Need Help! What supplement is best for me?

[thinkspace]

Hi everyone,

Im new here and I found this forum that has lot of interesting topic regarding body building. I have question and hoping experts can give advices and suggestions like most others do. I started bodybuilding 1 month now, im 26 yrs old and 132 lbs. I work too much until a month ago i decided to work out which i found out great. I take Universal Super Whey Pro supplement atleast twice a day, one between meal and one immediately after work out. My goal is to gain weight and muschle coz im a skinny person.

My trainer give these exercises to me:
Mon & Thur - Chest, Biceps, Triceps & Abs
Tue & Fri - Back, Shoulder & Abs
Wed & Sat - Legs & Abs

I don't have good diet that most people did but i want your suggestions in my case what supplement would be the best for me.

Regards,
thinkspace

[Weakestlink]

Hi everyone,

Im new here and I found this forum that has lot of interesting topic regarding body building. I have question and hoping experts can give advices and suggestions like most others do. I started bodybuilding 1 month now, im 26 yrs old and 132 lbs. I work too much until a month ago i decided to work out which i found out great. I take Universal Super Whey Pro supplement atleast twice a day, one between meal and one immediately after work out. My goal is to gain weight and muschle coz im a skinny person.

My trainer give these exercises to me:
Mon & Thur - Chest, Biceps, Triceps & Abs
Tue & Fri - Back, Shoulder & Abs
Wed & Sat - Legs & Abs

I don't have good diet that most people did but i want your suggestions in my case what supplement would be the best for me.

Regards,
thinkspace

I dont think you need to do abs that many days a week. once a week is fine. As far as supps everyone here is going to tell you:

MAke sure you have a stable diet
WHey portein
Creatine
Multi vitamin

[BreakingPoint8]

Honestly have your diet in check will make a world of difference before any supplement.

[DBee]

boyscouT's Beginners Guide to Dieting/Training/Supplementation
QUESTIONS? COMMENTS? FEEL FREE TO ADD YOUR INPUT, JUST CLICK.

Q: What are calories?
A: A calorie is a unit of measurement for energy. All foods are measured in calories.

Q: How many calories do I need per day?
A: Two-step process. First, you need to calculate your basal metabolic rate. Second, multiply your BMR with the appropriate activity modifier. The end result will yield an ESTIMATE of your daily caloric needs.

Q: What are macronutrients?
A: A category of nutrients, including carbohydrates, fats, and proteins, that are present in foods in large quantities.

Q: What should my macronutrients look like?
A: I recommend at least: 1g of protein per lb of bodyweight, 15% of your total caloric intake to come from fat, and the rest coming from carbohydrates.

Q: Why do we need to eat carbohydrates?
A: We need carbohydrates for:

• Carbohydrates are the body?s main source of fuel
• Carbohydrates are easily used by the body for energy
• All of the tissues and cells in our body can use glucose for energy
• Carbohydrates are needed for the central nervous system, the kidneys, the brain, the muscles (including the heart) to function properly
• Carbohydrates can be stored in the muscles and liver and later used for energy
• Carbohydrates are important in intestinal health and waste elimination [1]

Q: Why do we need to eat proteins?
A: We need proteins for:

• Growth (especially important for children, teens, and pregnant women)
• Tissue repair
• Immune function
• Making essential hormones and enzymes
• Energy when carbohydrate is not available
• Preserving lean muscle mass [1]

Q: Why do we need to eat fat?
A: We need fats for:

• Normal growth and development
• Maintaining the functioning of hormones which are needed in fat burning, muscle building, sperm production, etc
• Energy (fat is the most concentrated source of energy)
• Absorbing certain vitamins (like vitamins A, D, E, K, and carotenoids)
• Providing cushioning for the organs
• Maintaining cell membranes
• Providing taste, consistency, and stability to foods [1]

Q: What are some healthy proteins, carbohydrates, and fats?
A: Proteins:

• Egg Whites
• Chicken
• Turkey
• Beef
• Pork
• Tuna / Salmon / Seafood
• Tofu
• Whey protein powder
• Casein protein powder
• Essentially most any other source of protein

Complex Carbohydrates:

• Oats (ALL KINDS), oat bran, oat bran cereal (I.E. CHEERIOS)
• Potatoes (ALL KINDS)
• Rice (ALL KINDS)
• Pasta (ALL KINDS)
• Bread (ALL KINDS EXCEPT WHITE BREAD)
• Beans (ALL KINDS)

Veggies:

• Green Leafy Lettuce (ALL KINDS)
• Broccoli
• Asparagus
• Green Beans
• Spinach
• Bell Peppers
• Brussels Sprouts
• Cauliflower
• Celery
• Cucumber
• Green or Red Pepper
• Onions
• Garlic
• Tomatoes
• Zucchini

Fruits:

• Bananas
• Apples
• Grapefruit
• Strawberries, blueberries, raspberries
• Lemons/Limes

Fats: DO NOT FEAR FAT!

• Egg Yolks (EAT YOUR YOLKS! DIETARY CHOLESTEROL IS GOOD FOR YOU!)
• Nuts (ALL KINDS)
• Peanut/Almond butter
• Avocados
• Fatty Fish
• Fish oil
• Olive oil

Dairy:

• Milk (ALL KINDS)
• Cottage Cheese (LOW-FAT or FAT FREE)
• Yogurt (LOW-FAT or FAT FREE)

Q: Which foods should I avoid?
A: Man-made trans fatty acids, non-diet soda, obvious junk, and high fructose corn syrup (in excess).

Q: My food doesn't have any nutritional labeling. Where can I get its nutrition info?
A: www.nutritiondata.com

Q: How many meals should I eat daily?
A: There is no set # of meals. Just keep in mind that smaller and more frequent meals are better than larger, less frequent meals.

Q: I've got my calories. I've got my macros. I know WHAT to eat, but I don't know WHEN. Can you help?
A: Yes I can, keep reading.

Q: What should my first meal look like?
A: At the very least, you want a complete protein and complex carbohydrate. Fat is optional here.

Q: What do I eat before/during/after a workout?
A: PRE, DURING, & POSTWORKOUT NUTRITION

Q: I heard that anything you eat before bed will automatically turn into fat. Is this true? If not, what do I eat before bed?
A: Absolutely not true. Allocating enough calories for a bedtime meal is crucial! You want a slow digesting protein and a healthy fat here. This will keep your metabolism running and your body in an anabolic state during sleep.

Q: What should the rest of my meals look like?
A: Use common sense. Every meal should be high in protein. Your job is to decide if you want carbohydrates and/or fat, along with that protein. If you are still confused, scroll down for a sample meal plan.

Q: What is cutting? What is bulking? What is maintaining?
A: Cutting is dieting with a calorie deficit and training with the goal of maximum fat loss with minimal muscle loss. Bulking is dieting with a calorie surplus and training with the goal of maximum muscle gain with minimal fat gain. Maintaining is dieting and training with the goal of sustaining your levels of lean mass and fat.

Q: How do I know if I have to cut? Bulk?
A: Post a picture and we will assist you.

Q: When cutting, how big should my calorie deficit be?
A: For most, the smaller the deficit, the better. There are exceptions to this, however. Simply put, the more body fat you have, the bigger your deficit can be. A good starting point is -200 calories.

Q: When bulking, how big should my calorie surplus be?

• For males:
  • A: No more than 500 calories.
• For females:
  • A: No more than 300 calories.

Q: I've read your entire guide but I still don't know how to make a meal plan. Can you make me one?
A: Meal Plan Template:



Reminder/Important tips:

• At least 1g of protein per lb of bodyweight
• At least 15% of your calories should come from healthy fats (40% POLYUNSATURATED, 30% MONOUNSATURATED, & 30% SATURATED)
• Carbs are up to you (I PREFER TO KEEP COMPLEX CARBS AT BREAKFAST, PREWORKOUT, AND POSTWORKOUT)

Other important tips:

• Meal size & frequency are not set in stone. (SMALLER/MORE FREQUENT MEALS YIELDS FOR OPTIMAL ABSORPTION OF NUTRIENTS & STABLE BLOOD SUGAR LEVELS)
• Eat your fruits & veggies!
• Drink at least 1 gallon of pure water a day

Q: What training program should I start with? How many days a week? What exercises? How many sets/reps?
A: You will find plenty of beginners routines in the Workout Programs section. I recommend starting with this routine: http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=998224.

Q: I'm bulking, so I don't have to do any cardio, right?
A: Wrong! Cardio isn't just for burning calories. It has a plethora of health benefits. Do your cardio year round!

Q: What's a refeed? How do they compare to a cheat?
A: A refeed is one day a week where you have a calorie surplus. Meaning you eat a little bit more then you would normally eat for the day. This does not mean to go out and eat fast food or junk food. It means eating the same foods you would eat on a day to day basis but in larger amounts. Refeeds help in a number of ways including balancing hormone levels out, restoring glycogen to your muscles and it may even help bring your metabolism back up to par. Cheat refeeds are different and involve eating junk food all day and is not recommended.

continued..

[DBee]

continued...

Q: I've been dieting/training for a while now. Am I ready for supplements?
A: Nothing beats eating right and training hard. Supplements are not a replacement for a proper diet and certainly will not replace any training. With that said, they can be useful addition to any proper dieting/training program.

Q: What are some good supplements for beginners?
A: It is widely accepted that the "staples of bodybuilding" are: Multivitamin, whey protein, fish oil, and creatine.

Q: What do I need a multivitamin for?
A: You don't need anything. Remember, these are supplements! With that said, a multivitamin is a blend of essential vitamins and minerals. They are taken in order to compensate for loss of vitamins and minerals used when exercising, used as growth factors and can add additional vitamins and minerals deficient in your current diet which may be beneficial. Although, most vitamins and minerals should come from your diet, most everyone can benefit from a good multivitamin. They are cheap and can be helpful for athletes who are known to become deficient in certain vitamins and minerals due to exercise and dietary factors [2].

Q: What's so special about whey protein?
A: Whey is a milk derived protein source, which has the highest biological value (BV) of all protein powders on the market. This means that the body can digest it easily and it has a complete amino acid profile. It is the most commonly used protein source. Whey protein is very, very important for bodybuilders, dieters, and shoot, just about everybody! Since athletes and bodybuilders work out often, protein levels become depleted [3]. It is fast digesting, so it would be best used post workout and upon waking [2].

Q: Why is fish oil so important?
A: Fish oil contains essential fatty acids (EFAs). EFAs are made up of fats and oils that are beneficial to overall health and for a variety of ailments. EFAs support many functions in the body including the brain and joint function. In addition, they can reduce inflammation and produce hormones. They can help reduce cholesterol, alleviate depression, and assist with muscle building [2].

Q: What exactly is creatine? I heard it just makes you hold water, is that true?
A: Creatine is an amino acid metabolite. It is composed of arginine, methionine and glycine. Our bodies naturally make the compound, which is used to supply energy to our muscles. It is produced in the liver, pancreas, and kidneys, and is transported to the body's muscles through the bloodstream. Once it reaches the muscles, it is converted into phosphocreatine (creatine phosphate). This high-powered metabolite is used to regenerate the muscles' ultimate energy source, ATP (adenosine triphosphate) [4]. Creatine is supplemented with to increase phosphocreatine in the muscle, which in turn increases ATP. ATP is used by the muscle as energy. Increasing phosphocreatine stores in the body can improve strength and body mass by hydrating muscle cells and other factors. It is not a steroid and it does not have adverse health effects. Creatine is found in most red meat, however, most of it is removed when the meat is cooked [2]. Keep in mind, everyone does not respond to creatine.

**THE ABOVE ARE JUST GUIDELINES... IT IS YOUR RESPONSIBLITY TO LISTEN TO YOUR BODY AND ADJUST AS NECESSARY**

Last but not least, read all the stickies in every section that pertains to you and your goals.
THIS IS NOT A REQUEST; IT IS AN ORDER.

If my guide + stickies don't answer most/all of your questions, be sure to use the SEARCH FUNCTION!
Answers to 99% of your questions are just a few key strokes and clicks away! HOW TO SEARCH

Highly Recommended Readings:
Bodybuilding Nutrition Myths, Debunked!
Lose Fat, The Right Way!
The Ultimate Workout Sticky
The Cardio Compilation

References:
1. http://www.mhc.uiuc.edu/Handouts/macronutrients.htm
2. http://pogue972.blogspot.com/2006/04...beginners.html
3. http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/whey.html
4. http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/creatine.html

^^^

[DBee]

The protocol I recommend currently is strikingly similar to the original, with a few VERY insignificant tweaks. Note that TBW = target bodyweight:

60-90 minutes preworkout, have a solid, balanced meal:

Protein = 0.25g/lb TBW
Carbs = 0.25g/lb TBW
Adding fat at this point is fine, use your discretion as long as it fits into your macro goals. Note that this meal is skipped if you train 1st thing in the morning.

[OR]

30-0 minutes preworkout - (and/or sipped throughout the workout), have a liquid or easily digested meal:

Protein = 0.25g/lb TBW
Carbs = 0.25g/lb TBW
If you were going to train for close to or more than 2 hours continuously, it would definitely benefit you to have this extra preworkout meal either immediately prior to, or sipped during training. Keep the fats here incidental, not added.

Sooner the better postworkout - within 30 minutes, but optimally ASAP, have either a liquid or solid meal:

Protein = 0.25g/lb TBW
Carbs = 0.5g/lb TBW
Fats here should be kept minimal to moderate.
I personally start on this shake 60 minutes into my weight workouts, which take 80-90 minutes.

Post-postworkout is simply your next sheduled meal, whether it's 1, 2, or 3 hrs later simply doesn't matter - especially if your immediate postworkout meal (which may be split up into 2 halves) was designed as above.

NOTE: The small differences are mainly geared toward simplifying the guidelines. The rest of the recommendations about food types are pretty much the same. Also note that I no longer give a damn about GI, it doesn't really make a difference one way or another. If you want high GI carbs pre and/or during training, go for it. As time has passed, GI has proven itself to be a worthless, irrelevant index. Insulinogenesis is a separate issue, and striving to keep insulin up during & postworkout is a great idea. This is accomplished by both food type & food amount, the latter being more important. There's obviously a lot more to this, but that's the important basics. The rest is fringe.

^^^

[thinkspace]

tnx guys for your reply, i'll take it seriously. by the way, do you have any specific brand and content of whey protein that you need to suggest? i.e in Universal Super Pro it has:
Calories 87
Protein 17.5g
so on...
do you suggest whey protein powder that has high in calories and protein?
and for creatine which do you prefer between capsule and powder?

[cal62887]

tnx guys for your reply, i'll take it seriously. by the way, do you have any specific brand and content of whey protein that you need to suggest? i.e in Universal Super Pro it has:
Calories 87
Protein 17.5g
so on...
do you suggest whey protein powder that has high in calories and protein?
and for creatine which do you prefer between capsule and powder?

Here is a flow-chart with some good brands and suggestions on it. As for calories, that's up to you. You should know your calorie break-down and how many calories you'll need for a bulk or cut. Once you figure out your Macros yo'll need to decide whether you need the extra calories from a weight gainer or not. For right now, i'd go with a whey product like Cytosport whey, ON whey, or Supplement Direct Whey. From there if you need to make a gainer, just mix Oats, Peanut Butter, Milk, and Whey in a blender and enjoy. For creatine, I like powder creatine and i like ot mix it with my whey post workout. for Multi-v's just look for an iron free cheap one.


***Chart Property of ForceLineBacker

[thinkspace]

tnx man, ill take ur advice. ill find creatine later in the mall

[cal62887]

tnx man, ill take ur advice. ill find creatine later in the mall

Go for a cheap monohydrate....don't let a sales rep talk you into something more expensive that he'll make commission off of.

[Bravodor]

tnx man, ill take ur advice. ill find creatine later in the mall

Id recommend ordering it online if your going to buy plain creatine.

Its cheaper and of better quality, creapure and such are good compaines.

[thinkspace]

Id recommend ordering it online if your going to buy plain creatine.

Its cheaper and of better quality, creapure and such are good compaines.

ill try to see in the mall coz if order online it takes time to arrive. im in philippines. but anyway thank you for all your suggestions.