Since no one else clearly answered your question, I will attempt to.
You want the advantage of some supplements if I am correct, so you need advice.
Key supplements for bodybuilders =
1. Whey Protein for post workout use *some people include BCAA's (Bulk Chain Amino Acids) to there pre/post workout regimen* but not necessary and Whey already contains lots of BCAAs
2. You need a good multi-vitamin and not that centrum crap, something like animal pack by Universal or a close equivelant to that (one that is time released)
3. Creatine Monohydrate for pre and post workout use.. most any brand is good here as long as it contains Creatine Monohydrate (Make sure it is atleast 95% CREATINE) and your body can absorb only 5grams of this stuff per serving. CEE or Creatine Ethyl Ester does the same job but for a higher cost and lower efficacy.. atleast most unbiased studies claim this, so go with the monohydrate. I still use CEE because I bought bulk before I learned of the research that was done. Again this is your choice..
4. You absolutely need to take an EFA supplement e.g. Fish Oil capsules 1000mg per cap, Flax Seed oil, or Flax seed oil capsules 1000mg per cap.
Now those are the KEY supplements that give you a slight advantage when it comes to Bodybuilding, also they can help keep you less injury prone, and recover more quickly.
This is what I use just so you have an idea..
After my first balanced meal of the day I take my multi vitamin, 2 Fish Oil Caps, and my fiber along with a vitamin c supp.
1. Pre-work out - 30 minutes before I hit the weights... 20oz of water with 2.5 grams Creatine Ethyl Ester, 1 serving of Shock Therapy by Universal (also countains some creatine, Shock Therapy is a pre-workout energy and Nitrous Oxide supplement), and lastly 10 grams of Glutamine Powder all mixed in the water. I take the glutamine to enhance my immune system.
2. During my workout I drink about 20oz of water mixed with PURE CANE SUGAR about 20grams.. Or 100% Pure pressed apple juice.. Your body needs simple sugars during and immediately after your workout, you dont want it to extract glucose from your muscles.
3. 5 minutes after my workout I drink 20oz of water mixed with 1 serving of ON 100% Whey protein and 2 grams of creatine ethyl ester. It is recommended that you drink your Whey protein 30 minutes post work out if you do not include cardio, but I include cardio.
4. 45 minutes after I drank my whey/creatine I eat a good source of protein/carbs/fiberous vegetable.. e.g. Two 4oz skinless boneless chicken breasts, with approx. 1 and 1/2 cups of cooked brown rice, along with 3/4 a cup of broccoli, and 3/4 cup of steamed carrots. After this meal I take my Multi-Vitamin again and my Fish oils along with another vitamin c.
The idea is to keep your body fueled efficiently to build muscle mass and not gain fat. Eat every 3 hours that you are awake and your meals should look something like what I have posted above (ofcourse something that suits your protein/carb/fat needs)
These things are ideal for my BULK DIET AND TRAINING.. but these things could also be used for cutting phases as well.
Nothing beats an excellent diet for your needs and make sure to include atleast 1 gallon of water per day in your diet.. DIET and TARGET EXERCISES are THE MAIN KEY to meet your demands (Here is a link to a caloric calculator use it..
http://www.freedomfly.net/Documents/calorie_calculator.xls ). Also you should ideally get atleast 8 hours of sleep every night and rest appropriately between workouts. Over training your body e.g. 2 days in a row of shoulder and chest workouts would most likely cancel muscle growth and produce fat gains.
For more info on any of your questions USE THE SEARCH BUTTON LOCATED AT THE TOP OF YOUR WEBPAGE. I am sure most of your questions about BBing have already been answered on these forums. For Diet information again use the nutrition forum on this site, there are also tools on this site that will help you identify your needs.
Finally to answer your question about the whole creakic and muscletech crap..
If you are at all concerned about $$$, dont buy basically anything from that company. I dont give a **** if people say I flaming them.. They rip off the uneducated ppl that dont research before spending their dollars, so F them. The only stuff you want to get as far as supps are the things mentioned above, and those are the ingredients you want also. So now you can go to
www.froogle.com and search for these products at a decent price, then look at reviews on this forum before you make your final choice.
Hope this helps more then one person
<message edited by ryedawg on Thursday, October 12, 2006 12:58 PM>