Looking for great over the counter supplements for working out. Any ideas?

[Corcaigh]

After a workout protein is mandatory unless you want that workout to go to waste, which is fine if that's what you are looking for.

Who said that they want workouts to go to waste?

After a workout, some good ol' low fat chocolate milk with some whey protein mixed in will do, and won't give you all the crazy side effects that some of you have mentioned from supplements.

As for athletes who don't use supplements, I know a certain 6' 5" shot putter who just eats everything with no special supplements. Without working on technique he has benched 630 raw. No he doesn't look like 'The Situation', but that's not his goal.

[Mr. Sinister]

I'm 5'8" 195 .

Thats funny, you and I are almost the exact same size, I'm 5'9 1/2, 190

[Tweedr01]

Lol y'all are crazy.

[PF Chang]

So true. NO Xplode will clean you out right before your workout.

Haha. Though I do think superpump/superdump is the winner in that category.

[bdiamond]

Creatine and Whey is the only thing I suggest, I used to take NO2 and I dont think it really works! The bottom line is unless you are using some serious steroids the rest are just marketing ploy for you to spend your $$$. To gain size you have to eat, and eat alot. When you eat alot you will also gain fat, so there is no magic solution out there that will add size and make you lose weight at the same time. You have your bulking phase and cutting phase, you cant have both at the same time! What I suggest is to workout and lift with great intensity and eat right and eat at least 6 times a day with good carbs and lean protein and you will see good results.

There's a lot of things wrong with this statement. You don't have to "eat a lot" necessarily. It depends on what his caloric needs are, what he wants to gain and what kind of time frame he's working with. There are also plenty examples of people being able to pack on lean mass without gaining much fat. Again this all comes down to diet. The whole idea of having to bulk and then cut isn't really the case these days.

[SnyderShrugged]

What do ya'll find works best to aid with fat loss while still creating lean muscle mass?

[KDawg]

What do ya'll find works best to aid with fat loss while still creating lean muscle mass?

It's almost not possible. You'd have to eat at just above maintenence calories... Figuring out exactly how many calories you burn via workout/cardio/in a basal metabolic state and eat just above... We're talking a few hundred calories. It's very difficult, but it's been done.

Most likely, you'll want to choose one goal and stick to it. Then go with the other.

But as bdiamond said, it can be done, but you REALLy have to monitor EVERYTHING you eat/drink/buy.

[bdiamond]

Creatine monohydrate's effects do not last after you're done taking it. They add water weight and it comes off, at least when using it in Cell Tech form. A lot of these products are 100% gimmicks. Actual creatine mono isn't a bad product. But it's expensive. All of these supps you're naming would cost you more than food ever would if you're using all of them

.

I'm sorry but you're flat out wrong here. Although you will generally see a loss of weight after finishing a cycle of creatine, your gains don't necessarily taper off. While there are a lot of gimmicks out there, creatine has been shown in studies to help dramatically. Creatine is a natural compound found in some of the food we eat. However in order to get an added benefit from it, supplementation helps so that you don't have to eat a ton of meat. Same with the supplementation of protein and other nutrients. You can isolate what you're trying to add to your body without having to deal with some of the unwanted ones. BCAA's are also a good thing to look into that can help. Although I'd suggest staying away from the flavored ones like Xtend. Although it might not taste as good, you get a ton more for your money by buying it straight up. As far as cost goes, you can get a tub of creatine or bcaa's that will last you a month or two for under $20 each so saying it's expensive is just being uninformed.

[#98QBKiller]

What do ya'll find works best to aid with fat loss while still creating lean muscle mass?

Like KDawg said, these are almost opposing goals. It's possible to lose fat and maintain most of your muscle mass but extremely difficult to build muscle mass and lose fat simultaneously. The best thing to do is decide which would do the most good for you right now. If you decide to add some muscle you'll inevitable gain some fat in the process. It's possible to minimize the amount of fat you gain by keeping your diet as clean as possible while still eating a surplus of calories. i.e. no "dirty bulking." What most people do is go on a mass-gaining routine then switch to a fat-loss routine after a certain amount of time.

[KDawg]

I'm sorry but you're flat out wrong here. Although you will generally see a loss of weight after finishing a cycle of creatine, your gains don't necessarily taper off. While there are a lot of gimmicks out there, creatine has been shown in studies to help dramatically. Creatine is a natural compound found in some of the food we eat. However in order to get an added benefit from it, supplementation helps so that you don't have to eat a ton of meat. Same with the supplementation of protein and other nutrients. You can isolate what you're trying to add to your body without having to deal with some of the unwanted ones. BCAA's are also a good thing to look into that can help. Although I'd suggest staying away from the flavored ones like Xtend. Although it might not taste as good, you get a ton more for your money by buying it straight up. As far as cost goes, you can get a tub of creatine or bcaa's that will last you a month or two for under $20 each so saying it's expensive is just being uninformed.

uniformed? Come on, bdiamond. Read what I said first off. Creatine monohydrate is a decent product, as stated above. I also said that in Cell Tech form, it's a waste. Read before spewing crap like that out there. However, it's NOT necessary. Sorry. It's not.

As far as cost goes, that $20 tub multiplied by the other 16 products that people think they need adds up to a TON of money. Money you could have spent on food.

[Mr. Sinister]

Good luck SnyderShrugged, like 98 and Kdawg said, that is definitely one hell of a mind job.

[Corcaigh]

When folks talk about bulking or "creating lean muscle mass", is the goal body building rather than improved athletic performance and health?

A solid exercise program combined with healthy eating will greatly increase strength, flexibility, and endurance and can be accomplished while losing significant fat. You may not get paid to model underwear, but that's never been a life objective of mine.

[matty dread]

Always amazes me that people will roll the dice on some of these sketchy supplements. Eat a clean diet and drink plenty of water. That's all you need.

[Mickalino]

Don't buy OTC workout supplements. They've been busted by 3rd party inspectors for not having the ingredients they claimed they had.

[GibbsFactor]

What do ya'll find works best to aid with fat loss while still creating lean muscle mass?

Here's the deal. Supplements supplement. They aid. They aren't to be taken by them selves with little exercise and no mind to diet.

You want to maintain muscle mass while burning fat? Here's the deal:

1. Diet - traditional 6 meals a day, 60% calories or less from carbs, keep protein intake HIGH, as high as you can muster.

2. Working Out (what to do) - here's an idea. Body weight. HITT. Push ups and pull ups, core work. But here's the kicker... most people think they are burning lots of calories by maitaining a static heart rate but really, after a while, they will start burning sugar if they keep their heart rate too high. But they aren't burning enough calories to melt off fat by keeping the rate too low. So look into HITT, or take a look at P90Xs Cardio X dvd. That thing works wonders and exactly what you need. They say it takes 12 minutes of elevated heart rate to start burning fat. Just a little FYI...

3. Supplements - Vitamin pack. Believe it or not but the B vitamins in these packs are what turn your pee that color. Nothing else. And it is true the majority of the vitamins you get are pissed away, but not all of it. So take it, as a supplement. I recommend Universal's Animal Pak. Best multi on the planet. Other supplements include BCAAs, you must take them to enhance protein synthesis. Creatine will retain water fat. Lift no more than 3 times a week, heavy protein on those days along with your Aminos and then the other 3 or 4 days (good idea to have a break in there) do about 40 to 60 minutes of HITT cardio. Bam. You'll be in great shape. Screw the scale, it's all about that mirror!

[KDawg]

40-60 minutes of HIIT? Good lord, man! That's like saying you want to die...

[Tweedr01]

Here's the deal. Supplements supplement. They aid. They aren't to be taken by them selves with little exercise and no mind to diet.

You want to maintain muscle mass while burning fat? Here's the deal:

1. Diet - traditional 6 meals a day, 60% calories or less from carbs, keep protein intake HIGH, as high as you can muster.

2. Working Out (what to do) - here's an idea. Body weight. HITT. Push ups and pull ups, core work. But here's the kicker... most people think they are burning lots of calories by maitaining a static heart rate but really, after a while, they will start burning sugar if they keep their heart rate too high. But they aren't burning enough calories to melt off fat by keeping the rate too low. So look into HITT, or take a look at P90Xs Cardio X dvd. That thing works wonders and exactly what you need. They say it takes 12 minutes of elevated heart rate to start burning fat. Just a little FYI...

3. Supplements - Vitamin pack. Believe it or not but the B vitamins in these packs are what turn your pee that color. Nothing else. And it is true the majority of the vitamins you get are pissed away, but not all of it. So take it, as a supplement. I recommend Universal's Animal Pak. Best multi on the planet. Other supplements include BCAAs, you must take them to enhance protein synthesis. Creatine will retain water fat. Lift no more than 3 times a week, heavy protein on those days along with your Aminos and then the other 3 or 4 days (good idea to have a break in there) do about 40 to 60 minutes of HITT cardio. Bam. You'll be in great shape. Screw the scale, it's all about that mirror!

paragraphs are your friend, lol, but good point in bringing up the multi. everyone should take a multi even if they don't workout.

[Tweedr01]

40-60 minutes of HIIT? Good lord, man! That's like saying you want to die...

SHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH, lol

[GibbsFactor]

40-60 minutes of HIIT? Good lord, man! That's like saying you want to die...

Well, with HITT I'd do about 15 to 20 but either way you don't start burning till after about 12 minutes of elevated heart rate so I usually add to that.

You know what a good but a little boring HITT routine is? Find a baseball diamond and walk, sprint, jog, walk, sprint, jog it in cycles for about 20 minutes. That works wonders.

[KDawg]

SHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH, lol

Either he's not quite clear what HIIT is, or he's insane.

And he says to do it 3-4 days a week... Talk about not allowing your muscles to recover, your legs will be toast. Gibbs, if you do all that, you're crazy! On top of 3 days lifting too? Must be some kind of freak!

EDIT: Or he wrote the wrong thing in the first reply, because in the above he 100% gets it.

Scared me. 4 sessions of 40-60 minute HIIT will not end in a happy way

[Corcaigh]

You know what a good but a little boring HITT routine is? Find a baseball diamond and walk, sprint, jog, walk, sprint, jog it in cycles for about 20 minutes.

My new favorite workout is a couple of miles warmup then 2 x 8 x 400m with 200m jog recovery between each 400m and half a mile jog between sets. Then two miles to warm down followed by plyo drills.

But realistically, you want to limit your self to two intense workouts like that per week. And you wouldn't repeat that workout in the same week. For example the other intense workout could be a hard tempo run.

[Mr. Sinister]

OP, the best possible advice you can get is to go to a local gym, and talk with a personal trainer. The stuff they show on TV is complete and utter bull****. You'd think that with all these " lose weight fast" and "build muscle this way" garbage that the companies dole out on the tube, that everyone would be in shape, but they are more overweight than ever.

[Mickalino]

OP, the best possible advice you can get is to go to a local gym, and talk with a personal trainer. The stuff they show on TV is complete and utter bull****. You'd think that with all these " lose weight fast" and "build muscle this way" garbage that the companies dole out on the tube, that everyone would be in shape, but they are more overweight than ever.

You don't even need a personal trainer. They're over-rated too.

[GibbsFactor]

My new favorite workout is a couple of miles warmup then 2 x 8 x 400m with 200m jog recovery between each 400m and half a mile jog between sets. Then two miles to warm down followed by plyo drills.

But realistically, you want to limit your self to two intense workouts like that per week. And you wouldn't repeat that workout in the same week. For example the other intense workout could be a hard tempo run.

That sounds like a great workout. Ever notice the difference between sprinters and long distance runners? Those sprinters aren't burning the sugar.

[Mr. Sinister]

You don't even need a personal trainer. They're over-rated too.

I know, that is why I said " talk" with a personal trainer. And even they aren't perfect, but its a lot better than what you'll get compared to other sources.