Which direction should I take for supplements?

[nhernan1986]

I'm 25yrs old, a military police officer and a navy Command Fitness Leader (CFL). I weigh 220lbs, and my bp max right now is 295. Sorry in advance for the large post, just want to be specific. FYI, suffered a closed patella (kneecap) fracture (actually shattered) in 08, 2 surgeries later if have recovered since, but I can only do light weights and no more than 45 degree squats for my legs (Hopefully ETS can help a bit. I do not vary my lifts whether I'm bulking or cutting, just nutrition/supplements differ and during my cutting session, I add more cardio. I'm not worried about being the "powerlifter" of my gym, but hitting 3 plates plus (315+) would be nice. I've been stuck on 295 for like 4months and it’s frustrating. I'm pretty happy with my size and wouldn't mind getting a little bigger, but I'm about to start cutting. I was thinking about trying the "30lbs in 30 days" routine but I was a bit concerned with the supplements involved (primarily the weight gainer) as they don't exactly match my current goals. I know nutrition and supplements go a long way, so I'm completely open to constructive criticism...

I currently take Megamen sport vita pack multi, Amplified Wheybolic Xtreme Protein, L-glutamine, Creatine (add a teaspoon into my 2 shakes per day), and glucosamine because of my knee injury. When I bulk I just add TrueMass weight gainer shakes. I was really interested in trying some of your products (which I will be more than happy to refer to my sailors depending on how much I like them), but which line would you recommend, and what should I stop taking when purchasing your products.

Current Routine:
*last 2 sets of all exercises are my heavy sets which fail by said # w/ use of spotter.
**Everyday begins with 15min Cardio followed by a short circuit then the lift**
-Pre-workout Circuit- 50 push-ups (varying reg/wide/close grip)/15 pull-ups (varying reg/wide/close grip)/ab routine of choice x3 no rest…

-Monday (Chest) Barbell Bench- 135 1x10, 185 1x8, 225 1x3, 275 2x4. Barbell Incline- 185 1x6, 225 2x6. Dumbbell Flat Bench- 85 1x6, 100 2x6. Barbell Decline- 185 1x6, 225 2x6. Cable Crossovers. Dips 2xfailure

-Tuesday (Back) Seated Cable Rows- 140 1x10, 160 1x8, 200 2x6. Lat-Pulldown- 140 1x10, 200 2x6. Seated Machine Row- (alternating arms) 115 1x10, 160 2x6. Dumbbell Bent-over Row- 85 2x10. Standing Barbell Curl- 45(bar) 1x10, 95 1x8, 115 1x3, 135 2x6. Adding Deadlifts now that my knee can handle it.

-Wednesday (Legs) ** Physical Therapy exercises, will be controlled weights from now on (squats, lunges...)

-Thursday (Shoulders) Seated Dumbbell press- 55 1x10, 70 1x8, 80 2x6. Smith Machine Upright Row- 95 1x10, 115 2x10. Machine Military Press (alternating arms) 115 2x8 *Superset* 80lb dumbbell Farmers Walk (around gym). Shrugs. Machine Chest Press- 180 1x10, 240 2x6.

-Friday (Arms) Standing Barbell Curl- 45(bar) 1x10, 95 1x8, 115 1x3, 145 2x6. Weighted Dips- 25 1x10, 45 2x8. Seated Incline Dumbbell Curl- 55 2x12 (alternating arms = 6ea) *SuperSet* Single 70lb dumbbell curl 2x10 (Same form as concentration curls but 2 hands on 1 dumbbell). Barbell Bench Close-Grip- 135 1x10, 185 2x8. Standing Cable Curls- 50 2x10 (alternating arms). Skull-Crushers- 75(incl. bar) 1x10, 115 2x6.

* Please only educated/experienced responses please as I train many sailors and welcome references.

Thanks

[Behemoth]

Results is worth your while.

[nhernan1986]

Results is worth your while.

They have so many products here so I'm trying to figure out which ones I should buy so I don't buy overlapping products such as Results and Creatine 500. I'm currently around 17%BF, and I'm going to bulk for about 2-3 more months and then shred down. I'm going to try the 30lbs in 30 days routine. I don't really want to increase my BF much and here is what i posted in that forum:

Great testimonials. I've just taken a 4 week break from lifting (Navy stationed in Japan and it was the last month b4 the wife had to go back to the States), and this Monday will be day 1 again. I'm sure that my max bp (295) wouldn't have changed much, but muscular endurance might be an issue right now considering the time off. I was stuck at 295 for like 3-4months and my goal is 315 (not for competition, just personal) so 20lbs should definitely be attainable. I'm really curious to see the results.
Couple of questions:
1) Should I take a week or 2 to get back into my lifts and then start, or just go and test my 1rep max and get started?
2) As for the supplements, the program recommends MASS STACK which is great considering I'm going to bulk for about 3mo, but it also mentions Results. Does Opticen replace Nitrean? Which products do you recommend from your line: I currently take Megamen sport vita pack multi, Amplified Wheybolic Xtreme Protein, L-glutamine, Creatine , and glucosamine because of my knee injury. What should I replace?
3) Can I implement cardio in order to control the BF% increase or would it interfere?

[RBB]

They have so many products here so I'm trying to figure out which ones I should buy so I don't buy overlapping products such as Results and Creatine 500. I'm currently around 17%BF, and I'm going to bulk for about 2-3 more months and then shred down. I'm going to try the 30lbs in 30 days routine. I don't really want to increase my BF much and here is what i posted in that forum:

Great testimonials. I've just taken a 4 week break from lifting (Navy stationed in Japan and it was the last month b4 the wife had to go back to the States), and this Monday will be day 1 again. I'm sure that my max bp (295) wouldn't have changed much, but muscular endurance might be an issue right now considering the time off. I was stuck at 295 for like 3-4months and my goal is 315 (not for competition, just personal) so 20lbs should definitely be attainable. I'm really curious to see the results.
Couple of questions:
1) Should I take a week or 2 to get back into my lifts and then start, or just go and test my 1rep max and get started?
2) As for the supplements, the program recommends MASS STACK which is great considering I'm going to bulk for about 3mo, but it also mentions Results. Does Opticen replace Nitrean? Which products do you recommend from your line: I currently take Megamen sport vita pack multi, Amplified Wheybolic Xtreme Protein, L-glutamine, Creatine , and glucosamine because of my knee injury. What should I replace?
3) Can I implement cardio in order to control the BF% increase or would it interfere?

Opticen does replace Nitrean in the mass stack. You're getting just about the same amount of protein per serving, but Opticen has extra cals from carbs/fat and is more appropriate for those looking to gain weight. Replace your current supps with the following:

Megamen -> Multi plus. Mult plus is a solid multivitamin and is having a great sale right now. BOGO.
Wheybolic -> Opticen, which is included in the mass stack.
Creatine -> Results, also included in the mass stack.
Glucosamine -> ETS, also in the stack
Glutamine, IMO, isn't necessary when consuming an adequate amount of calories. It is only beneficial to those in a caloric deficit.

It's always a good idea to keep some cardio in your routine for health benefits at the very least. It will not interfere with your bulk. Just make sure you're not overdoing it. You don't want to be on the treadmill running 5 miles everyday.

[nhernan1986]

Opticen does replace Nitrean in the mass stack. You're getting just about the same amount of protein per serving, but Opticen has extra cals from carbs/fat and is more appropriate for those looking ot gain weight. Replace your current supps with the following:

Megamen -> Multi plus. Mult plus is a solid multivitamin and is having a great sale right now. BOGO.
Wheybolic -> Opticen, which is included in the mass stack.
Creatine -> Reults, also included in the mass stack.
Glucosamine -> ETS, also in the stack
Glutaming, IMO, isn't necessary when consuming an adequate amount of calories. It is only beneficial to those in a caloric deficit.

It's always a good idea to keep some cardio in your routine for health benefits at the very least. It will not interfere with your bulk. Just make sure you're not overdoing it. You don't want to be on the treadmill running 5 miles everyday.

I appreciate the response. I was looking into ETS, and it doesn't contain any glucosamine and neither do any of the other supplements, so I'm going to continue using it considering it was recommended by my ortho (knee injury) and add it to the others.

[ScottYard]

Exactly what RBB said. I love ETS. I notice a significant decline in dings and achdes while using it.

[nhernan1986]

Exactly what RBB said. I love ETS. I notice a significant decline in dings and achdes while using it.

Good deal, I'll be a good testimonial to it considering my injury. Ill post once I get started.