understand that concept better. Written by experts on the matter and most of it is available here: http://books.google.com/books?id=04...a=X&oi=book_result&resnum=4&ct=result#PPP1,M1 for free! I have a hard copy at home.

Enjoy.

 

[Darkdante]

And just remember that simply because it's sold at a vitamin store, does not 100% guarantee you of it being safe.

Some stuff on those shelves are very much steroid like, and have the same hazards.

Reading up on anything you supplement your diet with BEFORE you take it helps, and make sure you read from multiple sources.

 

[Anaeran]

My roommate buys big tubs of this stuff and takes it twice a day, 5 days a week- once around lunch time and then once after he hits the gym in the evening. He was a skinny kid and has built up a decent frame after a few months.

I noticed he started gagging whenever he even thought about the stuff though, and when chugging down a whole creatine shake (he mixed it with OJ or some shit) he would literally gag over and over again randomly. It was to the point where you'd think someone was throwing up everywhere but nothing came up when he gagged.

Anything that makes you do that can't be healthy for you imo.

 

[Ecks]

Well, there's lots of things in this world that are healthy for you and taste like shit. Unfortunately nearly all freaking whey or creatine shakes taste absolutely fucking gross. I use a fairly cheapo whey shake that's "chocolate flavor". It only vaguely tastes like chocolate but the fucking aftertaste is OMG-horrid. Though I discovered adding a little bit of peanut butter to the mixture actually gets rid of the aftertaste and makes the whole drink taste a lot better.

Still.. some of the "flavors" of these shakes or so friggen awful, it's a wonder they even sell them. I tried a vanilla flavor and a strawberry flavor of the same kind of shake once, I wanted the puke so damn bad. I spit everything I didn't swallow out. It was disgusting. So I can see why your friend would be gagging. This shit tastes gross.

 

[Sneakypants]

Anything that makes you do that can't be healthy for you imo.

That's just the way it tastes, or more to the point, the way his brand tastes to him specifically. He should try another kind.

Lots of booze isn't exactly healthy either. Not sure if you're still into that, but hopefully not. Or at least everyone (not just heavy drinkers) could take away that being healthy is being healthy. Being healthy while making exceptions isn't being healthy. Can't knock something you wouldn't do personally for being unhealthy, if you are one to do other unhealthy things yourself. Doesn't make much sense in the practice what you preach arena.

Best thing to start with is a discussion, or as many as it takes to make up your mind, with your doctor.

little bit of peanut butter.

Peanut butter makes the world go round.

 

[Pompidou]

When I had a tub of strawberry protein powder years ago, it was okay. It had very little flavor at all. I didn't like the protein bar I tried eating. I'll have to run to CVS or Walmart tomorrow for protein. I'll eat anything but chocolate - don't like it as real chocolate, won't like it as supplement.

 

[Darkdante]

The best tasting strawberry protein powder I ever tasted came from Xyience. That thing tasted so good I had no problem with it.

Too bad I don't really see it sold locally anymore, and for awhile I thought it was discontinued.

 

[Sanoske]

Whatever you do, avoid Vanilla powders. Good lord they are disgusting. I actually enjoy my chocolate protein shakes, but I'm too scared to try Strawberry. Could be awesome, but could easily be pretty heinous.

 

[Pompidou]

Today I bought Body Fortress "Super Advanced" (as opposed to bare bones primitive?) Whey Protein. It's strawberry powder. It tastes pretty good, I have to say. It smells great, but the flavor isn't as strong a strawberry as the smell. I can live with this.

 

[Strid]

Don't under estimate the power of plain ol' peanut butter too, good stuff. Workin' out and a peanut butter snack afterward makes me feel pretty damn good. I cleared all my vitamin/nutrient deficiencies with addin' five peanut butter crackers to my daily diet at some point. Not store bought ones, but Jiff and saltines. May not do the trick for you but peanut butter gives me a jolt of freshness. I don't like peanut butter in any other instance but I'm sure a peanut butter and banana sandwich is even better.

 

[Pompidou]

Peanut butter is good. It came highly recommended by my past supervisor. We were talking after work one day and I mentioned to him I'm trying to gain weight. He's a nutrition graduate. Told me to eat peanut butter, as much as I could, every day. I still try to eat a peanutbutter sandwich when I can. It comes in waves as I binge and burnout.