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Not ideal but diverse enough to cover most bases.
Supplements the debate/discussion thread
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Not ideal but diverse enough to cover most bases.
Then other than fish oils unless you eat a lot of oily fish there's little you need. Creatine is a well researched and worthwhile supp. Until you're really at the limit diet and training wise supps are usually a waste of money.
Caporegime
I'm tempted not to reorder creatine, I really don't think I need it.
Creatine actually does a fair few things that are actually quite interesting...
1) Binds glycogen, so increases localised energy stores; this has the by-product of soaking up water and being swolertrophic in the process...
2) If you're a vegetarian, it will help your short term memory work better...
3) It actually reduces the impact of myostatin, i.e. the body's way of "repairing" damaged muscle tissue using the scorched earth principle, meaning you get less resorption and more lean tissue...
4) Increased test. Now I had no idea it would do this, but I saw a paper not too long ago that showed creatine supplementation does indeed increase test by quite a significant (circa 20-30% IIRC) amount.
5) Increased power/strength. It works. Deal with it.
So there are more reasons to take creatine than not, IMHO, given how little it actually costs.
Soldato
Is Creatine any use for an endurance athlete? I.e cycling
Yes and no. For the reasons outlined before.
It will improve your contractile tissue, and also reduce the negative impact of your body's natural repair mechanisms (faster repair times, as an example).
It also acts as a buffer for ADP->ATP as a phosphate donor, which means better high output exercise and better results whilst training.
Yes, it can bulk a person out which might not necessarily be desirable for a cyclist, so I'd suggest using it in a similar manner to winter/summer training types: get strong for winter, using creatine to supplement those efforts, and then cut back in the summer once race/open season begins...
Given a mildly serious cyclist will spend whatever on gels and other stuff, I'd argue creatine is a VERY minor expense in the grand scheme of things for the benefits it can provide...
Man of Honour
Creatine is great stuff.
So *that's* what people mean when they refer to "liquid chalk"
edit:
On a more serious note, I assume it's an incorrect leap of logic to assume that just because abnormally low testosterone levels lead to an increase in feelings of fatigue that elevated testosterone levels might lead to feeling a little more energetic?
Also... I thought DHT was the main thing responsible for hair loss, rather than testosterone? And that DHT converts to testosterone but not the other way round?
Finally... It also sounds like I should keep on with the BCAA despite intake of whey protein to supplement my (already reasonably high but not crazy) protein intake. Is that right or have I misunderstood your post?
As usual, cheers for the help
You don't mind the taste of DAA?
Regarding energy levels associated with DAA intake, the clinical evidence suggests a 20-40% increase ins circulating test. And that's it - nothing on energy, gainz, or whatever. I've heard people feel better on it, but feel better simply by getting more sleep... which has better hormonal outcomes, anyway (or rather, a reduction in the negative ones). Regardless, DAA will not do you any harm if you plough through it even at elevated levels because it works within the body's existing physiological processes: it increases the availability of the rate limiter in leutenising hormone production, which increases test production: it does not supplant the existing system through the use of exogenous sources.
Same mechanism for beta alanine supplementation: the body generally doesn't get "enough" beta alanine through its normal diet to support supra-muscular concentrations of carnosine, so increasing one's intake of beta alaine allows the body to synthesise more = lean tissue and strength/power gains.
More test is never a bad thing, unless you like your hair on your head, but the levels achievable through "non-exogenous" are unlikely to actually improve gains...
HOWEVER (from Examine.com, and something I wanted to study during my Sports Science degree):
"Watching sexually arousing films (porn), or just being sexually aroused, can increase testosterone secretion in men[7][8] watching 4 minutes of erotica can also increase subsequent performance on a 3 rep squat."
How is that not awesome?
Regarding the why of this particular observation, however...
"The increase when sexually aroused is minor and transient, with 25.2+/-6.3nmol/l in the sexually aroused group and 22.2+/-5.6 nmol/l in control. The arousal does not need to be great, as testosterone increases are seen even after social interaction with attractive females.[10][11] After a 5 minute conversation with an attractive woman, male testosterone levels can increase up to 30% from baseline (relative to an increase of 13% for conversing with males).[11] This degree of testosterone increase is unlikely to exert any anabolic effect on muscle tissue, but can contribute to neurology."
In other words, hitting on hot gym bunnies should actually now be part of every guy;s workout: not from a harassment perspective (of course), but because it might help squeeze out those last few reps (probably not the best choice of words, but...).
The last bit is actually quite interesting: even 30% increase in baseline test is probably not going to do anything for gainz, but is probably pretty good as a pre-workout. This ties in with rumours about the British Olympic cycling team...
Either way, a whole new way to enjoy your workouts just opened up...
So *that's* what people mean when they refer to "liquid chalk"
edit:
On a more serious note, I assume it's an incorrect leap of logic to assume that just because abnormally low testosterone levels lead to an increase in feelings of fatigue that elevated testosterone levels might lead to feeling a little more energetic?
Also... I thought DHT was the main thing responsible for hair loss, rather than testosterone? And that DHT converts to testosterone but not the other way round?
Finally... It also sounds like I should keep on with the BCAA despite intake of whey protein to supplement my (already reasonably high but not crazy) protein intake. Is that right or have I misunderstood your post?
As usual, cheers for the help
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Soldato
Thanks for the response. I have already bought some but have not yet started using it as I was worried about weight gain.
I am doing a lot of cycling at the moment and would like something to aid recovery. I'm very uneducated when it comes to supplements and want to make sure I am making the right decisions.
I do take Zinc and Magnesium tablets (from discount supplements) but I read earlier in the thread that these might not be absorbed by the body and therefore useless?
Soldato
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20-30%? I'm finding that hard to believe.
Soldato
I'm in the same boat and considering taking some creatine but I am a bit wary of bloating too. I think a trial for a few weeks is probably the way to go.
I tried ZMA and it made me feel like I slept amazingly but the next day I would be like a zombie, no idea why.
Man of Honour
The studies back up those claims. As has already been said, 20-30% increase in testosterone doesn't mean that you're going to see any benefit in terms of gains/etc.
Man of Honour
DHT is the main thing that causes hair loss in males, although this depends on how sensitive your hair follicles are to it's effects.
Test is converted to DHT by an enzyme who's name escapes me right now.
Also in terms of the 20-30% test boost and seeing gains 20-30% of 50mg Test produced naturally per week (roughly IIRC) is nothing considering the lowest most people would go in terms of a Test steroid cycle is 250mg per week and many start at 500mg per week.
So yes it may show that much of an increase but it's still nothing in the grand scheme of things.
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Man of Honour
Ah, you're right. I had it the wrong way round.
Alpha reductase?
Man of Honour
5-AR that's the badger!
Main thing to get right is really diet and sleep. A good, balanced diet will work much greater wonders than any non-exogenous stuff.
If you want to assume that position, fine.
Research is available to demonstrate those effects, but if you want to remain as is, that is your right...See what happens: ultimately, if you derive a benefit then great. If it isn't what you want, then don't continue.
I have thought about trying ZMA but still have a bucketload of OAKG to get through. ..
Soldato
ZMA did nothing for me - if anything it made getting to sleep harder for me (I've read this is the B6 in it).
My sleep is guff though. It's probably partly down to the shift work I do (few days on 8-8, few days off, few nights on 8-8, repeat) but wwwwwhy do I keep waking up at 2/3/4am for no reason and struggle to get back to sleep (I feel wide awake like my mind is on fire), aaaargh. Recovery, energy, not even once.
No caffeine about 6 hours before bed, hydrated although I often wake up feeling hot and dried out, but needing a wee too. I don't snore so I don't think it's sleep apnea like my (fatty) dad has.
Middle Night Insomnia is the clinical name, apparently.
My sleep is guff though. It's probably partly down to the shift work I do (few days on 8-8, few days off, few nights on 8-8, repeat) but wwwwwhy do I keep waking up at 2/3/4am for no reason and struggle to get back to sleep (I feel wide awake like my mind is on fire), aaaargh. Recovery, energy, not even once.
No caffeine about 6 hours before bed, hydrated although I often wake up feeling hot and dried out, but needing a wee too. I don't snore so I don't think it's sleep apnea like my (fatty) dad has.
Middle Night Insomnia is the clinical name, apparently.
Get some treatment, I've done some exercises and mind relaxation techniques which have really helped.
Soldato
Ordered some fish oil caps and a small bag of creatine, will try small doses (3-4g) and see how my body reacts over the next few weeks.
Soldato
Creatine with carbs - does it matter what kind of carbs? Don't generally eat a lot of carbs in the evening so I was going to have it dissolved in water with my morning porridge.