Okay so heres what i have to say. i didnt bother reading what everyone else had to say so i’m sorry if your hearing stuff you have already been told.
First things first. NO-Explode, NaNO-Vapor and all of those other NO boosters do not work. i would know i tried them and returned them because i got nothing out of them. if you want something that is really good for pre-work out i suggest Biotest’s Power Drive. I used it and i liked it very much. it’s not going to give you any super human strength, but you will definitely feel more focused/determined/and driven during your workouts. I also just started using the caffeine-free SPIKE and i feel like i have a lot more energy during my workouts. try to stay away from contain caffeine before your workout because caffeine constricts your blood veins reducing blood flow/efficiency bla bla bla. Also might i suggest that you put on some headphones during your work out and blast some metal (or whatever music gets you feeling angry) i feel that i am able to get a little more out of my workout that way.
I’ll try to keep the rest of this as short as possible. sorry…
You sound a lot like me when i first came to T-Nation. i’m 19 now. i was (and still am) 6’1" and 145-150 pounds. now i am 160 pounds and it’s probably only been 2’ish-3 months months, so i feel for you. when i started training i was 6" at 115 pounds…yikes… i myself have recently been a fan supplements, but dont forget, supplements are meant for just what the word means. to supplement for what you are not getting enough of in your regular diet. your primary supplement should be protein. you need roughly 1-1.5g of protein for every pound of body weight every day.
once you have that on top of eating lots of good meals constantly throughout the course of the day, then i would go on to looking at something for pre workout. mostly all of your gains are going to be made when your at rest/sleeping/not working out, and not during the work out. and as you probably know, if you wanna put on, you need need need protein after your work out. i suggest SURGE. it’s probably one of the best post work out shakes out there. to get more protein in throughout the day i suggest Metabolic Drive bars during the day when your hungry and dont have time for a meal and a Metabolic Drive Complete shake right before bed. Metabolic Drive Complete contains mostly Casein protein which digests slower so it is better for at night when you are going at least 8 hours without food because you better be sleeping at least 8 hours a night because if you are not then shame on you…
My best suggestions to you are to first read everything about all of T-Nations supplements and to look up and know everything about every vocab word that you dont know and continue to do that for the words that describe said vocab words. and also keep up to date on the articles that come up on T-nations home page. and again know the vocab, and learn about things your not sure about. T-Nation has never lead me astray so far. Also, listen to what Charles Poliquin and Christian Thibaudeau have to say.
Anyways…i cant believe that it is 230 in the morning and i just wrote all of that.
[quote]Chump wrote:
Hi there. im new here, and this is my first post as you can see. i have been lifting heavily for only about 3-5 months now, and so far the only supplement i have been taking is NO-Xplode. i was considering taking muscle milk, as well…so now i am back to the drawing board. i am looking for a creatine supplement, a pre workout energy supplement (if the creatine supplement and pre workout energy supplement can be combined, like NO, that would be great)and also some form of protein supplement…What would you recommend? i am 17, 6’4 and 150 lbs (i know =/) my metabolism as you can see is extremely high, so a high calorie protein supplement may be in order. [/quote]
If you can’t remember if you have been lifting for 3 or 5 months then you probably have only been training for 3 solid months. That is not a lot of time to be expecting serious results. You are still a beginner. At this point (and at your age), there is nothing that a supplement can provide for you that experience,more weight on the bar, and a good diet cannot. Learn to cook and track your calories and macro-nutrients, if you hit a wall after a solid 6 months then look into supplementation.
Statements like this bother me. Consuming protein powder is by definition functional eating. It has nothing to do with taste. You are consuming the powder for a number of functional reasons: 1.increase your protein consumption without having to increase other macros, 2. quick pre/post work out nutrition, 3. You have no prepared meals on hand or have no time to prepare a meal.
If you are not going to meet your nutritional goals because “it tastes bad”, then forget about reaching ANY goal in your life. Achieving ANY goal requires you to do things you do not enjoy and giving up thing you do enjoy. If you are unwilling to eat something just because it tastes bad even though it gets you closer to your goal - then forget about your goal, you will never achieve it.
whew, stuyou, not pulling any punches with that post, are you. i have to say i disagree with you. there are alot of things that can help you reach any certain goal, for example you were a prince and wanted to become king. if you killed the king, youd become king. but your not going to kill the king, know what i am saying?
and especially in my situation, there are alternatives. meaning, have a steak, instead of a protein shake.
besides, i discovered the magic of fruit. rather than mixing unflavoured whey with just water i threw a banana and whey with water into a blender and it was great. a new addition to my breakfast from now on.
thanks for all your advice guys. so far, yesterday and today i have had approx 140-150g protein per day. i have accomplished this by having eggs in the morning rather than cereal, with a protein shake, then one serving of a protein shake later (at school) and a large serving of beef with lunch along with what i would normally eat. i also drink only milk and water throughout the day now, without pop. then dinner i always get a healthy serving of meat and veggies. then, before bed, casein shake.
and to augie - i get 10-12 hours of sleep per night. need my beauty rest.
I think what stuyou is getting at is that you’re going to have to eat or do things that aren’t always 100% convenient or comfortable. Taste is certainly a factor, yes, but as long as it’s not completly, vomit inducing repulsive, you shouldn’t really complain.
You have to find a balance. You have to be realistic in that if your diet consists of one tear-inducingly terrible tasting meal after another, the likelyhood of you sticking with it is very low. At the same time, you have to think about how much you are willing to endure to reach your goals. Chicken and veggies or a plain shake can only taste so good…
[quote]Chump wrote:
whew, stuyou, not pulling any punches with that post, are you. i have to say i disagree with you. there are alot of things that can help you reach any certain goal, for example you were a prince and wanted to become king. if you killed the king, youd become king. but your not going to kill the king, know what i am saying? [/quote]
no…I have no idea what you are saying.
You are getting closer to my point. Stake is a staple - the protein shake is an alternative to normal sources of protein such as eggs, chicken, fish, and steak.
Have you thought about cottage cheese instead of the casein?
and especially in my situation, there are alternatives. meaning, have a steak, instead of a protein shake.
besides, i discovered the magic of fruit. rather than mixing unflavoured whey with just water i threw a banana and whey with water into a blender and it was great. a new addition to my breakfast from now on.
thanks for all your advice guys. so far, yesterday and today i have had approx 140-150g protein per day. i have accomplished this by having eggs in the morning rather than cereal, with a protein shake, then one serving of a protein shake later (at school) and a large serving of beef with lunch along with what i would normally eat. i also drink only milk and water throughout the day now, without pop. then dinner i always get a healthy serving of meat and veggies. then, before bed, casein shake.
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These are quality changes. Keep it up. You’ve got a long way to go, though, so keep learning.
[quote]G-men27 wrote:
Chicken breasts - cook up enough to last me 3-4 days worth (so twice a week) and toss in tupperware.
Eggs - Hardboild anywhere between 12-24 eggs on sunday so I’m set for the week. Maybe the best BB food around!
Chili - 3-4 days worth in fridge - everything else in freezer!
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Yeah you are on the right track except for one thing. At 6’4 150 you need to be eating every waking hour. Snack on high calories foods like nuts, eat tons of carbs and protein with every meal, and shoot for at least 5k calories per day.
need my beauty rest.