So, let's just quickly go thru protein,
creatine, glutamine, and weight gainers. Now, I have alot
of detailed info on all this on the site somewhere, so I
won't get into too much detail about each.
Protein and Protein Supplements
If I had to pick only one supplement to
use, protein supplements would be it. Why? Simple. Because
protein is the building blocks of muscle. Anything else
would come secondary.
There are several types of proteins like
egg protein, whey protein, soy protein, and casein protein.
The only 2 types we're really gonna worry about is whey
and casein - because they are the best proteins for muscle
building. You've probably heard alot about whey, as its
often called the best protein for bodybuilding, which is
true, in most senses, but casein protein is not to be overlooked.
They work somewhat differently, and you can achieve best
results by combining the two.
The biggest difference between whey protein
and casein protein is their speed of absorption. Whey is
the fastest absorbing, and casein is much slower. Casein
protein regulates the release of amino acids into the blood
stream at a steady pace. The benefit of whey on the other
hand is because of its quick absorption, it leads to a 68%
increase in protein synthesis, compared to 31% from casein.
(Read more about whey
protein here.)
Because whey is quickly absorbed, its
always best used within 45 minutes after your workouts,
while casein protein is best used at other times throughout
the day, especially before bed time.
One of the best whey protein supplements
I've used is Optimum
Nutrition's 100 Whey. It's by far one of the best tasting,
easy to mix whey protein supplements out there. The best
part is its price just beats anything out there. ($91 for
a 10lb bag or $46 for a 5lb tub.)
For casein protein, you can use something
from Met-rx,
which is a bigger proponent in pushing the benefits of casein
proteins. Most of their supplements are a protein blend
- a mixture of different proteins - mainly whey and casein.
Creatine Monohydrate - Use and Cycling
Ok, these's alot of info on creatine monohydrate
and some very popular creatine products on the site here,
like Muscletech
Cell Tech, and EAS
Betagen. So I won't go into too much detail on this
subject. Read these articles:
Creatine
Monohydrate basics
Creatine
use and cycling
Now, one thing I am gonna cover is creatine
myth. Something I overlooked in other articles. In short,
creatine will NOT:
- Stunt your growth
- Cause acne
- Shut off your testosterone
- and whatever ridiculous stuff you might
hear.
- also creatine is tasteless unless the
manufacturer added flavoring to it
But there are some minor side effects
of creatine your should be aware of: Creatine
side effects
L-Glutamine - Not To Be Overlooked
I've read some recent articles arguing
against L Glutamine supplementation saying it doesn't work
as it should etc... but take my word for it - Glutamine
works.
Unlike creatine, glutamine's always taken
a back seat when it comes to supplementation. It's not nearly
as popular or well known as creatine, yet its benefits is
nothing short of awesome. For more info on glutamine,
read this article. Glutamine is something that doesn't
need to be cycled, unlike creatine. Over the many years
I've worked out, I've continually used glutamine as one
of my basic supplements, and when not using it, it just
doesn't feel the same.
Weight Gainers - A Hard gainers Best
Friend
Now, everyone and anyone can use a weight
gainer like Prolab N Large 2, or Champion Nutrition Heavy
Gainer 900. But for hard gainers like myself, weight gainers
are a godsend. Packed with calories, carbs and protein,
even the toughest hard gainers like myself can put on some
good weight.
It's pretty tough getting 3 to 5000 calories
in a day just from the foods you eat, and you do know what
the quickest way to gain weight is to eat more calories
than you expend, right? Well, now you do. With weight gainers,
this makes your life that much easier. A serving of N Large
2 has 600 calories, and its a moderate sized shake too.
With that said, we'll continue to part
3 and look at the specific supplements in some detail.
>>
Click here to order American Creatine online and save
>>
Click here for Optimum Nutrition 100% whey protein and save
>>
Click here to order Optimum L-Glutamine and save
>>
Click here to order Prolab N Large 2 and save
Part
1: Beginner's guide to the basic supplements
Part
2: Understanding the basic supplements
Part
3: Selecting the right supplements - creatine and whey
Part
4: Selecting the right supplements - glutamine and weight
gainers
Part
5: Developing a supplementation plan
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