L-Carnitine BEFORE workout Acetyl L-Carnitine AFTER?

I'm gonna see if L-Carnitine will work with my body. I know there are two versions, but some threads say Acetyl is better, others say they do different things... it get a bit confusing. From what I read, like Acetyl's "brain food" characteristics... but I also want the 'fat reducing' that some people say L-Carnitine gives them.

I workout in the mornings, so how about this... Mornings, take 2 gm of L-Carnitine on an empty stomach. Them throughout the day, take 2 gm of Acetyl L-Carnitine. Does that seem like it would be the right dosages?

Or is it better to take all of one type? All at one time?

Thanks,
LB

(also, where is a good place to purchase this stuff, not really interested in powders, but more interested in larger quantity of caps... it tends to be expensive... PM if you can)

Acetyl L-Carnitine donates an acetyl group to make acetylcholine, which is one of the main neurotransmitters in the body. This helps to explain Acetyl L-Carnitine's "brain food" property.

However, once the Acetyl group is stripped from it, you're left with L-Carnitine, which helps to yield those fat burning properties.

In essence, I would just go with Acetyl L-Carnitine. It's a bit more pricey but the benefits it provides is worth the money, in my opinion.

The way I take my Acetyl L-Carnitine is part of the Anarchy Stack, in which I take 3 grams spread out 3 times over the course of the day.

Hope that helps.

[QUOTE]The way I take my Acetyl L-Carnitine is part of the Anarchy Stack, in which I take 3 grams spread out 3 times over the course of the day.[/QUOTE] Thanks for the reply. Do you (or does anyone) have a good link that introduces a n00b to the Anarchy Stack?

I've come across a few links to very long discussions... one that span 19 pages... most are filled with hard to follow comments or personal stack ingredients... Its a bit over whelming. Is there a trimmed down article that goes over it?

Its very interesting, and I would love to know more... but it's hard when you have to read through the many posts and decode too much jargon and miscellaneous replies.

Thanks,
LB

I would go with ALC before workouts for the neurotransmitter boost it may give and carnitine during other times of the day. I am not sure there is need for that much carnitine intake daily, but currently get my 3g from Bodyoctane, before training.

From reading nearly every thread that I could get my hands on, I have established this protocol for myself:

1. R-ALA - 600-1000mg (spread over 3X/day)
2. Biotin 5-15mg (spread over 3X/day)
3. Green Tea Extract - 1-3g (spread over 3X/day)
4. Acetyl L-Carnitine - 3-5g (spread over 3X/day)

I don't take CLA because of the sheer cost. In it's place, I just continue to use my fish and flax oil when needed and have been doing fine as is. I have however, made some extra additions to the stack because I am currently on a semi-low carb cutting phase right now, which includes:

1. 7-Keto - 400mg (spread over 2X/day)
2. Forslean - 50mg (forskolin) (spread over 2X/day)
3. N-Acetyl Tyrosine - 2100mg (spread over 3X/day)
4. Vinpocetine - 30mg (spread over 3X/day)

Unfortunately, there is no article (to my knowledge) that explains the whole breakdown of it. You're gonna have to read through the threads and establish your own protocol. That's what I and nearly everyone I know had to do, or you could just follow mine or someone else's protocol and work from there.

Hope this helps.

Yes, that helps... I'll get to reading ;)

Did you find any particular thread a better source of info? Or is that 20 page one over at AM the best?

I'd like to know things like:

- Why R-ALA rather than ALA?
- If GT Extract is better than brewed GT.
- What good substitutes can be used in place of CLA (can I just use flax, and how much)?
- Should each dose be even throughout the day, or should the ratios be different depending on A) Time of day, B) What if you lift in the mornings, C) What about on cardio-only days?
- Finally, where is the best place to get all this stuff with the least amount of wallet-damage.

:confused: Damn... I didn't want to write all those, but they just came to my head.

:LB

The thread over at AM was excellent. The guys from over there came here and started some threads about it as well, so virtually the same information can be found on both sites.

As for your questions:

1. Some believe R-ALA (since it is the natural enantiomer) has more benefit over the racemic variety (composing of both R and S-ALA). Others believe R-ALA is a scam and is no different than racemic. Suffice it to say, there is a huge debate over which is better.

Personally, I've used both. I like how the racemic seems to act very quickly (easily knocking out my blood sugar if I'm not careful.) R-ALA to me is more tame but can still have the same effect, again if I'm not careful. However, I can get R-ALA for a cheap price. And just in case the S-ALA turns out to be more destructive than originally thought, I would be safe.

It's only speculation for now so just buy what you can afford. (More on this later.)

2. Green Tea Extract is more [i]convenient[/i] than brewed Green Tea. I think to be equivalent, you'd have to drink something like 10+ cups a day. I don't remember the exact number but I just try to keep it simple and use the pills instead. I do, from time to time, drink Green Tea on top of it but that's only as just a beverage and not intended to add more to the stack.

3. As I mentioned, in place of CLA I use a combination of my fish oil and flax oil. I don't do anything special with it: pretty much just add it to my shakes for a low carb, high fat and high protein meal. As for how much, that will depend on how much fat you are looking to add to your diet. Usually I do about 1 or 2 tablespoons of flax and 10-20 fish oil softgels. Remember, I am trying to keep my carbs semi-low.

4. I've always kept my doses equal throughout the day (except for the additional stuff that I added to the stack). You should only take it when you're ready to eat because there are some things that can potentially make you nauseous without any food in and around that time. So if you're doing cardio on an empty stomach or if you lift in the morning and have very little food in you, save it for later.

5. Check your PM box later.

Whew that was longer than I thought it would've been. (Thank goodness I'm not a slow typer!) Good luck.

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by leobag [/i]
[B]I'm gonna see if L-Carnitine will work with my body. I know there are two versions, but some threads say Acetyl is better, others say they do different things... it get a bit confusing. From what I read, like Acetyl's "brain food" characteristics... but I also want the 'fat reducing' that some people say L-Carnitine gives them.

I workout in the mornings, so how about this... Mornings, take 2 gm of L-Carnitine on an empty stomach. Them throughout the day, take 2 gm of Acetyl L-Carnitine. Does that seem like it would be the right dosages?

Or is it better to take all of one type? All at one time?

Thanks,
LB

(also, where is a good place to purchase this stuff, not really interested in powders, but more interested in larger quantity of caps... it tends to be expensive... PM if you can) [/B][/QUOTE]

I take 2 grams of Acetyl L-Carnitine powder in the morning and 2 grams of Acetyl L-Carnitine powder at night before bed.

Why R-ALA as opposed to the racemic mixture?


[url]http://www.anabolicfitness.net/ALA/index_1.htm[/url]


[url]http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/idssports11.htm[/url]

(Be sure to scroll down to the bottom of this one)


Edit: You take biotin b/c high level doses of R-ALA deplete the body's biotion reserves. It's dirt cheap, so supplementing shouldn't be a problem. Take throughout the day, especially b/c it's water soluble.