Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Do you take supplements for gym? (Like creatine, proteins, etc.)

6

66217

Guest
Original poster
Jan 30, 2006
1,604
0
I started going to gym about 2 months ago. The first day they offered me some proteins, but I preferred not to buy them.

Right now they are offering me L-Carnitine, that is supposed to be some kind of stimulant and helps you burn fat. As far as I have searched in google there seems to be no side effects.

So what I am curious about is if anyone here use these kind of things? Or have any experience in this topics.
 
we use carnitine in the treatment of children with metabolic disorders. Don't know of any side-effects but that's not to say that you need it either. Plus these things tend to be quite expensive so if you decide that you REALLY need it you'll be buying it indefinitely.
 
jimN said:
we use carnitine in the treatment of children with metabolic disorders. Don't know of any side-effects but that's not to say that you need it either. Plus these things tend to be quite expensive so if you decide that you REALLY need it you'll be buying it indefinitely.
Click to expand...

Can my body become dependent of carnitine?

What I mean is that carnitine is supposed to be produced naturally by your body. Won't taking carnitine make my body produce no more carnitine?
 
I don't know about carnitine, but I used protein powder extensively when I started years ago (I was trying to gain muscle). I also used creatine bi-monthly. Both were a great help, but I don't take them any more. They got me to a good weight and now I just work out and try to eat right. I've managed to maintain my weight just fine. I would talk to a doctor or fitness expert to find out what would be right for you.
 
Being an athlete in high school I have had to do a ton of weightlifting and have actually grown to love lifting. I have taken a lot of supplements over my high school carrear and the key thing to remember is that they are supplements not replacements. You still need to eat good foods that are rich in carbs and protien. If you are going to take supplements there are two that need to be in your nutritional arsenal: Protien and a good Multi-Vitamin. I use Optimum Nutrition 100% Whey and Animal Pak. Both are awesome products that have given me good results. Those are a mainstay with me. Other than that I have taken, Cell Mass by BSN (Creatine), NO-Xplode by BSN, Nitrix by BSN, Stack 2 by Animal Pak, Nitro by Animal Pak, Pump by Animal Pak, ZMA, and Endurathon. That may seem like a lot but keep in mind they werent all at once. I used each for a specific goal I was trying to get to. But no matter what you need a good protien like Optimum Nutrition and a good vitamin like Animal Pak.

Starting out high school at 100 pounds and now being at 160 with less body fat then when I started high school is becuase of lifting and my nutrition. Hope this helps.
 
Here's a tip, don't waste a doctor's time with questions about vanity. If you are ill then see a doctor, but if you want to know what 'supplements' you need find someone who hasn't got better things to do. Honestly, if all you want to do is go to the gym I'm sure you'll be fine without people peddling you all sorts of wunder-powders. But whilst you are in the market I have got these magic beans that I could sell you.
 
Roco said:
Can my body become dependent of carnitine?

What I mean is that carnitine is supposed to be produced naturally by your body. Won't taking carnitine make my body produce no more carnitine?
Click to expand...

Not to my knowledge.
 
Depends on what you are trying to achieve in the gym.
Are you going for strenght? Muscle mass? Weight loss? Endurance?
If you have a healthy diet you do not need to take any extra protein or vitamins for good performance.

Most of the supplements out there are junk - plain and simple. Great marketing but little science behind them.

I used to take protein supplements till I realized I get plenty from my normal food. you only need 10 extra grams a day to build up muscle mass.
 
Leareth said:
Depends on what you are trying to achieve in the gym.
Are you going for strenght? Muscle mass? Weight loss? Endurance?
If you have a healthy diet you do not need to take any extra protein or vitamins for good performance.

Most of the supplements out there are junk - plain and simple. Great marketing but little science behind them.

I used to take protein supplements till I realized I get plenty from my normal food. you only need 10 extra grams a day to build up muscle mass.
Click to expand...

I don't want to have very big muscles. Just get a little of strength and lose weight. I am currently on a diet to achieve loose weight.

My last 3-4 years where practically sedentary:eek: . So I just want to return to a more healthy life. I really don't like how big muscles look.

Carnitine is supposed to also help with losing weight.

But I agree that these products are more marketing than anything else.
 
If your looking for a weight loss supplement I dont think you will find a good one. Thermogenics like caffeine are pretty terrible for you and you can go through withdrawls and other natural substances dont do too much. I still say take a multi-vitamin. There is no way you can get enough vitamins from your regular foods. So take a multi-vitamin.
 
Nope I don't take anything. I do a lot of cardio training and weights too but I don't feel the need to take supplements
 
Wirelessly posted (Vodafone/1.0/V705SH/SHJ001 Browser/VF-NetFront/3.3 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1)

Roco said:
I don't want to have very big muscles. Just get a little of strength and lose weight. I am currently on a diet to achieve loose weight.



My last 3-4 years where practically sedentary:eek: . So I just want to return to a more healthy life. I really don't like how big muscles look.



Carnitine is supposed to also help with losing weight.



But I agree that these products are more marketing than anything else.
Click to expand...

If you don't want bigger muscles, swim! Swimming builds muscle differently so you gain strength just not bulk. Build yourself up to about 5000 yards/meters and you'll loose weight, build strength, and get healthy.
 
I don't know why people think it's so easy to get big muscles.. :rolleyes:

You have to work out 6 days a week.. focus at gym, eat tons of good, nutritious food (high protein) get 8-10 hours of sleep, etc.. basically be absolutely dedicated to it.. *then* you will start growing big muscles. I always laugh when someone says "Oh I want to work out but i don't want to do weights because i don't want to look like a bodybuilder'

You don't even have the slightest idea of how much they work out, how much they eat.. and how many steroids they have access to.

If you're trying to gain strength.. lift weights, period. It's good for your bones as well.. and also burns calories. Combine that with cardio maybe 3 times a week, and you'll be fine - making sure obviously, that your diet is primarily protein based. No junk food, no 'snacks'

I used to weigh 120 lbs.. now I'm 195 lbs.. have a goal of 240. I just use Optimum nutrition 100% whey protein.. 6 scoops a day (divided twice a day) so that's 120 g of protein - my meals consist of chicken, salads, and eggs/milk.

You have to remember that when you ingest 60 gm of protein, your body is not going to absorb all of it (unless you're taking steroids and are in a super anabolic mode)

You won't get results right away, it takes months to gain strength.. but it will happen. It all depends on how dedicated you are. Good luck!
 
I swallowed a raw egg once... but that was when I tripped over a chicken
 

Attachments

  • Chicken_-_Cartoon_1.jpg
    Chicken_-_Cartoon_1.jpg
    10.4 KB · Views: 16,829
Hello guys

I have been going to gym for almost 4 months now. I have been using seven seas supplements which really works for me and going well. No side effects but still I think it is not that strong supplements.

Chris
 
Having majored in this for college, I have always been under the belief that if you are a first timer, then go with the basics, watch what you eat, eat healthy, do cardio and weight training. You have to burn more calories than you put in your body.

Losing weight takes time. You will see huge gains when you first start out, but then it will taper off and you will mentally think that you aren't doing something right. I need something to give me an edge.

Set goals. Work towards the goals and you will be happy. Nothing comes easy and thats what most people want. I want to look good yesterday.

Dedication, stay after it.

Keep a good attitude. You will have good days and bad days. I hate running, but I do it. I try changing it up so I don't get bored.

Do what you enjoy doing. Riding the bike, running on a treadmill, circuit training, find what is best for you.

Find someone to work out with. Having a buddy can help out greatly.

Gyms are a business that will try to sell you "things."

I don't discount what the supplements can do for you, some work, read the bottle, follow what it says to the "T". If it says take for 6 weeks, then don't go on for 7.
 
Personally, if I was trying to lose fat, I wouldn't want to do it too quickly. Rapid weight loss doesn't give the skin time to contract properly, requiring people to get plastic surgery. So, I wouldn't use exotic supplements to excellerate weight loss.
 
I took creatine over a period of a week, me and a friend were going out for a jog and he always took some before a run. It's something I plan on buying myself once I finish university and get a full time job.
 
Taking supplements really depend on your goals. whether you want weight loss, get toned, build muscle, put on weight, etc. there are tons of products on the market, some have multi-million dollar R&D divisions, and some are owned by pharmaceutical companies.

While many companies are solid companies, there are tons of companies that are just me too and they have real no purpose because their products are made by an outside company that makes the same product for 5 other companies or their product is a copy of another, and they are just trying to make money without putting in the work or having any knowledge.

I have been an athlete all my life and have taken supplements for most of that time. So I have been around the block a few times, you might say.

Every supplement you take should have a purpose, you take vitamins because you don't get enough in your diet, whether you have a balanced diet or not just because the food is processed so much their are not enough vitamins and minerals to meet your daily requirement.

The same goes with sports supplements or fat loss. The results you want and the results you get depend on the supplement and your approach.

Fat burners make a lot of people jittery because they have stimulants, however some don't.

As far as building muscle the supplements are there to do just that supplement what your body naturally produces. however under stress (workouts, exercise, sports) your body can not make enough of the required compound, nutrient, etc to provide your muscles or help rebuild them after.

If you want more information just ask, this is a short overview.

However one suggestion is, I have never heard of people just supplementing with Carnitine ( or did you mean creatine?). Also I wouldn't buy your products from the gym, just because you can get the same product or better for cheaper from other retailers, usually a lot cheaper.

I buy my supplements online, for the very reason I stated before cheaper and they are the same product or better. I mean like 30% - 50% cheaper, not just a little bit. For example I have been buying my products from, Fuel 4 Life, the last year or so, and a protein I buy is $20 - $30 cheaper from there than say GNC or vitamin shoppe or your local gym.

If you have any questions just ask.
 
You don't need all these supplements.

Just go and do it. I got quite big by just going and doing it, and yet I only went 2x a week, maybe for 1 hour a session. I just made sure that I used weights that were 1 step beyond what I'm comfortable doing. In fact, if I finished 3 sets of 10 reps, that meant (to me) that I wasn't lifting enough weight. I didn't care about only getting to 7 or 8 on my 3rd or 4th set. I think pushing yourself is how you get fit.

Oh, running on the treadmill is also good. The stationary bike takes longer to burn the same number of calories as running does in the same time period.



I stopped going to the gym years ago. I started jogging instead, and later, swimming.

asxtb said:
If you don't want bigger muscles, swim! Swimming builds muscle differently so you gain strength just not bulk. Build yourself up to about 5000 yards/meters and you'll loose weight, build strength, and get healthy.
Click to expand...

Um......that's 100 laps in an Olympic sized pool. :eek: That's further than the 1500 m freestyle that Grant Hackett is famous for destroying, and it still takes HIM around 15 minutes. If the OP were to try 5000 m, he'd be there all day, maybe longer.

Perhaps you mean 500 metres. That's not crazy.
 
Start with a multi-vita then work into Protein.

If you start getting addicted to the gym you'll know when creatine is right for you.
 
The only supplements that I take are a protein supplement and a multi-vitamin. There are far too many "snake oil" salesmen out there trying to sell the wonder pill...
 
im in the same process of cutting weight and producing lean muscle. Your diet is over 50% of the solution. i weighed in at 240 at one point, but am currently just under 200. My goal is 175. As for the other percentage a good protein and vitamins. Good Luck!:)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back