Supplements
Optimum Nutrition “Gold Standard 100% Whey” Protein Powder- Immediately at wake up, Pre & Post workout
Optimum Nutrition “Essential Amino Energy”- Intra workout
Multivitamin
Glucosamine & Chondroitin for joints
I don’t really believe in supplements anymore as most of them are just scams and the convenience of a pre-workout is used as an excuse for a genuinely hard workout. The old cliche of putting gas in the tank is true: the foundation of performance is quality food, preferably as much unprocessed crap as possible. I’ve tried just about every N.O. and energy drink out there and nothing worked for me. The best one was probably BSN’s N.O.xplode. I’ve tried them with creatine, without creatine, with caffeine, without, other stims, other ingredients. Apparently I’m impervious to caffeine; I never felt anything. I even tried to make my own drink but it took forever to scoop 10 ingredients into a cup! Now, I stick with a single up of coffee and a protein shake when I wake up and hit the gym first thing.
Basically my outlook is this: consume 1g protein per pound you want to weigh, bookend your workouts, and if you want an intra-workout drink, “Amino Energy” is basically what I’d been drinking for years and it’s backed by pretty good science. Beta-Alanine does buffer fatigue and all of the aminos rush to your muscles, especially if you’re hitting it hard. I have knee and shoulder pain and Glucosamine & CSA are also proven to reduce inflammation and pain. You should strive to consume as much Omega-3 (not 6) monounsaturated fatty acid as you can. Eat macadamia nuts, avocados, fish and the Multivitamin and fish oil should top you off. But be warned, only high quality fish oils will benefit you; the cheap brands have probably oxidized and will cause more harm than good, so weigh the cost for the benefit.
Athletic Firefighter 
I’ve been supplementing roughly the same thing. I’ve researched CLA for a while now and recently started cycling that. It helps in reducing fat and gaining that lean mass. You have to be sure that it is the patented kind though. I got the iron-tek and it’s given me results. I’ve also switched to the kre alkalyn creatine which is alot less dosage then the mono and it absorbs to your muscle cells just as fast without all the bloating. NOW makes a great Omega-3 500 EPA and 250 Dha. As far as pre workouts I think it’s different for everyone J3cked was decent for a while. Pump fuel recently came out with v2 which I’ve been using and compared to the N.O. It’s a whole lot better product. If you ever goto cost plus nutrition they are usually all real knowledgable and provide samples so you don’t have to she’ll out fifty bucks for a bs product.
Sweet, thanks for the info! I actually bought CLA, yohimbe, forskolin, and green tea for a summer fat loss stack. I didn’t change my diet or routine and lost 1.5% in a month. Guess that’s good.
That’s awesome. I’ve been using pretty much every type of gainer made haha. The latest I bought was 1200 calories per serving haha. Last August I was 161. Was doing marathons and I started getting really bad IT band syndrome. I said screw it I’m gonna start lifting again. I re routed my supplements and started lifting again and I’m at 217 right now.
Damn bro! The heaviest I ever weighed was 206 with 17.3% fat. And that was eating like 4,000+ calories! I didn’t want to drop below 200, but I’m happy in the mid 190’s. A good athletic balance, but still lifting heavy. If you’re looking to get huhe, Lift Big, Eat Big is a great site. Good luck man!
What do you mean by patented CLA?
I researched a little and I think different companies have patents on what sources they use to extract CLA or there might be added ingredients to enhance it’s effects. Good question!
Also, the FDA doesn’t regulate supplements so people will just throw shit together and sell it. In this case the patent is more so a way of knowing your getting what you paid for.
Greetings! This is my first comment here so I just wanted to
give a quick shout out and say I genuinely enjoy reading through your articles.
Can you recommend any other blogs/websites/forums that go over the same subjects?
Thanks a lot!
Thank you for taking the time to read and comment! Most of my guidelines for nutrition come from reading and selecting from the paleo/primal world. I’ve spent a lot of time trying to understand the how’s and why’s, rather than blindly following their recommendations. The very first thing I demand of myself and my friends and followers is define your goals. You must be brutally honest with yourself and realize you can’t be 275 lbs with 8% bodyfat AND run a 6 minute mile. Those are two completely opposite goals and most people try to achieve both because society pressures them into that way of thinking. And they fail.
I have also changed my goals and understanding of exercise from a “Men’s Health/Muscle Mag” bodybuilder type, to a Wendler 5/3/1 or Powerlifting style of exercise. My honest goals are reaching my highest level of strength while also maintaining the stamina and conditioning standards required by my job (Firefighter/Special Operations Paramedic). I am mature enough and old enough now to understand that looks don’t tell the whole picture. I don’t have a 6 pack, I am cursed with chicken leg calves because that’s how I’m made, and I don’t train biceps everyday like the vain high school retards at the gym, but I can Press, Dead, Bench, and Squat more than any of them. In my opinion, and I’ll piss off the crossfitters, that is true functional strength. Looks don’t mean you can do my job. And I admittedly can’t curl as much as you. But then again, I’ve never seen biceps pull ceiling or intubate patients.
Now finally to really answer your question…check out the following websites:
http://www.marksdailyapple.com (a fav)
http://www.robbwolf.com (amazing podcast)
http://www.fastpaleo.com
http://chriskresser.com (changed my perception of a “healthy” diet)
http://startingstrength.com
http://www.jimwendler.com