protein drinks and weight gain drinks

[slim]

Need some advice on these drinks. I was just at the supplement store and guy recommended I take a preworkout Creatine drink called Superpump250. I was looking at the pamphlet he gave me and it shows a pics of 2 guys who took one dose of this preworkout and they took pics b4 and after the workout and u can see an incredible difference. So much so that I am obviously skeptical. It also says in the pamphlet that they did a study with placebo drinks and those who got the placebo had a 3.5% increase in lean muscle mass of the arms and those who took superpump250 gained 9%.

Anyways, he suggested I take Creatine preworkout and a protein drink right after. I ended up buying just the protein drink called Iso Flex bc it tasted good and I wanted to make sure I keep on this stuff.

A little about me. I'm 38 and 6ft tall but only 163 lbs. I want to weigh about 175 to 180lbs. I joined the gym 5 weeks ago and have been going about 5-6 times a week including cardio about 3 times a week. I would definitley consider myself a hard gainer.

1) Do I really need the Creatine preworkout? If so what is the best one....and it HAS to taste decent.
2) Is the IsoFlex that I bought any good?
3) Does brand matter? I mean if there are 2 products and they both have the same amount of protein per scoop, is there any diff which I buy?

Remember, I'm not looking to be a bodybuilder or anything so an extra gram of protein here or there isn't the end of the world for me. I just want something that tastes good and is not expensive. BTW I paid 42 bucks for the 2 lbs bucket of Iso Flex. Im sure I can get it cheaper online or something. Any recommendations on where to get this stuff cheap. I live in Toronto.

[thirddan]

1. buy creatine monohydrate, its a tasteless powder and cheap, take 5g everyday...different people take it at different times, i don't think it really matters (i take mine postworkout)...you don't have to load at the beginning

2. don't know, most people recommend a low carb protein drink, so if it doesn't have a bunch of carbs or fat and tastes good then enjoy it...

3. there can be differences in the type of protein, whey isolate/concentrate/hydrolysate, casein, soy etc...go with a whey or whey/casein blend and you should be fine...might want to stay away from proteins developed in china [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

holy [censored]...42 bucks for 2lbs of protein? that is insane, don't buy...not sure what shipping to canada costs, but check out the bodybuilding.com store or optimum nutrition...there are also smaller places to get protein, t-nation, black star labs, cytosport etc...search around for stuff that you can get at a reasonable price...

edit: im not familiar w/ superpump whatever, but it sounds like an NO thing, in which case its crap, even if it's not NO it is still likely crap...don't buy weird supplements...stick to the basics, good diet w/ lots of protein and lift heavy stuffs...

[dethgrind]

Yeah, $42 is way too much for two pounds, find a better deal. I got 5 lbs of Optimum Nutrition off amazon.com for $40 with free shipping.

As a beginner you really need to be focusing on the basics; you're not asking the right questions. Supplements are really only the tip of the iceberg. 90% of your results come from your diet and your workout.

[slim]

Well, I'm not a complete beginner. I used to work out on and off for many years. It was always the same....I got motivated and worked out for about 3-4 months and then exams got in the way and I stop. Then I lose everything and then start again. I havent worked out in about 7-8 yrs now though.

As far as diet goes, I really can't eat 3000Cal per day. Thats why I'm turning to these supplements. Is that a bad idea?

[AZK]

you can eat 3k calories a day, just choose the right foods. drop the cardio in the gym.

[thirddan]

3k cals per day split over 6 meals shouldn't be that difficult...especially if you include healthy fats like olive oil and flaxseed oil...both are 120cal per tablespoon...things like mixed nuts and natty peanut butter are very calorie dense as well...

[dms]

[ QUOTE ]
Well, I'm not a complete beginner. I used to work out on and off for many years. It was always the same....I got motivated and worked out for about 3-4 months and then exams got in the way and I stop. Then I lose everything and then start again. I havent worked out in about 7-8 yrs now though.

As far as diet goes, I really can't eat 3000Cal per day. Thats why I'm turning to these supplements. Is that a bad idea?

[/ QUOTE ]

You can absolutely eat 3000 calories per day. I've gone periods eating at least 6000 a day.

[sunnycalifornia]

correct me if im wrong, but if he cant eat 3k cals/day, then a weight gainer shake would be an excellent alternative right? especially since most of them are 600+ cals. just drink 1 or 2 of them a day and he will pretty easily get to 3000 cals. it will mostly be water weight but it seems like he doesn't care (doesn't want to be a bodybuilder).

[mperich]

superpump250 is a NO product. its not the same as creatine and not as good. it prolly contains some creatine but not enough

-Mike

[thirddan]

[ QUOTE ]
correct me if im wrong, but if he cant eat 3k cals/day, then a weight gainer shake would be an excellent alternative right? especially since most of them are 600+ cals. just drink 1 or 2 of them a day and he will pretty easily get to 3000 cals. it will mostly be water weight but it seems like he doesn't care (doesn't want to be a bodybuilder).

[/ QUOTE ]

using shakes to increase cals is pretty standard and i imagine that most people on here use some kind of protein powder...

however, make your own shakes rather than buying weight gainer shakes...most of them will have a lot of sugar and most people just don't need that...instead, make your own with milk/water, protein, mixed nuts (almonds, walnuts), peanut butter, fruit, olive/flax oil etc...you can get tons of calories w/o bad sugars...