Pre/Post Workout Sup's - All in One Sup's or Individual Sup's?

[flexworth]

Hello All,

First, I'm not a competitor but have been lifting for several years now (I was the skinny that got picked on growing up) and I've tried just about every type of supplement on the market; we've all seen a lot of trends come and go.

I think we all realize the importance of pre and post workout nutrition, and since protein powders and other supplements digest quickly compared to whole foods, it makes sense to use supplements for this.

My question is which is best: supplements such as NO Shotgun/Synthesize, NO Explode/Cell Mass, Superpump, etc OR making your own cocktail by purchasing individual supplements such as stand alone creatine, glutmaine, arginine, and BCAA's (which seems much cheaper)? IMHO, most of these 'all in one products' either seem to have too little of each ingredient, or they have a 'proprietary blend' in which you really don't how much of each ingredient you're getting. And is all the other stuff in these all-in-one's necessary, or are they just fillers for hype?

It's a given that I always have about 30 grams of whey and a banana with water, plus 2 caffeine pills pre workout. I workout at 5am, before work, so I hit the weights first, then do 30 minutes of light cardio right after (heart rate under 120) and then have my post workout shake which is about 50 grams of whey and a banana, peanut butter and a little honey. But I realized I probably needed something to fill in the gap between my weights and cardio so that I don't burn muscle (which is another reason I keep my heart rate under 120; preserve muscle and burn more calories from fat).

I've recently tried NO Synthesize because I wanted to get some nutrients such as BCAA's, creatine, glutamine an such immediately after my weight routine, before cardio. In addition, I also took a half scoop of this as soon as I got to the gym as well, as I wanted to get the BCAA's and NO boosting supplements in my system pre workout. I realize NO Shotgun is the same as Synthesize, but without the stimulants...I didn't not want to spend the money on both; that's over $80.

This product seemed to work, as my muscles were fuller after my workouts and I noticed some strength gains as well as fat loss, which was awesome. However, this stuff it quite expensive (along with all the other pre/post workout sup's). I know we're all on the 'bad economy' trip, and we're all tired of hearing about it, but let's face it, when we're adults with have families to take care, bills and such, you cant spend half your paycheck on supplements. Now if I were competing, it would be a little different due to the expectation of financial gain at some point. But I'm sure there are a lot of you folks out there just like me who just love working out and getting big, but not interested in competing.
Any thoughts on this? To recap on the direct question, 'all in one' pre/post workout supplements versus buying the individual supplements and making your own cocktail?

One more thing on the NO Synthesize, it does not contain any carbs and it has always been my understanding that you need carbs post workout (although I have my protein/carb shake when I get home).

I'd like to get your comments/opinions, and if you've found a 'holy grail' pre/post workout supplementation plan that works and is cost effective, please post it!

Sorry for the length, but I like to give the full picture, and I'm a writer as well...