Back in the gym.. help w/ supplements

Blown03

New member
Well it's been about 8 years since I stepped foot in the gym, 27 yrs old now. I was very heavy in the gym from 17-20 yrs old. I'm 5"11 and weigh about 152. Back in my young days, I did nothing but eat lots of protein and busted my behind in the gym, I saw huge results while going completely natural, no creatine or nothing. So now I'm back in the gym, been going for about 2 months now.

Results seemed to have slowed down a bit as far as gaining muscle so fast. I still have most of my old physique so it's actually coming back pretty nice, I was always a vein popping person throughout arms, shoulders, and neck.

I'm not looking to do competitions or be the biggest person at the gym, just looking to get back to my old size. Was benching 3 and 1/4, squats almost 400, etc etc...

So my ultimate question here is....

What products are all good to take? in regards to all these HGH,testostorone boosters...etc etc...

Only thing im on now is whey 60 protein from GNC which I love, and of course I eat pretty well I think. My bench already went up 60lbs in 2 months, squating 280ish. etc etc...

Should I stay natural since thats what I did before? Are any of these supplements out now harmful to my body later on down the road? I understand there's a million different stacking methods... whats the best?

Sorry for all this mess lol, just looking to learn a little.

Dan
 
I think the first step you should do is an assessment of your routine, your diet and breaking down your macros. Once you know what your maintainence calories are, you can play with the surplus a bit and see what helps to add on weight.

After you've really had that on point for a while, then you can consider supplements other than creatine, protein, etc.

And another thing save some money and buy online from nutraplanet or another online health store, GNC is taking your hard earned money.
 
I second the GNC motion, and I used to work there. You're being overcharged by at least 30%. The salesmen all work on commission, which is why they're always trying to get you to either buy MuscleTech or a GNC product.

Honestly, if you want to become a hardcore bodybuilder, go ahead and break down your diet, including all the macros etc. Realistically, you probably aren't as dedicated as that, and there's no sense in burning yourself out on your new lifestyle so early. I'd recommend just eating awell-balanced, well-proportioned meal at least 5-6 times per day. If you begin to plateau, use a creatine monohydrate product. You should be able to add some strength with a solid creatine and the right amount of food. N.O. products are fun to work out with, but they won't add size to your frame. Always choose natural means of getting nutrients over supplements or processed foods.

Short answer:

1. Prohormones: No.
2. Steroids/HGH: Not recommended.
3. Creatine: Yes.
4. Other junk: If you want to, but the benefit to cost ratio is poor.
 
I'll 3rd the "stay away from GNC" notion ^_^ Nutra or other online sites will save you much more money, and will have better products. I personally only order from Nutra because it gets here in 2 days and there are sometimes AWESOME deals on Nutra(as well as other sites).

Like Napolean said, PH and steroids really won't be worth it at this point. (and if you did it all-natural before, why not do it again? ^_^)

The best protein I've had is from All the Whey and is pretty cheap here on Nutra. And the other thing you may want that wasn't mentioned is a pre-WO supp. Jack3d and MaximizeV2 are my favorites so far, and you can't go wrong with either.

This stuff called "water" is also great to take in very large doses through the day :)
 
Blown03 said:
I eat pretty well I think.
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Welcome back to the game.

I will echo what a couple other knowledgeable members have already said. You will get the most mileage in results by putting your efforts into your diet than looking to supplements.

Apart from the beginner gains it is all but impossible to make gains if you don't eat enough calories. However if you just overcompensate and eat everything in sight you run the risk of putting on too much fat. So:

1) Google BMR calculator and find one that helps you find a ball park calorie figure to gain weight
2) Goto fitday.com and make a meal plan of 6-8 meals/day with that calorie level and 30-40% protein, >20% carbs, >20% fat
3) Buy a digital food scale and some measuring spoons/cups
4) Execute your plan

Good luck
 
Nitrox said:
Welcome back to the game.

I will echo what a couple other knowledgeable members have already said. You will get the most mileage in results by putting your efforts into your diet than looking to supplements.

Apart from the beginner gains it is all but impossible to make gains if you don't eat enough calories. However if you just overcompensate and eat everything in sight you run the risk of putting on too much fat. So:

1) Google BMR calculator and find one that helps you find a ball park calorie figure to gain weight
2) Goto fitday.com and make a meal plan of 6-8 meals/day with that calorie level and 30-40% protein, >20% carbs, >20% fat
3) Buy a digital food scale and some measuring spoons/cups
4) Execute your plan

Good luck
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This!

I cannot stress enough that a surplus over maintainence is necessary for muscle growth, and maybe even more so the next day when the muscle is recovering. It is key to keep the body in an anabolic state as well as you can. Eat upon waking, try to always snack on some whole food, and supplement with shakes when needed. Oils and fats are a good and easy way to add to the calories in your diet while maintaining cardiovascular and skin health. When eating carbs, you can consume complex carbs for long term energy, and a feeling of well being, and simple carbs for a good insulin spike during and post workout. If you're going to put money into supplements, I would recommend simple creatine mono, something for endurance like beta alanine, and bcaas (but if you eat plenty of good clean food you should get this, or even from a quality protein powder).

I tell people that I believe nutrient timing is not as important as meeting your overall macros, however I think I might need to emphasize that it's NOT AS important, but certain points need mention. Pre and post workout meal timing is probably the only ones that really make or break the process. Complex carbs and protein in whole foods pre workout and protein and simple carbs immediately to an hour after a vigorous workout. Some people are more carb sensitive, so they stay away from carbs after a certain time of the day, but I for example feel like **** if I don't space them out throughout the day. The only time I like to really indulge in carbs is pre workout, I have a big bowl of frosted mini wheats after a chicken breast or a protein blend if I'm in a hurry.

It's some work getting your diet on point, but doing so guarantees that you stay consistent, which is what will make the biggest difference. Slow and steady wins the race when you are staying natural, and muscle memory should help you get back to where you were faster then you think. When you finally get your macros down and fall into a routine, you can guesstimate more, and adjust as you see fit. I'm not the best one to talk about nutrition but there are some great logs of different diets, recipes, and examples of how to break down macros. Fitday is pretty good, you can even use the meal tracker on here....

Good luck!
 
Thx for all the info guys, greatly appreciate it. Yes I understand GNC is quite the rip-off, I've just always seemed to have great results off there protein which I understand is made by optimum Nut. Anyway, whats a comparable or good protein to buy from this site?

It's really hard for me to eat 6 meals a day with my job. I actually work for a large local dairy and I usually work in the cooler where orders are processed and product is stocked. On any given 12 hour day, I lift,move,push, pull, drag roughly 200k lbs of product. I hit the gym in the AM and I work night hours. So my body never gets a true rest until I'm in bed. My job is a workout in itself lol. I have zero time to brake or eat at work accept for my lunch. I do get free products to drink all day (IE Milk, tea, milkshake type things). So lately I've been drinking 8oz of 1% milk every hour, do you think thats a good idea to maintain some type of protein intake?
 
Also... my diet for the past 2 months has been:

Wakeup roughly 7 am, immediatly drink protein shake w/ 1% milk, roughly 40 grams. And as bad as it sounds, usually some type of cand bar. I've never been diagnosed with diabeties but it runs in my family, if I don't eat a high sugar meal or candy bar, I get very light headed. I've also been taking GNC's NO loaded drink to help motivate me.

I really don't worry to much about the candy bar hurting me, I'm pretty lean to begin with and trust me when I tell you, I burn it off at work. My job is extremely labor intensive.

I hit the gym, normal 4 day routine.
1. chest and tri's
2. back and bi's
3. shoulders
4. legs & abs

Some of these days are consecutive, some are mixed up with days off in between, all depends whats going on and if I can make the gym.

After gym (roughly 11 am), I have protein shake, roughly another 40-45 grams and I usually eat some type of chicken or burger meat.

I work at 2 pm everyday so on my way to work, I'll stop at subway or wendies and get chicken once again. I do sometimes crush a couple double cheeseburgers from wendies. I know it's not good everyday, but I burn off the fat from work.

fast forward to 6pm (my lunch brake). I eat 1 of 2 meals. Usually a couple egg sandwiches (4 eggs, 2 yokes out) along with regular almonds as a snack. Or I have 1-2 chicken breasts followed with some type of pasta or veggie. I know the pasta is bad, but I'm fortunite for a fast metabolism.

Fast forward, I;m done with work around 11pm-1am depending on our load sizes. I come home and crush a big protein shake and goto bed.
 
All you eat before you workout is a protein shake and a candy bar after you wake up? I think you'd perform better in the gym if you ate a more solid meal and more carbs (complex) before you hit the gym. You can lose the candy bar and get some instant oatmeal. The regular flavors are good if you need the sugar. My favorite is to get plain unflavored oats though and add a tablespoon or two of nutella chocolate spread IT'S AMAZING!


Sounds like you need to eat more though.

And i'll 4th the "stay away from gnc" idea. Overpriced and over hyped. I think if you try nutraplanet here at AM you'd be impressed.

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Blown03 said:
Thx for all the info guys, greatly appreciate it. Yes I understand GNC is quite the rip-off, I've just always seemed to have great results off there protein which I understand is made by optimum Nut. Anyway, whats a comparable or good protein to buy from this site?

It's really hard for me to eat 6 meals a day with my job. I actually work for a large local dairy and I usually work in the cooler where orders are processed and product is stocked. On any given 12 hour day, I lift,move,push, pull, drag roughly 200k lbs of product. I hit the gym in the AM and I work night hours. So my body never gets a true rest until I'm in bed. My job is a workout in itself lol. I have zero time to brake or eat at work accept for my lunch. I do get free products to drink all day (IE Milk, tea, milkshake type things). So lately I've been drinking 8oz of 1% milk every hour, do you think thats a good idea to maintain some type of protein intake?
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1. The protein. I do well with Optimum Nutrition Pro Complex, and their Casein... In fact I blend my own. I also intend to buy Nutrapro Protein which is 5 lbs for 30 bucks.. Unbeatable. Even if you want to stick to Optimum, you can get it cheaper from Nutrapro or other places I cant mention here.

2. It's hard for me to eat six meals a day too, but I try to make my pre workout and post workout the most important. Other than those two meals I don't think meal timing is as important as meeting the macros you need daily. I see you're eating a candy bar pre workout. Drop the candy bar, and hit up some complex carbs like mini wheats (can be very portable) or oats if you have a microwave available. I eat heavy carb before I go workout, about 1-2 hours before I work out. It is slow energy, because complex carbs break down into sugar in the blood more slowly. This should alleviate your "lightheaded" feeling. Also, you can take some fruit, like peach, orange, or plum and eat this in the middle of your workout for an insulin spike and some short term energy.

3. Milk is a great gainer. It has some carbs, and a good amount of protein. If you keep drinking it, you may see an improvement in gains, but I think that you have to tweak a couple aspects of your diets.
 
Thx guys. I'm gonna throw some laundry in then go shopping on this site, and head to the store. I've tried the outmeal thing before, but I still get too light-headed, I'll try to add the rotella and also try the fruit thing.

Thanks for all the great info

PS. I usually wake up, shower and hit the gym, walk in the gym roughly an hour after I wake up. Is this not enough time for the oatmeal to really soak in? Should I also try eating anything different? Should I not take protein before the gym?

Forgot to add above, I also take a sport multi vitamin from GNC. Once I run out, what is good from this site to buy?
 
Alright, just got back from store, grabbed few boxes of regular outmeal, and nutella. Should I eat one or 2 packs prior to working out?

And quite honestly, my protein shake, candy bar, and NO loaded, I do GREAT at the gym. I always have full energy, great pumps, etc etc..
 
Woke up today, 7 am. Immediately did a protein shake oh GNC's whey extr 60, 1 scoop, half glass 1% milk. Relaxed a bit then ate 2 packets are regular oatmeal along with 2 spoons of nutella. Kinda still tasted blan, I will add more nutella tomorrow. I did back and bi's today. I do follow a strict routine, I have a 4 week program for everything I do, and each week is a little different. After 4 weeks, I start back over. Anyhow...

I felt decent as usual, of course I took my NO loaded and multi vitamin. Roughly 80% through my workout, I did get the light headed feeling, running out of energy feeling, which I never get with my usual protein drink/candy bar breakfast.

I know someone above said to try some fruit halfway through my workout, I will do that tomorrow.

Question though... anything else good to eat with carbs/sugar pre workout?
 
Blown03 said:
Woke up today, 7 am. Immediately did a protein shake oh GNC's whey extr 60, 1 scoop, half glass 1% milk. Relaxed a bit then ate 2 packets are regular oatmeal along with 2 spoons of nutella. Kinda still tasted blan, I will add more nutella tomorrow. I did back and bi's today. I do follow a strict routine, I have a 4 week program for everything I do, and each week is a little different. After 4 weeks, I start back over. Anyhow...

I felt decent as usual, of course I took my NO loaded and multi vitamin. Roughly 80% through my workout, I did get the light headed feeling, running out of energy feeling, which I never get with my usual protein drink/candy bar breakfast.

I know someone above said to try some fruit halfway through my workout, I will do that tomorrow.

Question though... anything else good to eat with carbs/sugar pre workout?
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Sounds like you are still winging it; if so you are shooting craps my friend...
 
Dieting properly is probably the hardest thing to master because it's an all-day, every-day task, but you should know that the effort you put into your diet will translate directly into the results you see.

With that said, I know you're looking for some easy changes, so I'll throw in my thoughts: make your morning shake a basic weight-gain shake. It'll take a tiny bit of effort, but if my lazy ass can do it, so can you. I'm a law student with 3 jobs, so I know all about crazy hours. Here's what I'd recommend you take in the morning:
1. Glass of orange juice. This should give you the sugar you need.
2. 20-40 grams of protein, milk, about a spoonful of peanut butter, and your instant oats. Blend them up, and put the shaker in the fridge to drink when you wake up in the morning (assuming you have people you don't want to piss off by blending at 7am). Sometimes I'll switch out the oats for a banana or some other types of fruit (which would again help you with your need for simple sugars). If you Google "homemade weight gain shake" you should find a bunch of various recipes.

If the rest of your diet remains the same, this should at least bump you up a few hundred calories and get you some additional gains for awhile. Try this out, then maybe try re-evaluating your daily meals one at a time until you can adjust to the new way of eating.
 
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