Vegan Bodybuilding & Fitness

What supplements do you use?

I get this question a lot in e-mails. I use a variety of supplements throughout the year.

Leading up to my recent contest win I didn't really use any supplments. I didn't even use protein powder. I relied on whole foods, which even included a high intake of fruits.

At times I will use a lot of supplements. I remember back when I lived in Arizona in 2001 I think I was taking 10 different things:

Protein Powder
Meal Replacement
L-Glutamine
Vitamin C
Vitamin E
Multivitamin
Evening Primrose Oil
Flax oil
Vitamin B-12
Protein bars and drinks
Papaya enzymes

And perhaps other stuff too.

When I was back in Oregon I used a bunch of the same but not quite as many.

I left again to work on a bunch of cruise ships and I just used a few supps. then.

Recently I haven't been too interested in supplements and I'm not really sure why, I just ate food instead and did well in my competition.

I'll write more about this later, but feel free to list the supplements that you use or comment or ask about any that I've used in the past.

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I use rice protein, usually about 50 grams daily.

Also creatine in cycles of 3-6 weeks followed by a 2-3 weeks off, 5-10 grams daily.

B12 a few times per week.

Just started using vegan glucosamine to see if it helps my joints any.

That's all for supliments, although I frequently use fortified products like clif bars and silk soymilk.

I use Genisoy soy protein powder. 25g per serving.

I am thinking of getting some L-Glutamine powder. Good idea?

I personally only take a Centrum Multi-Vitamin and Flaxseed Oil. I dont have much money so I settle with what I can get.

Riley G,

L-GLutamine is good for stopping muscle breakdown and encouraging muscle metabolism. After excercising, the stress and trauma can cause glutamine levels in the body to be reduced to as much as 50%. It helps against deterioration. Also up to 400% increase in groth hormones can be reached with just 2 grams of L-Glutamine.

If you overdose, you can get stomach aches. However a good amount for bodybuilders is around 10 grams.

Dont take my word for it, Im not a nutritionist, so you should research it as well.

What's the benifit of the creatine?

Rob- What kind of meal replacments have you used?

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I don't remember the brand names of the meal replacements but basically they are in powder form like protein powder but are packed full of all kinds of vitamins, minerals, amino acids, etc. They are meant to nutritionally cover a typical meal. I use them when I am really busy like at work and only have time to add some water to powder, shake it up and drink it to get me through a couple of hours until I can get regular food.

When I'm out and about at a store I'll try to look at some brand names.

Some that ring a bell are Naturade, GeniSoy, Planet Vegan, Nature's Plus, and Whole Foods might even have their own brand.

I'll keep checking.

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Check out my Vegan Bodybuilding & Fitness Book on Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Vegan-Bodybuildin ... 497&sr=1-1

Creatine has a lot of effects. THe body uses ATP (Adenosine Triphospahte) molecules as energy. THere are three pathways for energy. 2 are anaerobic (without oxygen), and 1 is aerobic (uses oxygen).

The first anaerobic pathway is called the ATP/CP pathway. When you use ATP, it turns into ADP (Adenosine Diphosphate) and theres nothing else you can do with it. When you have Creatine Phosphate, the phosphate from that molecule is given to ADP, which makes ATP all over again and it can be used for energy once more.

There are also effects such as water retention (which is considered an increase in muscle mass since muscle is about 70% water). Hope that helped.

I use a multivitamin (mainly for B-12) and that's it.
NO powders, creatine or anything else for me . I just get what I need from food sources.

that is a very good way to go!

Creatine volumizes muscles cells, making larger muscles basically. It's kind of like an all-day pump. The increased muscle volume gives an increase in leverage making it possible to lift more weight. It also increases muscle endurance and recovery making it possible to lift more weight more often. Lifting heavier weights results in increased muscle size and strength that lasts even after you stop using creatine.

Recent studies have also shown improvements in short-term memory and concentration.

Is most creatine made vegan? I have never checked up on that! I guess I have some reading to do!

I don't know of any brand that is not vegan. Watch what you buy though as there are mixes of whey protein and creatine out there. If you buy pure creatine monohydrate though, it is vegan. Of course the companies producing it may do animal testing on other products.

www.veganessentials.com carries a nice vegan product.

that vegan essentials site has dope shoes!

Yeah, the owners Ryan and his wife are pretty cool too. Ryan is a powerlifter and can squat 475 pounds, bench 280 and deadlift 550! He bends nails for a hobby and is going to be in a strong man contest in a few weeks. So much for the skinny weak vegans myth.

I use rice protein as well, and take a multi vitamin and this greens supplement when I remember to take them. I'm bad about those and flossing.

Hey Michael have you tried Naturade soy free veg protein? I picked some up last week at Kroger and its not bad at all. Its got pea and potato protein in it as well as rice. If you can find it you should try it out cause I know you are not into the soy prot powders either.

check it out
http://www.enkueros.net/79911025181.html

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