I've been searching hard for suppliments for women to accellerate muscle growth and definition. I've read about the sides with testosterone additives, and frankly, I'm confused about so much conflicting info. I have good (OCD) work ethic, but I'm not enjoying the little plateaus that come along. I have tried kre-alkaline, but it caused excessive fluid retention. I liked Jacked, but it lost it's effectivness after about a week. I'd appreciate any suggestions that are tried and true, especially regarding fat burners. I'm hungry for info.
I have good genetics in regard to frame and vascularity. I'm a good size at 5'4, 130 with 19%bf right now, but I'm aiming for 16%. I'm on weights for about 50 minutes a day 5-6 days per week followed by 40 minutes of cardio (treadmill and incline climber.) I eat clean about 85 percent of the time.
There's plenty of NATURAL supplements that you can use withOUT going the hormonal route!!!
Do you want muscle growth or fat loss? Because it sounds like you want two things. And the key to achieving each of those goals successfully lies at the OPPOSITE ends of the DIET spectrum: Gaining muscle requires MORE than Maintenence calories, and losing fat requires LESS than Maintenance calories. Both can be managed at the same time, albeit slowly, by manipulating the diet just right (i.e. calorie cycling).
As for supplements that will aid with muscle growth, any natural testosterone booster will help. For example, Drive, IGF-2, Activate Xtreme, Divanol, PowerFULL, etc.
To get definition you first have to a) have the muscle there, and b) be lean enough to see the muscle.
Drive/RPM is a great definition/performance stack. Do some further reading on the products on the AN site:
www.appnut.com.
You DON'T need a fat burner at 19% BF. If you're trying to LOSE fat, then your DIET is the KEY here; make sure that it's manipulated right. 5-6 days in the gym for that long is ok, but you wouldn't want to go much longer than that. And doing 40 minutes of cardio afterwards is UNnecessary, and just going to put your body into a further catabolic state.
If you're looking for supplements, look at getting the basics right first.
The basic staples:
* Creatine - Not sure how you got fluid retention on Kre-Alkalyn, since NOT having water retention is one of the BENEFITS of the product. If you have issues with not wanting water retention using a creatine product (although you're STILL going to get INTRacellular water (which is what you WANT - makes the muscles look full and aids in the pump) on ANY creatine product), then use one that does NOT have this effect (i.e. NeoVar Recomped and Cre-02).
* Multivitamin
* Good fats
* Protein powder
* BCAAs (unless you get them in your protein powder)
Fat burners, as I have stated throughout the forums, IMO, should NOT be used unless you're ALREADY pretty lean (i.e. <15% BF for a female) and wanting to lose that last 1-2% BF, and EVERYTHING else is RIGHT re diet and training and recovery, etc.