Supplements the debate/discussion thread

Done 4 days at 15g a day of creatine now and now going to come down to 4-5g spread through the day. Really felt it in my joints yesterday, my wrists were/ are quite sore and stiff. Whats peoples opinion on off days? Take the 5g or wait till Monday when I'm training again?
 
If I eat a salmon fillet for PWO, along with a fair bit of broccoli on training days, as well as in general a lot of nuts/milk/eggs etc, will I need to be supplementing omega 3, as its important to get the balance or will the salmon be enough?
 
You get about 2g per 100g of salmon. It depends on the DHA EPA ratios - that's something you'll have to look up as I'm off to bed. I spread my fish oils throughout the day with food - I've got high strength which are high in DHA EPA and take about 6x 1000mg a day - spread 3x a day. For the year I've been taking them I've felt very clearly better and certainlyt cortisol levels have been much less "peaky" so it's really been affecting me positively.
 
I finished the Phd V-Max Pump on Monday. I think I've become a bit of a fan of pump products.

However I'm now going to go between 3-6 weeks before trying the next one to sort of detox but also to see how I train without its aid. Wether I can still get good pumps and remain focused etc.

The next product on my list is Gaspari Superpump 250.

I'm heading home on the 18th December and thought about starting this around then but can't guarentee the level of intensity of my training as the gym I normally go to have been stiffing me about with membership issues. I can train at home but it's limited to a chinup bar, BB, DB's and about 70KG's of weights. Adequate for most things and I can knock out pressups with a bag of weights on my back. Though I think I want to go a little longer and restart a pump product when I return to Uni in January.

I'm also going to be eating less at home so figured I may as well cut slightly so trying to cut and then build mass on a deficient diet won't really work too well.

Anybody had any experience with superpump 250? Flavours to avoid? Kick in times (I'm aware these are quite subjective).
 
Picked up some extra strength ZMA from BSD as it was something I wanted to try and cheap at only £13 for 50 days worth.

It says to take two capsules per day. Does anybody know/or has used when is best? Upon waking, before bed, empty stomach etc? As I've read it can't be absorbed with calcium and I use milk in this shake.

I have a 6-8hr protein blend before bed and wondered If I should take the ZMA 45-60 minutes before this. Or if it's one of those supps which doesn't matter?

Cheers
 
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Will do. I tend to be sleeping really well at the moment and my bed is awful at University. I don't really struggle to nod off.

Arrived back home today with a comfy bed at last!

I ate last around half 8/9. Going to take 2 of the ZMA along with some fish oils at 10pm and then my blend shake an hour after that. Usually I take it with milk but won't be tonight due to having none in, but will be in future.

If you don't hear from me for a few days I've slipped into a coma :p. As it was cheap I thought I may as well. It's one of those what I'd call 'foundation' supplement before you start getting onto more specific/concentrated stuff.
 
Benny06 said:
Picked up some extra strength ZMA from BSD as it was something I wanted to try and cheap at only £13 for 50 days worth.

It says to take two capsules per day. Does anybody know/or has used when is best? Upon waking, before bed, empty stomach etc? As I've read it can't be absorbed with calcium and I use milk in this shake.

I have a 6-8hr protein blend before bed and wondered If I should take the ZMA 45-60 minutes before this. Or if it's one of those supps which doesn't matter?

Cheers
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I have been taking ZMA for the past week and it definately has improved my sleep, it also makes you horny as a dog...!!!!!! It has also reduced my recovery time over all.

Take it on an empty stomach 30 mins to an hour before bed, if I were you take your shake first then the tablets before bed.

Also note, dont take it with calcium as it hinders the absorption of zinc, which will take away the effects.

I take 3 500mg capsules 30 mins before bed.
 
Benny06 said:
Thanks for that. The shake before bed is a 6-8Hour release so slow digesting as opposed to a standard whey. Will this still be okay?
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What I would do im your position is leave out the shake for a couple weeks, see what the ZMA does for you and then decide upon the results.

Taking both would likely hinder the effectiveness, considering it could be a couple hours before your body digests everything(even the meals you have at 8 oclock).

If the shake adds to your overal protein target then eat more in the day, after all the ZMA will help with muscle recovery as well, so will do just as good a job as the shake IMO.
 
Thanks.

I might try taking the ZMA after training or during the day away from any dairy/calcium intake. Providing it doesn't make me feel sleepy/drowsy. I don't really need the help sleeping as it's the other benefits I'm after.

I don't really want to ditch the pre-bed shake as I don't really want to spend 8 hours plus without any protein intake. I realise it's probaly not essential but like to make sure my body has more than enough when it's healing/growing.
 
ben90 said:
Protein in the day is sufficient, these long lasting shakes for night are more of a marketing ploy in my eyes.
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Thats fair enough. Do you think taking ZMA during the day will still be effective provided it's not taken with calcium, obviously the sleep factor might be effected. I think that's what I'll do for now and keep an eye our for signs that it might be having an effect.
 
Or have non milk based protein - like hemp protein, easy to absorb and contains no lactose.

ZMA should always be taken before bed on a relatively empty stomach (let's face it your stomach is never fully empty if you east well.) However have your last meal at least an hour before bed and you'll be fine. If you believe how ZMA is supposed to work, it should be taken at night before bed.

However I have never found any decent effects from ZMA - and when doing some home urine tests all I got was an increase in zinc in my pee and didn't feel I recovered better or anything. There's no strong research for me that shows it increases free testosterone or IGF1 - but if it feels like it works for you then it may well work for you. My diet contains enough fortunately.

Be aware that zinc reduces the amount of copper the body can absorb. This can lead to anaemia and to weakening of the bones. Conversely Magnesium helps make sure the parathyroid glands work normally. The parathyroid glands produce hormones important for bone health. So it's a fine balance.




On a separate note. Vitamin D is worth looking at too.
 
Thanks for the advice guys.

What I'm going to do for a week or 2 is have the ZMA about 60 minutes before my pre bed shake. As I've read about a bit and obviously there's lots of conflicting information. This 60 minutes should be sufficient for the ZMA to be digested and then the shake can go in.

I read about slow digesting shakes clotting in the stomach and generally taking longer. What I don't want to do is dump the ZMA in straight into a bunch of calcium that's still in there:rolleyes:

So after 2 weeks I'll try it the other way round. Shake, 2 hour wait, then ZMA. Though if I see sufficient or at least feel sufficient differences then I think I'll keep the shake as the last thing before bed.

Have to try and see what works for me :)

FF- are you still thinking about cycling creatine soon? I seem to remember you saying it was a part of your future supp's plan?

I haven't a clue what to think about it nor have I had the chance to read up or a clue where to look.

(In the mood for sparking some debate/discussion :p)
 
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