starting a stack, creatine questions

[fakeeyed]

hello everyone. first real post (first actual post was just to get some free samples). i've been toying with the idea of starting some supps for a while now, and after talking to a doctor yesterday its official...i'm in. the only worries i had was if anything i take would interfere with the effexor xr that i take (75mg). he warned to watch the amount of L-amino acids in each supp (recommended 1/2 dose of green mag if i went that route) as too much could react with the effexor.

my main question revolves around the creatine. i've done quite a bit of research online and people seem to swear by CL products...so i'm seeing what i can do to stick with them. after just checking the green bulge label, i don't see any L-amino acids on there. is it pretty much the same thing as green mag, just in pill form (i'm assuming this is true)?

i also just started taking the REDuction last night.

currently im 6'1", about 205lbs. taking 2 GNC mega men sports, 2 fish oils, 2 glucosamine/chondritains, 2 scoops of whey (in one big breakfast shake) per day. i eat pretty clean for the most part, drink a glass of wine or 2 about every other day. not really fat, but am looking to lose a little weight and tone up while still gaining strength and lean muscle mass.

currently on a 3 day split in the gym. 10 min cardio warmup then...
Monday - chest / bi
Wednesday - back / legs
Friday - shoulder / tri

trying to get in the gym on tuesday and thursday for 30 mins of cardio.

any other advice would be greatly appreciated. once i get this all ironed out i'll probably start a log on bodybuilding.com just to track progress and really see what kind of differences the supps make.

thanks in advance.

[Kilim]

I would definitely ask your doctor or health care provider for any adverse effects with ANY supplements you are planning to take.
And I mean ANY and ALL supplements.

here is a decent site to start on also to get more info: http://www.drugs.com/cdi/effexor.html

As for Creatine, I started with Creatine and now I am using GreenMag.
(Actually I am putting ~2.5g Creatine in my Greenmag to use up my left overs)

My Current Stack is as follows:
White Flood + GreenMag + Purple Wraath.
Since I started using these together, I have seen some improvement.
I am also using Lipo-6x and NOW Adam and plan to replace them with CL REDuction and Orange Triad once I use them up.

I also use a 1/day GNC Triple Strength Fish Oil and 1 tbls Barlean's high Lignan's Flax Seed Oil (I take the Fish Oil with dinner and Flax Seed Oil I mix with my Pre-bed shake).

We pretty much have the same goals!
I am currently on my cutting phase to lose bodyfat for the summer.

Check this worksheet I made, it has some good info in the links included in it.
Workout Planner Spreadsheet for MS Excel

[fakeeyed]

I would definitely ask your doctor or health care provider for any adverse effects with ANY supplements you are planning to take.
And I mean ANY and ALL supplements.

thanks for the quick reply. i went over everything i'm taking, planning to take, etc...and he only said to watch the L-amino acids.

he also suggested i add a b-complex, which i'll be starting today also.


we definitely have similar goals. good luck!

[Kilim]

I posted this in 1 of my favorite threads and you may find it useful also:

This is one of my favorite articles when it comes to nutrition.
****Guide to Cutting, Bulking & Maintenance****

Simplified version.

Decide if you are Cutting, Bulking or in Maintenance Phase.

Cut - 10-13 cals per lb of bodyweight
Maintain: 13-15 cals per lb of bodyweight
Bulk: 15-18 cals per lb of bodyweight

Once you know how many cals you need to start cutting, now you can figure out your P/C/F ratio. Some of these ratios of Protein/Carbs/Fat many have successfully used are: 40/40/20, 50/20/30 or Isocaloric 33/33/33 to name a few.

Each Gram of Protein = 4 cals
Each Gram of Carbs = 4 cals
Each Gram of Fat = 9 cals

To figure this out is alot more simple than you think. For example, to follow a 40/40/20 ratio for a 200lb person.
40%
Approx: 2400 cals needed to cut

Now do the math:

2400 cals 40/40/20
40% of 2400 = 960 cals need to come from Protein
40% of 2400 = 960 cals need to come from Carbs
20% of 2400 = 480 cals need to come from Fat

Now that we know where the calories need to come from, its time to figure grams.

960 divided by 4 = 240G of Protein
960 divided by 4 = 240G of Carbs
480 divided by 9 = 53G of Fat

Then divide this up by 5 to 6 meals a day add in 3-4 servings of Green fibrous veggies and your done. Be sure that most of your fat comes from EFA's (Essential Fatty Acids)

Thats it in a nutshell.

Additional suggestions:

* Eat a Healthy & balanced diet 5-6 times a day.
* Drink a minimum of 1 gallon of water a day! (Carry a water bottle with you EVERYWHERE!
* Stay consistent in everything!
* Track your progress. Keep a journal!
* Do your exercises in proper form! Less is best in good form than Heavy and doing it all wrong!
* Supplements that are a MUST use in my personal opinion are:

• Protein Powder (Whey Isolate for Post-workout and Casein for Pre-bed)
• Multi-vitamin (Any will do fine but try to get the Iron FREE ones, Centrum is better than nothing!)
• Fish Oil or Flax Seed/Oil or Both!

- IF in Cutting Phase: you may want to do more Cardio/HIT exercises.
- IF in Bulking Phase: you may want to do less Cardio/HIT exercises.
- Find the right balance of Cardio/HIT frequency for you and that will fit your goal!

These are all just examples! It is NOT set in stone.
I could be wrong in somethings I suggested and if so, would love to be educated/corrected
Each one of us are individuals and are all built different, so we need to find what works best for us.

I am re-educating myself and will always have to learn something new everyday.
That is what we have to do to evolve into better people

Here are some more of my favorite articles as well:
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/kelly3.htm
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/hugo35.htm
http://www.bodybuilding.net/weightlo...asics-948.html
http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=732835

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...hp?t=107853341

Work smarter not harder

[Greek Elite]

green bulge has creatine ethyl ester while green mag doesn't.. CEE is a very effective form of creatine, has alot of research support

[fakeeyed]

thanks for the replies. i already placed an order for green mag, green bulge and reduction. figure i'll do a half serving of green mag before the gym and green bulge after.

we'll see how it works out. i'll definitely be keeping some sort of log when they get here.

[pu12en12g]

I would definitely ask your doctor or health care provider for any adverse effects with ANY supplements you are planning to take.
And I mean ANY and ALL supplements.

Agreed, I'd actually bring in the product or print off the labels from online. As far as long-term results, one of the first things I do with my clients is have them aim high for around 50% of their daily calories from protein.

[fakeeyed]

Agreed, I'd actually bring in the product or print off the labels from online. As far as long-term results, one of the first things I do with my clients is have them aim high for around 50% of their daily calories from protein.

50% huh? right now i've been trying to do a 40/30/30 split. maybe i'll try to up it to 50/25/25. what do you think?

[fakeeyed]

also...i brought in the printouts on all of the products i was thinking about. he gave me advice, which im definitely following. not trying to screw myself up or anything.