Noob Supplement Questions
 

Just a few quick questions about supplements.

First off right now the only supps I take are fish oil, kroger brand multi, and some whey. I just wanted to know if there is anything that would help with strength, I have heard a lot about things like creatine, BCAAs, and HMB.

But I was just wondering if thing like that have any real effects and are worth the money.

I have read through a few threads on this site about creatine and BCAAs, and have seen a lot a mixed reviews mostly about how they effect bodybuilders. Even though looking better would be a plus my main concern right now is purely strength.

I have also been lurking on other sites and have read mixed review about both. Then on another site I heard great things about HMB, which I had never ever heard about till yesterday.

I am a complete noob when it comes to supps, and I know none of these will magically help me DL 1000 pounds. Also I compete in the USAPL and they have a lot of supps on the banned list that are ok in other feds (stim ect).

All responses are welcome!:)

IMHO Protein, multi and fishoil are a great start in general. As far as strength goes, eat right, eat enough, sleep enough and lift heavy and you will get stronger.

Creatine is definitely worth trying, especially if you are training hard like you are. As far as a BCAA supplement, if you're going to try anything, I recommend something like Body Mortar or Xtend. They are the best for the $$$.

These supplements certainly aren't necessities, but sooner or later they are worth trying.

Thanks for the response!

True that has worked pretty good so far by itself.

I might try Creatine and see if that works, and if I notice anything I will try BCAA.

Also any chance you know anything about HMB? Heard a lot about on a strongman form, just curious.

Don't waste your time with HMB. The studies show that only beginners respond to HMB, and even that is questionable. Things like HMB and Beta alanine may help a little, but it's just not worth the money and effort. Creatine is relatively cheap and backed up with years of experiences. Stick with that for now and see how you respond to it, then look into BCAA's.

Here is what I recommend for supps: Fish Oil, Creatine, Protein, multi, fiber, BCAA (if you fast for awhile thorughout the day), Beta alanine is a good supp if you recover hard. Supplements are exactly what the name implies, a supplement to your good diet.

Thanks for clearing things up with HMB, I'm just going to try Creatine for now.

I was also planning on adding a fiber supp to my diet since I switched to paleo and am not eating any grain.

Also what are some good brands when searching for creatine?

It depends on how much money you want to spend. Just plain bulk creatine mono will work. I like to use Con-Crete in my contest preps, but its significantly more expensive. If I where you, I would go the bulk route, see how it works for you, then make the decision on if you want to branch out from there. Stay away from brands with a crap load of sugar or dextrose in them. You will bloat like crazy.

Edit: without grains, it should be easier to get fiber into your diet. Eat apples, tons of fiber. Apples are one of the biggest staples of my current diet. I do supplement fiber when cutting as I need to keep things moving, if you catch my drift.