Too many suppliments?

Vegasboricua702
Vegasboricua702 Posts: 149
edited September 27 in Food and Nutrition
Too all my body builders out there. I have a feeling I might be going overboard on supplements. I would appreciate some advice. This is my first time being on supplements. I have been on these for about 45 days.

Optimum 100% Casein Protein
Optimum 100% Whey Protein
Optimum Mens Multi-Vitamin
Optimum BCAA 1000mg
Sci-Fit Kre-Alkalyn 1500
Sci-Fit Gluta-Lyn 1500
Sci-Fit ZMA
NOW Omega 3
NOW Green Tea Extract
High Power CLA

Replies

  • believetoachieve
    believetoachieve Posts: 675 Member
    I'm not quite a body builder, but I'm trying to really "bulk" up as much as possible. My supplements:

    Whey protein 1-2x/day
    Vitamin B complex
    Women's vitamin
    Vitamin D
    Omega 3, 6, 9
    Vitamin C
    Flax oil
    Creatine (it's being cycled)
    Ephedrine (also being controlled/cycled)
    Thermogenic (yet again, being cycled).
  • aa1440
    aa1440 Posts: 956 Member
    When I was into weightlifting, years ago, the only supplements I would take was creatine and maybe a protein powder for bulk. Creatine made me an angry person. Glad I stopped taking that junk. You'll just have to use trial and error. Asked some of the other guys in the gym. Trust me, if you are serious about weight lifting they will not steer you wrong. Gym rats love helping other gym rats.

    Eat healthy and you won't need too many supplements. Only hardcore bodybuilders need supplements.
  • believetoachieve
    believetoachieve Posts: 675 Member
    Creatine gave me gas :angry: NOT hot!!! lol, but apparently it's a known side-effect. :grumble:
  • Vegasboricua702
    Vegasboricua702 Posts: 149
    My stack is geared towards fat loss.
  • Agglaki
    Agglaki Posts: 105
    Wow...how much do you spend on supplements?

    That list does seem quite big. It is difficult to say if it is too many. For me, yes far too many. For someone else, no probably not too many. And for some, probably not enough.

    To be perfectly honest with you I think some of those are redundant:

    Optimum Mens Multi-Vitamin
    Optimum BCAA 1000mg
    Sci-Fit ZMA

    The above three for instance. The Optimum Mens multivitamin already has you ZMA and BCAA included. You could get away with dropping the BCAA and ZMA tablets.

    Next:
    Optimum 100% Casein Protein
    Optimum 100% Whey Protein

    Why have two different powders? Is it simply a means of preworkout / postworkout shake, or workout shake and bed time shake? What is the reason for these two?
    Why not get a blended protein powder instead, you could probably get a 10lb tub instead and save money on the bulk.

    Nothing wrong with having two different shakes. I have a straight up micro whey protein for breakfast and a postworkout shake higher in carbs and protein for after my workout. Btw, I believe both these shakes also contain your BCAAs


    Next two:
    Sci-Fit Kre-Alkalyn 1500
    Sci-Fit Gluta-Lyn 1500

    Don't know enough about these to make a comment, so I wont :)

    Next one:
    NOW Omega 3

    Yeah good all round vitamin, I play with these from time to time, nothing wrong here. Good fatty acids anyways. If you can eat a lot of fish though you could even forget about these :) Also maybe consider a blend of omega 3, 6, and 9 vitamins.

    Finally:
    NOW Green Tea Extract
    High Power CLA

    Green tea extract...just drink green tea, it'd be cheaper, complete waste of money on this one, only real benefit is it is easier to take than having to make a tea all the time.

    CLA - I'm on the fence on this one, diet and proper workouts probably are more important than a CLA tablet. The actual ingredients are simply fatty acids, that are claimed to "aid weightloss" people taking CLA already are usually making changes to their routine and sometimes they perceive the drops in weight / fat as being because of the CLA as opposed to the other changes they've made.

    A good experiment could be, stop working out, dieting as you are now. Just take CLA for a couple of weeks. If you lose fat, let me know, I'm sick of training 6 days a week and eating healthy foods. If there is a magic pill I'm all game :)

    Personally, protein, flax seeds, and green tea (the liquid not table) are really the only ones I think are needed. Oh and my omega tablets :)
  • Vegasboricua702
    Vegasboricua702 Posts: 149
    Wow...how much do you spend on supplements?

    That list does seem quite big. It is difficult to say if it is too many. For me, yes far too many. For someone else, no probably not too many. And for some, probably not enough.

    To be perfectly honest with you I think some of those are redundant:

    Optimum Mens Multi-Vitamin
    Optimum BCAA 1000mg
    Sci-Fit ZMA

    The above three for instance. The Optimum Mens multivitamin already has you ZMA and BCAA included. You could get away with dropping the BCAA and ZMA tablets.

    Next:
    Optimum 100% Casein Protein
    Optimum 100% Whey Protein

    Why have two different powders? Is it simply a means of preworkout / postworkout shake, or workout shake and bed time shake? What is the reason for these two?
    Why not get a blended protein powder instead, you could probably get a 10lb tub instead and save money on the bulk.

    Nothing wrong with having two different shakes. I have a straight up micro whey protein for breakfast and a postworkout shake higher in carbs and protein for after my workout. Btw, I believe both these shakes also contain your BCAAs


    Next two:
    Sci-Fit Kre-Alkalyn 1500
    Sci-Fit Gluta-Lyn 1500

    Don't know enough about these to make a comment, so I wont :)

    Next one:
    NOW Omega 3

    Yeah good all round vitamin, I play with these from time to time, nothing wrong here. Good fatty acids anyways. If you can eat a lot of fish though you could even forget about these :) Also maybe consider a blend of omega 3, 6, and 9 vitamins.

    Finally:
    NOW Green Tea Extract
    High Power CLA

    Green tea extract...just drink green tea, it'd be cheaper, complete waste of money on this one, only real benefit is it is easier to take than having to make a tea all the time.

    CLA - I'm on the fence on this one, diet and proper workouts probably are more important than a CLA tablet. The actual ingredients are simply fatty acids, that are claimed to "aid weightloss" people taking CLA already are usually making changes to their routine and sometimes they perceive the drops in weight / fat as being because of the CLA as opposed to the other changes they've made.

    A good experiment could be, stop working out, dieting as you are now. Just take CLA for a couple of weeks. If you lose fat, let me know, I'm sick of training 6 days a week and eating healthy foods. If there is a magic pill I'm all game :)

    Personally, protein, flax seeds, and green tea (the liquid not table) are really the only ones I think are needed. Oh and my omega tablets :)

    -How much do I spend? I think its safe to say around the 200-250 range every 2-3 months.

    -I work night shift, so I take ZMA to help me sleep. It puts me into a much deeper sleep and I feel fully recovered when I wake up.

    -BCAA's - Yes There are things in my stack that contain some BCAA's. These help me push through heavy lifting sessions. I take it as a pre/post work out to help my muscles recover.

    -Protien - Your exactly right. Whey protien is a fast acting protien. I take whey pre/post workout and before I take a casein shake. Casein is a slow acting protien. Perfect for recovery.

    Kre-Alkalyn - Is simply creatine in pill form.

    Gluta-lyn is Glutamine in pill form. I take it on super heavy workout days for recovery.(I got this for free)

    CLA - I have lost 16 pounds in almost 50 days. I think CLA worked. Then again I have no way of telling. I just read about it and thought I would give it a try
  • myofibril
    myofibril Posts: 4,500 Member
    Personally, I would ditch everything bar the protein powders and Omega 3 caps (and maybe the BCAAs if you are IFing)

    Strictly speaking you could also ditch the protein powders as well if your diet is tight enough but they can be very convenient.

    Whilst you maybe getting a minimal advantage from the other stuff it doesn't justify the cost. You would be better off spending the money on decent, fresh produce, a nutritional assessment, a good, individualised training programme etc. More bang for your buck on the fundamentals rather than the minor details like supplementation.
  • Agglaki
    Agglaki Posts: 105
    Personally, I would ditch everything bar the protein powders and Omega 3 caps (and maybe the BCAAs if you are IFing)

    Strictly speaking you could also ditch the protein powders as well if your diet is tight enough but they can be very convenient.

    Whilst you maybe getting a minimal advantage from the other stuff it doesn't justify the cost. You would be better off spending the money on decent, fresh produce, a nutritional assessment, a good, individualised training programme etc. More bang for your buck on the fundamentals rather than the minor details like supplementation.

    Thank you for clearly explaining and summarizing what I was meant to say :)

    On topic though, seriously if you feel that they are all needed, keep at it. It is a very personal question you propose, how long is a bit of string.

    As I said you could probably get away with dropping a few and I doubt you'll see any difference. But if you feel they work for you, keep it up :)

    Good luck!
  • believetoachieve
    believetoachieve Posts: 675 Member
    Whilst you maybe getting a minimal advantage from the other stuff it doesn't justify the cost. You would be better off spending the money on decent, fresh produce, a nutritional assessment, a good, individualised training programme etc. More bang for your buck on the fundamentals rather than the minor details like supplementation.

    Who's to say that he (or anyone taking supplements) isn't ALREADY buying healthy produce, personal training, medical supervision where necessary, etc? I know I am! Supplements like these aren't harmful when taken in appropriate doses. Spending money on something to improve your health is never a waste. If my $200 didn't go to vitamins and omega, it'd go to high heels & clothing. Which is the better option for my health?? :wink:

    If you have the money and don't mind spending it, don't stop what you're doing. Supplements DO help, they're not entirely bogus dollar-traps. Supplements aren't "minor" details - they're the building block for all your physical exercise and health! Your body comes first, price tag or not. :smile:
  • myofibril
    myofibril Posts: 4,500 Member
    Supplements aren't "minor" details - they're the building block for all your physical exercise and health!

    Whilst I agreed with most of your post I fundamentally disagree with this. Supplements are the icing on the cake, they are not the cake itself. The fundamentals are the same as they have ever been: good diet, focused training, adequate recovery.

    Supplements are the minutiae. Sure, once you reached an advanced or competitive level then you get all obsessed with the small stuff. Until then working on getting the fundamentals flawless will get you much further. I agree with Tom Venuto when he says that 97% of your progress is through good diet and training and 3% through supplementation.

    I don't know what level you are. You may be advanced. I'm certainly not. So for an beginner and intermediate trainees I would recommend checking out this excellent free ebook from Tom Venuto called "Big Fat Lies." If nothing else it will save you from spending money on getting nothing more than expensive urine....

    http://www.scribd.com/doc/982811/Tom-Venutos-Big-Fat-Lies#
  • Vegasboricua702
    Vegasboricua702 Posts: 149
    Thanks guys! I appreciate all the feedback. To the person who says green tea pills are more expensive. I beg to differ. I can buy 200 capsules of green tea extract for 10 bucks. I take 1 a day and that lasts be the better part of a year. I dont think 10 bucks worth of regulat green tea will last me 200 days
  • Agglaki
    Agglaki Posts: 105
    Thanks guys! I appreciate all the feedback. To the person who says green tea pills are more expensive. I beg to differ. I can buy 200 capsules of green tea extract for 10 bucks. I take 1 a day and that lasts be the better part of a year. I dont think 10 bucks worth of regulat green tea will last me 200 days

    Ah fair enough...
    Over here I can get 25 tea bags for less than £1. So 200 tea bags will cost less than £10

    I've seen tablets at about £8-10 for 100 tablets. Therefore, 200 tablets would cost between £16-£20...plus I'm not sure what strength tablets you have available to you but the ones I've seen usually state take 1-3 tablets a day, so obviously depending on your dosage it actually works out more expensive where I live.

    Plus on a personal level if I brew green tea instead of the tablet I avoid coffee (of which I probably need to :P)
  • Vegasboricua702
    Vegasboricua702 Posts: 149
    Check my diary for the suppliments that I use. I use "NOW Green Tea Extract"
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