I need a good set of supplements

[Wanorios]

I have been taking different sets of supplements:

Mstak,Pump, vitamins and whey
Nitro tech, cell tech and vitamins
Amino acids, creatine, expand extreme and whey

The ones I felt really pushed me up were the cell tech set, however I haven't seen big gains, I gained 13 pounds In one year however I have been on a plateau for a long period and I can't seem to be able to lift any additional pound.

 

[kbayne]

How's your diet? I would make sure this is in check before spending more money on supplements.

 

[Wanorios]

My diet is messed up since I travel a lot and stay I hotels but overall I try to make it as follows


- protein shake In the morning, no breakfast since I can't eat anything when I wake up
- early lunch where I try to make sure I eat enough proteins, fiber and carbs
- mainly some proteins with a salad

But I definitely have some junk food sometimes in between and late at night.

Though recently am waking up late at night craving sugar.

 

[Jiigzz]

Adjust your diet a bit; switch up your program to avoid stagnation and get on a good training program (as opposed to one you might have just made up). The biggest reason for stagnation is either: a diet which has never been tweaked (increased or decreased calories dependent on goals) and a training program which has no volume overload or progression integrated into it. Or a combination of the two.

Recovery may be a cause (or lack thereof) but if you follow a typical bodybuilding kind of split then (1 day per week per muscle group) then you should be fine (unless your maxing out all the time).

 

[Wanorios]

Adjust your diet a bit; switch up your program to avoid stagnation and get on a good training program (as opposed to one you might have just made up). The biggest reason for stagnation is either: a diet which has never been tweaked (increased or decreased calories dependent on goals) and a training program which has no volume overload or progression integrated into it. Or a combination of the two.

Recovery may be a cause (or lack thereof) but if you follow a typical bodybuilding kind of split then (1 day per week per muscle group) then you should be fine (unless your maxing out all the time).

My training consists of one muscle one day per week. progression is part of my training as well, I progressed a lot during the first half of the year, but for the second half I hit a plateau I can't get over, I try to increase weight but I can't do the reps correctly and my spotter end up helping a lot

 

[Jiigzz]

My diet is messed up since I travel a lot and stay I hotels but overall I try to make it as follows


- protein shake In the morning, no breakfast since I can't eat anything when I wake up
- early lunch where I try to make sure I eat enough proteins, fiber and carbs
- mainly some proteins with a salad

But I definitely have some junk food sometimes in between and late at night.

Though recently am waking up late at night craving sugar.

How much fat do you get a day? It seems as though you are avoiding it (or not listing it). Fat and Proteins are the two most needed macronutrients available and they must be supplied from the diet. Add in a few Tablespoons (or whatever the equivalent is in ounces) of coconut oil and other sources of fat daily (aim for AT LEAST .4g/lb of bodyweight of fat). This is a minimum; although I personally prefer much higher.

Often LDL gets touted as the "bad fat" which is derived from saturated fats however this is not entirely correct. LDL particles come in many different sizes, ranging from the large and fluffy to the small and dense. Small and dense particles are readily oxidised in arteries which cause the buildup of plaques and create blockages whereas the large fluffy particles are much less susceptible to this process. Coconut oil helps increase the size of small dense particles to make larger ones which will be less likely to form heart disease (atherosclerosis).

Just so you know

 

[Wanorios]

How much fat do you get a day? It seems as though you are avoiding it (or not listing it). Fat and Proteins are the two most needed macronutrients available and they must be supplied from the diet. Add in a few Tablespoons (or whatever the equivalent is in ounces) of coconut oil and other sources of fat daily (aim for AT LEAST .4g/lb of bodyweight of fat). This is a minimum; although I personally prefer much higher.

Often LDL gets touted as the "bad fat" which is derived from saturated fats however this is not entirely correct. LDL particles come in many different sizes, ranging from the large and fluffy to the small and dense. Small and dense particles are readily oxidised in arteries which cause the buildup of plaques and create blockages whereas the large fluffy particles are much less susceptible to this process. Coconut oil helps increase the size of small dense particles to make larger ones which will be less likely to form heart disease (atherosclerosis).

Just so you know

I do try to avoid fat as much as possible, I wanna gain lean mass but ended up worrying a lot about fat consumption.
Thanks a lot for tip and explanation, I'll get into counting my fat consumption

 

[Jiigzz]

My training consists of one muscle one day per week. progression is part of my training as well, I progressed a lot during the first half of the year, but for the second half I hit a plateau I can't get over, I try to increase weight but I can't do the reps correctly and my spotter end up helping a lot

This is very typical of most splits; in the very early you get what is known as "noob gains" or "beginner gains" which is not resultant from an increase in muscle size or muscular strength but rather from the body adapting to the new stressor. Plateaus come quickly during the early phase; especially if reliant on linear progression. I suggest looking into some early strength programs (Starting Strength: 5x5 etc.) just to get a solid foundation then build into programs like P.H.A.T (Layne Nortons program).

 

[Jiigzz]

I do try to avoid fat as much as possible, I wanna gain lean mass but ended up worrying a lot about fat consumption.
Thanks a lot for tip and explanation, I'll get into counting my fat consumption

No problem; eating fat doesn't make you fat. In fact, replacing it with carbohydrates (to a degree) improves your blood lipid profiles. What dictates weight gain is something known as The Law of Thermodynamics. In simple words, when Energy In = Energy out (energy in from food = energy out from exercise and movement and daily physiological functions) then body weight remains the same; when energy in is greater than energy out then weight gain occurs and the opposite is true for weight loss.

This energy can be derived from either: Fats, carbs or proteins.

 

[Wanorios]

No problem; eating fat doesn't make you fat. In fact, replacing it with carbohydrates (to a degree) improves your blood lipid profiles. What dictates weight gain is something known as The Law of Thermodynamics. In simple words, when Energy In = Energy out (energy in from food = energy out from exercise and movement and daily physiological functions) then body weight remains the same; when energy in is greater than energy out then weight gain occurs and the opposite is true for weight loss.

This energy can be derived from either: Fats, carbs or proteins.

So in order to gain lean mass, my intake should be higher than what i burn correct? And my intake should be concentrated on proteins mostly so for the excess to be absorbed by muscles?

 

[Jiigzz]

So in order to gain lean mass, my intake should be higher than what i burn correct? And my intake should be concentrated on proteins mostly so for the excess to be absorbed by muscles?

Unfortunately it doesn't quite work that way. But yes, you will have to be in calorie excess if your goal is to bulk/ gain more muscle. In order to limit fat gain; try keeping the excess at about 250 kcals over your TDEE (total daily energy expenditure: Google TDEE calculator for a very rough calculation of your own). Use myfitnesspal . com to track macros and design meals that will place you at an excess (whether you choose higher carbs and lower fats is entirely up to you; I like higher fat higher protein personally) and tweak your diet until you see the results you want.

The body can only synthesize so much muscle is any given time frame and so minimizing how much in excess you eat will minimize the amount of fat you gain (although you will likely store some fat).