None of these are drugs, no.

Creatine might be something you want to hold off on.

Generic multi-vitamins are the ONLY way to go, in my opinion! Not paying for the name!

Brands that I use a lot...NOW Foods and ISS. NOW carries just about everything I mentioned above, and I use them faithfully. ISS is the brand of protein I use (ISS Advantage Matrix).


Arttie

Anyone try Force Factor? I'm curious about it.

Someone gave me this link. Does anyone know anything about it.

http://www.lef.org/

Also Arttie,
At what point would I want to consider creatin, and will there be adverse reactions if I do start taking it now? Also, just to get started how is the local GNC store?

GNC is INSANELY overpriced, especially on name-brands. Now, if you use THEIR brand, you can get some good deals, especially on creatine, glutamine, vitamins, etc. As a general rule, though, their protein TASTES TERRIBLE!!! Just purchase a small amount of supplements there to get you through until your mail-order comes in.

AS to when to start taking creatine, well, there is no WRONG time. I just don't know what your overall goals are. If they are weight loss, then creatine won't be good, as you will likely put on weight due to water being pumped into your muscle cells (this is a good thing). However, weight loss and FAT loss are not the same thing, so keep that in mind when setting goals.

Now, if you are looking to add muscle, then creatine is definitely a good supplement to start taking. There is a lot of research now saying to take different types of creatine (types, NOT brands...), such as the creatine esthers, for example. You can also find some brands that have multiple creatines mixed together. Optimum Nutrition puts out a nice product called CGT which is creatine, glutamine, and taurine all mixed together in one powder. I get the lemon flavored version, mix it with water, and slam it home after working out.

One adverse side-effect of too much creatine on a stomach that is not yet ready for it can be diarrhea. This is due to the additional amounts of water pulled into your system. I always tell people to start off with about half of what they tell you to, and build up over a period of a week or two. DO NOT buy into that garbage about a loading phase and needing to take twice as much at first to get it into your system...that is a marketing ploy to get you to take more creatine and is almost guaranteed to give you several urgent trips to the bathroom!

Hope this helps a bit!


Arttie

Excellent help. Goal is to get ripped and lose body fat, not necessarily weight, which will probably happen anyway.

Looks like CGT is the way to go.

Thanks for the loading information. That is what abcbodybuilding suggests.

What different kinds of protein? Whey etc. What should I get there, I have been buying Muscle Mild lite, and Myoplex but that will get expensive buying individual bottles.

Get your protein in big jugs of 30 or more servings. I used to buy Optimum Nutrition protein in a big 5 pound bag!

As to type, whey is considered the best, by far, but there are uses for other types, especially slower digesting casseinate, which is great for using at night as it keeps a constant flow of amino acids going for several hours while you sleep. After workouts, always use whey, however, as it gets into your system much quicker.

By the way, Myoplex is terrible tasting compared to a lot of what is out there, and I believe it has a lot of soy protein in it, which I don't recommend.


Arttie

Do you know anything about Champion Nutrition Amino Acid Shooter? I am thinking about placing an order for it.

edit: Just picked up this stuff from Walmart, don't know if it is any good but will finish it off at least before going to something else. Put out by Six Star Muscle -- Professional strength muscle building Milkshake. http://www.sixstarmuscle.com/products/protein/muscle_milkshake.shtml

I used 2 scoops in a tall glass of water. Bought the triple chocolate fudge. I thought this stuff was supposed to taste good. Muscle Milk is much better tasting. I am going to try 3 scoops tomorrow morning. Maybe that will make it better. It's not like I can't drink it but I expect better. Actually, I gonna try to put it in a blender and mix it with ice and water.

LOL! Yeah, should have asked about that. I have seriously tried probably 50-60 different types of protein in my lifetime, maybe even more, and I can tell you that the Wal-Mart stuff is some of the chalkiest, driest, worst tasting I have had since the 80's or early 90's when they started figuring out how to make this stuff taste better.



Arttie

Rolf! You know Arttie, I was gonna ask, but I just figured what the heck live and learn. The stuff was just as horrible this morning too. So, anyway the label says to take 3 shakes a day, I might just do that to get rid of it. I told my wife how horrible it tastes and she said I don't care you're drinking it anyway.

Scott, the EAS stuff tastes ok? I hear Sams has Muscle Milk as well. I know I like Muscle Milk, not sure about how good of a supplement it is.

www.abcbodybuilding.com has a store for some supplements. I ordered the elastamine joint support last night.

What about creatine does that come in flavors? How do you take it?

I received my CGT-10 today. I got a sample of this stuff called Nitro-Tech Hardcore. Anybody know what it is? I don't think that I want to take it until I know more about it.

Also Arttie -- When I was in Sam's club the other day, I saw the CoQ10, the label read like it was some good stuff. Is it worth picking up?