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Beginner Supplements Guide 1
Beginner Supplements Guide 2
Beginner Supplements Guide 3
Beginner Supplements Guide 4
Beginner Supplements Guide 5
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Bodybuilding Revealed Review
Female Bodybuilding
Hardgariner Weight Gain G1
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Hardgariner Weight Gain G5
Jim's Bodybuilding Guide - Intro
Jim's Supplement Guide - 1
Jim's Supplement Guide - 2
Jim's Supplement Guide - 3
Jim's Supplement Guide - 4
Jim's Supplement Guide - 5
Jim's Supplement Guide - 6
Jim's Supplement Guide - 7
Jim's Weight Lifting Guide - 1
Jim's Weight Lifting Guide - 2
Jim's Weight Lifting Guide - 3
Jim's Weight Lifting Guide - 4
Jim's Weight Lifting Guide - 5
Jim's Weight Lifting Guide - 6
Jim's Weight Lifting Guide - 7
Jim's Weight Lifting Guide - 8
Jim's Weight Lifting Guide - 9
Jim's Diet and Nutrition Guide -1
Jim's Diet and Nutrition Guide -2
Jim's Diet and Nutrition Guide -3
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Jim's Diet and Nutrition Guide -5
Jim's Diet and Nutrition Guide -6
Routines & Programs Guide
Supplements

Home Gym Exercise Equipment

Choosing a Home Gym Guide - 1
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Choosing a Home Gym Guide - 3
Choosing a Home Gym Guide - 4
Total Gym Review
Total Gym Models Compared
Power Rack Review
Power Rack Exercises

A Beginner's Guide To Bodybuilding Supplements, Supplement Use, and Supplement Stacks (Part I)

Understanding The Basics Of Bodybuilding Supplements

This is gonna be a rather long, 5 part beginners guide to using, and getting the most out of the basic supplements. So, if you got a few mins, read on...

More and more people are using various supplements like creatine, proteins, prohormones etc. to enhance their gains, and alot of times, they do so without really understanding how each supplement work, and fail to put the supplements to best use for optimal gains. And I'm just talking about the basics like creatine monohydrate, whey protein supplements, glutamine, and some weight gainers like N Large 2.

I get quite a few emails asking about various supplement combinations, stacking different supplements, or how to use some supplements. After my recent return to serious lifting after a one year layoff, I did a basic cycle (about 7 weeks) using the basics, and came back with a 18lb gain in these 7 weeks. (of course, its always easier to gain back what you lost.)

So, I'm writing this (probably long) guide now to answer some of these most often asked questions, and hopefully help you out. ;-) Now, this guide is just for beginners who are using some basics supplements, but lack a good understanding, or for anyone who's considering using some supplements for the first time.  If you've been using supplements for awhile, then you probably shouldn't waste your time reading this. But feel free to do so.

Hopefully after you read this, you'll gain a good understanding of the basic supplements, and learn to use them to maximize your gains. So, here's what you can hopefully get out of this guide:

  1. Learning about the basics - creatine, glutamine, protein supplements and weight gainers
  2. Get a brief overview of the use and benefits of these basic supplements (will not be in too much detail, as I have in depth reviews of these supplements on this site), and learn about the truth (and side effects) of some of them (telling fact from fiction especially for creatine).
  3. How you can use and stack just the basics supplements to achieve excellent gains, even if you're a Hard gainer (I am a major hard gainer myself, so if I can do it, so can you... boy that's so cliched ^__^)

The Basic Supplements In My Stack

Okay, so there's probably thousands of supplements out there, and its pretty confusing when it comes to picking what to use that will deliver results, and won't bankrupt you. If you're just starting out, this is even tougher.

Now, I'm going to list the supplements I use, and make suggestions based on experience for supplements that work that are also pretty good priced. But by no means, am I saying they're the best you can get... But you can bet they're a good starting point.

I got back into lifting in mid Nov. last year (at only 128lbs), and by the first week in January, I was up 17lbs at 145. Not bad for 7 weeks, including a week of off time while I was away for new years. In this time, I had quickly got my bench back up to my previous max of 225lbs. In Nov, I had a tough time cranking out 4 reps with only 135. (again, its easier to gaining back what you lose.)

Here's the supplements I ordered online for my first basic stack getting back:

  • American Creatine Monohydrate 1000g ($28)
  • Optimum L-Glutamine 1000g ($50)
  • Optimum Nutrition 100 Whey Protein 5lb ($46)
  • Prolab N Large 2 Weight Gainer 10lb ($58)

That's it! All the basics you need for some decent gains. Total costed me about $195 after shipping. Which still saves me a handful of cash if I were to buy it retail.

So why did I pick these supplements out of the thousands out there? Simple, for price considerations, and also cuz I know they work. And if you ask me, I'd have to say some of them are the best for what money can get in their supplement categories... but no worries, I'll get into some details of each of these in part 2 of this supplements guide.

>> Click here to order Prolab Creatine online and save
>> Click here for Optimum Nutrition 100% whey protein
>> Click here to order Optimum L-Glutamine and save
>> Click here to order Prolab N Large 3 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