Saturday, January 9, 2010
Supplements You Might Actually Find Useful
9:07 AM | Posted by
Unknown |
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I get a lot of questions about supplements even though I'm not a big proponent of them.
That being said, there are some supplements that you may find useful depending on your goals.
The first four on this list are supplements most people could benefit from. I'm not a great cook and once I find a few meals I like, I'll go for long periods just eating the same foods in various combinations - a pattern that is quite common among my peers as well. Adding these supplements is an easy way to safeguard against any potential shortcomings of a monotonous diet.
The other ones are supplements that may help with fat loss, performance or just makes life easier some days. They are not essential by any means.
I've linked to some products. These are either ones I can vouch for personally or the cheapest ones in their category. For the sake of transparency, I should also note that these are affiliate links, which means I get a 5-10% commision if you buy anything from the links. If you think this makes my recommendations any less credible, do not buy anything from this list. And why would you? Supplements are certainly not critical to your success and you may in fact do just as well without them. A balanced whole foods diet goes a very long way.
Swedish visitors should order from Svenskt Kosttillskott
if they want the cheapest and fastest delivery.
European and UK visitors may also find Predator Nutrition a highly attractive and reliable alternative. They ship all across Europe, so that's great. Their rates are very competitive and it may interest some of you that they have some banned/discontinued supplements in stock. Enter code: "leangains" to get 5% off your order.
Fish Oil
Unless you've been living under a rock the last decade, you don't need me to give you any long-winded explanation for this one. Maintaining a good omega-3:omega-6-ratio is important and we get too much of the latter. Take 2 g EPA and 1.5 g DHA per day.
Read: "Omega-3 Fatty Acids for Muscle Growth: Promising Potential."
Recommended: NutraSea Original Liquid (liquid) or Ultra Omega-3 (softgels).
Calcium
Calcium increases fat excretion and boosts testosterone.
That's great stuff and we obviously want our calcium intake in the optimal range. Adding a 500-750 mg tablet to your daily diet wÃll usually do the trick. If you get enough calcium through your diet, there's no need to supplement it.
Recommended: NOW Calcium & Magnesium
Vitamin D
Emerging scientific evidence suggests that people don't get enough vitamin D to function optimally. The newfound interest for this vitamin and it's potential benefits was actually featured in New York Time's Top Ten List of medical breakthroughs in 2007. Here's a good (and free) full-text paper on vitamin D's role in health and disease. Moreover, vitamin D may boost strength and athletic performance. 2000 IU/day is a conservative and safe dosage, but some people use considerably higher doses without any negative implications.
Recommended: NOW Vitamin D-3
Branched-Chain Amino Acids
I use BCAA pre-workout whenever I train fasted. You can read more on why here and here. I prefer Purple Wraath by Controlled Labs. It contains beta-alanine as well, which gives me a nice little tingle and also seems to aid a bit with intra-set recovery and muscle endurance in the higher rep ranges. Take 10 g pre-workout if you train fasted.
Recommended: I've been using Xtend by Scivation for my fasted training sessions ever since stores around here ran out of Purple Wraath a few months ago. Taste and effects wise, it's pretty much a toss-up between Xtend and Wraath. Price wise, Xtend can't be beaten. Flavor wise, Xtend is very agreeable and I prefer "Refreshing Watermelon".
Creatine
Creatine is the only legal supplement with numerous scientific studies to support it's effectiveness. It's so far ahead of the competition that it's the only supplement I can place in this category with a straight face. Besides elevating muscle creatine contents for a direct performance boost, creatine may boost muscle growth through effects on satellite cell proliferation, myogenic transcription factors and insulin-like growth factor-1 signalling (if that sounds like greek to you, let's just say all of this is "good stuff").
Recommended: Optimum Nutrition Micronised Creatine
Beta-Alanine
I get beta-alanine through my BCAA-supplement, but this amino acid is also availabe as a stand-alone supplement; and as such has shown to boost exercise performance. As I noted before, the effect is only noticeable in the higher rep ranges (12 reps and above). The study summarizes the effect as "beta-alanine...have demonstrated improvements in performance during multiple bouts of high-intensity exercise and in single bouts of exercise lasting more than 60 s." So it won't improve your maximal strength, but anaerobic threshold and time to exhaustion will be enhanced. This may be particularily useful for CrossFit-practitioners and those training with kettle bells.
Recommended: NOW Beta-Alanine
Whey protein
Ideal use is pre-and post-workout. Optimum 100% Whey is the top selling product at bodybuilding.com. I would venture to guess that's due much to the innovative tastes available. I've tried Caramel Toffee Fudge and Extreme Milk Chocolate and both are very tasty.
Casein protein
Ideal use is pre-bedtime, but it could be used at any other time during the day as well. Casein protein is slow releasing and provides more satiety than whey protein in general.
For the best tasting casein protein, check out this post.
Glucosamine
While I've been lucky enough to never find any use for this supplement personally, clients claim to have used it successfully for relieving joint pain. Studies support such notions and state that glucosamine seems to be a safe and effective supplement for relieving pain and stiffness in joints.
Recommended: NOW Glucosamine
For fat loss
Note that intermittent fasting potentiates the effect of stimulants. Any stimulant ingested during the fasted phase will have a greater effect compared to it's ingestion during the fed state. Some caution should therefore be exercised for those not familiar with the use of stimulants.
Caffeine
If you're not a regular coffee drinker, you're really missing out by not adding caffeine to your diet when the going gets tough. It's cheap, suppressses appetite and has thermogenic properties.
Recommended: AllMax Nutrition Caffeine (200 mg)
Clenbutrx
This stuff is nasty as hell. On the plus side, it has a quite potent stimulatory effect and works very well as an appetite suppressant.
Not available any longer. :/
VPX Meltdown
If you can't stand the horrid taste of Clenbutrx, VPX Meltdown is a great alternative. This one actually has legit scientific backing, which is a true rarity when it comes to fat loss products. You can read both (free full text) studies on Meltdown here and here. Note the effect on resting energy expenditure. Not bad.
The original version is not available any longer. :/
Yohimbine HCL
This herb may be particularily useful for those trying to get rid of stubborn body fat - such as the fat covering lower abs and back in lean men and thighs and hips in lean women. Hokey as that may sound, there is a valid explanation for how this occurs. Lyle McDonald explains this in great detail in The Stubborn Body Fat Solution. In short, yohimbine inhibits alpha-2-receptors (and lower abs/back has a high density of a2-receptors) which aids with blood flow and fat mobilization from stubborn fat areas.
Yohimbine is another fat loss product that has been proven effective in clinical trials and this is perhaps the most widely cited study on the effects of yohimbine on body composition.
Recommended: PrimaForce Yohimbine HCI
AlphaBurn
Pure yohimbine may lead to feelings of anxiety and even panic attacks in predisposed individuals. A better alternative can be found in Alpha Burn, and other supplements containing rauwolscine, which is a stereoisomer of yohimbine. Reg from Predator Nutrition recently sent me a box of these and I can vouch for it's psychoactive effects not being as rough as pure yohimbine. While it won't make you as jumpy and jittery as yohimbine, it seems to have a pretty potent appetite suppressive effect.
The original version is not available any longer. :/
L-Tyrosine
L-tyrosine is a precursor ("building block") to the catecholamines dopamine and norepinephrine. For this reason, it has been studied in the context of performance enhancement among other things. Although studies show mixed results, empirical evidence suggests that tyrosine has it's use as a pre-workout stimulant when combined with other substances such as caffeine. It seems to enhance the effect of other stimulatory substances, which has been my experience as well. Tyrosine has also shown promise in alleviating the decrements in cognitive performance associated with stress and fatigue. For this reason, it might be useful for keeping your mind sharp during intense stints of dieting.
Recommended: NOW L-Tyrosine
Jack3d Review (Pre-workout/Fat loss)
I've been trying a wide range of pre-workout supplements but I've never found something worth recommending. Some like the extra pump from NO Xplode and similar nitric oxide based supps, I just don't any use for it.
I was pleasantly surprised by Jack3d. Besides the usual ingredients present in many pre-workout supplements, such as caffeine, creatine, arginine and beta-alanine, it contains 1,3-Dimethylamylamine also known as geranamine. This is a potent stimulant (as far as legal alternatives goes) and this is what provides the oomph in this product. Apparently Geranamine is used as recreational drug in some circles and banned in a few countries. I wouldn't be surprised if we'll see more countries banning it soon as everything that is mildly effective seems to get a ban sooner or later. Shortly after I wrote the supplements guide, Meltdown and Clenbutrx both got banned in Sweden.
Anyway, being somewhat resistant to stims, I started off with the maximum recommended dosage the first time (three scoops). After 5-10 minutes, I could tell that it was working as I got an intense urge to do the dishes. During training, I didn't notice anything out of the norm besides a somewhat uncomfortable back pump after squatting. After training, I had to wait two hours before my appetite returned. I never have problems eating after training, especially not after fasted training, but the thought of food made me queasy. I also noticed some slightly panicky feelings at that point, the kind where you want to crawl out of your own skin. Nothing serious, but for those sensitive to CNS stimulants or prone to anxiety attacks, I would not recommend starting off with the highest dose like I did. However, it seems tolerance develops and within a few days I could use the maximum recommended dosage without any side-effects. Unfortunately, the stimulant effect is also lessened.
In my experience, Jack3d is quite effective, but less so for the purpose it's advertised. I see it's use mainly as an appetite surpressant or stimulant, much like ephedrine. The mechanism by which Jack3d exerts its effect is also similar to ephedrine in that it increases epinephrine/adrenaline, which in turn boosts lipolysis and leads to that "focused" feeling. Or that urge to do something, anything.
Either way you want to use it, for a pre-workout or motivational boost, or appetite surpression, Jack3d works, which is why it ends up on my list of recommended, but certainly not essential, list of supplements.
By the way, I haven't found any studies to back the effectiveness of 1,3-dimethylamylamine for fat loss. If anyone knows of any human trials regarding its use for weight loss or improving cognition, alertness, or anything else for that matter, let me know. I always try to find some scientifical backing for the supplements I recommend but I'm at a loss for this one.
The original version is not available any longer. :/
Adipoxil Review
Adipoxil is a strange beast. It's different from all other fat burners reviewed here in the sense that it has no stimulatory properties. At the same time, it's a very potent appetite suppressant - at least as far as legal alternatives goes. I suspect this might be explained by the synephrine and the "lipolytic oxidation protocol," which contains cayenne pepper and various other thermorgenic compounds. Synephrine and cayenne pepper are both known to suppress appetite.
There's also a peculiar side-effect that's noticeable shortly after ingesting the tabs; it alters taste, and specifically it made coffee undrinkable. I'm not sure how to describe it. I'm a coffee-fiend but that hot cup of goodness turned wretched after I downed the tabs. Also, be careful with the dosing and don't go for double dose the first time you try it. I experienced nausea with two tabs and it wasn't very pleasant.
Anyway, Adipoxil might be a good alternative for those looking for a supplement without pronounced stimulatory properties. I need to add a big disclaimer here however; Adipoxil does contain Yohimbine and caffeine, and should provide a stimulatory effect. I might just be a weird outlier to not have noticed anything. If you do try it, let me know in comments if you felt anything. I should also note that I only tried this three days in a row, so I'm not sure about tolerance issues. For the short time I ran it, it worked very well.
I also tried another supplement from iForce Nutrition, the makers of Adipoxil: a pre-workout supplement called "Maximize V2". This was nothing special - pretty much the same as Jack3d, but less potent.
Remember that you can enter "leangains" as code when ordering from Predator Nutrition and get 5% off your order. I receive no commissions; instead you get cheaper supplements.
That being said, there are some supplements that you may find useful depending on your goals.
The first four on this list are supplements most people could benefit from. I'm not a great cook and once I find a few meals I like, I'll go for long periods just eating the same foods in various combinations - a pattern that is quite common among my peers as well. Adding these supplements is an easy way to safeguard against any potential shortcomings of a monotonous diet.
The other ones are supplements that may help with fat loss, performance or just makes life easier some days. They are not essential by any means.
I've linked to some products. These are either ones I can vouch for personally or the cheapest ones in their category. For the sake of transparency, I should also note that these are affiliate links, which means I get a 5-10% commision if you buy anything from the links. If you think this makes my recommendations any less credible, do not buy anything from this list. And why would you? Supplements are certainly not critical to your success and you may in fact do just as well without them. A balanced whole foods diet goes a very long way.
Swedish visitors should order from Svenskt Kosttillskott
European and UK visitors may also find Predator Nutrition a highly attractive and reliable alternative. They ship all across Europe, so that's great. Their rates are very competitive and it may interest some of you that they have some banned/discontinued supplements in stock. Enter code: "leangains" to get 5% off your order.
Fish Oil
Unless you've been living under a rock the last decade, you don't need me to give you any long-winded explanation for this one. Maintaining a good omega-3:omega-6-ratio is important and we get too much of the latter. Take 2 g EPA and 1.5 g DHA per day.
Read: "Omega-3 Fatty Acids for Muscle Growth: Promising Potential."
Recommended: NutraSea Original Liquid (liquid) or Ultra Omega-3 (softgels).
Calcium
Calcium increases fat excretion and boosts testosterone.
That's great stuff and we obviously want our calcium intake in the optimal range. Adding a 500-750 mg tablet to your daily diet wÃll usually do the trick. If you get enough calcium through your diet, there's no need to supplement it.
Recommended: NOW Calcium & Magnesium
Vitamin D
Emerging scientific evidence suggests that people don't get enough vitamin D to function optimally. The newfound interest for this vitamin and it's potential benefits was actually featured in New York Time's Top Ten List of medical breakthroughs in 2007. Here's a good (and free) full-text paper on vitamin D's role in health and disease. Moreover, vitamin D may boost strength and athletic performance. 2000 IU/day is a conservative and safe dosage, but some people use considerably higher doses without any negative implications.
Recommended: NOW Vitamin D-3
Branched-Chain Amino Acids
I use BCAA pre-workout whenever I train fasted. You can read more on why here and here. I prefer Purple Wraath by Controlled Labs. It contains beta-alanine as well, which gives me a nice little tingle and also seems to aid a bit with intra-set recovery and muscle endurance in the higher rep ranges. Take 10 g pre-workout if you train fasted.
Recommended: I've been using Xtend by Scivation for my fasted training sessions ever since stores around here ran out of Purple Wraath a few months ago. Taste and effects wise, it's pretty much a toss-up between Xtend and Wraath. Price wise, Xtend can't be beaten. Flavor wise, Xtend is very agreeable and I prefer "Refreshing Watermelon".
Creatine
Creatine is the only legal supplement with numerous scientific studies to support it's effectiveness. It's so far ahead of the competition that it's the only supplement I can place in this category with a straight face. Besides elevating muscle creatine contents for a direct performance boost, creatine may boost muscle growth through effects on satellite cell proliferation, myogenic transcription factors and insulin-like growth factor-1 signalling (if that sounds like greek to you, let's just say all of this is "good stuff").
Recommended: Optimum Nutrition Micronised Creatine
Beta-Alanine
I get beta-alanine through my BCAA-supplement, but this amino acid is also availabe as a stand-alone supplement; and as such has shown to boost exercise performance. As I noted before, the effect is only noticeable in the higher rep ranges (12 reps and above). The study summarizes the effect as "beta-alanine...have demonstrated improvements in performance during multiple bouts of high-intensity exercise and in single bouts of exercise lasting more than 60 s." So it won't improve your maximal strength, but anaerobic threshold and time to exhaustion will be enhanced. This may be particularily useful for CrossFit-practitioners and those training with kettle bells.
Recommended: NOW Beta-Alanine
Whey protein
Ideal use is pre-and post-workout. Optimum 100% Whey is the top selling product at bodybuilding.com. I would venture to guess that's due much to the innovative tastes available. I've tried Caramel Toffee Fudge and Extreme Milk Chocolate and both are very tasty.
Casein protein
Ideal use is pre-bedtime, but it could be used at any other time during the day as well. Casein protein is slow releasing and provides more satiety than whey protein in general.
For the best tasting casein protein, check out this post.
Glucosamine
While I've been lucky enough to never find any use for this supplement personally, clients claim to have used it successfully for relieving joint pain. Studies support such notions and state that glucosamine seems to be a safe and effective supplement for relieving pain and stiffness in joints.
Recommended: NOW Glucosamine
For fat loss
Note that intermittent fasting potentiates the effect of stimulants. Any stimulant ingested during the fasted phase will have a greater effect compared to it's ingestion during the fed state. Some caution should therefore be exercised for those not familiar with the use of stimulants.
Caffeine
If you're not a regular coffee drinker, you're really missing out by not adding caffeine to your diet when the going gets tough. It's cheap, suppressses appetite and has thermogenic properties.
Recommended: AllMax Nutrition Caffeine (200 mg)
Clenbutrx
This stuff is nasty as hell. On the plus side, it has a quite potent stimulatory effect and works very well as an appetite suppressant.
Not available any longer. :/
VPX Meltdown
If you can't stand the horrid taste of Clenbutrx, VPX Meltdown is a great alternative. This one actually has legit scientific backing, which is a true rarity when it comes to fat loss products. You can read both (free full text) studies on Meltdown here and here. Note the effect on resting energy expenditure. Not bad.
The original version is not available any longer. :/
Yohimbine HCL
This herb may be particularily useful for those trying to get rid of stubborn body fat - such as the fat covering lower abs and back in lean men and thighs and hips in lean women. Hokey as that may sound, there is a valid explanation for how this occurs. Lyle McDonald explains this in great detail in The Stubborn Body Fat Solution. In short, yohimbine inhibits alpha-2-receptors (and lower abs/back has a high density of a2-receptors) which aids with blood flow and fat mobilization from stubborn fat areas.
Yohimbine is another fat loss product that has been proven effective in clinical trials and this is perhaps the most widely cited study on the effects of yohimbine on body composition.
Recommended: PrimaForce Yohimbine HCI
AlphaBurn
Pure yohimbine may lead to feelings of anxiety and even panic attacks in predisposed individuals. A better alternative can be found in Alpha Burn, and other supplements containing rauwolscine, which is a stereoisomer of yohimbine. Reg from Predator Nutrition recently sent me a box of these and I can vouch for it's psychoactive effects not being as rough as pure yohimbine. While it won't make you as jumpy and jittery as yohimbine, it seems to have a pretty potent appetite suppressive effect.
The original version is not available any longer. :/
L-Tyrosine
L-tyrosine is a precursor ("building block") to the catecholamines dopamine and norepinephrine. For this reason, it has been studied in the context of performance enhancement among other things. Although studies show mixed results, empirical evidence suggests that tyrosine has it's use as a pre-workout stimulant when combined with other substances such as caffeine. It seems to enhance the effect of other stimulatory substances, which has been my experience as well. Tyrosine has also shown promise in alleviating the decrements in cognitive performance associated with stress and fatigue. For this reason, it might be useful for keeping your mind sharp during intense stints of dieting.
Recommended: NOW L-Tyrosine
Jack3d Review (Pre-workout/Fat loss)
I've been trying a wide range of pre-workout supplements but I've never found something worth recommending. Some like the extra pump from NO Xplode and similar nitric oxide based supps, I just don't any use for it.
I was pleasantly surprised by Jack3d. Besides the usual ingredients present in many pre-workout supplements, such as caffeine, creatine, arginine and beta-alanine, it contains 1,3-Dimethylamylamine also known as geranamine. This is a potent stimulant (as far as legal alternatives goes) and this is what provides the oomph in this product. Apparently Geranamine is used as recreational drug in some circles and banned in a few countries. I wouldn't be surprised if we'll see more countries banning it soon as everything that is mildly effective seems to get a ban sooner or later. Shortly after I wrote the supplements guide, Meltdown and Clenbutrx both got banned in Sweden.
Anyway, being somewhat resistant to stims, I started off with the maximum recommended dosage the first time (three scoops). After 5-10 minutes, I could tell that it was working as I got an intense urge to do the dishes. During training, I didn't notice anything out of the norm besides a somewhat uncomfortable back pump after squatting. After training, I had to wait two hours before my appetite returned. I never have problems eating after training, especially not after fasted training, but the thought of food made me queasy. I also noticed some slightly panicky feelings at that point, the kind where you want to crawl out of your own skin. Nothing serious, but for those sensitive to CNS stimulants or prone to anxiety attacks, I would not recommend starting off with the highest dose like I did. However, it seems tolerance develops and within a few days I could use the maximum recommended dosage without any side-effects. Unfortunately, the stimulant effect is also lessened.
In my experience, Jack3d is quite effective, but less so for the purpose it's advertised. I see it's use mainly as an appetite surpressant or stimulant, much like ephedrine. The mechanism by which Jack3d exerts its effect is also similar to ephedrine in that it increases epinephrine/adrenaline, which in turn boosts lipolysis and leads to that "focused" feeling. Or that urge to do something, anything.
Either way you want to use it, for a pre-workout or motivational boost, or appetite surpression, Jack3d works, which is why it ends up on my list of recommended, but certainly not essential, list of supplements.
By the way, I haven't found any studies to back the effectiveness of 1,3-dimethylamylamine for fat loss. If anyone knows of any human trials regarding its use for weight loss or improving cognition, alertness, or anything else for that matter, let me know. I always try to find some scientifical backing for the supplements I recommend but I'm at a loss for this one.
The original version is not available any longer. :/
Adipoxil Review
Adipoxil is a strange beast. It's different from all other fat burners reviewed here in the sense that it has no stimulatory properties. At the same time, it's a very potent appetite suppressant - at least as far as legal alternatives goes. I suspect this might be explained by the synephrine and the "lipolytic oxidation protocol," which contains cayenne pepper and various other thermorgenic compounds. Synephrine and cayenne pepper are both known to suppress appetite.
There's also a peculiar side-effect that's noticeable shortly after ingesting the tabs; it alters taste, and specifically it made coffee undrinkable. I'm not sure how to describe it. I'm a coffee-fiend but that hot cup of goodness turned wretched after I downed the tabs. Also, be careful with the dosing and don't go for double dose the first time you try it. I experienced nausea with two tabs and it wasn't very pleasant.
Anyway, Adipoxil might be a good alternative for those looking for a supplement without pronounced stimulatory properties. I need to add a big disclaimer here however; Adipoxil does contain Yohimbine and caffeine, and should provide a stimulatory effect. I might just be a weird outlier to not have noticed anything. If you do try it, let me know in comments if you felt anything. I should also note that I only tried this three days in a row, so I'm not sure about tolerance issues. For the short time I ran it, it worked very well.
I also tried another supplement from iForce Nutrition, the makers of Adipoxil: a pre-workout supplement called "Maximize V2". This was nothing special - pretty much the same as Jack3d, but less potent.
Remember that you can enter "leangains" as code when ordering from Predator Nutrition and get 5% off your order. I receive no commissions; instead you get cheaper supplements.
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«Oldest ‹Older 201 – 230 of 230 Newer› Newest»Another quick question...i cycle to work every day (approx 12 miles) and my feeding window will be between 12-8...do you suggest taking BCAA before and after cycling in the morning???
Hi Martin, I started to use xtend watermelon and my pee is pink for a few days......is this normal???
hey martin,
regarding ur purple wraath proposal or xtend, are u sure this is a safe choice cause neither of them is a usa made product so i am a bit hesitating trusting them.it's not that i dont trust u in fact this forum gave me the motivation to start training again and be 100% sure that i will have results but it's the fact that the owner of the biggest local supplement shop just got fricked when i told him that i am looking for these products claiming that their quality is untrustworthy..i know it is a bit lame saying that but i really waana try ur workouts and that little bcaa products just makes me feel unease ;/ ty!
Do you recommned a particular multivitamin?
I got my hopes up reading about the non-stimulant fat-burner at the end of the list; however, since it has caffeine, I can't take it. ANY stimulant causes me to have weird anxiety--even epinephrine (?).
Any other ideas?
Hello Martin,
I'm sorry if you've addressed this question previously (I got a little tired of reading the same questions that are answered in the guide over and over again)...I noticed you gave props to Tim Ferriss. I was curious about your thoughts on the PAGG stack he mentions in his "Four Hour Body" book? He refers to the PAGG stack as the "four horsemen of fat loss." With the decaffeinated green tea it's supposed to be a stimulant free stack to help fat loss.
Also, he gives mention to Super Cissus. I was curious about your thoughts on this supplement as well?
Thanks for the time and effort. You've helped me a great deal!
- Dan F.
Hi Martin! Just stumbled up on your site. Strong and straight forward opinions. I'm enjoying reading it from yesterday. Please take a look at my supplement plan.
Male, 32, 210 lbs, 5'8" (sedentary lifestyle - so far!)
MORNING
OXY ELITE PRO 2(out from bed)
WHEY with Skimmed Milk (after 30/40 min)
MULTI-VITAMIN/MINERALS
EFA
CLA
GREEN TEA EXTRACT
L-CARNITINE
LUNCH
OXY ELITE PRO 1 (12:30 PM)
Tuna Can w/ veg salad (after 30/40min)
EFA
CLA
GREEN TEA EXTRACT
EVENING
Before workout
WHEY with Skimmed Milk
GLUTAMINE
AMINO/ BCAA
GREEN TEA EXTRACT
L-CARNITINE
After workout
WHEY with Skimmed Milk
GLUTAMINE
AMINO/ BCAA
MULTI-VITAMIN/MINERALS
EFA
CLA
L-CARNITINE
WORKOUT PLAN
5 days per week
1st Month – Cardio –> Elliptical Climber / Treadmill –> 30 –> 45 –> 60 min
2nd Month – Add Weight Training, Alternate Days, Compound exercises, Chest/Back/Legs/Abs, 3 active sets, 10 – 12 reps to failure –> followed by 60min cardio
3rd Month – Weight Training, Daily, Target Exercises, Chest/Triceps, Back/Biceps, Legs/Abs, 5 sets, 6 – 8 reps to failure –> followed by 60min cardio
After reading your different articles, this plan now looks flawed :( Any advice?
Martin,
Can you use VPX Meltdown & Yohimbine together safely? i know Meltdown has a similar substance to Yohimbine in it. Thanks
Any alternatives to yohimbine or rauwolscine? I see great benefits (appetite, energy, maybe fat loss) from products containing them, but I can't take them for very long - I seem to get nose bleeds. Usually within the first week, but occasionally it happens the first day of taking it. I wanted to cycle caffeine with them but like I said sometimes first day, first dose, I get a nose bleed. Perhaps I just need a much lower dosage then most fat burners use?
Hi, First of all, Martin, thanks for sharing your knowledge on this subject of intermittent fasting and Lean gains. I've been following the Leangains IF protocol for a few weeks and it's wonderful. I'm seeing some progress already and it feels great. I'd suffered from accute 'fuckarounditis' up until then and 6 meals a day wasnt working. IF and abbreviated training are definately the way to go from now for me.
I thought it may be useful to share an experience I had with calcium supplements recently. Calcium can be useful, for some people, but beware of taking calcium supplements IF your diet contains sufficient calcium naturally without supplementation. I unknowingly overdosed on calcium earlier this year even though i was taking the prescribed dose from the manufacturers' instructions. The symptoms of this overdose were quite scary; restlessness, disturbed sleep patterns, heart arrhythmia/palputations and cloudy pee, the feeling that I was going to have a heart attack at any moment. It took a good four weeks or so before my body had purged the excess calcium from my system and the symptoms completely dissapeared.
There is really not enough said about Vitamin D. The optimal levels are like 80 nmol/L (32 ng/mL) for sports performance
it takes about 100 IU of vitamin D to raise your level by 1 ng/mL
if your current level is 12 ng/mL and you take 800 IU, yes it will probably boost you up to 20ng/mL, but the relationship is not linear, you'd probably have to take 2500IU to get to 32 ng/mL which is our goal
so I would just suggest getting the 5000IU pills and supplementing with those during winter and not taking them on days when you get lots of sun
Second line in your "Jack3d" review has a typo.
I'm assuming it's missing the word "Have" or "see"
"Some like the extra pump from NO Xplode and similar nitric oxide based supps, I just don't have any use for it"
What are your thoughts on glutamine? yay or nay? I presume it would be great during the fasted state for faster recovery, right?? Plus it supposedly boosts hgh too and since hgh is already elevated during the fast (plus insulin levels are low) i assume it would be even more effective. please let me know what you think, thanks :)
Adipoxil is still on the market but from what I can tell it's scarce since it's no longer being produced..unless somebody other than iforce is now making it.
Hi Martin,
At the moment, I have a load of an 'all in one' protein, (maximuscle cyclone). It has protein, creatine, some carbs and some other shit in it. I'm on a tight budget, so don't want to buy more supps (BCAAs) until this runs out.
What are your thoughts on all in ones generally, and how would you recommend using this while doing leangains? At the moment I usually train fasted in the morning then take the shake PWO and continue fast until big lunch, and stick to the 8 hour window as far as possible.
I'm concerned:
a) The carbs in the shake will screw up the fast
b) Not getting BCAAs throughout the morning will mean I'm burning my muscle mass
Thanks
Is Nutrex Lipo 6 black ultra concentrate applicable while on a 16/8 fast? and lowered carb. thanks Martin.
Below are the ingredients found in Xtend
Citric Acid, Sucralose, Artificial Flavors, Soy Lecithin (As An Emulsifier), Acesulfame Potassium (Ace-K), FD&C Blue Lake #1, FD&C Yellow #5.
Sucralose, the artificial flavors and the colorants are TOTALLY unacceptable. I guess some of us will get cancer while ripped and massive.
Hey Martin,
Thank you for all the information on this website! I have been following the IF pattern of 16/8 for a while now and have enjoyed the energy it gives me in the mornings.
I have also started working in supplements into my routine. I take BCAA before a workout and, if necessary, every other hour after a workout until I eat.
I have a question about creatine, though. I generally workout in a fasted state and then break my fast anywhere from 1-3 hours after the workout. When should I take the creatine? I am particularly concerned because the kind that I found at the store is mixed with some other drink stuff so it's 150 calories per serving. I take that and the fast is certainly broken.
Should I put off the creatine until I break my fast? Would that have the same impact as taking it just after the workout? Is there creatine out there that is 0 calories so that it is possible to take it and still be fasting?
Thanks for your help!
Everett
Should I still use casein before bed if utilizing intermittent fasting?
I think that Jack3d should be taken off the list due to the 1,3-Dimethylamylamine causing heart attacks and a few deaths that have recently been recorded in the US Army
Martin, you might want to look into nitrates as an ergogenic aid. Companies like ThermoLife, SAN (sold in EU), and VPX are selling nitrate based products and since nitrates are of interest to pharmaceutical companies, there is abundant research. Exogenous NO source, something no other ingredient can say. VERY promising stuff and the anecdotal reports match up with the research.
Hello Martin,
What do you think about Cla support?
It's promoted with its anti cancer properties(against tumors etc..), boosts testosterone( here ) and it's claimed to fasten the fat losing process.
What's your opinion? Is there a merit to take it as a supplement?
Hello Martin Berkhan,
I started your IF today, it feels great already.
I have a question, if i decide to use a preworkout (noxipro or whatever) can i use it when training fasted?
10:30 Preworkout?
10:45 BCAA
11:00-12:00 training
BCAA
13:00 Largest meal etc.
Many thanks,
TC
Martin,
Are there any health risks associated with stacking AlphaBurn and my pre-workout MusclePharm Assault?
Thanks
Has anyone had much luck in finding a BCAA supplement that does not have weird and unnecessary additives?
There seems to be only one that I can find that only has B6 added...
http://www.puritan.com/sports-nutrition-043/bcaa-powder-031201?scid=3998&cm_mmc=PriceGrabber-_-NewSportsNutrition-_-bcaa-powder-_-031201
I'm planning to use this BCAA product as it is the only one I can find that does not have soy, or some artificial sweetner.
Please pass along any links or info to other products that might have a similar minimalist ingredient list.
Thanks Martin for all of the incredible guidance.
Regards,
martin,
could you pls tell me if clenbutrx could cause hyperthyroidism at high doses (e.g 10 ml)?i am currently on a cetogenic diet(one meal 800 kcal/day) and 3 days after i started using clenbutrx at such a dose (i already had given it a try in the past so i had developped tolerance)
i lost 1 kg and my thyroid hurts like its growing or smth(it kinda feels like sore muscles around him,but i was headbanging 2 days before at a club) and so i am starting creeping out.should i start worrying?no other side effects except of some excess heart rates some times but nothing out of the ordinary.if you have time pls give me an answer because i am kinda scared.i should note that i am 185 cm and weight 78 kg so i just wanted it for the stubborn bf b4 starting LG..thank you very much!
I always believe that there isn't a real true need for supplements to lose body fat percentage quickly. Seriously, these are just additional bonuses, with a good clean diet and exercise routine with proper rest and discipline, you can achieve anything you want with your body.
Why does Purple Wraath make you pee so much?
Would love your thoughts on this http://jn.nutrition.org/content/136/2/538S.abstract
hey Martin, now if i take Jack3d micro pre workout do i also have to take bcaas?
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