New to lifting heavy

Alyxander100

Hello,

I as the title indicates, I am relatively new to lifting heavy. I have been doing it for about 3 months and am getting really great results out of it. I love the way it makes me feel and the way it makes me look. In lifting though, in a fair majority of the sites I have been to, there seems to be a big push toward supplements.

I have noticed a number of products (especially on Bodybuilder.com) that are promoted as "Pre-Workout" and "Intra-Workout" supplements. My question is this. 1. Are supplements like MusclePharm Assault and Scivation Xtend worth the cost? or are they just more of the shakeology bull crap designed to sell products? and 2. If supplements are the way to go, and they do help out in building lean muscle and toning the body, what supplements should I go with?

I lift 4 times a week, lifting with alternating muscle groups to reduce fatigue in my muscles. I am looking to get more out of my workouts, but don't want to waste my money on stuff that will not help and will fill my body with crap i don't need.

toholio

The main thing is to make sure you're getting enough protein, especially if you're trying to retain muscle while losing weight. Muscles are made of protein and you can't make protein from carbs or fat (though you still need those to fuel the process).

A lot of people can get enough protein from food but it's often easier to supplement protein into your diet.

As for other supplements... well, you don't need to worry as much. There are some that might help but people tend to go way overboard. Focus on good nutrition first.

ChrisLindsay9

I think Creatine is probably the only supplement for lifters that has a significant amount of science behind it. Others have some science as well (but it's mixed), but I am pretty sure that creatine is probably the most studied supplement out there.

You can get creatine through red meat consumption, but most people supplement with it because it's pretty inexpensive, easy to take, and for most people, have little to no adverse side effects. There seems to be an increasing amount of evidence that it has other benefits as well, however I think there needs to be more research and replication for any of those benefits to become valid health claims.

I think it's fair to say, that the only supplements that most people take that have some benefit would be creatine, a pre-workout stimulant (from caffeine pills or coffee to formulated pre-workout powders), and post-workout nutrition (typically a protein shake or bar for convenience, but it could be just a meal as well). Other than that, a lot of people like myself, take a multivitamin and fish oil if they diet is not diverse enough to otherwise get the necessary vitamins, minerals, and micronutrients from food.

ritchiedrama

I personally used to use creatine when I started and had no idea what I was doing, and for over a year now I've not used a thing other than BCAA's because I train fasted and fish oils (omega3)

It comes down to a choice really, and experience. Some people experience a lot of good things with Creatine, I personally just don't wanna spend money on it.

steve1686

creatine is the only supplement that i would recommend to anyone

Rambo529

The main thing is to make sure you're getting enough protein, especially if you're trying to retain muscle while losing weight. Muscles are made of protein and you can't make protein from carbs or fat (though you still need those to fuel the process).

A lot of people can get enough protein from food but it's often easier to supplement protein into your diet.

As for other supplements... well, you don't need to worry as much. There are some that might help but people tend to go way overboard. Focus on good nutrition first.

This ^^ I did try some pre-workout and during - workout supplements, but got better results with just plain better food.