Change in Diet- List of Current Supps/Anything Else Recommended B4 Starting New Diet?

Just started weight-lifting for mass; need 4000cal/day. Any other supplements recommended?

From FAQ/posts I've gathered: ON 100% Whey Gold Standard (for PWO), CytoSport Muscle Milk (for throughout the day [pre-work out & before bed]), fish oil, and Balanced Essentials multivitamins.

 

Na, those supplements plus a good diet is all you need. You don't even need the Muscle Milk if you can eat enough in whole foods. If I were looking to gain, I'd probably throw creatine in there as well... its cheap so why not. Focus on diet before supplements and you'll be ahead of the game.

 

I've gained approx. 20lbs of muscle in approx. 6 months using Optimum Nutrition Serious Mass, Creatine, eating big/healthly, and lifting 3x week. I also take a multivitiman and fish oil. I'll probably stop taking the fish oil after in run out of it.

 

Thanks, good to know! Well honestly I'm going to have trouble eating 4000 calories in normal food, so shakes (like muscle milk) will really help with that. Also read almost the entire thread and seems very beneficial.

Any idea how much that multivitamin lasts? Pretty expensive :S

 

Cheap vitamins can be synthic and not absorb. Try one bottle of Mega Men from GNC the small 17.99 size for one bottle and if you don't think it is helping stop it I noticed an diffenece after 2 days and bought another

 

zinc - its like $2 for a month supply, and every athlete is deficient. i use a zinc/magnesium/calcium product before bed. got 60 servings for $6 at CVS.

Creatine mono- its dirt cheap and it works. use it.

frozen veggies. nobody ever eats enough veggies, especially when "bulking" or whatever you wanna call it. first thing people skimp on since it doesnt contain calories. extra calories without proper nutrition = fat gain, not muscle gain. everytime you make a shake, throw in a handful of frozen broccoli and a cup or two of frozen chopped spinach. its not a supplement, but worth mentioning since it will do more for you than most any supplements and is also cheap.

 

I thought you shouldn't use calcium with zinc because it hinders absorption.

 

EDIT 2: Based on what I read, is it safe to assume that I can take 3g of Creatine every day? 3g PWO/3 training days and 3g..whenever? during my off days? Total of 21g/week with no cycling. Good? ProLab brand good?

I'm going to use Balance Essentials [liquid multivitamin] by Heaven Sent - it was recommended in the D&S FAQ (+ KK uses it so it must be good!).

Yeh we have zinc around the house anyways, so I'll pop some of that in.

 

yea, but zma is way overpriced and this is better than nothing. from what i remember reading on the subject, it requires a pretty huge dose of calcium to really have major effect on zinc absorption. you can get zinc on its own dirt cheap if your really concerned about it, plus the typical multi contains 100% RDA of zinc. for pennies a day i dont care if i piss a little of it out. this reminds me, i need to get pumpkin seeds back into my eating, great natural source of zinc.

 

It's refreshing to know that there are people out there reading the FAQ.


I'd consider Muscle Milk more of a luxury (or maybe I'm just cheap), but it would be a good way to add calories.

 

lol I need to add calories/fat/protein. so expensive though ah! http://www.supplementscanada.com/popeyes/product780.html $40+tax for 30 scoops

as of now just wondering if 3g creatine/day is good..and when to take it on resting days.

 

think big,eat big lift big....

through in flaxseed oil (has all the good fatty nutrients). creatine and tribulus to get you through your workouts

 

Why in the world would you do that?

I've gained 15 lbs over the last year following close to the same thing that T_Boner said. I took Whey, Creatine, a multivitamin, fish oil, ate a lot, slept a lot, and lifted heavy. I did this over the winter months here. Now I just cut out the creatine, eat normal portions, and upped my cardio so I'm maintaining weight. I also gained quite a bit of strength in those months.

I also think it's important to note that if you feel like you can't eat a lot, start doing a heavy 5 x 5 workout. You'll be hungry and tired all the time.

 

I believe there are some pretty good threads on creatine, I haven't researched it much myself.

It's been proven many times over to be safe as long as you're taking the recommended amount. Creatine is so cheap that I don't see a problem with taking it on off days, and I certainly don't think it would hurt.

I thought most people took 5g/day though, but I could be wrong.

 

yeh i'm not worried about taking it i already did my research on safety and that. from the articles i read though the doses varied. some articles talked about loading (which is BS from what i've gathered), cycling (which isn't necessary from what i've read), and then taking it constant @ low dosage (ie: 3g/day), though i've seen 5g/day etc. i have been able to find a set number.

 

5 grams a day 4 to 5 times a day...try to take on a empty stomach and also with a sports drink to create a insulin spike

 

yeh i'm not taking 20-25g a day. i'm hoping one of the more knowledgeable D&S guys responds.

 

5g a day is reasonable. 20 - 25g a day is a good way to f*ck yourself up.

 

Are you 100% positive I'm fine with 5g/day, 7 days a week for the next 4 months with no break? Please read http://www.sherdog.net/forums/f15/i...y-vary-please-provide-creatine-dosage-773881/

This is getting tiring lol.