Trying supplements again

[bic_staedtler]

So I've stayed away from supplements of all forms for close to five years, and am now trying some again.  I realize that a lot of the products out there are unnecessary, however I found that to assist in meeting my goals, perhaps trying something new would help.  So I kept it relatively simple: ten pound bag of Optimum protein (tastes fine to me, reasonable price and I've used it in the past), bucket o' CellTech Hardcore (I've never tried an actual Muscletech product, mainly due to price and marketing strategy) and Gaspari's Superpump 250 (basically because their marketing really appealed to me).  

The only supps I've tried in the past were protein powder, plain creatine monohydrate, tribulus and some vanadyl...not included mulitvitamins and glucosamine (I made it halfway through a bottle of glutamine but stopped due to the terrible taste and neglible effects).  I forgot; I used some type of early form NO product called "Charge" or something like that; tasted like chemicals and I can't say I felt any more of a pump than usual.  

So this time I went with a couple name brand items, just for the hell of it. I was going to try some Animal products from Universal, but decided against it when I looked at the cost.  I wanted to keep things somewhat simple, with a pre and post drink and I've always wanted to try a decent NO product.  I was going to go with NOXplode but went with Gaspari because I straight up liked the advertising better.

So far, it's been three weeks.  I can honestly say that the Superpump is giving me an interesting 'buzz' before going in the gym.  I experimented with one scoop, which felt kinda different, then tried two the next day just for laughs.  I found that the buzz didn't really make me feel any stronger, and to be honest I didn't feel much of a pump difference.  And after two days of two scoops, I went back to one scoop and found the effect to be just as good as two.  The two scoops made me feel a bit jittery and lasted almost six hours, which was too long.  

The Celltech was fine, once I got the water ratio down.  The protein is typical stuff; just getting in a nice bump after working out.

My diet is quite clean, and these are the only supps I'm on.

It's hard to judge the usefulness of the Celltech or Superpump, but I can honestly say I've had NO 'bad' workouts since I've been taking them.  I attribute most of this to the Superpump, as the Celltech would take a few days if not a couple weeks to get up to a noticeable level on strength in the gym...at least this is my experience in the past.  Now that I'm into week three, I have seen all my lifts go up quite suddenly.  That could be the Celltech...or just getting back into the strength I had in the past!

I've always been quite anti supplement, but I can say that I'll keep the Superpump for at least the summer.  I was considering trying NOXplode and maybe some NanoVapor, but why bother....this seems to do the trick just fine.  The Celltech, well who knows...it's a bit pricey, but I'll try it for the summer and see how my strength is affected when I go off for the fall.  I'm just using it for no other reason than creatine is a proven strength enhancer, even though I'm not sure how much I felt using it before.  

Hell, this could all be placebo but I'm pretty happy with the way things are going in the gym.  I'm feeling focused and strong, no lack of energy...and I can't say that was going on before, even with the clean eating diet.  Even if it is placebo, I'm not too concerned as I'm feeling so damn good!  We'll see once I get near a weight plateau.  I'm glad I'm giving them a try; as a lifetime drug free lifter, it's fun to see what's out there to experiment with, legally.

I tried to find some decent reviews with the supps I bought, especially the Superpump, but to no avail.  Most of what I read here was negative, and I'd agree that for most, if you're eating right and training hard, it's probably unnecessary.  But I find my workouts just so much more enjoyalbe lately, and I'm pretty sure that the Superpump is aiding in that.  Can I be completely certain?...of course not.  But so far so good.  I've noticed the pumps more and more, although not in the beginning.  First two workouts seemed no more of a pump than usual, actually.  But I did notice that throughout the day, I did look more 'full', as in the muscles seemed to be rounder, post workout.  They didn't feel pumped, but I could definitely notice a more full look.  Not really sure if it's a reason I bought the Superpump, because I wanted to get those crazy awesome pumps to assist in more blood to the cells...I'm not getting into the pump= growth (I'm not convinced you need a fantastic pump everytime you train to lead to gains) but even the psychological feeling of being pumped makes me feel like I'm getting the job done; nothing against Mike Mentzer, but I find that when I get a great pump, I have a great workout.  Great workouts equal more muscle in the long run, and I see no problem using this stuff for that purpose...but, it's mainly that 'feeling' you get when you're lifting with it.  I'm enjoying the process!

One last thing to note...I'm only using this stuff on training days, which is four days a week for me.  I'm not using the Superpump everyday, nor the creatine.  Mainly, due to cost!...and also, I understand the marketing behind getting you to have a serving a day.  I considered that it may not 'work' as well if I don't follow the manufacturer's instructions, but I figure some common sense would apply.  I didn't bother loading the creatine as I have never found the need in the past, and I wanted my Celltech tub to last longer than three weeks.  I knew it would get in the cells soon enough, and their two scoop serving has ten grams of creatine, which I have found in the past was more than enough for me get the benefit, along with my food.  As for the Superpump, I just didn't see the need to have that buzzy feeling at anytime other than prior to going into the gym.  I also didn't see the need to take it on days off, unless there was some type of fat-burning ingredient that was at work.  As I'm taking it mainly to get that buzz before training, I didn't see the need and so far, so good.

Anybody want to comment, or offer their experiences?  Thanks.

[pac-man]

Well welcome back to the supplement world.  My take on supplements is this...

If you can't afford your mortgage/rent, car payments, bills... or your not contributing to your 401k/savings ect..then you probably shouldn't be spending money on supplements.  If you have all that under control then by all means go for it.

As for my take on your stack...I'm all for the protein and Super Pump 250!  As for the Cell Tech...you are already getting some creatine from the SP250.  If you need more just get some good old creatine powder.

You said you purchased Gasparis product because of the marketing.  Fair enough reason.  That being said, what in the marketing, got you to buy Muscle Tech?  I have nothing against Muscle Tech products.  Just that some of their ads are just so silly I can't bring myself to buy the stuff.  I guess me making the statement I did about having your bill under control means I'm probably not in their target market anyways.

Anyways keep us updated!

[bic_staedtler]

Money isn't an issue; I'm just doing some experimenting.  The problem I found with the SP250 creatine issue is that the back of the label says nothing about the actual amount of creatine in it...just part of a 'complex'.  Also, there's no sugar in it, so I'd say there's no significant insulin spike to deliver the creatine quickly, like the Celltech. 

As far as marketing, I just like Gaspari because it seems like he truly cares about the quality of his products.  Even though I don't think I'd try a lot of his other products due to their quasi-steroid looking boxes, something like Superpump sounded good enough to try. 

Muscletech has ridiculous ads, but they are the biggest company out there...probably for the reasons which most normal people laugh at them for, but I figured I might as well try Celltech as my creatine.  Previously I used creatine monohydrate and Gatorade, with decent results. 

But after reading Princess' links on T-Nation regarding the 'myth' regarding post and preworkout nutrition, who knows, maybe it's all just a waste of time considering the reasons surrounding why shakes after working out are required in the first place....I do think that if someone is eating the proper amount of protein, carbs and getting the rest required to grow, they'll do so as well as or better than somebody using supplements.  But it's just tough to eat all natural protein sources without the added fat, unless you're in love with chicken breasts and tuna.

The Superpump is something I think I'll stick with for a while, since it's the only one I can directly feel.  But who knows?  Maybe Gaspari knows that bodybuilders want to feel 'effects'...and throwing in a bunch of other stuff that may or may not help build muscle.  The thing is that I'm not really relying on it to 'build' anything...I want it to give me that boost so I can train as hard as I can, so my diet and rest can build muscle.  Whatever else is in there to aid in growth is just a bonus.

I'm trying to use an objective view, but it appears that the anti-supp stance in pretty firm among those who have been around a while. 

[pac-man]

Ya I dig what your saying about the unknown amounts of creatine in most of these preworkout formulas.  They are probably not a huge amount but for me its a good thing.  Too much creatine makes me hold a ton of water so I really don't need much.

And yes I agree Gaspari does seem to take pride in the products being quality.

[darksol]

You first mistake was buying SuperPump for the marketing ( just like most other people ),  yet I do respect Gaspari, as he does make some solid products.
If money is not an issue and you want to try something that is little more natural, you know where to look.

[bic_staedtler]

After tinkering around with how many scoops to take, I've found that after a month of using Superpump:  The first two weeks was pretty cool.  I could definitely feel the effects on one scoop. I tried two just to see how that felt, and while it was a bit longer lasting, I felt that one scoop should do the trick.  Into the fourth week, though, I found that the one scoop didn't elicit the same effect anymore.  I decided to try three, just for the hell of it (plus, it was chest n biceps day) and I have found out that....I shouldn't do that again!  Jittery, irritable, guts were in turmoil...I was up all damn night as well, almost a full ten hours after the workout! 

In my experimentation I'm going to try NOXplode next, and see how it compares.

In terms of why I purchased Gaspari, the marketing I liked most was not the results, nor the science.  It was Rich himself; you actually feel like he's legit, and gives a damn about his products.  I'm sure he does...whether or not that means they are the 'best' is probably not linked, however I think I did give it a fair shot.  I really liked the effects for the first two weeks.  I don't want to have to rely on any more than one scoop, however...I'm still on a budget and don't want to take extra scoops for the wrong reasons.

Any suggestions?  The Celltech Hardcore Pro is great as well....but now I'm going to try the 'older' formula...lol, buy two get one free!...lol!  And Optimum is great as always; best price, taste and product for what I want in a protein powder.  I doubt I'll mess with anything else.

[MM2K]

I tried NO Xplode after hearing a lot of good things about it. I cant say I was all that impressed. The first two days of taking it I did feel a buzz from it, but after that it felt no different than a cup of coffe. I suspect maybe it would have worked well permanently if I had saved it for only the days in which I really didnt feel like working out, maybe only once a week or so. Its possible that the body gets used to it easily.

Have you tried a ZMA supplement? I had taken it a while back, and I recently been taking it again for about 2 weeks straight, and I must say I have felt a difference in vitality, muscle growth, and even fat burning. Its good for natural testosterone support. Dont expect it to be as potent as a pro hormone like DHEA or testosterone booster or anything like that, but I have felt a difference.