# Pre-workout supplementation



## Savorybacon (Apr 20, 2013)

Hi everyone, I was wondering what experiences you all have had with various pre-workout mixtures.  I currently am back in the gym recovering from a fairly serious (for me at least) 4 month flare my weight dropped from 190 to 155.  I lost about 2 years worth of work in the gym, ie:  bench dropped from 285 to 120.  My problem is my body cannot seem to tolerate my traditional pre-workout mixtures anymore, whenever I use the few I relied on I am in the restroom before I can even make it to the gym.  Any help/insights are greatly appreciated.  Thanks!


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## kel (Apr 21, 2013)

I assume you're talking about the typical NO xplode, jack3d, NO rage type shit. My advice is, don't take them at all. They generally contain a large dose of caffeine, some type of NO precursor, some mix of creatine, and then some random mix of ingredients called a Proprietary blend so they don't have to include the quantities of each ingredient. Pretty much all of them messed up my stomach whether it was immediate or later in the day.

I recommend buying the ingredients you actually want separately. Personally I like creatine and beta alanine. If you can tolerate caffeine you can just buy a tub of powder and take it before your workout as normal. If you want more of a pump arginine is pretty cheap as well (I think you're supposed to take it with Vit C?)

Hope this was helpful, if you have more questions I'll try to answer them.

P.S. Now that DMAA is banned there is really no reason to buy preworkouts anymore.


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## Beach (Apr 21, 2013)

Sorry about all the stomach woes you've been experiencing of late.  Glad that you feel you have the situation under better control, having you think of heading back to the gym.  

Thought to mention, I don't have advice about the typical supplements to take.  I've personally had good luck with weight lifting gains by simply taking vitamin D3 reaching a testing level above 50ng/ml, along with eating typically a paleo diet.  Over the last couple of years I've gone from 150lbs to ruffly 190.  When lifting I typically use a slow burn method, allowing me to use lighter weights.  

Vitamin D3 is thought to be helpful with IBD conditions.  You can read others experiences with the vitamin at:

"Vitamin D and Crohn's Disease"

http://www.crohnsforum.com/showthread.php?t=23826 

&

Vitamin D, or some sunshine exposure, avoiding being burnt, helps raise testosterone levels along with other helpful hormone levels.  

http://us2.campaign-archive2.com/?u=f545cba30e1f9697fddbe8acb&id=9ef1e47fec&e=d37488c337

Snippet from Dr. Cannell's article:



> ...Finally, vitamin D boosts testosterone levels! In a randomized controlled trial, 3,300 IU/day of vitamin D increased testosterone levels by 30-40%. In men, testosterone is important for reproduction tissues like the testis and prostate, and it's also important for key masculine features like increased muscle, bone mass, and the growth of body hair....


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## Savorybacon (Apr 21, 2013)

Thanks for the replies guys. I have taken jacked before, it made me feel nuts, mental almost so I have stuck to dymatize brand mixture. Anyway I will take your advice on blending my own. As for the vitamin d my mom had just clued me into that recently, so I will start that asap.  I just feel tired a lot from the mercaptopurine and need a boost before the gym.  Once again thanks for the input, stay strong and healthy!


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## kel (Apr 21, 2013)

I'm in the same boat as you, just getting over a bad flare and trying to gain back the 50 lbs I lost last year. Always so tired...but in the long run those preworkouts are going to hurt you. Good luck with your training and goals. Health comes first.

-Andrew


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## Savorybacon (Apr 22, 2013)

Good luck on your gains.  I have found that for myself if I workout on an empty stomach I generally have more energy, probably all mental because then I don't worry about something now sitting well with me.  Either way I can't wait to surpass where I was at before.


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## barelyalive (Apr 22, 2013)

I so miss the rage that supps like jacked 3-D or No Explode gave me.  There's no doubt that the supps helped me lift heavier and therefore gain more.  However I fear those supps and Post-work out drinks helped take me from flare - to SUPER-FLARE.  

I am curious to learn more about Deer Antler Spray and its side effects.

I am 44 yrs old and from a psych standpoint I need to bodybuild.


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## amrycrohns (Apr 22, 2013)

For the better part of 6 years I was a big fan of NoXplode, now I can not tolerate it enough for it to be worth it.  I can tolerate diary and with that said I use chocolate milk pre work out.  It doesn't give me the big crackhead rush NoXplode did, but I can tell a increase in performance.

   I know some guys that use thier own pre workout supp just cause it's cheaper and they use a B-complex vitamins and Amino Acid mixture and thats it.  They swear by it I am yet to try it.


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## Savorybacon (Apr 24, 2013)

Well from this brief exchange the few of us have had on this post as well as doing some brief research it becomes clear that each of us has to find our own source of extra energy   However, I think the knowledge sharing is great and will ultimately lead us to our own correct regimen to load up before working out. I will post my personal experiences on this thread in the future as I begin to try new supplements.  So far I have picked up CGT-10 by ON as well as Vitamin D3 caps as per Beach's suggestion.  I will also be trying some arginine powder after Kel mentioned it increases pump and doing some research on it.  Once again thanks for all the input and stay healthy!

BTW barelyalive, I personally have not looked into deer antler spray or researched it, but it is often on ebay from reputable sellers fairly cheap if you are willing to take that step.


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## Savorybacon (Apr 24, 2013)

amrycrohns said:


> I know some guys that use thier own pre workout supp just cause it's cheaper and they use a B-complex vitamins and Amino Acid mixture and thats it.  They swear by it I am yet to try it.


I have used Scivation Xtend with great results, mixes generally well, tastes great for what it is, and has not personally ever gave me any problems that I can attribute to it.  It seems to be quite mild for myself.  I like the grape and lemon lime.


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## kel (Apr 24, 2013)

Please note: I do not take arginine or any other NO precursor and have little experience with it. I simply mentioned it because it is in almost every pre workout available.

I'm taking D3 caps 2000 IU a day (for 2 weeks so far thanks to the info Beach posted for me)

Also, CGT-10 is a nice product IMO, used it for about a year before I got sick. I found the glutamine helped my stomach to feel quite a bit better, even when I was eating constantly(junk foods, lots of protein shakes etc.)


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## Savorybacon (Apr 24, 2013)

kel said:


> Please note: I do not take arginine or any other NO precursor and have little experience with it. I simply mentioned it because it is in almost every pre workout available.
> 
> Also, CGT-10 is a nice product IMO, used it for about a year before I got sick. I found the glutamine helped my stomach to feel quite a bit better, even when I was eating constantly(junk foods, lots of protein shakes etc.)


Right on.  I just am happy you pointed it out.  I won't blame you for anything man   I just want the pumped feeling without all the other stuff, feeling more swollen is a little victory for me.  Thanks for your input on the CGT-10.  I just got back from the gym after using today on leg day.  I felt a slight rush come on about 45 min or so after taking it, nowhere near what some of the other more NO directed products put me but something was there.  Also, the wild berry flavor is so subtle I barely could taste it, which is not a bad thing in my book.


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## Savorybacon (May 3, 2013)

Quick update on the use of CGT-10.  So far I have had zero issues with taking it, seems to be quite mild.  Taste is almost nonexistent and it mixes up great.  As for the benefits noticed so far I have gained endurance during my workouts, there is NO MAJOR rush/niacin flush-like feeling.  Overall, for the price and my personal tolerance to the mixture I would suggest it to friends. As for those of you with CD or UC try it at your own risk, I would never suggest a preworkout to any of you, I am simply reporting my personal experiences.  

PS:  Maybe its the Vitamin D3 but the dark circles under my eyes have began to dissipate significantly, either way D3 supplementation has not caused any issues.  Once again thanks Beach for the info.


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## Beach (May 4, 2013)

Thanks Kel and Savorybacon, that's great that the vitamin D3 is helping.  Over the years I've been pleasantly surprised by vitamin D.  It has helped me not only with lifting and gains, but suspect it has helped my gut, prevented dental cavities, prevents the flu bug, and brightened my mood.  When i began supplementing I wouldn't have suspected the wide spread benefits I've received.


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## kel (May 4, 2013)

Beach what dosage do you use for D3? I've simply been taking the 1 cap serving 2000 IU once daily as the bottle recommends, but have been thinking I should double up for a while now.


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## Beach (May 4, 2013)

Kel - I've had good luck taking 5000ius a day.  I also have a UVB light, vitamin D lamp, that I'll use a couple times a week in winter.  The combination has been good enough to keep me at a testing level between 50 to 70ng/ml.  Mentioning this reminds me that I should test my vitamin D levels soon.  I typically test twice a year, in the spring and fall.  

What kind of vitamin D have you been taking?


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## kel (May 4, 2013)

This product, and a multi which also contains some D of course.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0031JK94E


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## Beach (May 5, 2013)

That looks like a neat combination, vitamin D3 and probiotics.  I've seen probiotics being mentioned more frequently with helping prevent colds.  There is even that commercial with Erin Andrews promoting a probiotic with the idea that it boosts immunity.  As mentioned earlier, I've been pleased at how vitamin D seems to have helped me avoid catching colds over the years.  The combo of the two products seems a beneficial idea.


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## kel (May 10, 2013)

Savorybacon

Wanted to update this, I've been reading a lot lately about how l arginine doesn't actually raise nitric oxide levels as it has been claimed to do for years. I picked up some cheap powder and am going to try various dosing schedules myself. Will report back with results. Apparently the big new NO booster is citruline malate and agmatine sulfate? I've got a few different products comin in the mail I'll keep track of how effective they are.


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## Savorybacon (Jan 7, 2014)

Hey guys, sorry I haven't been on in quite some time; almost 7 months.  I have been hitting the gym regularly and completed Firefighting level 1 and 2 certifications for Ohio (the classes were quite physical at times).  I am happy to say that as of right now I am at 175lbs and my I am right at a single rep bench of 300 finally.  I currently am taking GNC Pro preworkout complex, which is somewhat chalky but mild on the stomach.  It has a high amount of caffeine but it doesn't seem to irritate anything.  Kel I am going to look into citruline malate and agmatine sulfate tonight to see how prices are.  Once again sorry for pulling a Houdini on you guys I just was quite busy.


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## Axelfl3333 (Jan 8, 2014)

I watched horizon on the bbc 'few months ago'and it was about exercise,diet,dietary supplements linked with exercise,they did an interview with graham obree world champion and one one time world record cyclist he takes bread and jam sandwiches with water on training runs,bread for carbohydrate,jam for the sugar rush and butter cause he likes it!he mentioned that the sports nutrition industry was big business with big advertising budgets,but a balanced diet was just as good and a whole lot cheaper


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## Jerzey (Jan 8, 2014)

kel said:


> I assume you're talking about the typical NO xplode, jack3d, NO rage type shit. My advice is, don't take them at all. They generally contain a large dose of caffeine, some type of NO precursor, some mix of creatine, and then some random mix of ingredients called a Proprietary blend so they don't have to include the quantities of each ingredient. Pretty much all of them messed up my stomach whether it was immediate or later in the day.
> 
> I recommend buying the ingredients you actually want separately. Personally I like creatine and beta alanine. If you can tolerate caffeine you can just buy a tub of powder and take it before your workout as normal. If you want more of a pump arginine is pretty cheap as well (I think you're supposed to take it with Vit C?)
> 
> ...


:headbang: 100% spot on!


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## Jerzey (Jan 8, 2014)

citruline malate is ok I never say amazing changes with it
Xtend and Recoup both products I like have it in it

For a while there I was just using non-flavored BCAA's Glutamine, Creatine Mono and Beta

No stomach issues, and felt quite well

I recently went back to Recoup adding Creatine Mono..again no issues

Vit D3 gel caps 2000 IU post workout with meal

as far as Stims goes..Black coffee is the best thing i ever found

Putting muscle on is the same for us as people with out our issues, move heavier weight than your muscles are use to, eat enough protein to build lean mass keep fats and carbs low.. we just have to montior our diets closer almost like a competive bodybuilder


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