I need some educated/experience recommendations on energy supplements to help with my upcoming bulk...

Possible supplements I have come across include EC Stack, VPX Redline, No-Xplode, Lipo-6, etc...(btw forget about the fat burning aspects of these supplements)

My planned supplementation is as follows...

I've done my research and this is what I put together...just looking for some more experienced/intelligent users to give it the ok...(21 yo, 175 lbs, 6'01, ~12% bf)

1hr 15mins Pre-Workout
Meal (2g Carb:1g Protein, fruit)

15 mins Pre-Workout
FILL IN THE BLANK ____________________________________________
(EC Stack w/Redline??? or is this too much caffeine to go along with creatine?)

15 mins Post-Workout
5g EAS Phospahgen HP Creatine
30g Dextrose (mix with Creatine and warm water)
ON 100% Whey Protein
30g Oats (mixed with Protein Shake and cold water)

1hr 15mins Post-Workout
Meal (1g Protein:1g Carb)

Other Supplements:
Daily Vitamin in Morning
MuscleMilk (still debating)/Caseine Protein before Bed

Question #1: why do you feel like you need more energy? Are you eating enough? Getting enough sleep? Overworking yourself? Stressed in other parts of your life?

Question #2: How much protein is in your PWO shake? Since the EAS creatine already has some sort of sugar in it, I understand the additional 30g of dex. Why are you adding oats? That will slow down the emptying of your stomach. Since you are looking for a quick digestion of your PWO shake, it should be all liquid.

I say steer away from most of those supplements. The caffeine might be too high, and some of them are suspect. I would suggest, since you're seeking calories on a bulk, to have a pre-workout shake, somewhere between half the size or the same size as your PWO shake. I have started doing this on my current bulk, and the sugar rush (along with the creatine already in my body) seems to have provided a lot of extra energy. While it may be placebo, it works for me.

Hopefully some others will weigh in with their experiences too.




I need some educated/experience recommendations on energy supplements to help with my upcoming bulk...

Possible supplements I have come across include EC Stack, VPX Redline, No-Xplode, Lipo-6, etc...(btw forget about the fat burning aspects of these supplements)

My planned supplementation is as follows...

I've done my research and this is what I put together...just looking for some more experienced/intelligent users to give it the ok...(21 yo, 175 lbs, 6'01, ~12% bf)

1hr 15mins Pre-Workout
Meal (2g Carb:1g Protein, fruit)

15 mins Pre-Workout
FILL IN THE BLANK ____________________________________________
(EC Stack w/Redline??? or is this too much caffeine to go along with creatine?)

15 mins Post-Workout
5g EAS Phospahgen HP Creatine
30g Dextrose (mix with Creatine and warm water)
ON 100% Whey Protein
30g Oats (mixed with Protein Shake and cold water)

1hr 15mins Post-Workout
Meal (1g Protein:1g Carb)

Other Supplements:
Daily Vitamin in Morning
MuscleMilk (still debating)/Caseine Protein before Bed

[QUOTE=tennisball]Question #1: why do you feel like you need more energy? Are you eating enough? Getting enough sleep? Overworking yourself? Stressed in other parts of your life?

I am never the guy screaming in the gym etc...I just dont feel like I have the energy to push myself to the max....

Question #2: How much protein is in your PWO shake? Since the EAS creatine already has some sort of sugar in it, I understand the additional 30g of dex.

Actually I bought pure creatine, not the fruit punch mix so no sugar. The 30 gs of dextrose will aid in transport of creatine post-workout as well as help me achieve the 2:1 PWO ratio.

Why are you adding oats? That will slow down the emptying of your stomach. Since you are looking for a quick digestion of your PWO shake, it should be all liquid.

Originally that was my plan (~50 gs dextrose) however it was recommended I add oats for another form of carb PWO.

I would suggest, since you're seeking calories on a bulk, to have a pre-workout shake, somewhere between half the size or the same size as your PWO shake. I have started doing this on my current bulk, and the sugar rush (along with the creatine already in my body) seems to have provided a lot of extra energy.

I never really understood a pre-workout Protein shake. The 3gs of carbs in it wont be sufficient and aren't sugars a no-no pre-workout? I usually go with fruit, potatoe, etc...but am looking for an extra boost!

Thanks for your reply...

EC stack
thermorexin
ALTYR
ALCAR
Caffeine
galactose- sugar that raises both liver and muscle glycogen without spiking insulin

ALA, BCAA, Glutamine

Question #1: why do you feel like you need more energy? Are you eating enough? Getting enough sleep? Overworking yourself? Stressed in other parts of your life?

Question #2: How much protein is in your PWO shake? Since the EAS creatine already has some sort of sugar in it, I understand the additional 30g of dex. Why are you adding oats? That will slow down the emptying of your stomach. Since you are looking for a quick digestion of your PWO shake, it should be all liquid.

I say steer away from most of those supplements. The caffeine might be too high, and some of them are suspect. I would suggest, since you're seeking calories on a bulk, to have a pre-workout shake, somewhere between half the size or the same size as your PWO shake. I have started doing this on my current bulk, and the sugar rush (along with the creatine already in my body) seems to have provided a lot of extra energy. While it may be placebo, it works for me.

Hopefully some others will weigh in with their experiences too.

Hey Tennisball - I too have considered using a pre-workout drink similar to my PWO but i'm afraid of crashing because of the dex. Do you ever experience that?

Hey Tennisball - I too have considered using a pre-workout drink similar to my PWO but i'm afraid of crashing because of the dex. Do you ever experience that?
the dex wont cause you to crash because during intense excersize (lifting), your insulin levels will remain high.

but what i've started to do is... i sip my PWO drink DURING my workout, after each excersize.
my energy levels stay through the roof because of the dex.

Hey Tennisball - I too have considered using a pre-workout drink similar to my PWO but i'm afraid of crashing because of the dex. Do you ever experience that?
Hey DD: My preworkout drink is similar to my postworkout one, but much smaller. I just use Nitrean and a little malto and sometimes a small piece of fruit. Throw some caffeine in there if you want, it'll help (I work out at night so I don't like drinking coffee this late).

the dex wont cause you to crash because during intense excersize (lifting), your insulin levels will remain high.

but what i've started to do is... i sip my PWO drink DURING my workout, after each excersize.
my energy levels stay through the roof because of the dex.
I've gone through periods of doing this too and it's not too bad.

I went a while where I'd use Carbo Force (from the juice bar at Gold's) during a workout, but I'd only sip it and would go through about only half the bottle in a workout.

ALA, BCAA, Glutamine

R+ lipoic
bcaa are decent
l-glutamine is worthless unless injected (glutamine peptides and Acetyl-glutamine are actually "plasma" worthy via oral intake)

I have been seeing some descent results while taking liquid aminos before my workout along with Instone's Intensity for energy and a good pump. Recently I started taking CreaDrive mixed with my bottled water and sip it after each set. I've seen a major difference in doing that, rather than sipping on water alone. Keeps my energy levels elevated.

Also, is it really true that glutamine is worthless unless injected? What's the reasoning behind that?

Also, is it really true that glutamine is worthless unless injected? What's the reasoning behind that?

most if not all of it is utilized by tissues of the stomach. If you want to get glutamine into your plasma you need acetyl-l-glutamine or glutamine peptides.

I always drink half my pwo shake during my workout, it provides me with tons of energy, and since im sipping on it throughout my workout, i dont crash. I have a large pwo shake, so half is still giving me about 20-25g pro and 40-50g dex/malto.

I've recently started taking l-carnitine an hour before I work out, and I find that it really helps with my endurance and allows me to work measurably harder.

My recumbant bike has a "calories burned" measurement. It's probably BS, but it does give me something to measure by. Without l-carnitine, I am able to hit 400 cal per 40 minutes. With l-carnitine, I can hit 450. I dig it. :)

I've recently started taking l-carnitine an hour before I work out, and I find that it really helps with my endurance and allows me to work measurably harder.

My recumbant bike has a "calories burned" measurement. It's probably BS, but it does give me something to measure by. Without l-carnitine, I am able to hit 400 cal per 40 minutes. With l-carnitine, I can hit 450. I dig it. :)
ALCAR is way better than Carnitine. So you might want to give that a try