confused

[jay]

Hi. I'm a rising senior in college beginning a weight training program b/c I'm underweight (5'9"/115 lbs.) I was wondering what supplements to take. I'm on a fairly strict budget and I know they don't work miracles, but I would like to try some. I was thinking about taking a whey protein powder (like Higher Power) or a weight gainer from Nature's Best, glutamine powder (Higher power?), arginine (Twinlab), and a multivitamin. Is that too much stuff? I also read that some multivitamins don't digest well and to stay away from store brands, but the stuff I found at bodybuilding.com is so much more expensive (except the HIgher Power brand, which I know nothing about). Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

Jay

[swanso5]

BEFORE ADDING SUPPLEMENTS YOU NEED YOUR CALORIES IN ORDER 1ST...HERE'S AN ARTICLE SERIES I WROTE:

http://rich-fit.com/Forums/viewtopic.php?t=58

http://rich-fit.com/Forums/viewtopic.php?t=59

http://rich-fit.com/Forums/viewtopic.php?t=60

post any further qestions you have

[jay]

Hi! Thanks for the info. I know this may sound like a stupid question, but how do you determine the % of fats, protein, and carbs from your total caloric intake? Thanks!

Jay

[swanso5]

it's basically trial and error and everybody is different...start with the ratio from the article/s i provided...if you seem to br gaining more fat than muscle drop carbs a little bit and replace their calories with more protein and fat...i can have about 200 - 250g of carbs a day without much change in ...have about 150 - 200g of protein a day and fats aren't probably high enough but when i earn more cash i'll supp some fish oil daily

[sameey70]

Hi. I'm a rising senior in college beginning a weight training program b/c I'm underweight (5'9"/115 lbs.) I was wondering what supplements to take. I'm on a fairly strict budget and I know they don't work miracles, but I would like to try some. I was thinking about taking a whey protein powder (like Higher Power) or a weight gainer from Nature's Best, glutamine powder (Higher power?), arginine (Twinlab), and a multivitamin. Is that too much stuff? I also read that some multivitamins don't digest well and to stay away from store brands, but the stuff I found at bodybuilding.com is so much more expensive (except the HIgher Power brand, which I know nothing about). Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

Jay

Hi Jay,

Before investing in any supplements, determine your calorie intake and the kind of foods you are eating. Theoretically to gain 1 pound, you'd need to eat 500 additional calories per day above your typical intake. Some people are hard gainers and require more calories than others do to gain weight. Take a look at your family members, you may have inherited a genetic predisposition to thinness.

Ok, whey protein powder: whey protein is a by-product of the manufacture of cheese and is a typical ingredient in protein powders. Although whey protein may enhance immune function by increasing glutathione levels (an antioxidant), it does not appear to increase muscle mass.

Glutamine: The most abundant amino acid in human plasma and muscle. Skeletal muscle synthesizes, stores, and releases it at a high rate and is a precursor to the synthesis of protein and it's a major fuel for the gut and the cells of the immune system. The benefits of glutamine supplementation during heavy training are not well established. Plasma glutamine concentration may fall after periods of intense training that may result in muscle glycogen depletion, but adequate carbohydrate and energy intake may prevent that.

Arginine: A non-essential amino acid (the body makes it). No evidence that it has any effect on body composition.

Mulitvitamins may be beneficial when the diet is inadequate.

Macronutrient calculation example:

2000 calories per day
2000 x 60% carbohydrate=1200 carb calories
2000 x 15% protein= 300 protein calories
2000 x 25% fat=500 fat calories

[swanso5]

whey protein won't build bigger muscles than food protein but it is exactly what you need immediately after training for optimal recovery...you have a window of about 45mins to get it in there or you weon't fully recover from that session...whey goes into the muscles at a much quicker rate than solid protein which is why you don't really need it other than at that time or with breakfast maybe if you don't have eggs or something there