Supplement HELP PLEASE for us 39 and older guys !

[gparadis]

I am 5'7" and 39 years old. I just started 8 months ago. Needed to drop the fat and firm up that ugly stomach. I stopped the Burger, fries, pizza and coke and now eating 6 well balanced meals per day and LOTS of water. I did 4 workouts per week hitting each group twice for the first 6 months. For the last two months, I am on a 3 day on 1 day off rotation (occasionally 2 days off). I dropped from 176lbs to 152lbs and body fat from 16.5% to 10.2%. I feel much better about myself. Now it is time to add some mass !

HELP, I need to understand what supplments to consider taking to help "get big". For starters, I just picked up a MRP protein mix which I am taking once per day. But there is creatine, glutamine, prohormones, the list is endless. Given my situation, where do I start / what should I take ?

ANY advice or help is greatly appreciated.
--thanks, George

[YellowJacket]

Id look into some creatine, protein powder and some liver tabs and some flax oil for mass. Because you started 8 months ago, I'd lay off the Pro Hormones for a little while longer until all your natural potential subsides. You could get a gainer, but Id go with a regular protein powder such as Opt. 100% whey, it's cheap and effective. Make sure you have a good multi also. Liver tabs and flax are VERY cheap and awesome for bulking (and cutting too). As for creatine, your best bet is Prolabs Creapure creatine, it's really cheap also. And the best supp. just eating and eating if you want to gain mass, goodluck man, hope this helps.

[gymstud2002]

Congrats -- that's great progress and sounds like you've got the basics down. Keep in mind, supplements are just that -- supplements. You'll get lots of opinions on what's good, what's not, what works and what doesn't. So here's my 2 cents: 1) set a goal -- if you want to improve your physique, that requires one supplement strategy. If you want to compete, that suggests another. Regardless, read the labels on what you buy. There is a big difference and "you get what you pay for" applies big time. Cheap MRP/protein powder has a lot of sugar and low quality, single forms of protein. Better stuff has a mix of proteins. Cheap creatine messes with my digestive track, so I stick to better grades and brands. Forget what you see in the ads, for most of us, gaining lean mass is a slow process, especially if you've been at it a while. I compete and use products from Beverly International, including protein and MRPs, liver tabs and two amino products. I also use glutamine and some creatine. Since my last comps 8 months ago, I've put on about 10 pounds of lean mass. Everyone I talk to in the natural bodybuilding world says that's pretty good... so forget the "gain 30 pounds of muscle in 30 days pitch." Good luck!

[YellowJacket]

Not everyone can afford that BI sh*t. So save your money and make your own MRP.

[gymstud2002]

Yellowjacket is right -- this stuff gets expensive. So you need to decide how far you want to go and what you can afford. Some guys spend lots of $ playing golf or hanging out in bars. Some of us become gymrats in our old age. Yellowjacket, what's your recipe for homegrown MRP?

[YellowJacket]

Originally posted by gymstud2002
Yellowjacket is right -- this stuff gets expensive. So you need to decide how far you want to go and what you can afford. Some guys spend lots of $ playing golf or hanging out in bars. Some of us become gymrats in our old age. Yellowjacket, what's your recipe for homegrown MRP?

Mine is a gainer/MRP you can take out somethings to make a solid MRP if you dont want the extra cals.

12oz whole milk
2 scoops peanut butter
1 heaping scoop protein powder(any flavor)
1 tablespoon flax oil (canola will work also)
1/2 cup crushed oatmeal
some creatine (if y ou're on it at the time, which i am now)
*some have used gatorade powder for carbs, but it doesnt taste as good. If you use vanilla powder, you can use some natural vanilla extract too. Try it out man, tastes awesome.

[Frenchie]

With the training and diet regiment that you described,you lost fat and produce a fitness physique.So,obviously ,you will have to change a few things to gain mass.Increase your protein intake with lean sources,canned tuna is a cheap and good example.If you have the money,you can buy powder protein but I would keep that for a post-workout shake.Be carefull with mrp's homemade or commercial,they carry a lot of calories,including fast sugars.As for supplements,I allways suggest glutamine because you expand a lot of it in training and it nourrishes your digestive and defense system while preserving the proteins of your muscles from braking down.Don't touch hormone enhancers until nothing else works anymore.Creatine makes you puffy with water,it gives you endurance but you look like a cut-up Mr.Pillsbury.So increase your protein,GRADUALLY ,reaching 2 gram for a pound ex:152pounds=304 gr.of protein,or for as long as you gain lean weight.

[YellowJacket]

Originally posted by Frenchie
Creatine makes you puffy with water,it gives you endurance but you look like a cut-up Mr.Pillsbury.So increase your protein,GRADUALLY ,reaching 2 gram for a pound ex:152pounds=304 gr.of protein,or for as long as you gain lean weight.

Dont mistake fat for "Creatine bloating" A lot of people blame BF on "oh, it's just bloating and water rentention from creatine" And 1.5 grams of protein per pound of body weight is enough...YJ

[dog]

First step to mass is a well planned eating program very high in protein. These programs take time to develop and everyone is different. You must eat for mass. Best supps I can recommend at your level is creatine and glutamine, try the liver tabs cause they seem to work for many people.

[design2]

I'm doing a high protein, medium carb, low fat diet. Supps are glutamine and protein bars (post workout). I'm seeing nice results in only 5 weeks of training. You have to eat big, eat smart, and lift smart and big.

To the forum: What about HMB? Would that help?

design.two

[Macattack]

HMB, didnt know what it was so did a search and found this info on it.........

HMB stands for beta-hydroxy beta-methylbutyrate. It's a metabolite of the branched-chain amino acid leucine. HMB is found in foods of both plant and animal origin, and HMB is also normally produced in the body. (Depending on the nutritional program, from .3 grams to 1 gram of HMB is produced in the body per day.) Its precursors are the amino acid leucine and the keto acid KIC. Certain plants such as alfalfa and plant products such as corn silage appear to have relatively large concentrations of HMB. Grapefruit and catfish also contain relatively high concentrations of this nutrient.


Also,
Posted by K(same)

Creatine and beta-hydroxy-beta-methylbutyrate (HMB) additively increase lean body mass and muscle strength during a weight-training program.

(Note by Ken: This research shows that adding 3 gram of HMB to your creatine will improve lean muscle gain and strenght gains, better than taking Creatine OR HMB alone) (This the only report I have read about HMB. IT is therefore not definitive)

Jowko E, Ostaszewski P, Jank M, Sacharuk J, Zieniewicz A, Wilczak J, Nissen S.

Institute of Sport and Physical Education, Biala Podlaska, Academy of Physical Education, Warsaw, Poland.

We investigated whether creatine (CR) and beta-hydroxy-beta-methylbutyrate (HMB) act by similar or different mechanisms to increase lean body mass (LBM) and strength in humans undergoing progressive resistance-exercise training. In this double-blind, 3-wk study, subjects (n = 40) were randomized to placebo (PL; n = 10), CR (20.0 g of CR/d for 7 d followed by 10.0 g of CR/d for 14 d; n = 11), HMB (3.0 g of HMB/d; n = 9), or CR-and-HMB (CR/HMB; n = 10) treatment groups. Over 3 wk, all subjects gained LBM, which was assessed by bioelectrical impedance analysis. The CR, HMB and CR/HMB groups gained 0.92, 0.39, and 1.54 kg of LBM, respectively, over the placebo group, with a significant effect with CR supplementation (main effect P = 0.05) and a trend with HMB supplementation (main effect P = 0.08). These effects were additive because there was no interaction between CR and HMB (CR x HMB main effect P = 0.73). Across all exercises, HMB, CR, and CR/HMB supplementation caused accumulative strength increases of 37.5, 39.1, and 51.9 kg, respectively, above the placebo group. The exercise-induced rise in serum creatine phosphokinase was markedly suppressed with HMB supplementation (main effect P = 0.01). However, CR supplementation antagonized the HMB effects on serum creatine phosphokinase (CR x HMB interactive effect P = 0.04). Urine urea nitrogen and plasma urea were not affected by CR supplementation, but both decreased with HMB supplementation (HMB effect P < 0.05), suggesting a nitrogen-sparing effect. In summary, CR and HMB can increase LBM and strength, and the effects are additive. Although not definitive, these results suggest that CR and HMB act by different mechanisms.