Starter Supplements?

[Tomb]

Can any recommend any starter supplements and vitamins for folks who are just starting to get into bodybuilding and such?

[inflated]

Put together a good wholesome diet, then worry about supplements. 6 to 7 meals a day, of good healthy food, then look at supplements.

[Buffling]

I'm pretty light on supplements because my budget is tight. Other people may have better recommendations, but my core sups are vitamins and whey, with cycles of creatine thrown in.

For vitamins I use Animal Pak -- but I take it once per day instead of the two times suggested by Animal. One "dose" is made up of a packet of 11 pills, which never fails to impress people who see me take it. Any multi should be fine, though.

For whey, my favorite is Champion Nutrition -- I have some lactose issues and Champion agrees with my guts very well. I also use Elite and BioX, switching as my desire for different flavours overtakes me. The BioX is really popular here, now, but it has aspartame in it and is a bit too sweet for my taste (I don't really have a sweet tooth). The general rule with whey, though, is that you get what you pay for: if you find 5-lb tubs at the grocery store for $30, they're not going to do you much good.

For creatine, I have good success with Purple-K. pH-buffered, capsules, easy to take.... but, to be honest, I really only cycle on to it when I've got the income to be able to afford it!

[Tomb]

Originally Posted by inflated

Put together a good wholesome diet, then worry about supplements. 6 to 7 meals a day, of good healthy food, then look at supplements.

Whats a good daily meal?

[inflated]

Originally Posted by Tomb

Whats a good daily meal?

You are not ready to begin bodybuilding if you have not even bothered to learn how to eat properly. Do some research, learn how to cook, or better yet find someone who can cook for you.

[Tomb]

Originally Posted by inflated

You are not ready to begin bodybuilding if you have not even bothered to learn how to eat properly. Do some research, learn how to cook, or better yet find someone who can cook for you.

College Life Starvation I curse it!

[Tomb]

Excuse the double post, but from what I know already, I've thought out a supposedly good daily meal, but I want to compare it for approval.
Breakfest:Oatmeal like products. Lunch: Meats and Protein with Fruits. Dinner Various switches with carbs and meat and of course Veggies and Fruit.

Fruit diet mostly sustainning of Plums, Peaches, and Nectarines.

[Eager Muscle]

If you're on a college meal plan, congratulations - you have an unlimited source of healthy bodybuilding foods if you're selective. You'll be able to injest a few or several thousand calories per day and not put on (or drop) fat with the proper food choices.

In terms of supplementation, a good basic protein powder (Designer Protein? Isopure? The protein powder du jour?) and a multivitamin is all you should need for the next several months.


[COLOR="Red"]"That which does not kill us makes us stronger."
- Friedrich Nietzsche

"Men seldom make passes at girls who wear glasses."
- Dorothy Parker

"Faces fall, but a bicep's forever."
- Eager Muscle

"A personal trainer is someone who works for your lunch money."
- Eager Muscle [/COLOR]

[Lost108]

hey, i use LA Muscle supplements (www.lamuscle.com) and they are the best i have taken.
dont buy cheap supplements, if u can afford buy from a well known company as some companies use cheap sources of protein and such.

the supplements i stack are;

LA Whey - 48g of protein per serving also contains Glutamine for optimum cell-volumisation, recovery and growth

Explosive Creatine - basically creatine but has added nutrients to force the creatine into my muscles

Glutamine Absolute - just an important amino acid for growth recovery and repair.

i also sometimes use Platinum which is a meal replacer if i dont have time to prepare something or wanna add much more calories to my diet.

hope this helps, supplements are good and do work but watch out some companies will claim they are far better than they are. look around on different websites and forums get real peoples advice its much more realistic than the companies.

[testosteroni]

Originally Posted by inflated

You are not ready to begin bodybuilding if you have not even bothered to learn how to eat properly. Do some research, learn how to cook, or better yet find someone who can cook for you.

What I don't like about most resources on nutrition is that they're too vague. I need specific examples of specific meals, with the buying list completely spelled out down to the very brand, or I'm going to fuck it up royally. For instance, I tried going to the supermarket once to buy a salad because I read it in an article, didn't find any prepackaged, completely pre-assembled salads, attempted to buy things that looked like they went in a salad instead, and when I tried putting it all together had a barely edible mess that was probably terrible for me.

[Eager Muscle]

Testeroni, that's just plain sad if you can't even put together a salad. Take baby steps - go to a supermarket salad bar, which would be cheaper (if not more hygienic -sneezeguard, anyone?) than you buying all the ingredients separately and attempting to make them yourself - and make smart obvious choices. I'm talking spinach salad leaves and mixed field greens, hard boiled eggs (leave the yolks, yes, I'm terrible), grilled chicken, beans. Stay away from almost anything from the hot salad bar (if there is one) except steamed vegetables and grilled chicken/turkey. No butter, 0 cal dressing if any only - I'm talking if you're considering hardcore bodybuilding.

You don't need to learn how to cook, just make smart choices. Boil your own egg whites! Buy canned chicken and tuna in bulk!

But learning how to cook has its advantages - you can prepare healthier, tastier versions of your favorite foods. I don't know how to cook but I do have common sense. I just started throwing things together that I got from my local health food store and cook mish mash style. Bag o' flax seed? Sprinkle them on a breaded chicken cutlet. Gluten-free marshmallows made from rice? Stick 'em in mashed yams along with applesauce. Sounds gross? It does. Look gross? Absolutely not. See: http://www.flickr.com/photos/32245303@N06/

I recently (as of 10/25) decided to hold myself accountable to my diet by photographing everything I prepare. I'm new to photosharing but I just posted the pics on flickr. Not the sexiest pictures I could post but your mouth might be watering nonetheless! Just scroll through the pictures, which are in REVERSE ORDER (begin viewing on the last page first) to get some ideas and inspiration...enjoy! Again, that link/address I just started today is:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/32245303@N06/

I go under the screen name "Menu Man !"