[Fitness] Supplements

[digitaldiscipline]

(ostensibly for the folks on the [Fitness] filter, but viewable to everyone; if you want on the filter and aren't already seeing the clever-yet-stylish icon above a couple times a week, pipe up)

henceforth, bathalamus' whoring for BioTest's Tawdry Wares:

What follows is pretty much a lengthy ad for
the supplement company I mentioned. Yes, I highly recommend them.

The supplement company baobh and I purchase from is BioTest. They
pretty much just sell online, although you can find a few of their
products at GNC (with a huge markup). BioTest runs Testosterone
Nation, which is a bodybuilding/weightlifting site. Most of the
recent articles are pretty much meh, but the stuff from 2000-2006 is
all quite good.

main site: http://www.t-nation.com/
store: https://www.t-nation.com/onlineStore.jsp

The primary products I live off of are Metabolic Drive and Surge Recovery.

MD is a standard protein shake, but it contains casein and actually
tastes good when mixed with water. Plus, it mixes up in a shaker
bottle (no blender required). Chocolate and banana are really good
and mix together well. The vanilla is tasty, but is a bit too sweet.
Kind of tastes like cake icing. But it mixes well with other flavors.
Strawberry is decent, but has a harsh after taste. If mixed with
banana, it is good, however. The orange is really good for about half
of a jug. Then it tastes like shit.

Surge is designed for post-workout use. The stuff is evilly
addictive. Tastes like shit if you don't need it, but is wonderfully
yummy during/after a hard workout. I tend to drink half of a serving
during my workout, and then the other half immediately after. I
recommend Original (angel food cake flavor), chocolate, or wild
raspberry. The vanilla is kind of nasty, and I have not tried the
root beer. Again, mixes in a shaker bottle with water.

The other things I use are Spike (I like the kind with caffeine) and
HotRox. Spike is the pill I gave you. Energy supplement, no jitters,
lasts a while, and works. It also tends to put me in a happy mood. I
use it sparingly, but it is great for times like cons when I am
running around all night. HotRox is a thermogenic and I use it during
cutting cycles. I have experimented with it, as have numerous people
I know, and we all agree that it works. Not to the amount the company
claims, but the effect is noticeable.

I have also tried
1. RezV -- Helps reduce your body's ability to use estrogen, thus
freeing up receptors for testosterone. When I used it, I had a marked
decrease in abdominal and lower-back fat (the sites men store fat if
their estrogen is a bit high). I also had an increase to my libido.
Wendi tells me I should do another cycle soon. *grin8
2. Carbolin 19 -- Supposedly helps you hold onto muscle. It is
contained in HotRox, but I have never noticed much of anything when
taking it solo.
3. Creatine -- standard micronized creatine. They only sell it
because lots of people were tired of going to GNC. It is no different
than any other brand
4. Power Drive -- Helps with concentration. Again, I have
experienced noticeable effects. I tend to use it when my brain is not
functioning. It also helps with CNS recovery after heavy lifting
workouts. I used it a lot when I was power lifting. Plus, it tastes
like Tang, and is thus yummy.
5. Flameout -- concentrated fish oil.
6. Protein Bars -- tasty, but I liked some of the old flavors better.
7. Grow -- Pure whey protein powder. Not much of a flavor, tastes
kind of like heavy cream. Useful for cooking, but I don't drink it
straight much.
I have not tried the Spike Shooters, but everyone I know that has
tried them says they are much better than RedBull, both in taste and
effectiveness.

Yes, I am a BioTest whore (I have spent over $4500 on their stuff in
the past four years). Their products pretty much function as claimed,
which is rare in the supplement industry. Plus, the shakes actually
taste good. Everyone I have introduced to Metabolic Drive and Surge
swear off other brands. Just warning you.

I also have created protein muffin recipes which use chocolate,
vanilla, and banana MD. The muffins are very healthy (good fats,
protein, very few carbs), and even my non-lifter friends who sneer at
protein shakes devour them when present. Current flavors I have
devised: chocolate, banana bread, thin mint (chocolate mint), lemon
poppyseed, and cinnamon bun. Warning: the muffins only work with MD.
I have tried them with other brands of powder, and the result was not
positive.

Comments

[serpentstar.livejournal.com]

Again... I'm iffy about supplementing my diet with ANYTHING, if I can get the same stuff in a natural source. This isn't just hippy crap on my part; have you read Pollan's _The Omnivore's Dilemma_? There's so much we don't know about the holistic & synergistic effects of real food as opposed to the processed stuff; all those obscure things plants contain that may be as important as vitamins, but aren't fully understood by science, yet (same way that vitamins weren't understood in the 19th century, when the chap who discovered macronutrients assumed that the right balance of each was all people needed for good health...). For a whole variety of reasons -- I will avoid supplements where I can. Admittedly I'm lucky, in that although I prefer to avoid lactose (allergic rhinitis) I can get away with it occasionally (live yoghurt seems absolutely fine, daily; other stuff, as long as I only have it a couple of times a week, not a great problem).

I've had excellent result with CrossFit + Zone diet; even after a couple of years, I'm still getting personal bests in at least one lift or other area each month (usually more). I very, very rarely use protein powders of any kind.

Sorry to hear about the knee -- can you get decent physiotherapy? Sorted out both my knees and both my ankles and my right elbow, that way, over the years...

You can work around most stuff too, of course -- Davie of CrossFit Central Scotland is kinda inspirational in that regard:

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=q7PXcKhfDZU

[baobh.livejournal.com]

Nope. After consulting my MRIs, the orthopedist said that therapy would do me no good, as it's a structural problem, not a usage problem. I get to have Patellar Realignment surgery. Hopefully ASAP, as I'm in a fuckload of pain all of the time. Sitting, standing, walking. Lifting is a joke at this point.

Though my parents graced me with relatively good genetics in other aspects, they also provided me with knees that Just Ain't Right.

I'll be seeing my ortho on Friday. Hopefully we can see about scheduling my surgery in the near future, because life kinda sucks right now.

[serpentstar.livejournal.com]

That sucks -- I guess the only thing you can do is, as you say, hope for surgery ASAP, and then talk to specialists about how & when you can start strengthening the area enough to get lifting again. Sooner or later you'll be stronger than ever. (Tennis elbow meant I couldn't do any pressing for about 6 months -- could barely even do a couple of push-ups -- but I had a PB on shoulder press last month, so I'm finally better than where I was this time last year.)