BCAA's, OIL'S, and VITAMIN's

bi0hazurd

Active member
Im gonna add a BCAA, An oil either fish or flaxseed, and a multivitamin to my diet... Im a body builder trying to gain muscle weight and size/bulk what are any good recommendations for these products
 
Im looking for help with brands because so far all im seeing is the vitamin shoppe generic brand and im looking for anything that can give better results
 
For fish oil look for whatever brand has the highest amount of Epa and DHA per serving, the omega 3 and 6 fatty acids, which ever one has the most go with that, looks at brands that say stuff like "no fishy burps", also you can throw in some flaxseed oil as well for the omega 9s, you may want to try ground flaxseed too, high in fiber and good for your bowles.

For BCAA I go with xtend, tastes great lemonade flavor, and you get a ton of BCAA's per serving and citriline malate too...great buy on nutraplanet for 90 servings

For multivitiman that is tough, honestly I have trouble with them because they taste so horrible and sometimes give me dusty burps, don't hate but the only one I liked and didn't bother my stomach was GNC brand, but if you look around here on AM you should be able to find other good recommendations
 
thanks bro and i appreciate the help im gonna go witht the flaxseed gel capsules from vitaminshoppe cuz theyre cheap lol... ill look up the xtend now but as far as BCAA's do u kno of any good brands that are flavorless so i can just throw it in with my creatine whey and glutamine shake?
 
bi0hazurd said:
thanks bro and i appreciate the help im gonna go witht the flaxseed gel capsules from vitaminshoppe cuz theyre cheap lol... ill look up the xtend now but as far as BCAA's do u kno of any good brands that are flavorless so i can just throw it in with my creatine whey and glutamine shake?
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BCAAs taste HORRIBLE by themselves. Xtend or RecoverPRO do a great job of masking the flavor and mix well. Fish oil is also much better than flax.
 
Rodja said:
BCAAs taste HORRIBLE by themselves. Xtend or RecoverPRO do a great job of masking the flavor and mix well. Fish oil is also much better than flax.
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rumor has it that they pretty much do the same long term but u probably kno what ur talking about lol... and they dont have any generic tasting BCAAS that are tasteless or something?
 
Mix Xtend up in 24 ounces of water or so and start drinking before your workout and during, works for me, and yes bulk bcaa's taste horrible, I mean discusting!
 
bi0hazurd said:
rumor has it that they pretty much do the same long term but u probably kno what ur talking about lol... and they dont have any generic tasting BCAAS that are tasteless or something?
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Fish oil's Omega-3 are better (EPA and DHA) than flax's (ALA). There aren't any tasteless BCAAs; they have bulk BCAAs, but they need to be added to something with a strong flavor.
 
bi0hazurd said:
rumor has it that they pretty much do the same long term but u probably kno what ur talking about lol... and they dont have any generic tasting BCAAS that are tasteless or something?
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Got that right and here's the kicker .. after getting Xtend on sale and factor in it has 2.5 grams of L-glutamine per serving I probably just about broke even off of buying everything in bulk. All that needless suffering for not.

:sorry:
 
Rodja said:
Fish oil's Omega-3 are better (EPA and DHA) than flax's (ALA).
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correct..ALA has to undergo a conversion in the body to process that omega3, while EPA & DHA are easily & freely absorbed..ALA is not what you want to rely on for your omega3 intake.

The first step to finding the best source of omega-3 is to have a basic understanding of the differences between ALA, DHA, and EPA. This short guide will keep it simple.
1) Remember their importance, effectiveness, and use by the body by putting them in alphabetical order. A-, D- and E-, or visualize them as a pyramid with ALA at the base, DHA in the center, and EPA at the top.

2) ALA: Sometimes called the vegetarian omega-3 because the body can convert it to EPA and DHA (the essential omega-3 fatty acids needed for the brain and heart). The body cannot make ALA on its own and has to get it from food.

Yet, studies indicate that the body is not very efficient at this conversion...

Men: Roughly 8% of dietary ALA is converted to EPA and 0-4% is converted to DHA.

Women: Roughly 21% of dietary ALA is converted to EPA and 9% is converted to DHA.

ALA comes primarily from plant sources, many of which, also contain lignans or phytoestrogens. These naturally occurring chemicals weakly mimic estrogen in humans. Diets high in natural sources of ALA like flax or soybean oil have been linked to prostate cancer, thus getting omega-3 primarily from ALA-rich plants such as flax may be of concern for men. However, more research is needed to determine both the benefits and drawbacks of lignans.


Natural Sources of ALA:

Flax oil and flax seed
Pumpkin seed
Walnuts
Soybean oil and soybeans
Hemp oil and hemp seed

3) DHA and EPA:

DHA is the omega-3 fatty acid used most for the brain, in fact, about 30% of the lipids (fats) in grey matter is DHA.

EPA is also needed, but in much smaller amounts than DHA. EPA is also a shorter fatty acid (chain) than DHA. This means that it's easy for the body to produce as much EPA as it needs by simply shortening the DHA molecule.

Conversely, the body can make DHA from EPA, but it's harder because it has to do the opposite, and add to the molecule. It's easier for the body to break something down than to build something up, so essentially, DHA is preferable over EPA.


Natural Sources of DHA and EPA:

Fatty fish such as salmon, sardines, mackerel, lake trout, or herring.

Algae derived oils/supplements (vegetarian source)
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Vitamins: look for chelated minerals. The word will end by ATE like Ascorbate, critrate. If it is oxide version, don't bother, there is not much absorption.
Fish oil: Go with a good quality fish oil micro filtered with high EPA DHA rating like Poliquin for example. And no, omega 6 and 9 are not a need. We ate too much of 6 and 9 already. Rodja and Snadjency are right about flaxseed.
BCAA:All are bad taste. I personnaly use it in powder form and mix it with water. It's not good for sure. Again, there is a lot of good company making BCAA, just make sure you have a high concentration in one scoop.
 
jayts22 said:
For fish oil look for whatever brand has the highest amount of Epa and DHA per serving, the omega 3 and 6 fatty acids, which ever one has the most go with that
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welll..overall you gave some solid advice dude, but just some clarification for you: EPA & DHA are both omega 3's. ;)
 
the xtend kinda confused me tho with the servings it says take 2 scoops but then it says that according to my weight take for and split it between pre and during workout and then one after? so does that mean 5 scoops everytime? plz advise on good methods to take
 
xtend is solid product..would recommend 5-6 scoops, start sipping before your workout and drink all thru..

good to see you went w/ fish oil..depending on your dietary intake, I'll recommend 4-5g a day for you, split over 2 servings..now here's the tricky part: what I'm recommending is 4-5g of EPA/DHA, so you'll have to see how much of this is contained in your product and do the math as to how many caps (TBS if liquid) you'll need to take to get this amount. when I'm not using liquid, I'll use the Triple Strength Fish Oil from GNC, each cap has 900mg omega3's per cap, so 4-5 caps daily is easy math..quality of that stuff is good too.
many fish oil caps contain 300mg EPA/DHA per cap, so be aware of what you are using..if you're striving for 4-5g with these, you'll have to take a boatload.

as for your multivite - not a centrum fan, man. GNC has decent multi's, and GNC stores are pretty accessible. if you order your supps tho, look into Beverly International's Ultra-4, these are very decently priced and very complete.
 
i only went with centrum cuz i found it lying around the house and i just noticed this morning that its about to expire lol so ill be buying the gnc multis for men today thanks for the advice
 
XTEND is supposed to increase energy during the workout eventually making it easier correct? so 5 scoops split before the workout and during?
 
xtend is BCAA's and glutamine, which help in recovery and fueling the muscles during exercise..BCAA's are absorbed directly to muscle tissue.
you can dose as you like, 5 scoops is fine.
 
aww BCAAs dont taste bad! a little bitter maybe but thats not that bad, mix it with a little OJ or something. you know the old school nitro tech protein? now that tasted straight like $hit
 
AntonG42O said:
aww BCAAs dont taste bad! a little bitter maybe but thats not that bad, mix it with a little OJ or something. you know the old school nitro tech protein? now that tasted straight like $hit
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man I used orange crystal light in mine and it tasted like someone ate an orange and barfed in my bottle. Peach actually goes pretty well with it. Now that I bought 6 jugs of Xtend blue raspberrry I don't have to face it anymore.
 
parents pushed me into having blood work done.... because of the stuff im taking creatine, glutamine,bcaas(xtend),beta alenine,fish oil, and whey..... nothing weird should show up on the test right?
 
yeah..they'll say you look like some new aquatic form of life, some kind of fish species with a hopped up recovery system.. :blink:

nah, you'll be be fine dude. :D
 
good cuz my rents were getting worried that i was roiding..... lol any truth to the myth that creatine can increase ur chances of getting acne?
 
bi0hazurd said:
parents pushed me into having blood work done.... because of the stuff im taking creatine, glutamine,bcaas(xtend),beta alenine,fish oil, and whey..... nothing weird should show up on the test right?
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Creatine converts to creatinine. Creatinine also happens to be a chemical that your kidneys produce when they are functiong poorly. You may whant to explain why your creatinine levels are going to be high before you even go.
 
kingdong said:
Creatine converts to creatinine. Creatinine also happens to be a chemical that your kidneys produce when they are functiong poorly. You may whant to explain why your creatinine levels are going to be high before you even go.
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doesn't necessarily work like that..just because you are taking creatine does not portend high creatinine levels..wait for the test results before spouting off such issues to the doc.
 
Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine
Issue: Volume 19(5), September 2009, pg. 399-404

Three Weeks of Creatine Monohydrate Supplementation Affects Dihydrotestosterone to Testosterone Ratio in College-Aged Rugby Players

Abstract

Objective: This study investigated resting concentrations of selected androgens after 3 weeks of creatine supplementation in male rugby players. It was hypothesized that the ratio of dihydrotestosterone (DHT, a biologically more active androgen) to testosterone (T) would change with creatine supplementation.

Design: Double-blind placebo-controlled crossover study with a 6-week washout period.

Setting: Rugby Institute in South Africa.

Participants: College-aged rugby players (n = 20) volunteered for the study, which took place during the competitive season.

Interventions: Subjects loaded with creatine (25 g/day creatine with 25 g/day glucose) or placebo (50 g/day glucose) for 7 days followed by 14 days of maintenance (5 g/day creatine with 25 g/day glucose or 30 g/day glucose placebo).

Main Outcome Measures: Serum T and DHT were measured and ratio calculated at baseline and after 7 days and 21 days of creatine supplementation (or placebo). Body composition measurements were taken at each time point.

Results: After 7 days of creatine loading, or a further 14 days of creatine maintenance dose, serum T levels did not change. However, levels of DHT increased by 56% after 7 days of creatine loading and remained 40% above baseline after 14 days maintenance (P < 0.001). The ratio of DHT:T also increased by 36% after 7 days creatine supplementation and remained elevated by 22% after the maintenance dose (P < 0.01).

Conclusions: Creatine supplementation may, in part, act through an increased rate of conversion of T to DHT. Further investigation is warranted as a result of the high frequency of individuals using creatine supplementation and the long-term safety of alterations in circulating androgen composition.

Statement of Clinical Relevance: Although creatine is a widely used ergogenic aid, the mechanisms of action are incompletely understood, particularly in relation to dihydrotestosterone, and therefore the long-term clinical safety cannot be guaranteed.
 
so where did it say all these rugby players broke out with zits? :D

interesting tho..creatine gets a lot of uninformed bashing, but elevated DHT levels is certainly something to pause for.
 
well yesterday as i took my centrum i realized its expired *face palm* went bought a new one fairly cheap and its centrum mens which is supposed to help muscle development
 
Ok so my blood work came back yesterday and showed high creatine levels, when i did the blood work i had just recently stopped taking creatine and i was taking around 20 grams per day... my parents want me to cut out creatine for another month and im ok with it but they also want me to cut out BCAAS, beta alenine, and Whey protein for a month aswell maybe two... i dont wanna cut those out but maybe forced to... will that have noticeable effects on my performance/look/results? and if it does how long will it take to get back to or pass my current?
 
dosing 20g daily, I would certainly make the correlation between that and high creatinine readings..further enlightened reading for you is here:

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as for BCAA/protein, these are like foods - good, wholesome stuff, no negatives..eliminate these things, and of course your results will not be on par.

beta alanine is a naturally ocurring amino acid; while it has it's own set of possible reactions on the body, creatinine levels are not one of them.

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20g is far too much as is.

Show them that whey protein is just a milk fraction that is in almost every dairy product. Your parents are just ignorant on the topic of supplements and the only time there is ever significant press, it is bad press.
 
agreed on my parents ignorance^

on another note how can i convince them bout taking the other stuff being ok?
im taking the beta alenine hidden from them but im running out and i wanna buy intraxcell soon so i need them on my side
 
bi0hazurd said:
agreed on my parents ignorance^

on another note how can i convince them bout taking the other stuff being ok?
im taking the beta alenine hidden from them but im running out and i wanna buy intraxcell soon so i need them on my side
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Assuming they're not completely stubborn, the best way would be to print off articles regarding their safety. If you have access to research databases, go to MEDLINE and type in "creatine" and "safety" along with just some general data on them.
 
Rodja said:
Assuming they're not completely stubborn, the best way would be to print off articles regarding their safety. If you have access to research databases, go to MEDLINE and type in "creatine" and "safety" along with just some general data on them.
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ive done so.. but the thing is we have a doc in the family and he is extremely exxagerated so he wants me off EVERY supp for two months including BCAA's, Glutamine, Whey, and Beta Alenine
 
get your own place, get a job, and buy your own supps; don't have to explain anything to anybody.
problem solved. :yup:
 
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