# Weight gain/ muscle building supplements



## adam87

Hi everyone!

Does anyone take protein shakes, pre or post workout drinks? Etc

I am trying to get back into a gym routine, haven't worked out in over a year due to crohns and surgery. I am now feeling good and desperate to get back into a gym routine and gaining weight! ( I am around 6 foot, and 140pounds!)

I have had protein powders in the past and tried some weight gainer but it's always cramped my stomach! So I'm looking for fairly safe protein supplements that will help with my weight/ muscle gain!

Any advice or your own experiences would be most helpful, thanks in advance.


----------



## Rebecca85

I haven't tried it, but when I was looking for something completely different I came across pasteurised raw egg whites, it's supposed to be the easiest protein to digest, you can either make smoothies or shakes etc with them (safe in the knowledge that they're pasteurised so you won't be getting salmonella), or use them in cooking like regular egg.


----------



## adam87

Thanks, I will have a look into them!


----------



## Cathybiker

Hi Adam,
I lift weights and drink a post workout shake every single evening.  I was having major bloat issues, cramps, etc. with regular protein shakes and have gone to a whey free brand called Lifetime Life Basics plant based protein.  It is made from pea, hemp, and rice and the vanilla has a good flavor.  SunWarrior also makes a vegan, plant based protein powder and will send out samples to try their different products.  Glad that you're feeling better.


----------



## adam87

Thanks Cathy
I also got bloating with certain Whey Protein.
I will look into what you recommend. I have previously had a product called BioRythem AfterGlow for post workouts. That didnt seam to have many bad side affects for me. but i'm not sure if i should get it again, or try something new


----------



## rygon

try http://bodybuilding.com for some good routines. I found that if your routines suck then no amount of suppliments helped. 

I used Sci-mx Omni and found it really good, tried Phd synergy and thats not bad too but will still to the omni next time. I also used USN hardcore(? think it was called) but with milk its 1500Kcal!! Was fine on my stomach still


----------



## adam87

Thanks for the info. i will look into the 1500 cal one, see if that will bulk me up with out too many stomach issues.


----------



## rygon

oops just looked at the container and it was actually hyperbolic mass http://www.usn.co.uk/product/Protein-Shakes-Meal-Replacements/HyperBolic-MASS-2kg/63


----------



## Beach

If you find that you have trouble finding a shake that doesn't cause stomach discomfort  thought to mention, I was able to gain around 30lbs of muscle weight over the last couple of years with out drinking workout shakes.  It seems all the shakes tend to upset my stomach.  I took few vitamins overall, and what I took were ones I was not able to obtain enough through diet - 5000ius of vitamin D3 to reach a testing level between 60 to 70ng/ml, iodine, vitamin K2, fish oil, melatonin etc.  I thought a good diet, hard lifting, and plenty of rest between workouts were key to my gains.  

One sight I enjoy and learn from is Robb Wolf's.  The sight isn't just about weight lifting, information about general health is included, but Robb used to be a champion weight lifter.  

http://robbwolf.com/ 

Best of success!


----------



## elizamt

As much as I hate to admit this, being a female, I take a supplement called Ripped Juice, produced by Betancourt Nutrition. It's basically an all-in-one fat burner, appetite suppressant, and muscle builder. I assume since you're wanting to gain weight in the gym, you want to gain muscle weight, ha. I also make a smoothie every morning with EAS Whey Protein Powder (chocolate!) after I workout. My younger brother is HUGE into working out/lifting weights and is built like a freaking ox. I asked him what sort of supplements he uses, and he's the one that recommended the Ripped Juice. It's sort of like Killer Bees, if you've ever heard of that, only not quite as strong. The first few days I took it, it made me have to use the restroom w/in 30-40 minutes, but I think that's because it speeds up your metabolism and gives you a huge kick of energy. I take one capsule every morning before I go to the gym and I definitely think it's made a difference in my muscle composition.


----------



## KWalker

I used to drink Mutant Mass protein shakes. I couldn't find anything with 1500 calories at the time so these are 1060 calories per 4 scoops. (530 for 2).  You can either mix it with water or milk. Although I dont drink milk I used skim milk just to add some extra calories and stuff.  I don't know what it was but no word of a lie, my BM's actually got much better, less frequent, and more formed while drinking the Mutant Mass.  

As far as gains, I bought a 15lb bag for around $80 and for every pound the bag got lighter, I gained. At the end of the bag I was 15lbs heavier. I wasn't expecting it to actually work but surprisingly did.


----------



## adam87

Thanks everyone for your input! Iv got my self a my protein weight gainer, hopefully that will do the trick for now! I also have ensure plus once a day! Hopefully I will be like arnie soon ha


----------



## dale0607

I take Nitro Core 24, 10 different types of protein from slow to fast burning, tastes great when mixed with just water and provides 24g of protein per scoop.

Other products gave me cramps, BSN TrueMass comes to mind, but I love Nitro Core 24, no sense in trying anything else.

I started taking it when I was Iraq and I was 160lbs all my life at 5'9. But at the end of my 1 year tour I  was 200lbs of solid muscle. Love the stuff

The real difference is a pre-workout so when you're in the gym, you get the most out of it, i took Nitrix from BSN, 3 pills 3 times a day and I got really vascular and my muscles got really fully and hard from it.

Good luck to you brother, I also recommend www.bodybuilding.com just because they also have a support site to get inspiration and ideas from others.


----------



## adam87

Thanks a lot dale, I have signed up to that bodybuilding website! Will try some shakes and report back after a few weeks or taking it and training! Are you in the army? I didn't think you could be in the forces with crohns?


----------



## dale0607

I enlisted in the Army before I had Ulcerative Colitis, but after I was diagnosed I talked with a military doctor and he informed me that as long as it's under control, I'm okay. 

Not sure how the UK-military does business though. 

Looking forward to hearing your results brother.


----------



## Mr Bedfordshire

I tried hemp protein powder a few weeks back after reading a fair bit about it on here, but after a week on it, I simply couldn't stand the god awful taste-yuk! 

I'm now on whey isolate protein powder, strawberry cream flavour and it tastes delicious! I've not experienced any side effects so far so I'll keep going with it.

In the past I've tried holland and barretts own brand but didn't think that had any affect what so ever so binned it. It's a multi million pound market the supplements game, so do some research on various websites and give one a try that best suits what your aims and goals are.


----------



## dale0607

Hemp Protein powder? Wow. I would never imagine that they'd do that. Course Hemp as a plant is extremely versatile so I can see why someone would try it. 

I'd never see it in the U.S. cause soon as you mention the word "Hemp" federal agents kick in the door with guns blazing and helicopters flying over head. Cause this is 'Merica and Gov'ment tells me what's good and bad to put in my body. But Cigarettes (400,000 killed a year) and alcohol (60,000-some deaths a year) are okay cause Gov'ment says so.

Sorry, I got off topic, that's a completely different conversation. 

I realize that the supplement industry is flooded with anything and everything. It's like what you said, just got to try different things and see what works best for you, your body, and your goals.

For my pre-workout I wanted to try taking a powder instead of a pill and holy crap would the powder agitate my stomach. I felt tingly all over and wouldn't feel that much of a difference. So I'm going to go back to Nitrix Oxide pills from BSN, they didn't make me feel wired and gittery and I noticed a big difference in my workouts as well as my vascularity.


----------



## mnsun

I've finally forced myself into a workout routine for the first time ever.  For the past 6 weeks I've been running and weightlifting 4 times a week.  I have only gained 4 lbs or so, but I have simultaneously lost a couple inches off my belt.  

I haven't really decided on a cost efficient protein supplement.  I've been taking two shakes a day (whey, a banana, cinnamon, vanilla stevia, d-ribose with a handful of walnuts) and eating 4 eggs a day in addition to my normal meals.

Though I'm gaining in my weightlifting, the biggest difference I've noticed is a great improvement in my digestion.  I no longer need probiotics and I can eat salads/carrots/spinach without any problems whatsoever. 

I noticed the difference once I bought a 1000 gram jug of L-glutamine and began taking 8 grams a day in (on an empty stomach) in addition to taking two 750mg caps of CLA (conjugated linoleic acid) with meals per day.

I'm with you on the hemp protein situation.  I'm thinking it could possibly tolerated in some sort of chocolate shake, maybe?  I tried a vanilla flavored pea protein that was pretty good and easy to digest.  I currently take Jarrow unflavored/no rbst whey, though they do make stevia flavored ones--I can regularly find this stuff at 30% off otherwise I'd probably switch.


----------



## dale0607

Awesome MNSun. Everything just works better with a good work out. For me, stress levels go down and I just feel great. I think that really makes a difference when it comes to physical health.


----------



## mnsun

Yea, I definitely feel more at ease as a result--a balanced, "in the now" feeling throughout the day like never before.  My biggest problem STILL is forcing myself to hit the hay at a decent time.  I'm not saying that working out makes me more tired, in fact it seems to give me extra hours of productivity after work.

I know I could pass out if I just would force myself off the net, make my breakfast/tea, brush my teeth etc..., but I'm just a hopeless procrastinator in that sense (as well as others).  I guess I just need to consciously force myself to break bad habits.


----------



## steelerfan

This sounds like a familiar thread for me.  I recently started working out...January...It had been a year since I felt sorry for myself for having Crohn's and I figured it was well past time.  Plus my wife had been hitting the gym for over a year and I can't let her get too far "ahead" of me.  There were two objectives I identified: First was just to get stronger, and second, to gain weight (lean muscle weight) 

I have been taking soy isolate vanilla shakes...eating as much protein rich foods as possible...bars, tuna, fish, greek yougurt, even roasted salted soy beans....I had some inconsistency because of a strained muscle...but through it all there is progress..probably added 7 pounds.  The way I see it, eat a lot, but make sure you are not eating in vain...has to be protein foods....and as long as you are working out regularly, the extra food/protein is just going to turn into muscle.


----------



## Eyez84

hey whats going on everyone? i was just wondering has anyone tried suplimed? its a weight gainer designed for people with weight loss issues ie Crohn's, cancer etc. ive had Crohn's since i was 23 im 28 now. i joined a gym a month ago, and feel alot better for it. i've always been a slim dude and find putting weight on difficult. im eating 3 times a day with snacks in between and feeling alot better within myself but feel i need a a supplement to help. so if anyone has had experiences with suplimed, i'd be interested in hearing how you got on?


----------



## dale0607

It might not be the crohns that makes you a hard gainer. There are 3 body types when you start bodybuilding, don't recall their exact names, Endomorph, ectomorph and mesomorph I believe. 

You could just need a lot more of a caloric intake to get any gains if you're a slim body-type. 

www.bodybuilding.com


----------



## Eyez84

yeah im an ectomorph i believe, had a shake at the gym yesterday and it felt like something was trying to burst through my gut...very uncomfortable. so im doing alot of research on weight gainers and protein, im thinking maybe some casein and maybe give this suplimed a shot. Good luck to everyone trying to get some weight back on


----------



## dale0607

Yup! That's what you want, maybe not while you're at the gym, but to feel full like that. Increase caloric intake and you'll start gaining. I'm the middle type, forget the exact name for it but when I bulk I do it dirty. Just eat whatever I want, prefer the high protein stuff but calorie is a calorie and I get big real quick. I'll have a bit of a gut but my philosophy is that after I get to a certain size, I put myself into a deficit to cut and the gut will go away, especially if I change up my routine. The muscles starve and just consume my fat


----------



## Price

Casein is slow release so I wouldn't use that as an after-gym shake. I use casein for baking.

As for me I clean bulk. I still manage 2.5k-3k calories which is all I need at my size, although just over a third of that is milk, but there's nothing wrong with that! Also recently been reaching my macros without the use of meat, which is odd since I usually rely on it so much. Now it's just been whey, milk and lentils from time to time. Macros are 120/300/80 though so it's not like I'm aiming for that much protein! Gained about 40lbs since June, and most of it LBM but some extra fat since I needed it! 

As for other supplements creatine is a good one. Sure you put on a little bit of water weight but it's so good for getting out those extra reps. I don't really feel you need any other supplements than that, but a friend supps zinc and some other stuff too.


----------



## Hobbes650

adam87 said:


> Hi everyone!
> 
> Does anyone take protein shakes, pre or post workout drinks? Etc
> 
> I am trying to get back into a gym routine, haven't worked out in over a year due to crohns and surgery. I am now feeling good and desperate to get back into a gym routine and gaining weight! ( I am around 6 foot, and 140pounds!)
> 
> I have had protein powders in the past and tried some weight gainer but it's always cramped my stomach! So I'm looking for fairly safe protein supplements that will help with my weight/ muscle gain!
> 
> Any advice or your own experiences would be most helpful, thanks in advance.



The bodybuilding.com site is good. I've ordered lots of stuff from their store.  I just search their highest rated products and try one.  Never had any bad experiences.

I wish I was back to that weight!  The only thing I could add to all the other comments is to avoid doing cardio.  Ok to do some intervals instead (anything anaerobic), but if trying to gain wieght keep the aerobic workouts to a minimum.


----------



## Price

Nooo, please don't stop cardio. Yes it's easier to gain weight when not doing it because you're burning less calories, but you'll be healthier in the end if you do it. Being big but unhealthy is pointless imo, just do your cardio and eat an extra 500-600 calories, it's better in the long run, pun intended.

That said I've been lax on my cardio recently, but I've been squatting three times a week so my legs are pretty ruined most the time. I swear nobody in my gym goes even parallel.


----------



## TestTyrone

I used hyperbolic mass, before I was diagnosed with Crohn's I went from 60 to 71kg in roughly 3-4 months lifting weights 5-6 times a week no cardio and eating 3100 call a day


----------

