I am an avid weightlifter. And I've always been curious about these products that have creatine, chromium, and ephedra in them. Has anyone ever personally used them? I knew a few people that did and it seemed to have good results. But I wondered why all the controversy about them? Are the results purely short term? What is needed to maintian the level of stamina, muscle, and strength gained from using such products?

Personally i don't believe in using such products to help increase strength, stamina, or muscle size, etc. i just do what i've learned in my Kung Fu class to help me maintain a healthy body, and eat right.

thats... weird.... I dun think they work very well becuase normally they tend to be non concentrate steroids.... which can equally be as bad as pure ones. Your best bet is just to do endurance exercise with plenty of vitamins ect for strength and a harder work out to build muscle and tone... thats at least what all my coaches tell us.

I personally have never really thought about using them myself. But I do feel the need to educate myself further on the subject because it is a topic of discussion and concern for all people that do physical exercise.

Well you should and let us know. 2 of my friends are personal trainers and I used to ignore their advice since it seems complicated when it comes to understanding suppliments and not for me since I ain't no pro but now I need their advice since I stop working out since last summer and I want to start again but this time with suppliments since I really have no to time to eat as much as I want.

I did my own research on whey protein and creatine, I came up with these 2 products. With the creatine alone, you can gain 10 lbs in 3 weeks, wow! thats awesome! but I still need my friend's opinion on these eventhough my conclusion came up that they're safe.

Optimum Nutrition 100% Whey Protein
Higher Power Creatine Monohydrate 1000

just go for an all natural work out....at least you'll be proud to know that you shaped your own body yourself through old-fashioned hard-work and determination.....not from the artificial help of drugs...

don't forget to eat healthy/smart too!! working out is only half the battle.... :genius:

They arent steroids

Creatine is increases your strength. Its a dietary supplement.. meaning its naturally occuring in your body.

Basically it adds more of a certain molecule in your body which is used in the complicated "Energy System reaction" which i will not explain.

thats why you get increased stregnth.

Pppl say it doesnt work cause once you stop you lose it... welll thats cause they arent training HARD ENOUGH!

when you take creatine you should be training 100x harder to build your lean body mass. And when you do get off it, you still have that lean body mass to work with. Its just ppl out there tend to depend on it!

if you want more info on this stuff you could always MSN or PM me!

www.bodybuildingforyou.com

it has all the info you need...

I haven't taken any of these yet...gonna wait til my body stops growing (i've only weightlifted for a few months) then once my gains stop, I guess I will try some of those to gain more...

cel tech creatine is the best. You will notice results in a matter of days. But you must drink alot of water and do INTENSE cardio before and after your INTENSE work out. when i say INTENSE, i mean you really gota work your a$$ off

why not just workout hard and save the few hundreds you'll end up spending on it?

depends how bad you want to get in shape, wheather you want to get ripped in a month, or 6-8 months...

I use some supplements during my training time.

Yet there are side effects to it.

DHEA


DHEA (dehydroepiandrosterone) is a naturally occurring hormone in the body produced by the adrenal glands, which are located on top of the kidneys. DHEA supplements are made from plant chemicals.


Pros:

There are some positive effects, but mostly in people who have certain conditions, such as lupus and advanced HIV.
It might help fight heart disease. One study shows an improvement in blood vessel function and in the body's ability to handle sugars -- both factors in the development of heart disease. But some studies have suggested an increase in heart disease linked to DHEA so more research is needed.
Might improve sexual spontaneity, arousal, and enjoyment for women. Sexual problems have been linked to a fall in certain male-type hormones (androgens), which are derived from DHEA.

Creatine


If bigger muscles are what you're looking for, creatine may be the supplement for you.


Pros:

Can help build muscle size and even improve athletic performance -- at least a little -- when combined with exercise

Cons:

Unknown effects in kids
Can build up in the bloodstream and may cause kidney and liver damage
Linked to muscle cramps when taken immediately before exercise or when exercising in intense heat


These two supplements -- both components of natural joint cartilage -- have been fairly well-studied in the treatment of osteoarthritis -- also called degenerative arthritis.


Pros:

It may improve pain, mobility, and quality of life for people suffering from osteoarthritis.
These supplements may slow progression of osteoarthritis by controlling inflammation. They are believed to stimulate the growth of cartilage cells which have been broken down in this arthritis. Chondroitin may also provide cartilage with strength and resilience.
They are generally safe.


Cons:

Derived from shellfish so people with shellfish allergies should check with their doctor first
May be linked to higher blood sugar in people with type 2 diabetes (glucosamine only)

heard that ephedra was good if you make sure you're not at risk for DYING like whatshisname baseball player.

Oh come on...anyone working out 6-8 months straight will be cut and ripped w/o the use of supplements. Hell I go for 1 month and i'm straight for a few more months of not exercising lmao

you need proper nutrition for muscle growth and repair.


I'm gonna try the new SANS V-12 Turbo. Heard some good reviews about it.

Thnx for the info

thought that was called eating right and rest

dudes, i was popping a few pills with the ephedra in em. was called ripped fuel by twinlab metabolic enhancer. let me tell ya, my heart was racin' when i went to work 2 hours later. phew! couldn't stop moving, had to move. the coworker was lookin at me funny. wondering why i'm pacing. it was l33t

haha yea i took the same stuff. Had to stop it coz i was all of a sudden twitching and sh't lolz. Looked like i was smokin crack the whole night before

Dhea is a steriod persecur. *sp*

anyways.. stick to the basics..

Whey Protien, Creatine, FOOOD!!
and if you want.. ZMA

thsoe are teh safest and best oes

hmm... not sure what's safe and what's not,
maybe you should google it?

creatine n whey protein r pretty safe, i've used them both n they don't have any side effects or anything. from my experience creatines more effective than protein.

Most people can't eat enough protein and other vitamin/minerals in their diet. Thats why they use supplements.

Ephedra is a no no...that thing can kill...

My teammates took some stimulants pills before games, damn they got aggressive but got burned out easily. I just eat lotsa chocolates bars and it hypes you up real good!

Guys, you should come check out my board. You'll find many useful information and we also have trainers on board that can help answering your questions.

Finertia

Anything over done can potentially kill...even drinking too much water can. To use any supplements safely, first you must understand the basic physiological functions of the body and the processes of the different systems. Once you have that foundation, then you can study the properties of the supplements and what can kind of effects do they exert on the body. Ephedrine, or Ephedra or Ma Huang, can be used safely as long as one knows how to use it.

I am an experienced trainer and conditioning coach with very solid background in nutrition. I've worked with athletes ranging from high school to the university level. I would be more than happy to help any of you out, should you need any advice. Just pm me or you can simply visit my site as mentioned above.

By the way, the board is quite new so we are still in the process of recruiting more members. So it would be awesome if you guys could join and show some support and help promote it; and in return, myself and other experienced members will help you the best we can.

i just started using creatine/creadrive. it's alright it just gets you bloated. i've been weighlifting i i wanted to get a lil more so i started it. it's okay it's just you have to take much more liquid and much more protein. i don't think ephedra is in creatine. lots of ephed products are now getting pulled back i think

Ephedra burns fat,, chromium puts me to sleep, creatin I found useless... try flax seed oil and Nitro tech.. they kick asssss...

HEY CHEF Mr Man eats a BOX of Twinkies, CUP CAKES HE hates Vegetables before I came along he basically ate BAGELS all day everyday - he never follow what is written in black and white on muscle building and eats CHERRY now&laters by the dozen. He NEVER - EVER - NO NO NO he does NOT TAKE any additives to stimulate his muscle growth- NEVER!! and everyone is riding on his D!(K asking dam your forearm this how you get that, what you do this and that... questions are endless - so basically you have to be dedicated in the gym to get results. Mr Man did it for 12 yrs straight and Iron Chef can do, too w/o spending all that cash for something you are NOT dedicated to! You can spend all you have on products that's not gonna stick or you can be Mr Man - DEDICATED!! He JUST finished a Quart of vanilla ice cream for breakfast!

Thats MY MR. MAN!

i never used any supps till now and i could push even more than those guys heavier than me. i never really wanted to but i just wanted to see maybe i could get those really big vein popping muscles, not those gross ones, but just big enough and to stay strong. so i'm starting it.

but i heard protein is better to some degree, i was going to try creatine and protein together but i decided to try it one at a time, till i see what's up.

Ephedrine is good, just be careful when taking it... the reason it is banned in the states is because kids would just pop them and not do anything... pop more and more and more. You have to cycle Ephedrine, and it is one of the greatest fat loss drugs ever combined with Caffein. You don't die if you take moderate amounts, some people take 3 doses 3 or 4 times a week they are fine, I take one dose 3 times a week for 4 weeks then off again.

General ECA stack, 25mg Ephedrine, 200mg Caffein, 375mg Asprin. Most people don't take asprin including me, lately I have been putting in a baby asprin 81mg. Combine it with morning cardio, HIIT if you can and you will be going all day.

There is a CY stack too, with Yohimbine but I haven't found that stuff yet... Yohimbine is interesting too. (And you can put Ephedrine in this stack but some people are against that).

Taken from bb.com

1. What is it and where does it come from?

Yohimbe has been one of the most popular supplements for men and women for years. When ingested, the body converts it to yohimbine and assimilates it into the bloodstream. Yohimbe comes from the bark of a tree that grows primarily in West Africa. Yohimbine, an alkaloid, is the primary active ingredient of yohimbe.
Similar alkaloids also play a role. Bodybuilding.com’s high alkaline herbal yohimbe is made from the finest sources in the world.

This is the stack of death dude, especially if you have health problems... The best way is to doit naturally... I've Squated 600 pounds without any juice .. I only used Nitrotech.... supplement

My plan for the future calls for a 1200 pound squat with Nitro Tech for extra support, , No Ephedra , no Steriods :genius:

Where can you go to get Ephedrine since it's banned??

Don't even bother to look boss,, just do the extra 2 minutes to burn the extra fat you lazy bum j/k

Why is that the stack of death?

I makes your heart beat much faster than normal and esp.. if you have a heart oroblem you can die as many case have proven that ...

HEY! if you can't tell me where to get ephedrine, i mine as well hit up the dudes that're pushin steroids at the corner of the gym..

just spend a few extra minutes on the cardio machine it make s up for the loss in ephedra trust me.. I used to take taht crap too... my fingers would be so jittery and I wouldn;t be able to sleep...

Of course don't take Ephedrine if you have a heart problem! It isn't good for you but it won't kill you either, if you know what you are doing... that is why if anyone asks me about it I let them know what I know and tell them I don't recomend it and if they want to take it read up a lot and use caution because it CAN kill... but anything can kill.

You can get Ephedrine I think only in Canada... not sure about states... hmmm it is called Ephedrine HCL and you can get 8mg pills, just take 3 to make 24mg. It is used as a nasal decongestant... well sold as a nasal decongestant.

Come to think about it I am sure you can get it in the States still, ask your local health store that sells mass amounts of protein and creatine... usually located by big gyms. It won't make you big like roids, it is for cutting not bulking.

that's why it was banned. that's also the reason i didn't start supps till now until years of hearing from actual builders and friends. i wanted to go all natural and i was good with it for years but i just wanted a lil bit more this year.

If you have been going for natural for years why give up? Dedication! You can too. You don't need to waste your money on supps. What IF when broke and that next fix you don't have? Anyhow Supplement is not good for body or mind. It's been known. Natural is better, I have more love for the natural ones, the chics can tell the differences!

thanks i know. the army taught me that any need is a weakness. but i just wanted to see you know, who knows maybe it might do something for me. and so i woiuldn't say to myself i didn't try you know.