Supplement: Is Cheap the way to go?

[Kanelifts2718]

I know the quality matter of supplements and you get what you pay for but what if you just stick to chela supplements and it's working for you? I think too many people think that spending countless dollars on supplements will exceed results or even worse, be their sole reliance of results, tell me what everyone thinks?

 

[ericool007]

well you get what you pay for in this world.

depends on what kind of supplements your looking for too

 

[Kanelifts2718]

I know that, was just talking about general supplements, whey, creatine, ect wanted an opinion if anyone has gone this route and it worked for them

 

[double s]

At the end of the day supplements are just that. They are great additions/ icing on the cake but first and foremost , diet/healthy food choices and exercise

 

[kboxer7]

I know that, was just talking about general supplements, whey, creatine, ect wanted an opinion if anyone has gone this route and it worked for them

A lot of the staples are pretty darn cheap anyway. I'd spend the extra $2 for a product from a respectable company.

For example:

SNS creatine I just found a 240 serving tub for $12.95! Top quality brand, and it'll last you forever.

Protein as well. A lot of companies have been "amino spiking" their protein with cheap aminos and you really are not getting a quality full spectrum protein. I use a few brands, but as an example, you can get Cutler Nutrition protein (made by BPS and cromadex certified) as a BOGO many times a year and I haven't been able to beat that price per serving even with lower quality brands.

 

[kboxer7]

At the end of the day supplements are just that. They are great additions/ icing on the cake but first and foremost , diet/healthy food choices and exercise

This OP.

If money is tight, a quality diet and whole foods will get you miles farther than any supplement will. Focus there first if your budget doesn't allow for the "extras."

 

[HIT4ME]

I am taking a different angle on your question, OP, than the others above, although I agree with them. But sometimes you DON'T get what you pay for - sometimes it is just marketing hype. This is highly true in the supplement world - most of the time, even the good brands, are hype. That being the case, you wind up back to what was said above - food and a good diet will bring you much further than any supplement.

Having said that, I have some stuff I just buy cheap, some stuff I look for quality, some stuff I pay extra for to get something I really like. For instance - my multi-vitamin is going to be cheap usually. I will take 2-3 a day of something lower quality because, well, it's so cheap. My protein, this is something where quality and flavor play factors, so I may spend a little more and get something good like Select, but if I can find something of reasonable quality for a really good price, I will do it. Many of my supplements are NOW foods products, bulk powders, etc. Sometimes, I realize that you have to get quality and spend the extra. But it depends on the product and situation and the funds available. It isn't a simple, "just go cheap" or "Just buy the most expensive thing" decision.

 

[thebigt]

most sites run sales...stock up when you can!!!

right now endosurge turbo is on sale for $20...a lot of sites have a deal of the day. if you shop smart you can still get quality at a reasonable price.

 

[LeanEngineer]

Yea you can get creatine monohydrate at a cheap price. A lot of products if you buy a bundle or stack they will be cheaper from certain sites. Just do some research and browsing and you'll find a lot of good deals. There's a lot at strong supplement shop.

 

[Jiigzz]

In any industry, price does not reflect quality. You can be just as easily scammed by overpeiced goods as you can by underpriced stuff. IMO the key is the person who produces the product.

For instance, we sell creatine at one of the cheapest prices I have ever seen but that prices doesnt mean its of lesser quality. But in saying that a youtube personality could sell a crappy pre workout at 1000% cost yet it doesnt reflect quality either.

 

[thebigt]

In any industry, price does not reflect quality. You can be just as easily scammed by overpeiced goods as you can by underpriced stuff. IMO the key is the person who produces the product.

For instance, we sell creatine at one of the cheapest prices I have ever seen but that prices doesnt mean its of lesser quality. But in saying that a youtube personality could sell a crappy pre workout at 1000% cost yet it doesnt reflect quality either.

can't go wrong with SNS!!!

 

[T-Bone]

In any industry, price does not reflect quality. You can be just as easily scammed by overpeiced goods as you can by underpriced stuff. IMO the key is the person who produces the product.

For instance, we sell creatine at one of the cheapest prices I have ever seen but that prices doesnt mean its of lesser quality. But in saying that a youtube personality could sell a crappy pre workout at 1000% cost yet it doesnt reflect quality either.

People are constantly fooled by higher prices and shiny labels.

 

[squirtguns89]

I am taking a different angle on your question, OP, than the others above, although I agree with them. But sometimes you DON'T get what you pay for - sometimes it is just marketing hype. This is highly true in the supplement world - most of the time, even the good brands, are hype. That being the case, you wind up back to what was said above - food and a good diet will bring you much further than any supplement.

Having said that, I have some stuff I just buy cheap, some stuff I look for quality, some stuff I pay extra for to get something I really like. For instance - my multi-vitamin is going to be cheap usually. I will take 2-3 a day of something lower quality because, well, it's so cheap. My protein, this is something where quality and flavor play factors, so I may spend a little more and get something good like Select, but if I can find something of reasonable quality for a really good price, I will do it. Many of my supplements are NOW foods products, bulk powders, etc. Sometimes, I realize that you have to get quality and spend the extra. But it depends on the product and situation and the funds available. It isn't a simple, "just go cheap" or "Just buy the most expensive thing" decision.

you feel theres no difference in paying for artificial forms an/or lacking in full form vitamers that you get from whole food, does that not defeat the purpose of supplementing your diet with them? or maybe full forms are over rated and all vitamin E ect ect is equal.... would love to be corrected, mike potratz and others write some interesting articles on how single isonomers of things can be the opposite of beneficial.

vs flavoring on protein, at the end of the day=nothing except for your taste buds<---not saying thats insignificant, but health wise, it is.


all in all, as others have mentioned, its not that simple, supps are a mixed bag on true value/quality, not real easy to tell at face value most of the time.

 

[EMPIREMIND]

Quality over quantity always. No question. There is always a difference.

Whey as you mentioned is a great example. There are many different types with many different applications. All wheys are not created equal.

 

[HIT4ME]

you feel theres no difference in paying for artificial forms an/or lacking in full form vitamers that you get from whole food, does that not defeat the purpose of supplementing your diet with them? or maybe full forms are over rated and all vitamin E ect ect is equal.... would love to be corrected, mike potratz and others write some interesting articles on how single isonomers of things can be the opposite of beneficial.

vs flavoring on protein, at the end of the day=nothing except for your taste buds<---not saying thats insignificant, but health wise, it is.


all in all, as others have mentioned, its not that simple, supps are a mixed bag on true value/quality, not real easy to tell at face value most of the time.

I didn't say there was no difference. The question is, to what end? These are just supplements, and the fact is this entire industry is a big hype machine 90% of the time. I am SURE there are better forms of SOME chemicals - but just because it is different, doesn't make it better. Look at Creatine - Creatine Monohydrate is/was hyped as being inferior to all sorts of other forms of creatine, but it isn't.

I'm also well aware that things like Orange Triad are superior to my centrum. But, in perspective, I am trying to eat healthy and this is a SUPPLEMENT, so I should be getting various "vitamers" (I hate that word) from my actual food. I doubt most people actually NEED a multi-vitamin, so I go cheaper given the situation. Am I saying OT isn't better? No way. But to what end? I don't know that OT will do any more to get me where I'm trying to go, so I will buy my 6 month supply of multis for 2/3's the price of a 1 month supply of OT, and spend that money elsewhere.

If you want to pull the natural card vs. artificial forms, don't buy a pill. Natural is NOTHING but hype. But nothing is more natural than eating whole foods, which I recommended, over popping a pill. If you're popping a pill, I'd say a lot of times synthetic is just as good as natural...sometimes better....but this depends on the specific chemical we are discussing. Sometimes, we can only process the natural form, such is evolution. But companies make a lot of money off both sides of this argument....

As far as the flavoring of protein - really? Who said it wasn't insignificant health wise? Not gonna lose any more fat or gain any more muscle because of the flavoring, but I will pay a little more for something that I enjoy using, especially while on a PSMF....it may be the only thing I eat for most of the day, if it tastes good, it may be worth a little more.

Jiggz and others said what I was trying to say best - quality and price are not always correlated. SNS creatine mono is cheap, but high quality - while other lower quality brands sell for twice the price....other times, you are wasting your money on the cheap stuff, because it isn't effective for one reason or another....

 

[EMPIREMIND]

Op, I think that you can do very well with the basic supps, nothing fancy. Fish oil, multi, some protein( if you need it) and creatine. Put the rest into food. Food is the most important part imo. I think one supp thats often overlooked in bodybuilding is digestive enzymes.

 

[TyMan14]

I always will pay for quality. However if I can score a really good deal on a cheaper product, Ill probably stock up on it and use it until the time comes for me to get the really good stuff again. At the end of the day, Im putting this stuff in my body. I want it to be good.

 

[thebigt]

I didn't say there was no difference. The question is, to what end? These are just supplements, and the fact is this entire industry is a big hype machine 90% of the time. I am SURE there are better forms of SOME chemicals - but just because it is different, doesn't make it better. Look at Creatine - Creatine Monohydrate is/was hyped as being inferior to all sorts of other forms of creatine, but it isn't.

I'm also well aware that things like Orange Triad are superior to my centrum. But, in perspective, I am trying to eat healthy and this is a SUPPLEMENT, so I should be getting various "vitamers" (I hate that word) from my actual food. I doubt most people actually NEED a multi-vitamin, so I go cheaper given the situation. Am I saying OT isn't better? No way. But to what end? I don't know that OT will do any more to get me where I'm trying to go, so I will buy my 6 month supply of multis for 2/3's the price of a 1 month supply of OT, and spend that money elsewhere.

If you want to pull the natural card vs. artificial forms, don't buy a pill. Natural is NOTHING but hype. But nothing is more natural than eating whole foods, which I recommended, over popping a pill. If you're popping a pill, I'd say a lot of times synthetic is just as good as natural...sometimes better....but this depends on the specific chemical we are discussing. Sometimes, we can only process the natural form, such is evolution. But companies make a lot of money off both sides of this argument....

As far as the flavoring of protein - really? Who said it wasn't insignificant health wise? Not gonna lose any more fat or gain any more muscle because of the flavoring, but I will pay a little more for something that I enjoy using, especially while on a PSMF....it may be the only thing I eat for most of the day, if it tastes good, it may be worth a little more.

Jiggz and others said what I was trying to say best - quality and price are not always correlated. SNS creatine mono is cheap, but high quality - while other lower quality brands sell for twice the price....other times, you are wasting your money on the cheap stuff, because it isn't effective for one reason or another....

i have to disagree about creatine mono....i found creatine nitrate to be superior and if it were still available in bulk i would gladly pay more for it.

 

[squirtguns89]

I didn't say there was no difference. The question is, to what end? These are just supplements, and the fact is this entire industry is a big hype machine 90% of the time. I am SURE there are better forms of SOME chemicals - but just because it is different, doesn't make it better. Look at Creatine - Creatine Monohydrate is/was hyped as being inferior to all sorts of other forms of creatine, but it isn't.

I'm also well aware that things like Orange Triad are superior to my centrum. But, in perspective, I am trying to eat healthy and this is a SUPPLEMENT, so I should be getting various "vitamers" (I hate that word) from my actual food. I doubt most people actually NEED a multi-vitamin, so I go cheaper given the situation. Am I saying OT isn't better? No way. But to what end? I don't know that OT will do any more to get me where I'm trying to go, so I will buy my 6 month supply of multis for 2/3's the price of a 1 month supply of OT, and spend that money elsewhere.

If you want to pull the natural card vs. artificial forms, don't buy a pill. Natural is NOTHING but hype. But nothing is more natural than eating whole foods, which I recommended, over popping a pill. If you're popping a pill, I'd say a lot of times synthetic is just as good as natural...sometimes better....but this depends on the specific chemical we are discussing. Sometimes, we can only process the natural form, such is evolution. But companies make a lot of money off both sides of this argument....

As far as the flavoring of protein - really? Who said it wasn't insignificant health wise? Not gonna lose any more fat or gain any more muscle because of the flavoring, but I will pay a little more for something that I enjoy using, especially while on a PSMF....it may be the only thing I eat for most of the day, if it tastes good, it may be worth a little more.

Jiggz and others said what I was trying to say best - quality and price are not always correlated. SNS creatine mono is cheap, but high quality - while other lower quality brands sell for twice the price....other times, you are wasting your money on the cheap stuff, because it isn't effective for one reason or another....

i had no intention of putting words in your mouth, or nit pick your decision fwiw, was just curious if you had any sound evidence behind your opinion, but sometimes personal logic has to triumph in these ordeals and i understand, because i do agree theres lots of over hyping in this industry, no question about that. although i do question whether this applies to specific vitamins, a lot of times nature does have things right, even look at protein blends being superior to some extent--->considering milk (a protein blend). how much do these things matter like you say, idk..little too much opinion and not enough science to specifically write this concern off as hype though imo.


i said the flavoring of protein is insignificant as far as health goes, but i understood peoples personal decision on such matters because flavor is important for many (i certainly dont want to drink anything off putting), we agree there. just comparing people priorities in real world application on how money is spent.

i dont think we necessarily disagree with most things, heck i havent took a multi most my life lets be honest here, my health seems solid. although i have started taking one recently. was just trying to drum up any info thats all. i def agree a lot of it is a mixed bag.

 

[HIT4ME]

Squirtguns- I think we do agree. I just reread my post to you and wish I worded it better. And I guess we are looking at the same thing from different angles.

 

[HIT4ME]

i have to disagree about creatine mono....i found creatine nitrate to be superior and if it were still available in bulk i would gladly pay more for it.

That is cool, I can see that too - but is it twice as good? Worth twice the price? I don't know. Maybe...maybe 25% better is worth twice the price to some people...

 

[thebigt]

That is cool, I can see that too - but is it twice as good? Worth twice the price? I don't know. Maybe...maybe 25% better is worth twice the price to some people...

there was a site selling it in bulk for a very decent price before that thermolife guy [bk], decided to get greedy!!! and yes, i think it is twice as good, creatine nitrate is amazing, imo.

 

[Jiigzz]

there was a site selling it in bulk for a very decent price before that thermolife guy [bk], decided to get greedy!!! and yes, i think it is twice as good, creatine nitrate is amazing, imo.

Creatine nitrate is good because its also a nitrate bound to creatine. You wouldnt be able to reap the benefits of creatine with its use without getting too much nitrate though

 

[thebigt]

Creatine nitrate is good because its also a nitrate bound to creatine. You wouldnt be able to reap the benefits of creatine with its use without getting too much nitrate though

wasn't there some research done about better absorption?

 

[hewhoisripped]

I don't see the point in caring about creatine absorption... It's safe to take, you can reach saturation with cheap mono easily.

As far as too much nitrate, off the top of my head I think you'd be getting something like 800-900mg of nitrate per dose of creatine, so your right that that's higher than the normal dose of 300-400mg of nitrate, but since nitrate's effects are short lived and it's optimal to dose every 6 hours or so, the problem can be mitigated by splitting your dose into 2g twice a day or something.

Too bad it's not cheaper.

 

[thebigt]

I don't see the point in caring about creatine absorption... It's safe to take, you can reach saturation with cheap mono easily.

As far as too much nitrate, off the top of my head I think you'd be getting something like 800-900mg of nitrate per dose of creatine, so your right that that's higher than the normal dose of 300-400mg of nitrate, but since nitrate's effects are short lived and it's optimal to dose every 6 hours or so, the problem can be mitigated by splitting your dose into 2g twice a day or something.

Too bad it's not cheaper.

i have used nitrates bonded with amino's and other things..the point being none of them are as effective as creatine nitrate. for whatever reason it just kicksass!!!

 

[hewhoisripped]

i have used nitrates bonded with amino's and other things..the point being none of them are as effective as creatine nitrate. for whatever reason it just kicksass!!!

I was commenting on the opposite (creatine mono being as effective as creatine nitrate) but that's interesting

 

[thebigt]

I was commenting on the opposite (creatine mono being as effective as creatine nitrate) but that's interesting

obviously you have never used creatine nitrate....had you used it you would not have made that comment, imo!!!

 

[Jiigzz]

wasn't there some research done about better absorption?

Potentially, not too sure. But the actual amount of creatine per mg is lower because of the bound nitrate - im not too sure of the exact ratios but you wouldn't be able to hit 3g without causing some BP problems.

In saying that, I dont use creatine anyway because I dont notice anything so I prefer something like this where I actuslly can

 

[T-Bone]

Big T - I think you were most likely noticing the effects of the nitrates.

 

[thebigt]

Big T - I think you were most likely noticing the effects of the nitrates.

if i had not tried every other nitrate formula i might think so too....creatine nitrate worked incredibly well for me!!!

 

[thebigt]

Potentially, not too sure. But the actual amount of creatine per mg is lower because of the bound nitrate - im not too sure of the exact ratios but you wouldn't be able to hit 3g without causing some BP problems.

In saying that, I dont use creatine anyway because I dont notice anything so I prefer something like this where I actuslly can

if i am reading this correctly it sounds like you are a fan of creatine nitrate also????

 

[Jiigzz]

if i am reading this correctly it sounds like you are a fan of creatine nitrate also????

Hell yeah! Haha its awesome. I like all nitrates lol

 

[LeanEngineer]

Definitely agree. I love the pump and veins haha.

 

[squirtguns89]

there was a site selling it in bulk for a very decent price before that thermolife guy [bk], decided to get greedy!!! and yes, i think it is twice as good, creatine nitrate is amazing, imo.

cellucors coming out with cn3, straight creatine nitrate+vitamin c. certainly not bulk, but they tend to do a decent job with sales and such.

 

[hewhoisripped]

I found some guy selling it on eBay, 100g shipped from Australia for $10. We'll see

 

[kboxer7]

I found some guy selling it on eBay, 100g shipped from Australia for $10. We'll see

Man I always feel like buying supps on eBay and Amazon is a bit sketchy, especially bulk powders.

Wishing you the best though. Hope it works out.

 

[hewhoisripped]

Man I always feel like buying supps on eBay and Amazon is a bit sketchy, especially bulk powders.

Wishing you the best though. Hope it works out.

I'm not too concerned about something as simple as this. Looked to be a branded, sealed food grade bag. Fingers crossed.

 

[T-Bone]

Man I always feel like buying supps on eBay and Amazon is a bit sketchy, especially bulk powders.

Wishing you the best though. Hope it works out.

Amazon is not synonymous with eBay.

 

[kboxer7]

Amazon is not synonymous with eBay.

That is true. There are a lot of reputable companies that have their own storefronts on amazon as well as their own sites. I meant more of buying from some random person on either of those.

 

[nicksox15]

I've had good luck on amazon, ebay scares me when it comes to supps so I just shy away.

 

[USPlabsRep]

Creatine nitrate is good because its also a nitrate bound to creatine. You wouldnt be able to reap the benefits of creatine with its use without getting too much nitrate though

exactly, you buy any bonded nitrate for the nitrate..

 

[Blergs]

I know the quality matter of supplements and you get what you pay for but what if you just stick to chela supplements and it's working for you? I think too many people think that spending countless dollars on supplements will exceed results or even worse, be their sole reliance of results, tell me what everyone thinks?

1-3 g taurine ed
2-5g creatine ed
protein powder
multivitmin
extra b12 , vitD3 and vitc

IMO