Supplements

7 Responses to this question

1. Autumnleaf Says:
   May 2nd, 2007 at 4:11 pm

   There are many factors that may be inhibiting your progress: poor workout design, not enough rest and sleep, poor nutrition (not enough calorific input, too much of the wrong kind of food or not enough of the right kind) and outside stress factors, such as work and family commitments. If anything is wrong with these then you will make little/no progress no matter what supplements you are taking; supplements are not a panacea, they cannot compensate for anything else that is lacking.

   Presonally I only use whey protein as a supplement (in order to squeeze an extra meal in per day); I find that this is all that I need - and all anyone should ever need - in order to help my progress. Why? Because I have all the other factors that influence training progress under control. Look to these factors before ever loooking to supplements for answers.

   Good luck

2. NICK Says:
   May 2nd, 2007 at 4:37 pm

   Totally agree with autumnleaf, hes got it bang on.
   Glutamine is a amino acid found in blood. It contributes to muscle growth, it prevents muscle tissue breakdown and it drives nitrogen into the muscle, hope that helps mate.

3. Ross Says:
   May 2nd, 2007 at 7:46 pm

   If it don’t work, then try other supplements. LA Muscle are one of the elite brands in america, next to BSN and Met-RX, but Like Autumnleaf said, it may not be the supplements that are inhibiting your growth, they only work if you do all the other things right. I.e training, nutrition, sleep and more sleep.
   and Nick is right about Glutamine, it basically helps your muscle recover quicker after a workout.

4. skybluejez Says:
   May 3rd, 2007 at 8:39 am

   Cheers for the advice. I will write my current training schedule below and my supplement regime. Would be good to get some feedback to see wher I am going wrong. Its very frustrating putting in alot of effort for very little gains. Also I get on average 8 hours sleep a night but obviously that can vary with nights out etc. I also take 1 protein shake in the day and one immidiately after a workout.

   Monday:

   Flat bench press: 3×8 reps
   Inclined bench press: 3×8 reps
   flies 3×8 reps
   dips 3×8 reps
   pinches with chest press: 3×8 reps
   Barbell curls 3×8 reps

   Tuesday:

   Shoulder press 3×8 reps
   various shoulder exercises that I don’t know the names of.

   Wednesday:

   Various back exercises, Lat pull down etc.

   Thursday:

   Tricep extentions
   21’s
   Barbell curls
   hammer curls
   other tricep exercises that I don’t know the name of.

   I know it’s a little vague but is there anything obviously wrong with my training?

5. Autumnleaf Says:
   May 3rd, 2007 at 10:44 am

   Firstly, you are overtraining your shoulders; all those chest exercises you do on a Monday will work particularly hard the anterior head of the shoulder and to some extent the medial head. Blasting them again the day after isn’t going to do you any good. Arguably, you are doing the same thing again with your biceps; all those back exercises you are doing on a wednesday will probably be working your biceps quite hard, so to blast them again on a thursday isn’t going to help either.

   Most importantly, however, is the fact that you arn’t including any leg exercises in your workout. Compound exercises like barbell squats and deadlifts, not only build mass in the legs, but over the whole body too; they also help percipitate the release of Testosterone more than any other exercises.

   My advice would be to drop any isolation exercises in your routine for the present - particularly all the stuff you are doing for your arms - and just concentrate on the major compound (multi-joint) movements (presses, rows, pull-ups/chins, squats, dips and deadlifts). And train less often.

6. Will Says:
   May 7th, 2007 at 11:52 am

   Glutamine is used as a fuel by the cells in the immune system. When athletes are exposed to copius amounts of training, their immune systems become weaker, so it is thought that glutamine may help prevent them from becoming ill during training. However, there is absolutely no evidence to support glutamine and increases in strength and muscle size. The only people that say that it does are the ones who are trying to sell it.

   As for your training, I agree with Autumn leaf, drop all isolations and throw in some big compound movements.

7. philiewhilie Says:
   May 7th, 2007 at 4:36 pm

   Yep defo agree with everyone here!

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