Do you take any workout supplements?

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  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,412 MFP Moderator
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    rainbowbow wrote: »
    psulemon wrote: »
    rainbowbow wrote: »
    psulemon wrote: »
    I take BCAAs because they're literally just amino acids. They're good for muscle growth and post-workout muscle recovery. Other than that, I do a protein shake afterward. I used to do preworkout (C4/Noxplode), but it makes me too itchy.

    Out of curiosity, why do you do both BCAA and a whey shake? Every whey shake I know of has equivalent levels of BCAA in them. Seems a little redundant.



    I cook with whey, but I don't take pre -, post -, or peri - workout supplements.

    I just want to say that (depending on your bcaas and protein powder of course) it may NOT be redundant as far as aminos go. Leucine is the amino acid responsible for increasing muscle protein synthesis and driving muscle growth.

    Three grams is the potential threshold amount needed to maximize the rate of muscle protein synthesis in humans.

    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4033492/


    My BCAAs (5 g serving) has about half this, and my protein powder has about half of this as well.

    Yes, I do recognize the benefits of leucine. Personally, instead of using both a pre and post workout, it may be more beneficial to find a better protein powder or just use BCAA's if MPS is your only goal, like Carbon which has 3.5g leucine I believe.

    I certainly can't speak for everyone (and you're right) but i'm lactose intolerant and i'm not brave enough to buy a big jug of carbon (or other isolates) yet. I wish i could buy samples! In my case atleast i drink a soy protein for this reason.

    OP- I take BCAAs and soy protein because i'm vegetarian and it helps me reach my goals.

    On occasion i might have a red bull as a pre-workout.

    Trust me, I do, too. I have followed his stuff for awhile, and Layne Norton is super knowledgeable, but $60 a container is steep!


    Have you tried any isolates?
  • rainbowbow
    rainbowbow Posts: 7,490 Member
    edited October 2016
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    psulemon wrote: »
    rainbowbow wrote: »
    psulemon wrote: »
    rainbowbow wrote: »
    psulemon wrote: »
    I take BCAAs because they're literally just amino acids. They're good for muscle growth and post-workout muscle recovery. Other than that, I do a protein shake afterward. I used to do preworkout (C4/Noxplode), but it makes me too itchy.

    Out of curiosity, why do you do both BCAA and a whey shake? Every whey shake I know of has equivalent levels of BCAA in them. Seems a little redundant.



    I cook with whey, but I don't take pre -, post -, or peri - workout supplements.

    I just want to say that (depending on your bcaas and protein powder of course) it may NOT be redundant as far as aminos go. Leucine is the amino acid responsible for increasing muscle protein synthesis and driving muscle growth.

    Three grams is the potential threshold amount needed to maximize the rate of muscle protein synthesis in humans.

    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4033492/


    My BCAAs (5 g serving) has about half this, and my protein powder has about half of this as well.

    Yes, I do recognize the benefits of leucine. Personally, instead of using both a pre and post workout, it may be more beneficial to find a better protein powder or just use BCAA's if MPS is your only goal, like Carbon which has 3.5g leucine I believe.

    I certainly can't speak for everyone (and you're right) but i'm lactose intolerant and i'm not brave enough to buy a big jug of carbon (or other isolates) yet. I wish i could buy samples! In my case atleast i drink a soy protein for this reason.

    OP- I take BCAAs and soy protein because i'm vegetarian and it helps me reach my goals.

    On occasion i might have a red bull as a pre-workout.

    Trust me, I do, too. I have followed his stuff for awhile, and Layne Norton is super knowledgeable, but $60 a container is steep!


    Have you tried any isolates?

    I've tried foods that have isolates in them and i've been fine (protein muffin, protein brownie). And I can tolerate Muscle Milk brand (99% lactose free). Because i'm in Denmark though and we don't have cheap shipping I haven't been able to try any others. I didn't develop lactose intolerance until this year so I have no clue what i can and can't tolerate any more. :(

    edit: this is to say that i've tried many different types of proteins when i was still living in the US and could go to my local vitamin shop or order from bb.com. Which of those I can now tolerate, though? Who knows!!
  • renae161
    renae161 Posts: 334 Member
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    I'm vegetarian too. What protein do you take? I had someone tell me earlier that whey is vegetarian friendly, but I know some products use geltain or ground bettles in them which isn't vegetarian friendly. So I will need to read the ingredients if I plan on buying something from the store like that.
  • renae161
    renae161 Posts: 334 Member
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    Excuse any messed up errors in my messages. It's about 4:37am here and I'm still up.
  • rainbowbow
    rainbowbow Posts: 7,490 Member
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    renae161 wrote: »
    I'm vegetarian too. What protein do you take? I had someone tell me earlier that whey is vegetarian friendly, but I know some products use geltain or ground bettles in them which isn't vegetarian friendly. So I will need to read the ingredients if I plan on buying something from the store like that.

    I highly recommend the Muscle Milk brand! No meat, no gelatin, no shellac, etc. And as stated it's 99% lactose free so it causes no issues there.


    Here's the ingredients on their green label bottles:
    Ingredients: Water, organic milk protein concentrate, organic cane sugar, organic alkalized cocoa powder, organic canola oil, organic sunflower oil, organic natural flavors, potassium citrate, sodium phosphate, natural flavors, potassium chloride, carrageenan, organic stevia extract, sea salt.

    In any case, i've never had an issue with this brand. Other popular brands include Optimum Nutrition, Dymatize, and more. Make sure to check out the labels, but in general i think they are great. If you're lactose intolerant like me, however, just know that MOST isolates have very little lactose.

    As far as non-whey proteins, I do take a soy protein powder from a local company (bodylab) which have good macros and a smooth non-chalky flavor. I have heard good things about vega-sport as well.

    I hope this helps!
  • renae161
    renae161 Posts: 334 Member
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    rainbowbow wrote: »
    renae161 wrote: »
    I'm vegetarian too. What protein do you take? I had someone tell me earlier that whey is vegetarian friendly, but I know some products use geltain or ground bettles in them which isn't vegetarian friendly. So I will need to read the ingredients if I plan on buying something from the store like that.

    I highly recommend the Muscle Milk brand! No meat, no gelatin, no shellac, etc. And as stated it's 99% lactose free so it causes no issues there.


    Here's the ingredients on their green label bottles:
    Ingredients: Water, organic milk protein concentrate, organic cane sugar, organic alkalized cocoa powder, organic canola oil, organic sunflower oil, organic natural flavors, potassium citrate, sodium phosphate, natural flavors, potassium chloride, carrageenan, organic stevia extract, sea salt.

    In any case, i've never had an issue with this brand. Other popular brands include Optimum Nutrition, Dymatize, and more. Make sure to check out the labels, but in general i think they are great. If you're lactose intolerant like me, however, just know that MOST isolates have very little lactose.

    As far as non-whey proteins, I do take a soy protein powder from a local company (bodylab) which have good macros and a smooth non-chalky flavor. I have heard good things about vega-sport as well.

    I hope this helps!

    I'm not lactose intolerant. But, yea I will most definitely add that on my list of things to buy. Thank you!
  • Chieflrg
    Chieflrg Posts: 9,097 Member
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    rainbowbow wrote: »
    renae161 wrote: »
    I'm vegetarian too. What protein do you take? I had someone tell me earlier that whey is vegetarian friendly, but I know some products use geltain or ground bettles in them which isn't vegetarian friendly. So I will need to read the ingredients if I plan on buying something from the store like that.

    I highly recommend the Muscle Milk brand! No meat, no gelatin, no shellac, etc. And as stated it's 99% lactose free so it causes no issues there.


    Here's the ingredients on their green label bottles:
    Ingredients: Water, organic milk protein concentrate, organic cane sugar, organic alkalized cocoa powder, organic canola oil, organic sunflower oil, organic natural flavors, potassium citrate, sodium phosphate, natural flavors, potassium chloride, carrageenan, organic stevia extract, sea salt.

    In any case, i've never had an issue with this brand. Other popular brands include Optimum Nutrition, Dymatize, and more. Make sure to check out the labels, but in general i think they are great. If you're lactose intolerant like me, however, just know that MOST isolates have very little lactose.

    As far as non-whey proteins, I do take a soy protein powder from a local company (bodylab) which have good macros and a smooth non-chalky flavor. I have heard good things about vega-sport as well.

    I hope this helps!

    Correct me if I'm wrong, but weren't they sited for false advertising of the use of the word "healthy"?

    Also I thought I read that FDA hammered them because protien they use can still affect some people with milk allergies along with added ingredients of aresenic, lead, and mercury were listed on label for the level added if I remember right.
  • Spliner1969
    Spliner1969 Posts: 3,233 Member
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    renae161 wrote: »
    Do you take any workout supplements for your workout routine? If so what? And, what's the purpose of it?

    I drink a pre-workout drink every morning which contains a ton of vitamins, 3g of beta alanine, 3g of creatine, and 3g of arginine akg, along with about the same amount of caffeine in a couple cups of coffee. I also take 3g DAA dissolved into the pre-workout simply because of my age to boost testosterone and help me build muscle. Beyond that I drink BCAA's during and after my workout every morning. No other supplements other than a multivitamin, fish oil, and CLA (Omega 6) after breakfast along with some osteo-biflex (helps my knees and back for arthritis from previous injuries). The BCAA's do seem to help me from being too sore the next day, and allow me to work out more often (I'm currently on a 5 or 6 day a week workout schedule) without getting run down so much. The pre-workout wakes me up at 5am the same as a few cups of coffee would, but has the added benefit of some other ingredients to give your muscles energy supposedly. I like it.
  • rainbowbow
    rainbowbow Posts: 7,490 Member
    edited October 2016
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    Chieflrg wrote: »
    rainbowbow wrote: »
    renae161 wrote: »
    I'm vegetarian too. What protein do you take? I had someone tell me earlier that whey is vegetarian friendly, but I know some products use geltain or ground bettles in them which isn't vegetarian friendly. So I will need to read the ingredients if I plan on buying something from the store like that.

    I highly recommend the Muscle Milk brand! No meat, no gelatin, no shellac, etc. And as stated it's 99% lactose free so it causes no issues there.


    Here's the ingredients on their green label bottles:
    Ingredients: Water, organic milk protein concentrate, organic cane sugar, organic alkalized cocoa powder, organic canola oil, organic sunflower oil, organic natural flavors, potassium citrate, sodium phosphate, natural flavors, potassium chloride, carrageenan, organic stevia extract, sea salt.

    In any case, i've never had an issue with this brand. Other popular brands include Optimum Nutrition, Dymatize, and more. Make sure to check out the labels, but in general i think they are great. If you're lactose intolerant like me, however, just know that MOST isolates have very little lactose.

    As far as non-whey proteins, I do take a soy protein powder from a local company (bodylab) which have good macros and a smooth non-chalky flavor. I have heard good things about vega-sport as well.

    I hope this helps!

    Correct me if I'm wrong, but weren't they sited for false advertising of the use of the word "healthy"?

    Also I thought I read that FDA hammered them because protien they use can still affect some people with milk allergies along with added ingredients of aresenic, lead, and mercury were listed on label for the level added if I remember right.

    First of all, "healthy" "nutritious" "natural" these are all completely irrelevant claims. Anyone who complains about a products statements like these (which are meaningless) are idiots. Healthy is a relative term and we should be looking at the contents of our overall diet to determine whether or not we are meeting both our calorie AND micronutrition. I won't even comment on that further.

    I read that FDA hammered them because protien they use can still affect some people with milk allergies. I mean, isn't this obvious? It's WHEY PROTEIN. It's made FROM MILK. Use some common sense people.

    A lactose intolerance and a milk allergy are completely different things. Muscle milk doesn't contain milk, but it's made from milk.


    As far as heavy metals go, this is in many proteins and not just muscle milk. It's also in fish, some grains and vegetables, and more. You can read more about heavy metals here:
    https://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/topics/topic/metals

    In any case, you would have to drink over 4 servings of muscle milk in particular to reach your recommended limit for heavy metals in one day. So it's well within accepted levels.


    P.S. I am not trying to be a butt-head in my response, i'm just saying it's a non-issue compared to literally any other protein on the market. :P And yes people, use your common sense!
  • astrocosmiczoom
    astrocosmiczoom Posts: 86 Member
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    psulemon wrote: »
    I take BCAAs because they're literally just amino acids. They're good for muscle growth and post-workout muscle recovery. Other than that, I do a protein shake afterward. I used to do preworkout (C4/Noxplode), but it makes me too itchy.

    Out of curiosity, why do you do both BCAA and a whey shake? Every whey shake I know of has equivalent levels of BCAA in them. Seems a little redundant.



    I cook with whey, but I don't take pre -, post -, or peri - workout supplements.
    I don't actually take whey because the lactose makes me.. um... upset. Haha. I take egg white protein or some frou-frou vegan protein like Vega.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,412 MFP Moderator
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    Chieflrg wrote: »
    rainbowbow wrote: »
    renae161 wrote: »
    I'm vegetarian too. What protein do you take? I had someone tell me earlier that whey is vegetarian friendly, but I know some products use geltain or ground bettles in them which isn't vegetarian friendly. So I will need to read the ingredients if I plan on buying something from the store like that.

    I highly recommend the Muscle Milk brand! No meat, no gelatin, no shellac, etc. And as stated it's 99% lactose free so it causes no issues there.


    Here's the ingredients on their green label bottles:
    Ingredients: Water, organic milk protein concentrate, organic cane sugar, organic alkalized cocoa powder, organic canola oil, organic sunflower oil, organic natural flavors, potassium citrate, sodium phosphate, natural flavors, potassium chloride, carrageenan, organic stevia extract, sea salt.

    In any case, i've never had an issue with this brand. Other popular brands include Optimum Nutrition, Dymatize, and more. Make sure to check out the labels, but in general i think they are great. If you're lactose intolerant like me, however, just know that MOST isolates have very little lactose.

    As far as non-whey proteins, I do take a soy protein powder from a local company (bodylab) which have good macros and a smooth non-chalky flavor. I have heard good things about vega-sport as well.

    I hope this helps!

    Correct me if I'm wrong, but weren't they sited for false advertising of the use of the word "healthy"?

    Also I thought I read that FDA hammered them because protien they use can still affect some people with milk allergies along with added ingredients of aresenic, lead, and mercury were listed on label for the level added if I remember right.

    To point out, the metals issue was big in 2010 and that was pretty common across many of the manufactures and brands.
  • trigden1991
    trigden1991 Posts: 4,658 Member
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    psulemon wrote: »
    Just creatine, its the most studied/proven to be effective.

    Proven to do what?

    Not sure if this is a serious question, but: https://examine.com/supplements/creatine/


    It really is one of the most studied supplements and proven to increase strength.

    I was intrigued what he was referring to in his comment.

    Anecdotally I found that creatine provided nothing except for a 3lb water weight gain which disappeared the week after continuing use.
  • Sarah_Shapes_Up
    Sarah_Shapes_Up Posts: 76 Member
    edited October 2016
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    You can find any supplement in natural food. That's the point of a supplement, to add to what you're already doing. It's not necessary to get strong, aesthetic, or athletic. Eat enough nutrient dense food, drink enough water, get enough sleep, and you'll be better than most.
  • renae161
    renae161 Posts: 334 Member
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    Ive heard stevia is a good sweetener replacement, but there's also studies that show in their test subjects fertility rates went down. There isn't any studies done on the long term effects on humans and what it can mess up there. So, I dont think I'll be getting it
  • zilkah
    zilkah Posts: 207 Member
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    Like others I take a preworkout some days when I feel sluggish, BCAAs daily (during my work out, throughout the day on days I don't work out as much) , and i take protein post some work outs or if I need to hit my protein goal for the day
  • Chieflrg
    Chieflrg Posts: 9,097 Member
    edited October 2016
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    rainbowbow wrote: »
    Chieflrg wrote: »
    rainbowbow wrote: »
    renae161 wrote: »
    I'm vegetarian too. What protein do you take? I had someone tell me earlier that whey is vegetarian friendly, but I know some products use geltain or ground bettles in them which isn't vegetarian friendly. So I will need to read the ingredients if I plan on buying something from the store like that.

    I highly recommend the Muscle Milk brand! No meat, no gelatin, no shellac, etc. And as stated it's 99% lactose free so it causes no issues there.


    Here's the ingredients on their green label bottles:
    Ingredients: Water, organic milk protein concentrate, organic cane sugar, organic alkalized cocoa powder, organic canola oil, organic sunflower oil, organic natural flavors, potassium citrate, sodium phosphate, natural flavors, potassium chloride, carrageenan, organic stevia extract, sea salt.

    In any case, i've never had an issue with this brand. Other popular brands include Optimum Nutrition, Dymatize, and more. Make sure to check out the labels, but in general i think they are great. If you're lactose intolerant like me, however, just know that MOST isolates have very little lactose.

    As far as non-whey proteins, I do take a soy protein powder from a local company (bodylab) which have good macros and a smooth non-chalky flavor. I have heard good things about vega-sport as well.

    I hope this helps!

    Correct me if I'm wrong, but weren't they sited for false advertising of the use of the word "healthy"?

    Also I thought I read that FDA hammered them because protien they use can still affect some people with milk allergies along with added ingredients of aresenic, lead, and mercury were listed on label for the level added if I remember right.

    First of all, "healthy" "nutritious" "natural" these are all completely irrelevant claims. Anyone who complains about a products statements like these (which are meaningless) are idiots. Healthy is a relative term and we should be looking at the contents of our overall diet to determine whether or not we are meeting both our calorie AND micronutrition. I won't even comment on that further.

    I read that FDA hammered them because protien they use can still affect some people with milk allergies. I mean, isn't this obvious? It's WHEY PROTEIN. It's made FROM MILK. Use some common sense people.

    A lactose intolerance and a milk allergy are completely different things. Muscle milk doesn't contain milk, but it's made from milk.


    As far as heavy metals go, this is in many proteins and not just muscle milk. It's also in fish, some grains and vegetables, and more. You can read more about heavy metals here:
    https://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/topics/topic/metals

    In any case, you would have to drink over 4 servings of muscle milk in particular to reach your recommended limit for heavy metals in one day. So it's well within accepted levels.


    P.S. I am not trying to be a butt-head in my response, i'm just saying it's a non-issue compared to literally any other protein on the market. :P And yes people, use your common sense!

    Thanks for reply, I honestly don't remember much after I had chemo around when this was blowing up so not so obvious to me as I was just wondering if that was product.


    I don't take it as a butt-head, just was curious and wanted a simple answer not a vomit, lol.
  • PandoraGreen721
    PandoraGreen721 Posts: 450 Member
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    I use to take pre-workouts..now I stick to green tea or coffee. Nothing else. I do eat protein bars for breakfast, but that is more convenience.
  • kelleykelcox
    kelleykelcox Posts: 14 Member
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    A use a pre-workout (it's a must for me on tough days), a protein "recovery" drink (BCAA) on days when I know I would be sore the next day, and some vegan protein.
  • watts6151
    watts6151 Posts: 905 Member
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    I take IBCAA on training days when
    Cutting and it's a Heavy session,
    Might add in some HBCD for legs.

    Tbh though it's cheap and I like the
    Taste.
  • benlourie
    benlourie Posts: 3 Member
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    These days- no supplements apart from 2 scoops of blended protein powder a day ( 1 at breakfast, 1 as a night cap) I'd rather spend my hard earned ££s on good wholesome food.......