LEAD me back down the right path, plz ... Supplement advice needed ...

[2K_TEG]

Personal Overview

I am 22, 6’4”, 175 lbs, very lean. I got pretty sick the last year and lost a LOT of weight. At my biggest I was around 195. Now I am feeling back to 100% and my diet is on track to start gaining some more weight.

Nutrition

I met with a nutritionist last month to get my diet back on track now that I am off all meds and felling better again. For the past month or so I have upped my calories, ate healthier and am generally feeling a lot better.

Now that I have begun training again I am planning on upping the calories and protein even more and trying to pack on some more weight and more importantly muscle. The nutritionist calculated my ideal weight as 202lbs and I think I would be very happy there.

Training

Yesterday I started the Muscle and Fitness Rock Hard Challenge 2003 with a leg workout. It was my first time in the gym seriously in about 18 months. I was working out on and off throughout the winter.

I am about a month and a half behind in the M&F program, but I intend to not let that deter me. I think it is a good program to get me back on track and lay the foundation for my future.

Goals

Bulk up. I am not too worried about getting fat as I have never been fat. I would like to add as much weight as possible in the next 3 months of this program then hopefully add some more mass and get “cut” later in the summer. The first 3 months will have an emphasis on cardio and getting “back in shape” as I am adding the weight.

Supplements

I have some things left over from when I used to lift and had some good gains with them. EAS MYOPLEX MASS, EAS SYNTHEVOL, EAS ZMA HP, EAS CYTOVOL, Centrum Multivitamin, Glucosomaine. I am not sure what to do this time to add the weight though. Here is what I was thinking:

•Stick with the above supplements that have helped in the past and eat like hell (proteins and calories) for the first month until my body gets used to being in the gym regularly again.

•During month 2 & 3 do a 6 week prohormone cycle (still researching which to do) while maintaining the supplements from month 1 and eating a lot and healthy.

•To finish up the 3 months do a 6-OXO cycle and maintain the other supplements.

Questions

What do you think? Is this a good way to bulk up, or am I barking up the wrong tree? Is this too much too soon? I am not concerned about the money aspect, I have extra to spend.

Do you have any suggestions, modifications, tips, etc? Any and all help is appreciated as I feel like I am starting all over from scratch.

..Kyle..

[raniali]

if this is ur first time back in over a year, i say drop the supplements except protein and multivitamins. eat right, eat alot, train hard, get ur rest and i think u will see some decent gains for the time being.

[2K_TEG]

does that mean that supplements will not help, or they will just not help as much as if used down the road, or that the gains are not worth the cost?

[Shao-LiN]

It means that you don't really need them with so much time off. You still have lots of potential w/o having to use loads of supplements and prohormones, so it's better on your wallet.

[2K_TEG]

sorry for all the questions, I am trying to understand. Ever since I was young ~17-18 I was on something (usually creatine) when I trained so the idea of having nothing is a bit new to me. Maybe a placebo would have the same effect, some things are just as important mentally as physically.

Will the supps give me any advantage? I don't want to sound like I cannot do it on my own, naturally, but I do want to get the most results as quickly as possible, and I have always used supplements to get there. It is really a shock to me to be in the condition I am in since until I got sick I was always one of the bigger, stronger guys, I am having a hard time being the smaller weaker guy.

I do not really take the $$ into consideration, if it will get the job done I don't really care what it costs. I run my own business, and I have the $$ to spend.

Thanks for bearing with me.

[bradley]

I agree in that since you are just getting back into training that you will experience some good gains just from training and eating right. If you want to use supps then I would go with some a protein supplement, multi-vitamin, and some sort of simple carb source for postworkout (dextrose maybe?).

If you have trouble getting your cals in for the day then you might want to use a weight gainer of some sort but I think whole food is the way to go if you have no problem eating that much. You could throw in some creatine if you want but I don't think it is that important. Diet, training, and proper recovery will be the most important factors by far.

I would also be leary of following routines found in muscle mags. Some have way too much volume for the average weightlifter.

[2K_TEG]

thanks for the advice guys, I am gonna follow your words of wisdom. On another note (and this should be in the nutrition forum I am sure) How many calories should I aim for? How many grams of protein? Should I use a mass building protein (like MyoPlex MASS) or just regular like Optimum (or whatever it is).

Thanks,

Kyle

[2K_TEG]

the routine has me lifting 3 days a week and doing cardio 5 days a week with 2 days off each week.

Monday is legs/cardio
Tuesday is abs/cardio
Wed. is pushing/cardio
Thursday is rest
Friday is pulls/cardio
Sat. is abs/cardio
Sunday is rest

The abs routines are just things like crunches, leg-ups. Cardio is 25 minutes of either continous moderate exertion or invterval sprinting.

Kyle

[bradley]

Originally posted by 2K_TEG
thanks for the advice guys, I am gonna follow your words of wisdom. On another note (and this should be in the nutrition forum I am sure) How many calories should I aim for? How many grams of protein? Should I use a mass building protein (like MyoPlex MASS) or just regular like Optimum (or whatever it is).

Thanks,

Kyle

As far as calories go, I suggest increasing cals in small increments each week until you are gaining a small amount of weight each week (maybe .5-1lb per week). So for week one increase cals by 300-500 and see what kind of results you get, and then for week 2 do the same and continue this process each week until you are gaining the desired amount of weight.

Approximately 1g or protein per lb. of bodyweight. As far as protein I would go with a 100% whey protein and some dextrose and use this postworkout. The dextrose will provide some simple carbs which will help refill muscle glycogen after training.

Get your carbs from low glycemic index sources like oats, veggies, sweet potatoes, beans, ww bread, etc. Also don't forget to include healthy fats in your diet like fish oil, flax oil, olive oil, nuts, and natural peanut butter.

If you are trying to gain then you might want to limit the cardio or keep it at a short duration. Might want to post your training routine in the training forum and I am sure they will be happy to offer opinions. Best of luck:)

[djreef]

I agree with Brad, cut the cardio back. 2 days a week should be plenty. You don't want to knock your resistence down and get sick again. Concentrate more on mass building movements, and eat like a horse. Remember, you're young, and this ain't no race. Good luck.

DJ
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