Bodybuilding Forums

Hi, I tried bulking up a whule back but saw little gains. I am 25, 5ft 9 and weigh 150lbs. I dont want to be massive but a bit bigger than I am now and obviously more muscley. What supplement would suit me most aout of Weight & Muscle Gainer, Protein Shake or Creatine.

thanks in advance,

J.

Dont rely only on supplements if i was you check out a few diets especially marks GLAD or MANS diets.

Also get your training program in order as that will also go a big way to getting you to your goals.

If your not wanting to put too much weight on id also say makes sense not to use weight gain.

Creatine has been proven to work. I don't use it all the time but when I do it definitely helps my recovery and stamina. It's a nice to have, not essential. Protein powders are useful if you find it hard getting the required amount of protein through your normal diet, but if you plan well enough you shouldn't really need them for that purpose. The one thing they are great for is the post workout shake, when you need nutrition quickly. Weight gainers are pointless IMHO, they are basically a protein shake with extra calories. Just eat more instead.

You will not get 'massive' overnight. That takes years of consistent (very) hard work. So don't worry about over doing anything because building muscle is a slow process (despite what supplement companies would have you believe).

They have different purposes. Weight gainer is just a bunch of calories from all sources (fat/carbs/protein) packed into an easy shake, so it's very easy to eat more calories than you normally would for the day along with your extra protein. Protein powder is just protein obviously, to get more of it without getting additional calories from fat/carbs like in the weight gainer. Creatine is a booster supplement if your dietary needs are already locked down it will give you a little edge in the gym so you can work harder and progress a bit faster.

Hello,

Since you are asking which supplement to take in order to bulk up instead of asking how to bulk up, it means you already know the basis of bulking. So instead of asking you to eat more calories than your RMR, let us take a look at the difference of the supplements and the pros and cons of each supplement.

Weight/Muscle Gainer
The name spells out everything. BUT don't be fooled by the name. If you take a look at the nutritional facts, they are just protein pack with either more fats or carb or even both. It is usually costly and hence, not worth the money. You should only take weight or muscle gainer if you found out that you are not able to get sufficient calories for growth. If you were really keen to take weight or muscle gainer, I suggest you to make your own. There are hundreds of free recipe out there with different ratio of carb, protein and fats and here is one for you - blend 2 scoops of whey, 500ml of skim milk, 2 tbsp of natural peanut butter, 1/3 cup of oatmeal. Of course you can add in other ingredients like banana or even flax seed to boost your very own homemade weight gainer.

Protein Powder
Protein powder is the most basic supplement for all lifters. There are many kind of protein powders like whey and casein to name a few. Whey is normally taken as a post workout drink as they are digested easily to supply your muscles with essential amino acids for growth and repair. Casein is normally taken before you sleep to supply protein to your muscles while you sleep as casein takes longer to digest. Protein powder can also be taken as an alternative to your daily protein intake as they are easily prepared. They are versatile and can be added into oatmeal and be made into homemade protein bar. Hence, I will suggest protein powder.

Creatine
Creatine is probably the second most popular supplement after protein powder. It is taken to replenish your ATP which is like a fuel for your muscle. It will also retain water in your muscle so that your muscle will have sufficient water for metabolic activities. It will normally result in water retention which may make your muscle look bigger. Creatine is completely safe and many athletes around the world are taking them to boost their performance. I will only suggest you to take creatine only if you hit the gym regularly or wants to improve your performance quicker.

Well, these are the breakdown of the supplements. They are just for your information and should not be your only decision-making factor. (In case you regretted your purchase and blame me! ) You can search the web to research a bit more before you make your purchase. Of course the best way is still to eat more than your daily RMR!

You will not be massive if you don't want to. Haha

A Protein Powder mixed with some fruits,cereals etc or olive/flax oil is instantly a weight gainer.The advantage is that you can control the amount of extra calories you add.There are some WGs with 3:1 ratio Carbs:Protein.These will add fat in time be sure. Do not forget PPs are just normal food and they basically save you time and some money from trying to get your high quality protein from normal sources eggs,milk etc...

Creatine is a bit overrated.It will add some nevre in your workouts but after having everything else in check(training,food,sleep).Many people mostly young teens take creatine thinking it will be the miracle thing.They push really hard on their training they get results etc and they give the credits to their supplementation with creatine.When they stop it they stop pushing so hard and lose all gains.I have many teen friends that has happened to them.If I am not wrong, this is called placebo effect. Creatine may not help you to go faster from 100kg to 120kg on the BBBPR for 6 reps than normally(probably 1-2 years if you are training perfectly). But it can definately give you some help for the next step(100-102.5 or 105).

Caffeine is the best performance supplement I have tried.I take it on days that I don't feel very pumped up to workout, and it can make the difference on those days.On days that I feel great by my own I don't think it has any other added benefit.Caffeine may cause addiction though so be careful.

Thank you all for your response's. I guess its time to invest in some protein shake then.

Cheers,

Jason