Bodybuilding & Weightlifting supplements and nutrition?

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Sid Post

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Oct 14, 1998
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I'm recovering from shoulder surgery and have been doing physical therapy which is coming to an end. My nutrition is reasonable with limited processed food.

I wondered into a GNC and saw a lot of supplements and powders and wondered if it was all hype or if some items might actually help me achieve my goals.

I am in my late 40's and average height and weight. I am trying to build endurance and core strength for work in a rural setting and general good health. I'm not looking build huge biceps or compete anywhere.

What supplements and nutritional enhancements are 'worth the money'? What is total 'snake oil'?

TIA,
Sid
 
I found that a good protein supplement really helps.
Milk does not bother me, so I've used whey based protein in the past with good results.
 
Hi Sid... I'm late 40s and also fighting back from injury to get my sorry behind back into shape.

I've consulted with my doctor, my naturopath, my CrossFit trainer and the good ol' interwebs (PoliquinGroup.com helped) to come up with this batch of stuff:

#1.. EAT RIGHT AND GET ENOUGH WATER! I put that in caps because it was yelled at me. Get enough fruits and veggies, lean protein sources, enough fiber, no sugar or processed crap, and keep hydrated. I'm trying to eat Paleo and it's helping. If I eat garbage and don't stay hydrated, I notice this right now.

#2.. A good multivitamin. All the Super-Bison-Testo-Max in the GNC store won't help if the basic building blocks for our system aren't there. Good ones are still cheap. Vitamin D is really vital in this category, especially for us folks over 40-ish.

#3.. A good protein supplement. You can get a five pound bucket of good whey protein nowadays for reasonable coin. It's hard to get enough quality protein, and a scoop in the morning smoothie is a real easy way to get a good dose. Protein is vital for gaining/keeping good lean muscle mass.

#4.. Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs). Look them up and you'll find Conjugated Lineolic Acid (CLA), fish oil, flax oil, omega-blah-blah-blah... and a million reasons why they are good to take in. A good quality EFA supplement is another inexpensive addition to the regimen.

#5.. Branched Chain Amino Acids (BCAAs). Again, I could write a dissertation on why these are a good add, but the interweb has done it for me. Take a google for yourself, and you'll see why I add these to my water bottle before CrossFit.

#6.. Creatine Monohydrate. Reams of legitimate research on why this stuff is good for adding muscle mass. I don't use it myself at the moment, but when it gets to the point where I'm lifting more than my sorry carcass in weight, I probably will. It's cheap enough to add.

I had my naturopath run a complete panel on me to dial in on my selection. She ran everything... food sensitivities, lipid panel, adrenal function, vitamin deficiencies... I'd suggest you do the same, just so you don't add something you don't need, or miss adding something you lack.

Good luck, Sid. I hope your journey back is fun and productive.
 
GNC will definitely help you lose weight. Your wallet will be a lot thinner.
 
UffDa said:
GNC will definitely help you lose weight. Your wallet will be a lot thinner.
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This.

The best supplement you can get is a good protein. Optimum nutrition gold standard is my personal favorite. BCAA's help your body heal and reduce inflammation.

Don't buy into all the hype. Sure, they all will work and help but are you really worried about that extra little bit of max weight? Or that 1/2 lb of muscle over a years time? And at the expense of what side effects? Being uncontrolled by fda, who knows what long term effects of overloading on these things may have.
 
It's good to be honest with yourself, protein supplements will have you gaining weight. If you lost muscle in your downtime protein supplements would help. A lot of the time, assuming you're not doing anything overly strenuous like throwing hundred pound bags of potatoes around, you should be able to work yourself back into shape.
 
Supplements are bovine feces.

If you have to ask why or which supplements you need, you don't need them. Someone somewhere might squeeze and extra bit of gains out of their personal fitness pharmacy but that is not you. Your gains come from consistency in diet, rest, and gym time. In that order. Eating right and showing up is your battle. You will gain nothing from filling your home with the junk they peddle in fitness magazines. :D
 
Just don't over do it with protein, I have heard you should take 1 gram of protein to each pound of body weight. That's way to much. Creates stress on your kidneys. 20 grams or so after a intense workout is sufficient, along with a balanced diet.
 
Never buy from gnc. There's plenty of good supplements they sell but you can find em for much much cheaper online.

Some stuff they sell is a gimmick. But there is absolute value in many supplements. Protein and creatine being two of the big ones. Protein is great because you can squeeze in a lot of protein into your body and for pretty cheap. Eating 30 grams of protein 6x daily is a challenge after a couple weeks. Throw in a couple shakes per day and your only eating 4 meals and drinking two. Much much easier I have found.
 
bt93 said:
A lot of the time, assuming you're not doing anything overly strenuous like throwing hundred pound bags of potatoes around, you should be able to work yourself back into shape.
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Near term, I need to be able to SAFELY handle a chainsaw and firewood. I don't care about styling for a photo shoot or bragging at the local watering hole.
 
Velitrius said:
#1.. EAT RIGHT AND GET ENOUGH WATER!

#2.. A good multivitamin.

#3.. A good protein supplement.

#4.. Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs).

#5.. Branched Chain Amino Acids (BCAAs).

#6.. Creatine Monohydrate.
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#1 Proper hydration is a big one for me. Most people are used to living in a dehydrated state but, not me. :) I try to eat lots of nuts, fruits, and veggies but, I should probably try harder on the vegetables.

#2 I'm not sure what a good multivitamin is but, I take one that seems to have all the right stuff.

#3 I'm starting 100% Whey protein. I also eat a lot of eggs and peanut butter.

#4 I'm eating some flax, quinoa, beef, pork and, chicken but, probably need to study this one some more.

#5 BCAAS are a new one for me.

#6 Creatine Monohydrate is one I recently started.

And, THANKS! Your post was specific and very helpful. With all the hype and marketing it is very hard to avoid the SNAKE OIL and find the things that really help.

Sid
 
Right on, Sid.

Sideways posted a good bit of wisdom there... Eat right, work out right, rest right... I'd add hydrate right. That's cornerstone stuff, and will get you there.

But the "eating right" part is certainly helped out with the aid of some supplementation. Sure, you could get all your aminos, EFAs and protein from your diet. But save the calories and the cash. A shot of whey protein, a good EFA capsule, and some BCAAs in a smoothie gives you your daily dose of essential nutrients without the extra calories from the eggs, beef, chicken and such. For the price of one salmon dinner, you can get a month's worth of protein and EFA supplements.

You don't need the extra BCAAs if you are getting enough quality protein already. I just add a shot to my workout water for the extra.

Supplementation certainly isn't a necessity, but I like getting all my essential nutrients in a 200 calorie shot instead of a 1200 calorie meal. And having them all right next to my blender makes it an absolute certainty that I get them all in for the day with ease.

I hear you on the veggies. I'd sure benefit from 2 or 3 more servings a day, but damn... can't they all taste a bit better?
 
I'm a competitive powerlifter. 38 years old, 5'9" 236 lbs. I'm not crazy strong but I squatted 535 the other day and I'm working towards a 400 lb bench. I would recommend eating real food.

There isn't a single gnc product ID recommend besides maybe a pre-workout drink full of caffeine.

I don't supplement protein anymore or buy any of those products.

Just my two cents
 
Sid Post said:
#1 Proper hydration is a big one for me. Most people are used to living in a dehydrated state but, not me. :)
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Sorry, but that is a myth. If you do a little research you will find out why.

Just after WWII, there was a conference of sports physiologists. They decided that a person required 1ml of water for every calorie of food. The average diet back then was 1900 calories, so that equals 1900 ml of water or close to 64oz. The problem is that people latched on to the 64oz without reading the next sentence which stated that much of the 64oz comes from the food you eat. Unless you exercise heavily or live in a very dry climate, you don't have to drink 1/2 gallon of water a day. Also, the "experts" claim that coffee or tea cannot be included in the 64oz because they are diuretic. Again, it's more BS.
 
That's a little short sighted IMHO. Diuretic drinks aren't good for general hydration. Ask an EMT how many people they treat for dehydration and heat stroke. In Tucson we had a lot of tourists to rescue who thought a 500ml bottle of water was a lot. I personally traveled on foot with no less than 4L, generally more. I have also known a lot of women with chronic uniary infections due to chronic dehydration.
 
If your urine is dark or smells bad you aren't drinking enough. If you are not urinating you are also not drinking enough. Kidney stones suck.
 
Sid Post said:
That's a little short sighted IMHO. Diuretic drinks aren't good for general hydration. Ask an EMT how many people they treat for dehydration and heat stroke. In Tucson we had a lot of tourists to rescue who thought a 500ml bottle of water was a lot. I personally traveled on foot with no less than 4L, generally more. I have also known a lot of women with chronic uniary infections due to chronic dehydration.
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You missed the part about exercise and dry climate. ;)
 
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