I'm a 19 year old college kid who has lifted before but I want to get serious about gaining strength. I'm planning on lifting three times a week and following the Stronglifts 5x5 plan with other exercises I got from P90X. I'm planning on purchasing some whey protein, and I've heard good things about glutamine. It's tough to eat well at my campus dining centers, but I'm pretty sure I've been eating the healthiest and most protein-rich foods I can get there. Any advice you guys have would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
What supplements do I really need?
- Thread starter jakersbossman
- Start date
If you are following 5x5 just supplement your diet with milk. P90x woun't build strength so I'd cut it. Supplements don't make you strong - lifting heavy, food and rest will.
Totally agree. Athletes DO NOT NEED SUPPLEMENTS. People who exercise hard eat a lot. When one eats a lot, they get their needed nutrition pretty easily. If you are really worried about it, all you need is a protein shake and a multivitamin. Honestly, if you are eating enough you don't need that. I'm in college as well so I know how the food sucks, but they do make pretty good sandwiches here and the salad and fruit is always decent.
I totally disagree ....
I am a firm believer that a good multivitamin with phtyonutrients, minerals etc etc can only be good for your body ...
there is no way whatsoever that you can eat raw/cooked foods that contain ALL these components every single day
thats why, when you take a really good multivitamin, after a few days your pee has a dark yellow colour .... your body absorbs what it needs and flushes out the excess
I use a good multivitamin (Solgar Omnium), and although very expensive, am getting good results and feeling healthy
thats my take on it, but I am not a nutritional expert
Truth. I totally agree that a multivitamin can be a good investment. I use it, my body doesn't need it but it doesn't hurt. However the OP sounds like he is looking to gain weight, which is why I based my post on a more general topic of supplements.
But again, I agree with you, supplements have their benefits. However they are all called SUPPLEMENTS for a reason.
I don't believe anyone 'needs' to take supplements, there's nothing like a good balanced diet - but realistically very few people these consume the appropriate nutrients necassary to get most out of their bodies.
I recommend supplements such as -
- Multivite
- Omega 3 fatty acids
- Whey protein
I recommend supplements such as -
- Multivite
- Omega 3 fatty acids
- Whey protein
^ Probably wouldn't go for that one. lol.
As long as your eating the right things and the right amount with water and rest, you should be good. Now if you know you aren't then supplements may be good so you can put in your system what you are missing so you don't hurt your body. Make a log of what you eat and check to see what you are missing in your diet. There are some food diary sites you can sign up for that will help in those areas and let you know how any more cals you need to consume and what you are missing.
Take a multi-vitamin daily, take fish-oil capsules, take vitamin C and take Calcium.
I assume this is an American web-site and American college kids are known for their unbalanced and unhealthy diet and so I outlined the essential *****.
Don't waste your money on Bull ***** vitamins.
You might also want to try Niacine, that stuff makes me feel good, several studies I've read all say the same good thing about it, Doctors give it to people with cholesterol issues.
I assume this is an American web-site and American college kids are known for their unbalanced and unhealthy diet and so I outlined the essential *****.
Don't waste your money on Bull ***** vitamins.
You might also want to try Niacine, that stuff makes me feel good, several studies I've read all say the same good thing about it, Doctors give it to people with cholesterol issues.
I agree with Dim, multivitamin is a good idea.
Protein is great before / after workouts, and glutamine works well if you are training a little harder. That way you continue to get gains and your immune system stays strong.
Also... for strength gains, you can carb load (eating a lot of healthy carbs) before working out.
Protein is great before / after workouts, and glutamine works well if you are training a little harder. That way you continue to get gains and your immune system stays strong.
Also... for strength gains, you can carb load (eating a lot of healthy carbs) before working out.
Hey man, I'm a college student as well, I'm into supplements a decent amount as I find them helpful, though they won't gain the muscle for you, you gotta make sure you eat big, lift big, and sleep big. Now if you do these right adding supplements depends on how much money you have to spend. For strength gains I'd definitely say the number 1 things to use are a multivitamin and any old creatine monohydrate. Glutamine is unproven to do anything, so I wouldn't spend your money on that. Creatine is the best supplement in my own opinion for mass/strength gaining, I even use it for cutting if I have some laying around. It gives me more energy and a great pump. Now after the multivitamin and creatine if you wanted more I'd suggest whey protein, if you still want more, I like a good simple preworkout, some don't, I find it gets me super in the zone for my workouts. Besides that there's casein protein, though I really don't think you'd need to buy it, I use it occasionally just because I bought 5 pounds of awhile back. But hey, get your diet in check first man, if you want to get big and strong you gotta eat man, find out your daily caloric needs for your goal weight keeping in mind your activity level and eat that everyday.
Mostly I'd like to say to research anything before putting it in your body or using it, and be careful because not all research is scientifically proven and etc. You could pick up a multivitamin and some creatine altogether for probably around like 40 bucks, and that'll get you a ton of creatine, like 200 servings worth. If you do go that way make sure to research dosing and loading and all that stuff, these things can be harmful if used improperly. Just hit it hard, commitment is a key aspect of gaining or losing weight, but I wish you the best of luck.