Supplements on cycle

[VTliftVT]

Due to info on a thread started by jdchaffin, I want to start an on cycle supplement thread and hopefully accumulate so much needed info. Both money saving and health/muscle beneficial.

What do you believe are absolute necessities while on cycle supplement wise? What are the best forms/brands in which to acquire (I know there will be much scrutiny regarding brand). And what is the best way to make it wallet friendly?

In jdchaffin's thread there is a discussion about vitamins. Well apparently many of the pills are inferior to liquid multi's in absorption. Then there is the fact that we spend so much more money on certain vitamins for the additives when buying them sepereately will be more cost efficient. These are the points I am really looking to find.

Any input appreciated!

(only interested in necessities, not promises made by huge companies that arent worth the money you spend on them)

[FordTurboDiesel]

I think most of your gains are coming from diet....but that's just me....

I take:

Fish oil
Multi-Vit
Liver support and regenerator
Milk thistle
Saw Palmetto
Red Yeast Rice

Myloplex meal replacements.

[thym43]

Good thread. Bump Ford, my gains are made from diet, rest, training, pretty much in that order. Supps for me depend on bulk or cut, as a rule though:
Multi Vit.
C (2000mg)
Fish oil with some Flax
Glutamine
milk thistle
aspirin 81mgs
Cranberry extract
thats the basics then it varies from cut or bulk.

[hulk smash]

Due to info on a thread started by jdchaffin, I want to start an on cycle supplement thread and hopefully accumulate so much needed info. Both money saving and health/muscle beneficial.

What do you believe are absolute necessities while on cycle supplement wise? What are the best forms/brands in which to acquire (I know there will be much scrutiny regarding brand). And what is the best way to make it wallet friendly?

In jdchaffin's thread there is a discussion about vitamins. Well apparently many of the pills are inferior to liquid multi's in absorption. Then there is the fact that we spend so much more money on certain vitamins for the additives when buying them sepereately will be more cost efficient. These are the points I am really looking to find.

Any input appreciated!

(only interested in necessities, not promises made by huge companies that arent worth the money you spend on them)

im almost finishing my first cyle now and the only thing i was taking was animal stack muti vitamins. tons of food and protein of course too. saving all the goodies for after cycle. probably do some gaspari size on , maybe some creatine, really havent been checking out any of the newer produts on market. mostly shit i guess but i feel i will probably stack some stuff together to try and maintain most of my gains.

[trickk034]

I think most of your gains are coming from diet....but that's just me....

BUMP!!! Diet bro!

I don't think I could survive with out taking my AnimalPak Vitamins every day. Also take Fish oil, Milk Thistle...

[Hockey265]

Interesting thread. I believe there are some core supplements that we should be on year around, as well as supplements to be taken both on and off cycle.

Multivitamin- It's essential to take a good multivitamin at all times. Getting all your vitamins/mineral through food alone is extremely difficult. It's important to not be deficient in any vitamins/minerals, as they control most metabolic processes in the body. Synthetic vitamins and are not very bioavailable and pills don't break up well. A good liquid vitamin is your best bet.

EFA's- Everyone here knows just how important EFA's are. They help to lose weight, lower blood pressure, lower LDL cholesterol levels, lower triglycerides, and increase HDL cholesterol levels. They also lubricate the joints, which is a big plus for weight lifters.

Glutamine- It's important to look at weight lifting in terms of recovery. Glutamine, a non-essential Amino acid, Is one of the most supplements you can take to aid in recovery from strenuous activity. Several forms of Glutamine are available on the market. The simplest form is L-Glutamine. Despite all the new forms of glutamine available today, research indicates that non of them seem to be any more effective than L-glutamine. A good dose is 20-25 grams daily.

Whey Isolate protein- We all know that whey is the king of protein but some forms are better than others. Most proteins today are a complex comprised of protein concentrate, isolate, and peptides. When taken, the Isolate is digested almost immediately while the other forms take longer. After workouts your muscles are ready to soak up as many nutrients as possible. For this reason it's important to consume 30-50 grams of whey isolate post workout.

When I'm on cycle, there are several supplements I feel are important to take.

Turmeric- Turmeric comes from the root of the Curcuma longa plant and has a tough brown skin and a deep orange flesh. Turmeric has long been used as a powerful anti-inflammatory in both the Chinese and Indian systems of medicine. This is important because joint pain is inflammation based. Turmeric works by controlling the cox-2 pathway (the inflammation pathway) in the body. By controlling the pathway you will greatly reduce joint pain and injuries. Look for a product called Zyflamend by New Chapter.

Glucosamine- A much less progressive way of dealing with joint problems, but still useful. Glucosamine works to rebuild cartiledge and tissue in the joints. There is an ongoing debate in the scientific community as to the effectiveness of glucosamine. Taken with chondroitan and MSM is a good idea. This product can be taken year around.

Liver protection- Everyone of us on alinboard know just how important liver protection is on cycle so there is no need to go into detail. I personally do fine with just Milk thistle but some people love LIV52.

When coming off cycle, the one supplement that I can't do without is Branch chain amino acids.

BCAAs- As we all know, AAS keeps us in an anabolic state. One of the goals when coming off cycle is to try and remain anabolic as best we can. Branch chain amino acids work to do that. Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins and muscle tissue. All types of physiological processes relating to sport - energy, recovery, muscle / strength gains and fat loss, as well as mood and brain function - are intimately and critically linked to BCAAs. Studies have shown that a small amount of BCAAs taken throughout the day will help to keep you in a state of anabolism. The best way to do that is to consume 2 BCAA caps every 20-30 minutes throughout the entire day. Obviously this is a pain to do, so instead you can carry around a handful of BCAA caps and take a couple whenever its convenient.

There are many other supplements that can be taken on and off cycle to achieve better gains in the gym but for now I will leave it with this. In the future, I will make a post regarding advanced supplement principles. I hope this helps some of you.

[Kott425]

on cycle I stick with the basics.

multi, milk thistle, fish oils, whey.

I take others depending what I'm using such as taurine, durastride, and others.

I save all the others supps for off cycle.

it's all about diet on or off IMO

[jjgonz]

bump the diet man...but a multi bcaas and liver protectant always

[drob29]

I think most of your gains are coming from diet....but that's just me....

I take:

Fish oil
Multi-Vit
Liver support and regenerator
Milk thistle
Saw Palmetto
Red Yeast Rice

Myloplex meal replacements.

Smae here, except no red yeast rice and myoplex, and add in grape seed extract.

[The BB Monad]

Diet
Diet
Diet
Multi-vit/mineral
Dessicated liver
Whey
Liver Protectants
Essential fatty acids
Diet
Diet
Diet

[VTliftVT]

OK so lets throw out the diet part. I feel that a lot of us who are using AAS understand how impt the diet part is and how much we reply on it for results both cutting and bulking. I also realize our diet doesn't supply all we need while on cycle whether it be certain EFA's or aminos etc.

So as in the title...what supplements do you use while on cycle. I am also interested in the companies in which you trust and use. I have heard great things from companies like Beverly International as well as other smaller companies who produce quality over quantity.

Thanks for all of the great responces so far!

Me:

ON Whey Protein
Animal Pak Muli
ON Casein Protein
Glutamine
BCAA's
Mono Creatine
NO Xplode ( I am addicted to energy drinks and this is the cheapest route instead of paying $4 a day for one at the gym)

[jdchaffin]

ON Whey Protein
Animal Pak Muli
ON Casein Protein
Glutamine
BCAA's
Mono Creatine
NO Xplode ( I am addicted to energy drinks and this is the cheapest route instead of paying $4 a day for one at the gym)

Only thing I would add I think is EFAs.

[Alin]

Due to info on a thread started by jdchaffin, I want to start an on cycle supplement thread and hopefully accumulate so much needed info. Both money saving and health/muscle beneficial.

What do you believe are absolute necessities while on cycle supplement wise? What are the best forms/brands in which to acquire (I know there will be much scrutiny regarding brand). And what is the best way to make it wallet friendly?

In jdchaffin's thread there is a discussion about vitamins. Well apparently many of the pills are inferior to liquid multi's in absorption. Then there is the fact that we spend so much more money on certain vitamins for the additives when buying them sepereately will be more cost efficient. These are the points I am really looking to find.

Any input appreciated!

(only interested in necessities, not promises made by huge companies that arent worth the money you spend on them)


On cycle I would use the basics:

vitamin/mineral tab
liver protectant (like synthergine)
whey isolate and blends
EFA's

[VTliftVT]

All of you have suggested EFA's. What do you prefer? I do take flax oil however many seem to suggest fish oil instead. What about the EFA capsules, I realize that oils have more bang for the buck but do you prefer one over the other? Obviously pills are easier to carry to work and such but I have no problem with oils either.

[Hockey265]

All of you have suggested EFA's. What do you prefer? I do take flax oil however many seem to suggest fish oil instead. What about the EFA capsules, I realize that oils have more bang for the buck but do you prefer one over the other? Obviously pills are easier to carry to work and such but I have no problem with oils either.
Flax seed oil is Omega-6 fatty acid. Fish oil is omega-3 fatty acid. The ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 is 1:3:1. You should start supplementing with fish oil. You naturally get much more omega-6 fatty acids in your diet than you do omega-3. Right now your ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 is probably way off. You can pick up an EFA stack that has omega3-6-9 in the right proportions.

[VTliftVT]

Flax seed oil is Omega-6 fatty acid. Fish oil is omega-3 fatty acid. The ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 is 1:3:1. You should start supplementing with fish oil. You naturally get much more omega-6 fatty acids in your diet than you do omega-3. Right now your ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 is probably way off. You can pick up an EFA stack that has omega3-6-9 in the right proportions.

The flax oil i use has the following:

Omega 3 - 6200mg/serving
Omega 6 - 1810mg/serving

This look better as far as the 3/6 ratio? I use Barlean's Organic Oils.

Thanks for the help!

[LeanMass17]

Flax seed oil is Omega-6 fatty acid. Fish oil is omega-3 fatty acid. The ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 is 1:3:1. You should start supplementing with fish oil. You naturally get much more omega-6 fatty acids in your diet than you do omega-3. Right now your ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 is probably way off. You can pick up an EFA stack that has omega3-6-9 in the right proportions.

BUMP all Omega's are important...There are plenty of fish oils that have all three in good proportion

I use the following supplements

Multivitamin
Amino Acids
L-Arginine-separate dose on cycle
L-Carnitine-separate dose on cycle
Whey
Casein
ZMA
Caffeine-pill or black coffee 30minutes pre-workout
Fish oil
Glutamine
Creatine Mono-hydrate

Optimum Nutrition is my favorite company...reasonably priced and high quality IMO