When to take your Supplements

[surferph34]

There are considerable amounts of research into the use of glutamine in bodybuilding and other sports, but with very mixed results.

Some scientific evidence points to glutamine being of little use in bodybuilding, but anecdotal reports and other studies have shown significant benefits. Like I siad very mixed results.

In bodybuilding it is used for the same reasons as in medicine, i.e. aiding recovery, in that weight training stresses our bodies intensely.

However if you look at it from the point of view that when demands for glutamine are high and there is insufficient dietary glutamine, the body cannot manufacture sufficient amounts, so it is taken from muscle stores.

Therefore, not only do we have insufficient amounts for muscle growth, but glutamine is also taken from muscle. Exogenous glutamine is therefore anti-catabolic.

Also, the way in which glutamine is taken is debatable.

Many MRPs are loaded with extra glutamine, and also some quality protein powders contain added glutamine over and above the source of the protein.

Studies have shown that 50 - 85% of supplemented glutamine is not absorbed like Nite has already pointed out, this is due to other amino acids competing for intestinal absorption, so if I was to take it I would take one dose of one to two grams at least half an hour away from other protein sources.

IMO Glutamine has its place for the more advanced bodybuilder, in aiding recovery, but has no real benefit for moderate to beginners.


Surfer

[Babbs]

I'm curious about the creatine 30 mins pre workout.

I've read on one of those creatine information pages that standard creatine mono can take up to 1 hour to enter the blood stream and then it floats around for 1.5 hours and if it isnt absorbed into the muscles, it's converted to creatinine and excreted.

If that's true, wouldnt it be better to take creatine 1 hour pre workout to make absolutely certain that it is in your bloodstream while you are working out?

I got my info from Absolute Creatine. It seems like an independant source but the people that wrote it up are not doctors or anything.

[NiteHawk]

The thing you have to remember with creatine is that once you are taking the creatine supplement for awhile, your muscles will be fully saturated with it. Your muscle cells will not be able to hold anymore creatine. There is a maximum amount,the cells can hold. This amount is around 150-170 grams.

That's why I take my creatine post workout. You will be using up your creatine stores during your workout and you will need to replenish them.

If you desire to take it before workout, consuming it between 30-60 minutes is fine.

[Ninan]

Is there a difference between taking a pure Leucine supplement or taking a BCAA supplement with:
# L-Leucine
# L-Isoleucine
# L-Valine ?

[NiteHawk]

Originally Posted by Ninan

Is there a difference between taking a pure Leucine supplement or taking a BCAA supplement with:
# L-Leucine
# L-Isoleucine
# L-Valine ?

BCAA's are the most crucial when it comes to your muscles. They make up around 35 % of your muscle mass. The 3 BCAA's are.... Leucine, Isoleucine, and Valine.
BCAA's are metabolized in the muscle not the liver like other amino acids. They spare muscle tissue from being used for energy during intense exercise.

You should supplement with all of them. However, leucine is the most crucial of the 3. Leucine is key to protein synthesis. Leucine is 10 x more potent in protein synthesis than other aminos.

So that is the reason that some take extra leucine.

[dannyboy9]

Leucine is great for weight loss as well to preserve muscle and keep your metabolism up as well!

[Ninan]

thanks for the answers you guys

[Ninan]

the articles says that creatine is a good supplement to take before you work out but ive heard that it fills you with alot of water and once you get off it your muscles deplete...is this true?

What other nutrient or supplement would give me some extra energy for my workout?

sry if these are numb questionshttp://www.bodybuildingforyou.com/forums/images/smilies/confused.gif

[dannyboy9]

What other nutrient or supplement would give me some extra energy for my workout?

I don't really believe in supplements for "Extra" energy. I honestly can only recommend you just eat a solid amount of complex carbs prior to a session

[CraigC]

Originally Posted by Ninan

the articles says that creatine is a good supplement to take before you work out but ive heard that it fills you with alot of water and once you get off it your muscles deplete...is this true?

What other nutrient or supplement would give me some extra energy for my workout?

With mono most people will gain water weight. When you stop taking it you will lose that water weight which may cause you to look a little bit smaller. Nothing big though.

dannyboy said it for energy. Diet makes a big difference. Also BCAAs seemed to give me a bit of extra energy, and they're great for recovery.

[CountryBOY05]

hey guys. ive been stacking no-xplode, cellmass, and nitrix for about 4 months now and have had considerable results. i want to start cutting though and my friend had some hydroxycut hardcore he wasnt gonna use so i bought it off of him. im not trying to lose a lot of weight, i weigh 205 and am just trying to tone up. would it be safe if i continued my stack and just took 2 pills of hydroxycut a day. because the label asks for 3 pills a day twice a day, and i figure by taking less it will give me the extra fat burning potential, but wont overdo it. can anybody help out?

[NiteHawk]

BCAA's are good to take prior to a workout and I also like to eat some oatmeal prior to my workout as well.

[RJSMuscle]

I totally agree

when I was younger I had no idea about supplement timing and I busted my ass in the gym and would come home not eat anything and plunk my ass in front of the tv. No wounder I never had any success.
I know better now thanks to threads like this one.

[mdg101977]

Hi, i would like to ask if anybody here using HydroxyCut Hardcore? This is for Fat Burning. Im new with this supplement... I also go to Gym atleast 4 times/week.

[Matt58]

Well after skimming through this thread a question came across my mind. In this thread it suggests taking creatine and a complex carb together 0-30 minutes pre-workout. Most creatines say on the label take 30 minutes before meals and 30 minutes before working out and some suggest not to mix it with food.

Is creatine(any type of it) ok to have with complex carbs? So say I am taking MRI's CE2 and having cup of oatmeal and couple eggs. Eat the oatmeal and eggs then right after down 2 CE2 pills, then 30 mins later lift. Thats ok to do? Like creatine won't "compete" or w/e with the complex carbs?

^^This is how it will look come summer time for me. Get up around 8:30 eat breakfast(pre-workout meal) and then 30 mins later lift.

[Traps]

You question seems more related on how to take creatine. Perhaps you may want to review the creatine sticky. There will be alot of people that voice a variaty of opinions about creatine. All you need to know is what I say.


Take creatine monohydrate(if your stomach can handle it). Take it twice a day. Once in the morning, and again after you workout. Like this......

First thing in the morning.
12oz of water mixed with 5+ grams monohydrate(I like ISS Research), and 40 grams of dextrose.

Immediately chase that with 16oz of water mixed with 20-25 grams of whey protein(If you want throw in bcaa's(10g), or Leucine(5g)

30 to 45 minutes later, consume 20-25 oz of skim milk with 20-25g of whey protein. You can also eat at this time. But out of personal preference, I'd eat after I drank the milk.

Immediately after workout
12oz of water mixed with 5+ grams monohydrate(I like ISS Research), and 80 grams of dextrose.

Immediately chase that with 16oz of water mixed with 40-50 grams of whey protein(If you want throw in bcaa's(20+ grams), or Leucine(10g)

1 hour after workout, consume 20-25 oz of skim milk with 20-25g of whey protein.



Taking my creatine like this puts my body in a very anabolic state for pretty much the whole day. I walk around with a noticable pump. The tape measure confirms this.

More information
Overtraining/Recovery/Dual Factor Theory

[Matt58]

Thanks for the response, sounds like a good plan to follow by. Why do have skim milk and whey an hour after workout though? Isn't this when you should have your post-workout meal with some protein from "real" food and complex carbs?

Besides that does the same rule apply for CEE or Kre-Alk?

[NiteHawk]

Originally Posted by Matt58

Thanks for the response, sounds like a good plan to follow by. Why do have skim milk and whey an hour after workout though? Isn't this when you should have your post-workout meal with some protein from "real" food and complex carbs?

Besides that does the same rule apply for CEE or Kre-Alk?

Matt, an hour after your workout, you should be eating real, solid food, not a shake. A good protein source and some more carbs.

As for CEE and Kre-Alk, these have different absorption methods. They do not need a transport like dextrose, like regular creatine does.

[Traps]

Originally Posted by Matt58

Besides that does the same rule apply for CEE or Kre-Alk?

I dont like cee or kre-alk. I think its simply a gimmick. I've tried both, and they pale in comparison to the response I get from monohydrate. I think the major consensus of "old school" lifters would agree, monoyhydrate is the direction to go when bulking.

Originally Posted by Matt58

Thanks for the response, sounds like a good plan to follow by. Why do have skim milk and whey an hour after workout though? Isn't this when you should have your post-workout meal with some protein from "real" food and complex carbs?

Oops sorry, forgot to mention that I eat as well. Sometimes at the same time, and sometimes I'll wait like another half hour after I drink the milk with whey.

The reason I drink the milk, is two fold. One the casien protein is a nice slow digesting protein. Two, the carbs help to balance out the insulin spike. Because my body is shifted back into an anabolic state after my pwo shake, I want to get a mix of slow and fast digesting proteins to assist protein synthesis, and I want the extra liquid because the creatine causes your muscles becomes like a sponge(a window of about an hour, beginning 1/2 hour after you consume the creatine mono) When I say I have all day pumps. I'm very serious. This effect lasts for a solid month at least, and slowly begins to taper away, as I continue to use the creatine. I dont go more than two months before taking a break. I also reload on creatine about every 2-3 weeks for 1 to 3 days. There will be those that say you dont need to reload.... whatever.... my tape measure dont lie. Anyway I digress. There's been alot of discussion about these things by me, and right now I dont have the time to search for them. You could always use this forums search tool to find them.

I could continue to rant in a more logical and readable discussion, but I'm at work, and cant really focus on what I'm typing right now.