Total Nutrition For Size, Strength, Porformance....
The cost of the bodybuilding life style can be outrageous, this article show you ways to stretch your dollar and make maximum gains.
One of the bad parts of living the lifestyle of a bodybuilder is the cost of all the nutritional supplements that we buy every week. Looking around for the best deals has lead me to MuscleSports.net. They have some great prices and will match or beat anyone's daily price. They have saved me tons of money, and being on a school budget I need all the savings I can get. Below is a list of some of the best supplements I have found that keep me on my budget and growing at the same time.
Finding your self a good creatine supplement is not as easy as your might think. Some of the newer ones can get kind of pricey. One of the best ways is to stick with 5-8g Creatine Mono and add a full scoop your favorite flavor of Gatorade to about 20 ounces of water. WORKS EVERY TIME! I will say some of the pre-made transport formula available today have caught on to this an have upped their game. A good one consist of Dextrose(carbohydrates that help the body intake and store Creatine), Glutamine and Taurine to help with cell transport, and Alpha Lipoic Acid to get that charge of energy. Now lets look at some of the best buys I have found.
When most people search for a product they look for something they saw in a magazine or heard about on YouTube or from someone at the gym. They usually get the main buzz creatine supplement, its supposed to be 1000 times better than the original(monohydrate). At best its only slightly taste better than your oldschool formula. We know everyone is different and has different supplement preferences: capsule/tablets over powders. The following creatine selections are what I consider to be some of the best for delivering at a low cost.
Creatine
Muscle Builders include many supplement that are very affordable and works very well for the price. ZMA is very cost effective and should be and better be part of every bodybuilders supplement arsenal. The effects this stuff has on speeding up recovery and boosting natural testosterone levels is crucial to get the most out of your training and eating regimen. With that said not all ZMA product are created equal. Some contain the supplement L-Dopa to help induce a deeper sleep. Most are usually formulated to be taken at night right before bedtime on an slightly empty stomach(no food 30-45 minutes prior to taking).
The next one in this category you should be looking at are Estrogen-Blockers or Anti-Estrogen supplements. A guys body produces both testosterone and estrogen. The higher your estrogen levels the lower your testosterone levels. You get where I am coming from? Lower your estrogen to raise your testosterone. These supplement are cost effective and work great when paired with each other. Most usually taken 1 or 2 times daily between you 2 and 4 meals.
Muscle Builders
As bodybuilders and strength athletes our needs are different than the ordinary Joe. We need multiple designed specifically for the important nutritional demands of the hard training athlete. This high performance multi-vitamin, multi-mineral dietary supplement has to be rich in potent antioxidants and supplies demanding muscles with key vitamins and minerals needed to perform optimally under stressful conditions. It must do all of this at a economical price. You might say that this one doesn't exist, oh it does. One of the best vitamin multiples I have ever taken is AST's Multi-Pro 32X. Its not cheap and works very well. Let me give o a hint how well I usually get a cold every winter because I live up north. In the two years I been taking this product I haven't had a cold since. The only other multiple I have taken and recommend it might sound redundant but its Universal Animal Pak by universal. Both are not really expensive , but they are not cheap either. Each are excellent vitamin and mineral sources. Its just that both are a little to pricey to be included in our “Bang For Your Buck List” though.
Vitamin/Minerals
Most bodybuilder strive for at least 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight to make sure that their getting enough protein and aminos to supply their working muscles. For a person like myself going to school in the morning and working at night it hard to find the time to get all my protein intake just from food alone, so like the majority I supplement my protein intake. Now when it comes to supplementing protein I break it into two groups, Protein Powders and Amino Acids.
When it comes to Protein Powders the first thing to look for is a good mix of whey proteins. Don't just settle for straight whey protein. If you just get straight whey you loose the benefit of slow digestion at night time, and if you get something that designed for the night you can't take it after a workout because it assimilates way to slowly. One of the most ironic thing I found is that some of the best proteins that have the greatest mix are weight gainers. Most usually have a protein matrix that consist of multiple whey fractions. This make them prefect for the budget conscious like myself. The two best are Universal Nutrition's Real Gains and Ultimate Nutrition's Muscle Juice 2544.
Protein Powders
Amino Acids, some people say they aren't necessary but I say there wrong. Take a look around you and think about this. Disease and infection are on the rise everywhere you look. The food you eat has been deplete of nutrients for years from over farmed lands. All this translates to one thing, the meat quality that your eating can not be the same year after year with all of this going on. That is a fact even if the government doesn't want to admit it. To protect yourself do like I do buy yourself a large bottle of amino acid or liver tablets and consume 3-5 with your meals. This is a cheap and effective insurance policy against deficiencies. Look for peptide bonded amino acids or high quality beef liver tablets.
Amino acids
A couple of others to consider are Melatonin for a more restfu sleep, Vitamin C for daily defense and Vitamin B Complex. These are 3 extras that cost very little but are very helpful. So don't say you can't build a good training stash because I have done it while going to school and working parttime. Good Luck
Conclusion - Supplementing for optimum health is a all encompassing task. Ding so with bodybuilding, Powerlifting or some other form of strength training is even great headache. The bottom line is that you don't have to chase all the new and wonderful supplements that have just appeared on the market, chances are they aren't worth it anyway! Stick with those supplements that complement your eating, and don't look for any quick fixes. Quick fixes usually lead to setback in your progress, at least thats what we have seen over the last decade!
Tags: Supplements Protein Creatine Amino Acids Muscle Builder General Health
Thank You...
Send Us Your Comments:
More Supplement Bang for your BUCK - Comments
Sponsored Products:
Comments: