Bulk Advice & Hello (FD2, Ep1, ABE, etc.)

[aestheticlife]

Hello! My name is Riley. New to the forum. Looking to lean bulk and add some size. Currently about 5'11, 150lbs in the morning. Naturally lean (played soccer for 10 years). Eating a solid 3,000+ calories a day as of late, focusing on deadlifts (405), squats (250-275 ish), bench (185). *(PRs)

Looking to add some supplements as I continue bulking. Been doing my research. I’ve read good reviews on X-Gels but unfortunately I have a history of rampant IBS/inflammation in the intestines (even had to make a trip to the ER once it was that bad), so adding an inflammatory to my diet may not be a safe bet for me. Over the past year however, I have got my health in order and have seen about 90% of my symptoms vanish through eating REAL FOOD ( 90% Paleo). I believe my gut has healed greatly, which should allow me to begin putting on some good size.

Here is what I've been considering…

AnaBeta Elite seems like a good option from what I can tell with no apparent rivals.

Follidrone 2.0, Epilogue, and MassMax XT, Epi Cat all seem worthwhile. Cannot decide which one…

Laxogenin and phosphatidic acid also intrigue me and I was considering adding them later.

Was also thinking about starting Ergonine…

I feel as if I should probably take no more than one or two of these products at once so that I can perceive which work well for me and which do not.

I want this to be 100% natural/WADA clean.

Don't want to get a tainted supplement, but also want to make sure I'm taking every advantage I can.

Did I miss any other supplements?

Thanks for the help! Everybody on the forum seems like cool people.

 

[SlavicStrong]

All the supplements you mentioned are popular within the community, and your deadlift is really good for your bodyweight. You will most likely get the “food first, supplement later” response, which doesn’t go without merit. I gained 50 pounds in under a year my first year just by eating like a horse. If you aren’t new to training, (assuming you aren’t because of your DL), this is most likely known by you already. I feel you should provide some other information, such as how long you’ve been training for, how long you’ve been on this diet for, in order for people to help more effectively, and to see which supp choice is right for you.

 

[aestheticlife]

Absolutely food first. Trying to do 20x my bodyweight in calories, which is about 3,000. I’m aiming for 3200.

I’ve been training off and on since I was 16 and I’m 23 now. Been quite dedicated since last March with lifting and okay eating. And really been trying to push the food up to these past couple months. But I’ve only been tracking my macros again since the beginning of January. (Although my eating wasn’t too bad before as I still tried to shovel it in.)

Deadlift is my best lift by far as you observed. I just have good biomechanics for it I suppose. Ive also been working on it the longest!

Thank you for the feedback!

What have you had experience with?

 

[john.patterson]

Very thorough - looks like you've done some reading on your own. Welcome to the forum Riley.

How old are you? And how long have you been lifting for? At 6'-1" and 150lbs you are very lean for your height. Without knowing your age and judging by your height and weight, I would recommend dedicating a bit more time to packing on some weight before turning to supplements.

If you decide to add in a natural anabolic, I would start with one product to assess your tolerance and see how it treats you.

 

[jgntyce]

Welcome to the forum Riley. Great products from good companies. FD2 is a product that contains epicatechin along with a host of other ingredients that make it great for a bulk or cut. Many satisfied users here on AM.

Wait till BLR VECTOR comes out. Stacking it with FD2 will definitely help you in your fitness goals!

 

[aestheticlife]

Hey John, yeah I've done quite a bit of reading and have definitely seen you around the forum!

Yeah I am pretty crazy lean, but I'm fairly strong and what is on me is solid muscle. My profile picture is my current physique (half-natty lighting though haha)

I'm 23. I've been lifting since I was probably 16 on and off. I've been very consistent since March of last year and have put on a few pounds (I got up to 160 the summer before last but then finished my last semester of college and lost it all from crappy college food ha). Been seeing progress on the scale, though slow, and thought adding something natural wouldn't hurt. I 100% believe training and eating come first, of course.

I've been working at a Vitamin Shoppe since March and knew plenty about supps before. So I'm familiar with all the basic supps and herbs, but we don't sell any epi or laxo products so when I heard about them I was intrigued and turned to the internet as you can see.

Do you think taking epi and laxo together to start would be okay? Of course paired with heavy compound lifts and 3000+ calories a day from clean food as I'm already doing.

 

[aestheticlife]

Thanks jgntyce! Yeah I saw that BLR was putting out a new product that people were excited for, I'll keep an eye out for it.

 

[jgntyce]

Thanks jgntyce! Yeah I saw that BLR was putting out a new product that people were excited for, I'll keep an eye out for it.

When it does come out don’t sleep on it. It will sell very fast.

 

[R1balla]

You def need to be adding more calories in order to put on size. That’s the only way. Plain and simple. There’s so much more but to answer your supplement question (for now because I am about to go to bed), MassMax would be a great option. All of the loggers we had recently all saw common results. I can help you out more tomorrow and Wednesday on diet/training/other supplements and what deals are going on for those supplements.

 

[aestheticlife]

Appreciate it man! Yes food is first. Will continue doing my best to push the calories up!

 

[aestheticlife]

One more reply for John...

Well...I decided to measure myself. Turns out I'm like 5'11. Literally had no idea. My dad always said he was six foot and i'm an inch taller than him. Guess it looks like he was BSing. Haven't been measured at a Dr's for who knows how long so I'm not surprised. I feel like an idiot haha.

Guess my weight actually isn't quite as crazy then for my height.

 

[GrizzleB]

Soy lecithin/PA is very cheap. You could probably find some at a local health store, my local one sells big bags for 5.95 and it'll last me 3-4 week dosing 15 grams a day.

 

[aestheticlife]

Thanks! I try to avoid soy however, due to my adherence to paleo. But I've seen some PA capsule supplements I may try out.

 

[john.patterson]

Hey John, yeah I've done quite a bit of reading and have definitely seen you around the forum!

Yeah I am pretty crazy lean, but I'm fairly strong and what is on me is solid muscle. My profile picture is my current physique (half-natty lighting though haha)

I'm 23. I've been lifting since I was probably 16 on and off. I've been very consistent since March of last year and have put on a few pounds (I got up to 160 the summer before last but then finished my last semester of college and lost it all from crappy college food ha). Been seeing progress on the scale, though slow, and thought adding something natural wouldn't hurt. I 100% believe training and eating come first, of course.

I've been working at a Vitamin Shoppe since March and knew plenty about supps before. So I'm familiar with all the basic supps and herbs, but we don't sell any epi or laxo products so when I heard about them I was intrigued and turned to the internet as you can see.

Do you think taking epi and laxo together to start would be okay? Of course paired with heavy compound lifts and 3000+ calories a day from clean food as I'm already doing.

Shoutout to VS. I worked in the center city Philadelphia store during my college years - fun spot to work.

You could give epi and laxo a try together, but I would suggest keeping it more simple for your first time. I think either Massmax XT, FD2, or X-Gels would be your top three choices to choose from as a start. X-Gels has been around for the longest and has the longest record of success, but both Massmax XT and FD2 would be solid choices as well. Keep it simple for your first natty cycle (and put that extra money toward food).

I would also recommend being diligent with tracking your calorie intake. It sounds like you have trouble gaining weight, so be consistent with your calorie and macro intake and track what you're putting into your body to ensure you're getting enough calories. And don't look for shortcuts - building muscle naturally takes a lot of time. If the scale is going up slowly with your current diet and training, keep doing what you're doing. A 1-pound per week gain is good progress for a natural lifter

 

[blongo804]

Welcome to the forum!

My advice, as I was in a similar boat, is to simply start eating more and tracking macros 100%.

I didn't expect any miracles, but I decided to take a stab at MassMax myself. I purchased a 2 month supply and began a caloric surplus at the time of starting MassMax. Since 12/4, I have gained a lean 5lbs while having a caloric surplus of 300, then 400, and just started 500 since weight gain stalled. I say "lean 5lbs" because my waist has remained the same, if not a hair slimmer, vascularity has remained the same if not better. Between MassMax and my strict caloric surplus, I've been hitting PR's weekly in the gym and staying healthy. I'll be posting a full review here, along with before/after pictures, when I'm done, but just thought you'd want to hear my two cents since I was in your shoes recently.

I do again want to point out - while MassMax may be helping keep gains lean, a proper diet certainly goes a long way.

 

[aestheticlife]

Thanks all for advice! Definitely am staying on top of my eating and will continue to. Shoveling it in!

 

[blongo804]

Thanks all for advice! Definitely am staying on top of my eating and will continue to. Shoveling it in!

Happy to help! Sounds like a plan.

 

[AntM1564]

Hello! My name is Riley. New to the forum. Looking to lean bulk and add some size. Currently about 5'11, 150lbs in the morning. Naturally lean (played soccer for 10 years). Eating a solid 3,000+ calories a day as of late, focusing on deadlifts (405), squats (250-275 ish), bench (185). *(PRs)

Looking to add some supplements as I continue bulking. Been doing my research. I’ve read good reviews on X-Gels but unfortunately I have a history of rampant IBS/inflammation in the intestines (even had to make a trip to the ER once it was that bad), so adding an inflammatory to my diet may not be a safe bet for me. Over the past year however, I have got my health in order and have seen about 90% of my symptoms vanish through eating REAL FOOD ( 90% Paleo). I believe my gut has healed greatly, which should allow me to begin putting on some good size.
Here is what I've been considering…
AnaBeta Elite seems like a good option from what I can tell with no apparent rivals.
Follidrone 2.0, Epilogue, and MassMax XT, Epi Cat all seem worthwhile. Cannot decide which one…
Laxogenin and phosphatidic acid also intrigue me and I was considering adding them later.
Was also thinking about starting Ergonine…
I feel as if I should probably take no more than one or two of these products at once so that I can perceive which work well for me and which do not.
I want this to be 100% natural/WADA clean.
Don't want to get a tainted supplement, but also want to make sure I'm taking every advantage I can.
Did I miss any other supplements?
Thanks for the help! Everybody on the forum seems like cool people.

It looks like you did your research, I applaud you for that.

For a full on bulk, MassMax XT, ABE, FD 2.0 etc. are all good options. All would be great to add lean mass and strength. I would add X-Gels to that list as well. Supplement affect all of us differently. My best advice would be to run all four of those, solo, to see which one works best for you. Laxo is good, but I would save that more for a cut than a bulk.

In addition, you could use IntraMax or Ergonine in addition to any of those. IntraMax would cover most staple ingredients in an all in one, ergogenic aid. With IntraMax, you would get your 5 grams of creatine to help with performance and recovery. Also, creatine may help with carbohydrate absorption.

This likely occurs because creatine elicits certain biological actions in the cell, one of which may be its ability to enhance GLUT 4 activation. GLUT 4 receptors sit on the muscle cells, acting as a gate keeper to the carbs and amino acids in your blood. By improving their sensitivity, you can drive more muscle-building nutrients into the cell for growth and repair.

https://www.t-nation.com/supplements/tip-a-new-reason-to-take-creatine

A full dose of betaine is great for performance and can even improve your body composition.

Participants in a 2009 study took 1.25 grams of betaine per day for 14 days. Compared to participants who took a placebo, the members of the betaine group were able to do more reps, suggesting that betaine delays fatigue during high-intensity exercise.[3] An increase in lifting volume at higher intensities will lead to increases in muscle mass over time.

https://www.bodybuilding.com/content/top-4-supplements-for-getting-bigger-faster.html?mc****SM_FB_Nutrition

Six-weeks of betaine supplementation improved body composition, arm size, bench press work capacity, attenuated the rise in urinary HCTL, and tended to improve power (p = .07) but not strength.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3844502/

Athletes who take 2.5 g betaine daily and do intensive training increase their body's anabolic response to the workout. Sports scientists from the University of Connecticut write about the phenomenon in the European Journal of Applied Physiology.

http://www.ergo-log.com/the-anabolic-effect-of-betaine.html

Bodybuilders who take a daily 2.5 g betaine [structural formula shown here] for six weeks will improve their body composition. Sports scientists from Coastal Carolina University draw this conclusion in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition. But how betaine stimulates muscle build-up and fat breakdown at the same time remains a mystery.

http://www.ergo-log.com/betaine-gives-bodybuilders-more-muscle-and-less-fat.html

A full dose of L-Alanyl L-Glutamine will assist in recovery while HydroMax will help keep muscles full and provide a nice pump

 

[xR1pp3Rx]

Shoutout to VS. I worked in the center city Philadelphia store during my college years - fun spot to work.

You could give epi and laxo a try together, but I would suggest keeping it more simple for your first time. I think either Massmax XT, FD2, or X-Gels would be your top three choices to choose from as a start. X-Gels has been around for the longest and has the longest record of success, but both Massmax XT and FD2 would be solid choices as well. Keep it simple for your first natty cycle (and put that extra money toward food).

I would also recommend being diligent with tracking your calorie intake. It sounds like you have trouble gaining weight, so be consistent with your calorie and macro intake and track what you're putting into your body to ensure you're getting enough calories. And don't look for shortcuts - building muscle naturally takes a lot of time. If the scale is going up slowly with your current diet and training, keep doing what you're doing. A 1-pound per week gain is good progress for a natural lifter

I concur!