Protein Supplements

[Pastry Man]

Ive been going to the gym a fair bit and have made some good progress but Im thinking about trying out some form of protein supplement to make my progress quicker and to add a bit of extra bulk.

My first question is:
If I want to mainly increase muscle mass and bulk as well as increasing strength to an extent what is the best supplement to go for?
(I have looked on the maximuscle website and there are so many types and I dont know what will suit me best....I guess I want something thats fairly all round but will predominately aim to increase muscle mass and bulk before I can work on toning)

My second question is:
How does the expensive proper maximuscle stuff compare to the cheaper protein found at places like holland and barratt?

My third question:
When is the best time to take a supplement?
(some people recommend before training, some people say just regular doses at a set point in the day (but on days that i dont train this could be a problem and lead to unnecessary mass) and other say to take it after training)

I know what to do in the gym and all that but as you can see I am a stranger to supplements.

Any help would be much appreciated thanks.

[Tortex88]

Yes, I am in your situation too; trying to get in shape before basketball season starts. I think the best thing is whey protein, that's what i'm taking, although i might get some creatine pretty soon. But about the whey, it doesn't really matter if it is expensive or cheap, the quality is pretty much the same with everything. Don't take it on days that you don't work out or else you'll get fat. And it tastes pretty crappy too, but the taste doesn't really matter if you mix it with something good(like Gatorade). But yeah, you can pretty much get whey anywhere.

[A Spoonful Supreme]

I've used Cytogainer (56g) for a month now. Two servings a day, one directly after workout and one before bed. I've gone from 142-148 lbs. Cytogainer tastes pretty bad though. I've just bought some more True-Mass (comes in a red clear tub). It's more expensive, not sure why, but it actually tastes amazing really, I'd prefer it over nestquik.

From what I understand the majority of the resources your body uses to rebuild torn muscle is used within 1-2 hrs after a workout, therefore using the supplement directly after will filter the protein right into your muscles. Using at night will seal the deal as your body repairs itself heavily overnight.

[uhhyeah]

The most important thing when it comes to working out is to have a healthy balanced diet. This is something that no supplement can replace; simple as that. When it comes to protein, you don't need to buy the most expensive product available because you'll notice that all "good" protein supplements contain the same ingredients, but some are just more expensive than others because of the brand. Be sure to compare ingredients, servings per jug, etc. to find the best protein supplement for you.

If you're looking to put on mass, well that all comes down to your body type, diet, age, and workout routine. The best supplements that I ever took were simply creatine, glutamine, and protein...a simple but effective combination. Just remember not to take too much protein everyday because your body can only synthesize so many grams of it per day. I took too much of it early on when I first began working out and it didn't help anymore than taking one serving per day, I just crapped my guts out everyday and was always too full to eat a nice healthy meal.

Also, mix your protein with non-fat milk. It makes it taste better and you're not adding any fat to your diet.

As for when to take supplements, I took my creatine serum before working out and mixed my glutamine and protein together and drank it after my workout. I had the best results by doing this.

Finally, don't just aim to increase your mass as fast as possible. This is not what you want to do. Instead, aim to increase lean mass at a gradual pace so you don't loose flexibility in your muscles or put any unnecessary strain on tendons. You want to have a solid, lean, and strong foundation to build on. YOu don't want to get big and have no definition because that basically defeats the purpose of working out in the first place.