Supplement Guide

[Partyrocking]

Supplement Guide

Sorry this took so long. I wanted it to be both thorough and easy to understand. The more research I did, the more I wanted to add, and the more convoluted it got. I went through my notes, truncated the information so hopefully it is easy to comprehend.

To make this a functional guide, I divided the supplements into different categories: General Health, Protein Powder, Brain Boosters, Performance, and Fat Burners. There are a number of supplements that could go in multiple categories. I made a judgment call and put each supplement in one category instead of repeating them.

Keep in mind that the research into many of these supplements is limited. I did the best I could with the information I had available. If a supplement is particularly well researched (or poorly researched) I will try to note it.

Also, reasonable minds can differ. I am sure some users will disagree with me on some points and their point of view may very well merit. Any and all feedback as to how I can improve this guide is appreciated. I will try to keep this relevant and update it as new research comes out.


Disclaimer:

This is not medical advice. I am not qualified to give medical advice, and if I were, I would not do it over the internet. If you have any pre-existing medical conditions (or questions or concerns about the safety of a supplement) please ask a medical professional.

Disclaimer:

I am a representative for Adaptogen Science. This guide expresses my views as an individual and not the company’s. I’m not here to bash other brands or shill AS’s products. I believe they speak for themselves, and I’m proud to represent them.

[Partyrocking]

General Health


Fish Oil

Fish oil is used as a source of omega 3s (EPA+DHA) which are good for your heart (and have a number of other benefits).

The AHA recommends that people eat fatty fish at least twice a week and if you do not, it makes sense to use fish oil.

The AHA has not given a recommendation for general health. Other sources suggest 250-500mg daily. The AHA does recommend 0.5 - 1g of Omega-3 EPA and DHA (combined) for individuals with borderline fasting triglyceride levels (150-199mg/dL), 1 - 2g for individuals with high fasting triglyceride levels (200-499mg/dL), and 2 - 4g for individuals with very high fasting triglyceride levels (≥500mg/dL).

There are other fatty acids in fish oil than omega 3s, so you need to check the omega 3 content when you buy a supplement. If it is not listed, I would not buy it.

Calcium

It keeps our bones healthy. It may also have a protective effect to reduce the risk of colorectal cancer.

The daily RDA for calcium is 1000mg a day for women 19-50 and 1200mg for women 51 and older. About 43% of women in the US use a calcium supplement to help reach their daily target and out of the 10,000,000 people in the US with osteoporosis, 80% of them are women

Vitamin D will help improve the absorption of calcium. They need not be taken together.

Vitamin D

Vitamin D is also important for bone health.

RDA is 400-800IU for those under 50 and 800-1000 for people 50+.

We can get Vitamin D from sunlight, foods, or supplements. If you use sun block, then you will not absorb much if any Vitamin D from sunlight. This is not advice to stop using sun block. It would be preferable to keep using it, and then get Vitamin D from either food or supplements

Foods: naturally, Vitamin D is in mackerel, salmon and tuna. Often, it is added to milk, orange juice, soy milk and cereals.

Risk Factors for Vitamin D deficiency
*Obesity
*People with very dark skin
*People who take medications that affect Vitamin D absorption
*People with Celiac disease or IBS
*People who live in nursing homes or other institutions
*People who spend little time in the sun (or wear sunblock when out in the sun).

Multivitamins

These can be used to provide a number of micronutrients that could be missing in your diet, including calcium, vitamin D, iron, zinc, vitamin A and C, etc.

They act as a layer of insurance. Unless your diet is really subpar, you probably don’t need a multivitamin.

Some would say that they are a waste of money and that you would be better off spending the money on food. http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/healt...-multivitamins

They can, however, be helpful. Mine has Vitamin D, Zinc, Iron, and several other supplements I would have taken anyway, so it’s more cost effective for me to get it than to buy everything one at a time.

[Partyrocking]

Protein Supplements

The current RDA for protein is only .8g/kg per day. This is not a good target to aspire to. It is, however, what is needed for most people to avoid the effects of protein deficiency.

A better minimum for the lifting population (and some would say even the general population) is .8g/lb a day.

If you struggle to get there through whole foods (or if you just want a back up plan), a protein supplement can be helpful.


Whey and Casein (Dairy Based)

Whey is easily the most common protein supplement and is usually the cheapest option, as it is a byproduct of many dairy products. It is quickly absorbed, which many consider a benefit to feed their muscles quickly. Although this is beneficial, you don’t need to (or should you) abandoned whole foods and only drink protein shakes.

Your body wants fast proteins AND slow proteins. Whey + casein is more effective than either protein alone. Whey’s speed is good for muscle protein synthesis. Casein’s slowness is good for preventing muscle protein breakdown.
Put them together, and your muscles get more out of it than they got with either alone. This is one of the reasons I never mix my whey with water. The other is, come on that’s just gross.

But you don’t need a protein shake to give your body the variety in protein that it wants. Another way of doing that … a mixed meal. A sausage egg and cheese sandwich anyone? That’s five different kinds of protein at once, including whey and casein. Variety is good. Your body wants it. Don’t think your diet/performance will come down to one food or supplement. It comes down to everything.

Other Protein Powder Options

If you are lactose intolerant, or allergic to milk, or just don’t want any dairy, there are other protein options available to you.

There are egg white protein powders, beef protein powders, soy, and plant based powders often including brown rice, hemp, pea protein.

Protein Quality

The more protein you eat, the less you need to worry about protein quality because you will invariably get what you need. The less protein you eat, the more relevant the protein quality is.

PDCAAS evaluates protein on both its amino acid quantities and how easily humans can absorb them.

In other words, the more essential amino acids the protein source has, the higher its score and the more easily the protein is absorbed, the higher its score.

Generally speaking, animal based protein sources will have a higher PDCAAS score, but this is not an absolute.

The highest score is 1.

1.00 casein
1.00 egg white
1.00 soy protein
1.00 whey
0.92 beef
0.78 chickpeas
0.75 black beans
0.70 Other peas
0.64 yellow split pea[6]
0.59 cereals and derivatives
0.52 peanuts
0.50 rices
0.42 whole wheat
0.25 wheat gluten (food)

The PDCAAS score of vegetarian sources improves when they are combined. E.g. rice and peas gets a score of 1. You need not eat them in the same meal to get this benefit.

If you do not eat animal products, then I would make sure to get your protein from a variety of sources.

[Partyrocking]

Brain Boosters (also called nootropics)

People uses these to improve cognitive function, such as focus or memory. Some may also offer a protective effect against alzheimer’s or dementia. Some of them will be included in Pre-Workout Stacks.

L-Carnitine

This supplement appears in various other forms, ALCAR, LCLT, and GPLC are the most common other than L-carnitine. Each version is touted for different benefits, although each version of L-carnitine offers some of each benefit.

Possible benefits: decreased fat mass, decreased fatigue, decreased muscle damage, increased insulin sensitivity, decreased alcohol dependence, decreased aggression, increased attention, decreased blood pressure, increased cognition, and the list goes on.

ALCAR is favored as a brain booster because it can cross the blood barrier into the brain. Doses range from 500mg-3000mg daily. It can alleviate the side effects of aging, protect neurons, repair neuron damage, such as damage caused by diabetes. It can also improve insulin sensitivity and blood vessel health

LCLT is favored as a recovery agent and is often in intra-workout and post-workout supplements http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12930169

GPLC is a favored to improve high intensity exercise performance.

Rhodiola-Rosea

Rhodiola-Rosea is a herb common in traditional Chinese medicine.

Dose: 50mg is enough for an effective daily dose. For acute effects, larger doses of 288-680mg can be taken. Taking more may be ineffective.

Benefits: Decreased fatigue, increased cognition, decreased signs of depression, increased processing accuracy, decreased muscle damage and decreased stress

Noopept

Noopept is one of the most potent brain boosters on the market. It is taken to improve memory consolidation, learning ability, reflexes and sensory perception. It can be taken 10-30mg a day up to 56 days at a time. The optimal human dose has not yet been established.

The only study on it suggests that it outperforms piracetam as a brain booster, but I could not find the study itself, only the title.

The Racetam family

The first racetam to hit the market was Piracetam. It is the most studied in the racetam family and is the least potent. An effective dose is 400mg-2000mg. Up to 4800mg is considered safe.

It is a popular brain booster, however studies have failed to establish that it offers a cognitive improvement in healthy populations. Anecdotally, people have reported improved focus, but the clinical research does not line up with these experiences.

It may be helpful for people with Alzheimers or in treating alcoholism. It may also be helpful in delaying cognitive decline associated with aging and in reducing aggression and agitation.

It’s efficacy may be improved with Alpha-GPC

Over the years, other more potent racetams have entered the market including aniracetam, phenylracetam, and pramiracetam. They require a smaller effective dose and may offer other protective benefits. As far as I know, no racetam has been clinically shown to provide a cognitive enhancement in healthy populations.

Choline

Choline is a molecule used for cognitive enhancement and liver health. It is found in egg yolks.

The research does not show any benefit to supplementing with pure choline, however supplements with choline in them, Alpha GPC, can be beneficial. Alpha GPC is about 40% choline. A standard dose of Alpha GPC is 300mg.(It’s often sold as 50%, so then the dose would be 600mg).

It can decrease cognitive decline, increase power output, reduce symptoms of Alzheimers, and improve fat oxidation and possibly improve iron absorption from non-animal source.

[Partyrocking]

Performance Supplements


There’s a lot in here, so I’m subdividing performance supplements into recovery supplements, pump enhancers, power enhancers, joint support, and stimulants.


Recovery

BCAAs

BCAAs are branch chain amino acids: leucine, valine and isoleucine. They naturally occur in protein. They have become quite popular over the past decade, mostly because of leucine, which is deemed the trigger for muscle protein synthesis.

They are often taken to thwart catabolism in fasted training, improve recovery, or to spur muscle protein synthesis.

The dose depends on the goal. The standard dosage for isoleucine is 48-y2mg/kg. A standard leucine dosage is between 2-10g (about 2.5 for mps). A standard valine dosage has not been established.

The research shows that BCAAs can improve the time to fatigue when doing aerobic exercise in untrained/lightly trained individuals, decrease mental fatigue when taking 10g or more, decrease reaction time http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22050133, and decrease rate of perceived exertion. They have also been shown to decrease weight loss, but this may be due to increased hydration or lbm and is not necessarily an anti-fat loss effect.

HMB

HMB is a metabolite of leucine and it may be a better anti-catabolic agent (and a worse agent for inducing MPS) but more research is needed.

It may be more beneficial for untrained lifters, elderly lifters, and experienced lifters who in an overreaching phase.

Here is a good meta-analysis of the current research.


Glutamine

This amino acid is often added to many supplement stacks. From what I can tell analyzing research, it is of limited value as a recovery agent because most of the glutamine will be taken in by the intestines and very little of it will get to the muscle, although this does make glutamine good for gut health and could be helpful for those with Crohn’s Disease or IBS.

It could be helpful for people with glutamine deficiencies (possibly vegetarians or vegans), but this is speculation


Anecdotally, I have heard that glutamine is useful if taken in high enough doses, 8-10g 3 times a day. Most supplements, however, will have 1-5g and tell you to take it once a day. I could not find any literature on a higher dose.




Pump Enhancers (Nitric Oxide Boosters)

Unfortunately, I was unable to find studies on all of the pump enhancers that I know of (and I’m sure I don’t know of them all to begin with). The ones I don’t have any info on will be listed at the end.

L-Arginine

This amino acid is a common pump enhancer, often found in many pre-workouts.

A standard dose is 3-6g.


Unfortunately, oral supplementation with arginine is unlikely to enhance your pump. The studies done on it had injected it into mice. Oral supplementation does not seem to make it to the muscles as it is poorly absorbed by the intestines.

L-Citrulline

L-Citrulline is an amino acid that converts into arginine in the kidneys. This makes it a more viable pump enhancer.


A standard dose is 4g.


Often citrulline is paired with malate. If it is a 2:1 citrulline malate, then 6g will be needed and if it’s a 1:1 malate, 8g will be needed.


Citrulline can decrease fatigue and muscle soreness which can allow you to increase your training volume.

Agmatine


Agmatine is a metabolite of L-arginine. It is increasingly becoming popular as a pump agent, although clinical studies have yet to verify it’s efficacy for this purpose.

Anecdotally, people have reported impressive pumps with it (myself included).

Dose: I couldn’t find a dose as a pump agent. I think 500mg is common, that’s what I use.

The research does show that agmatine supplementation can protect against strokes and improve cognitive health.

I would not take agmatine with arginine as they use the same pathways and can interfere with the others absorption.

Other Pump Agents
Potassium Nitrate
Glycerol Monostearate



Power Output


Creatine


Creatine is a molecule produced in the body. It can rapidly produce ATP to support cellular function. There are dozens of studies that confirm its benefits.

A dose of creatine monohydrate is 3-5g/day. It is not a time dependent supplement

There are different forms of creatine (monohydrate, hcl, nitrate, malate).The most tested is creatine monohydrate. It can be loaded for 5-7 days to reach saturation faster although this is not necessary.

It increases power output, hydration, water weight, aerobic running capacity, and bone density. It decreases fatigue, blood glucose, muscle damage, and lipid peroxidation.

Beta-Alanine

Beta-Alanine is a modified version of the amino acid alanine. It can enhance muscular endurance.

Dose: A standard dose is 2-5g. Typically doses on the larger end, 3+g will show more benefits than smaller doses, but smaller doses have also been shown to be beneficial. Some divide their beta-alanine into 2 doses each day to increase absorption (unclear if this is beneficial) or to decrease the tingling sensation that is often associated with oral supplementation of beta-alanine.

Benefits: increased muscular endurance and decreased fatigue.

The studies on beta-alanine as a power enhancer are mixed.

Ashwagandha

Ashwagandha is an herb.

Dose: the lowest effective dose is 300-500mg/day. The optimal dose is 6,000mg a day divided into 3 doses. It should be taken with meals.

Benefits: decreased anxiety, decreased cortisol, increased power output, decreased stress, decreased cholesterol and others



Joint Support

Glucosamine Sulfate

Glucosamine is a supplement derived from shellfish. It is usually taken with Chondroitin Sulfate.

Supplementing with it will reduce the rate of joint degradation and symptoms of osteoarthritis. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23365148

Dose: 300-500mg a day, three times a day. Doses as high as 3,000mg may help decrease joint degradation in athletes.

Cissus quadrangularis

Cissus quadrangularis is a traditional medicine for joint and bone health. Preliminary evidence supports its use for joint pain.

Dose: the one study to find benefit in cissus for reducing joint pain used 3200mg as a daily supplement. The optimal dose is not yet known.

Studies have shown it to reduce pain and increase functionality in the elderly as well as other minor benefits.

Boswellia Serrata

Boswellia Serrata is a gum resin from a tree.

Dose: using the resin, it can be taken in 1800mg doses, 3 doses a day. It is usually taken in 800-1200mg doses, 3 doses a day.

Concentrated forms of the resin may be taken in 100-250mg doses

Benefits: reduced symptoms of osteoarthritis, reduced symptoms of asthma, and it may improve skin quality, skin elasticity and have some other minor benefits.



Stimulants

Caffeine


Caffeine is easily the most popular stimulant in the world. It naturally occurs in coffee and tea and is often added to energy drinks and pre-workout stacks.

Doses should be tailored to individuals. 100mg is standard for a new user (a cup of coffee will have about 150mg). 200mg is common in fat burning supplements.

It can increase anaerobic running capacity, power output, and adrenaline. It can decrease insulin sensitivity, rate of perceived exertion, and fatigue.

DMAA

DMAA is a fast acting stimulant similar to caffeine. It is structurally similar to amphetamine and can give false positives on drug tests. Many sports organizations have banned its use.

Dose: Start with 10-20mg a day and doses can reach up to 40-60mg a day

It can have a notable increase on blood pressure when used with caffeine

[Partyrocking]

Fat Burners

Ephedrine

Ephedrine is an active component in the herb Ephedra. It promotes fat loss by increasing the amount of fat that can be used for fuel as well as increasing heat expenditure.

It is often paired with caffeine to increase its efficacy (and some add aspirin to it)

It has been noted to cause serious side effects which is why the FDA has banned its use as a dietary supplement.


Often people get an asthma medication (such as Bronkaid) to supplement with Ephedrine.

Keep in mine that ephedrine use is banned by the WADA unless you have a prescription for it.

Dose: 20-24mg for 3 doses taken through out the day. I would recommend starting with half the amount to see how it effects you and from there, work your way up to a full dose.

Benefits: decreased fat mass, decreased nasal decongestion, decreased appetite, decreased triglycerides

Possible side effects: increased blood pressure and heart rate,

Synephrine

Synephrine is similar to ephedrine but less potent. It is often extracted from bitter orange.

It is often paired with caffeine. It is allowed by WADA although it’s metabolite octopamine is not.

Dose: 10-20mg three times a day

There is a lack of research on this supplement.

Yohimbe

Yohimbe is a highly stimulatory fat burner. It’s listed dose is often inaccurate (or unlisted).

Dose: .2mg/kg If you are on the heavier side, you may want to start with a smaller dose.

Benefits: decreased fat mass and may decrease symptoms of phobia

Possible side effects: increased heart rate, cortisol, blood pressure, anxiety, and alcohol dependence

Forskolin


Forskolin comes from coleus forskohlii an herb.

To supplement coleus forskohlii take 250mg of a supplement that’s 10% forskolin twice a day for 500mg.

Benefits: decreased symptoms of asthma, increased bone mineral density, decreased fat mass, fatigue, and showed a remarkable improvement of HDL cholesterol- although this study needs to be replicated.

Fucoxanthin

Fucoxanthin is a carotenoid found in brown seaweed. More research needs to be done on it but it appears to be a promising fat loss agent.

It needs to saturate your fat cells in order to work and this may take up to 5 weeks.

Dose: 2.4-8mg of fucoxanthin. The actual dose will vary depending on the strength of the extract.

Benefits: decreased liver enzymes and liver fat, increased metabolic rate, decreased triglycerides

7-KETO DHEA

7-KETO is a non-hormonal metabolite of DHEA and it may increase your metabolic rate. There has been some skepticism on the data because of conflicts of interest.

5-HTP


5-HTP is the pre-cursor for serotonin (known as the happiness neurotransmitter). Taking it will increase your serotonin levels for better or for worse. It can reduce sleep tremors,

In high doses, it can be an appetite suppressant.

Raspberry Ketones


Raspberry Ketones have no benefit for fat loss. Applied topically it can improve skin elasticity or inspire hair growth.

Green Coffee Bean Extract

There is some evidence that it can reduce fat mass, although there is a lack of independent research available and the existing research had results that were so great that the studies reliability have been called into question.

CLA

CLA are fatty acids used to try to promote fat loss. CLA’s efficacy is questionable. The research is too unreliable to say much other than it can raise your triglycerides.

HCG

HCG is human chorionic gonadotropin, a hormone extracted from the urine of pregnant women

In prescription medication it is used for fertility issues.

It has not been approved for over the counter use in the US, so any company claiming to sell it may be doing it illegally (or it may not actually have any HCG)

Recently, it has gotten some buzz as a weight loss drug along with the “HCG diet” where you eat 500 calories a day.


HCG does nothing for weight loss. It does, however, carry the risk of various side effects, including: fatigue, irritability, restlessness, depression, fluid buildup (edema), and a few others.

[Cackhanded]

On spread damn it. Very nice read, easy to comprehend and simple layout. Sticky worthy for sure.

Just wondering, is the PDCAAS score an indicator of how many different BCAA's are in each source or the overall quantity or...? Could you explain it a little further.

[Partyrocking]

On spread damn it. Very nice read, easy to comprehend and simple layout. Sticky worthy for sure.

Just wondering, is the PDCAAS score an indicator of how many different BCAA's are in each source or the overall quantity or...? Could you explain it a little further.

Sure, so PDCAAS is a two factor test.

The first factor looks at the presence of essential amino acids, every amino acid that we can't make in our bodies. The more EAAs the protein source has overall, the higher its score will be and if the protein source has a good amount of each EAA, then it's score will be higher.

EAAs are histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, tryptophan, and valine.

This includes the BCAAs (bolded), but there are six other EAAs that the score takes into account as well.

The second factor is how easily we can absorb the protein. The easier it is to absorb, the higher the score.

Vegan sources of protein often have lower scores because they usually do not have a good presence of every EAA. All proteins are complete, so each vegetarian source has some of each EAA, but vegetarian sources are often deficient in at least one EAA. This is why their score goes up if you combine complimentary vegan protein sources, such as rice and beans. Then, each EAA is sufficiently covered.

I hope this helps. I was looking for a good source to explain how the scale works, but I couldn't find one. Apparently, the organizations that use it (FDA, WHO, etc) have nutrition tables and calculate the scores themselves. There isn't one central body that has official PDCAAs scores. There will be some variability in different organizations, but the numbers I posted are fairly consistent across the board. (I have seen older sources that list soy as .92, but all of the recent ones give it a 1 score now).

[jsari23]

very good information all in one place PR thumbs up

[Cackhanded]

Very detailed and an interesting read, thank you for taking the time to explain

[LunaLifts]

Another sticky worthy thread.

Though I thought it's recommended that men avoid soy protein? I know it's a female thread, but guys do get lost sometimes. lol. (Or you could know something I don't here.)

Also I think ephedra is only illegal in some states (regarding the US of course). NOT that anyone should use it, but for fact's sake. I bought some from a site that have legal, and illegal states listed, and they wouldn't have sold to me otherwise (I was doing dumb chit for weight loss).

And for the record/as a huge warning: I can't stress enough how horrible the effects are, you feel like your heart is going to explode, you feel sick to your stomach, you want to move because it's like a dozen caffeine pills pumping though you, but you also just want to lay there because you feel like hammered chit. My anxiety was through the roof, because I thought I might die, like my arteries were going to burst, and a stupid fat burner was going to be the reason why I was dead. So if you're in a place where it's legal, please just lose weight through a calorie deficit, and exercise, it's not worth it, any of it.

[Partyrocking]

Another sticky worthy thread.

Though I thought it's recommended that men avoid soy protein? I know it's a female thread, but guys do get lost sometimes. lol. (Or you could know something I don't here.)

Also I think ephedra is only illegal in some states (regarding the US of course). NOT that anyone should use it, but for fact's sake. I bought some from a site that have legal, and illegal states listed, and they wouldn't have sold to me otherwise (I was doing dumb chit for weight loss).

And for the record/as a huge warning: I can't stress enough how horrible the effects are, you feel like your heart is going to explode, you feel sick to your stomach, you want to move because it's like a dozen caffeine pills pumping though you, but you also just want to lay there because you feel like hammered chit. My anxiety was through the roof, because I thought I might die, like my arteries were going to burst, and a stupid fat burner was going to be the reason why I was dead. So if you're in a place where it's legal, please just lose weight through a calorie deficit, and exercise, it's not worth it, any of it.

Men don't need to avoid soy. Some soy may reduce their risk for prostate cancer. The short answer is, some soy is good for you, more is not always better for you. Here is a more detailed explanation.

It's not illegal to buy ephedrine or to use it to lose weight (it's not a controlled substance). It is, however, illegal for companies to use ephedrine in dietary supplements because the FDA has banned it. This is why you can buy Bronkaid (which is for asthma), but you can't find diet pills in a store with ephedrine in it.

I've never used ephedrine, so I can only go by the literature, but from what I can tell it's more effective than yohimbine and has fewer nasty side effects (although the side effects can be quite nasty), which is why I'm baffled that ephedrine is on the FDA's no no list but yohimbine is not. Politics.

To anyone wanting to try an EC stack, start with one half dose a day. If that's not a disaster work your way up to two half doses, three half doses ... You do not want to start full throttle.

Do NOT combine ephedrine with yohimbine.

If you are in a WADA tested sport, you can not use ephedrine unless you have a prescription for it.

Thanks for the support everyone. I really appreciate it.

[denisemeu]

Very nice. Thank you!

[EPolis13]

Good stuff, girlfran. This will be helpful for a lot of people.

[Partyrocking]

Thanks for the support everyone. I've learned a bit more over the past month, so I want to add some additional info.


Fat Burners

EGCG

I want to add in a new supplement, EGCG. EGCG is a component of green tea extract. It's the relevant part of green tea when it comes to fat loss. One would have to drink a lot of green tea to get the thermogenic benefit, so it is sold as an extract to get higher potency. It is usually sold as 45% EGCG (the rest other green tea components).

It is usually paired with caffeine for improved efficacy, You want around 160mg EGCG total, so around 55mg in each dose. This usually comes to around 350mg extract a day, and each dose can be paired with 100mg caffeine.

The metabolic boost is about 5% TDEE. For comparison, ephedrine is 5-10%

This stuff will leave you wired. It can be more potent than an EC stack. It can be combined with an EC stack; it does not have the contraindications that yohimbine has, but I would taper up to it and tread carefully

Recovery Supplements

I want to talk about overreaching phases, as I have found that you may want to supplement for them differently than you do for daily performance.

An overreaching phase is where you temporarily push yourself past your ability to recover and then you deload, allowing you to get additional growth through super-compensation.

E.g., let's say your sweet spot for training legs is 10 sets each leg day (two leg days a week). Fewer sets and you don't grow very much and if you do more than 10 sets, you aren't fully recovered for the next leg day.

In an overreaching phase, you would do 12-13 sets each leg day, purposefully pushing yourself past your limits. You do this for a few weeks and then you stop, perhaps taking a full week off training. During that week, your body will grow to be able to handle the increased workload that you made it do, and when you come back to the gym, you are bigger and stronger than before.

You keep these phases fairly short or else you can end up overtraining- which sucks and sets you back months.

For these phases (which I am in the midst of one right now) you may want to alter your supplement regiment to help your body out. This can make your training less painful and it can also help reduce the risk of pushing yourself too far and getting hurt.

Supps to consider for overreaching:

BCAAs (or Aminos with BCAAs included them)
Usually I had not seen much difference using them v. not using them, but I have noticed that during my overreaching phase, I am seeing benefits using them intra workout. Normally, you would aim to get 2.5g leucine per dose. I have upped it to 3.5g and my legs appreciate it. I would say that 3.5-5g leucine can be beneficial intra workout.

LCLT
I have also been using 1g LCLT intra workout (and 1g LCLT at dinner) which is helping with soreness. I'm unsure if it's best to split the doses (as I usually see) or do 2-3g intra workout. I may try moving the whole dose intra workout tomorrow and reporting back. I also stopped using ALCAR while I'm using LCLT. Using more than 1 carnitine variant at ta time can interfere with the absorption of the others.

Another option is G-PLC for increased power output. I have yet to try it, but I have heard good things.

HMB
So HMB is an alternative to BCAAs, as it is a metabolite of leucine. It can either come as a salt attached to calcium or in free form (in the US, Muscletech has a patent on it; outside of the US, anyone can sell it as far as I know). The Free form version absorbs faster, but there isn't enough research to say if it will make an appreciable difference vs the calcium version.

Anyway, HMB can be used intra workout to help improve recovery during an overreaching phase. Unfortunately, the study they used to test this only compared it to a placebo group. This means we know HMB-FA is better than using nothing. We don't know how it compares to BCAAs, LCLT, creatine, beta-alanine, etc. Is it worth the additional expense? That's not known yet.

I had too many BCAAs on hand to justify buying HMB for this phase, but I may try it in the future, and if so, I'll report back.

[ProYeo]

Wow!!

[Partyrocking]

Said I would try to keep this current, so here we go.



HMB

I actually subbed in HMB-CA for BCAAs recently, and I think it’s a better cutting agent. It’s more anti-catabolic and the research is more promising, IMO. Here’s a recent presentation on HMB

Situations where HMB would make sense

1. cutting
2. overreaching phase (2-4 weeks)

I wouldn’t recommend full year usage, but if you buy it in bulk, you can get 6 mo worth for I think it was $25. This is enough for multiple uses.

Yohimbine

I’ve also been using this over the past couple of weeks.

Notes
1. It’s best taken on an empty stomach and to then train fasted. Insulin inhibits yohimbine, so you don’t want to use it when insulin levels are elevated. If you want to split up the daily amount in two doses (I do this), take the first dose fasted and the second dose at least 2 hours after your last meal and at least 2 hours before your next meal.

I would recommend Yohimbine HCL over Yohimbe Bark; Yohimbine HCL is the extracts from yohimbe. I recommend the extract because it’s less likely to have bad side effects and it’s easy to establish how much of the yohimbine you’re actually getting. With the plant, there’s always variation.

2. Start low with the dosage and work your way up. Yohimbine HCL comes in 2.5mg tabs. I started w/ one tab, then two, and now I’m at 3.

3. Caffeine increases the efficacy of yohimbine, so if you take both at once, be careful with the dose. I find 7.5mg Y + 200mg C to be plenty of energy and the dosing instructions would have me taking 17mg Y

4. It makes you sweat a lot. I usually don’t sweat at the gym, but I’m a hog after 30 min on Y.

Cissus

You want 5% ketosterone for joint support. I had trouble finding a consensus for the dosage, but I would start with 500mg a day (dosing varies between 250mg-1g/day).

Bosweilla Serata

The key compound here is AKBA. 20% AKBA is the best, which will be either Aflapin TM or AprèsFLEX. The next best option is 30% which will be 5-LoxinTM. I would be wary of any bosweilla that doesn’t have a trademarked source because they often don’t tell you how much AKBA is present and they may be skimping on it.

Curcumin

You want to pair this with piperine for anti-inflammatory purposes (it improves the bio-availability) 80-500mg, but if you’re using it for gut health, then don’t pair it with piperine and just take more of it (2-4g).

MSM
Methylsulfonylmethane can help combat osteoarthritis and can decrease muscle damage and muscle soreness.

Dosage would be around 3g a day, and it may be synergetic with Glucosamine Sulfate (which also may be better for arthritis than it is for athletes)