I am looking for a muscle building supplement and am not sure what I should take. I have researched different creatine products and NO products. I have also found a few, like NO-XPLODE which has both ingredients in it.

Do these products really help give you energy for your workouts, help you build more muscle faster and help you recover faster?? Does it matter if you are male or female? I am assuming that men buy these products more than women.

I am a 29 year old female. I stopped working out for a while but am ready to get back to the gym. When I train I do cardio 5 days a week and weight train 4 days a week. Can anyone give me some recommendations on these supplements?? I am looking to gain muscle and strength, and the faster the better..

Thanks..

Creatine monohydrate. now taht I know yer female, 3g a day, post workout, and 3g on non-workout days, any time.

no need to load. no need to waste $$ on NO explode.

however, NEITHER PRODUCT is a magic powder that'll slam muscle on you. Creatine is just a chemical that aids in ATP energy transport in the muscles...meaning you get more optimal use of muscles during a workout...nothing more. so it's not so much the creatine directly helping you train harder, but allowing you to train to your natural limit (hope that makes sense).

'bloating' from creatine is an uncommon side effect, and I think it has more to do with people's protein shake choice than creatine use.

I have tried both NO products including (BSN No-Xplode, SANN Vault, BSN Nitrix, UNN Shock Therapy) and Creatine products including: (Six Star Advanced Creating w/creatine monohydrate, Scifit Kre-alkalyn and Elite Delivery Kre-alkalyn).

In regards to your first question: Do these products give you energy... I am sure it depends on the person, but NO products that I have tried have all given me a pump and a rush of energy during workouts. I cannot really say whether they helped build muscle though. The Creatine Monohydrate needs to be cycled due to creating the toxin creatinine if taken for too long a period of time. I have had great results with the Creatine and Kre-Alkalyn with muscle gains. The Kre-Alkalyn does not create creatinine and has a lot better absorption rates, plus it is in pill form vs. having to drink something.

as far as enegy goes, you are better off taking a good protien blend like Labrada ProV60.

Let me know how it goes for you.

Ed

Im pretty new to working out myself, and ive been doing N02 Performance Enhancing Hemodilator from GNC. It is pretty safe to say the results vary on different people, but i have energy that I usually don't have when I workout without the pills. It's kindof like in a way, not me working out but the pill. Put this in perspective, it contains an amino acid called Arginine alpha-Ketoglutarate (A-AKG), which helps trigger hormones in your body that amplifies your muscles. It also contains something called the phylex delivery system which helps the A-AKG flow through your body more efficiently. I am no expert, but me and my friends have tried several Nitric Oxide supplements and N02 from GNC has been the most efficient throughout my group of friends and myself. I've been using for about 5 months and I do advise a 2 week cycle every 2 months or so. As for rumors on keeping your muscles go, your muscles DO NOT deflate or change once you get off them. I have never used creatine mainly because it mimics a chemical called ATP found in your liver which helps mulsce growth but long-term side effects of creatine are unknown, soo I dont want to find out down the road that creatine corrupts the liver, a very very important part of your body.

In general, N02 from GNC is a positive if you can afford it.

No no...NO anything is a waste of money, you're basically cheating, it's good for a pump and that's it, and fake energy

Monohydrate does not need to be cycled; that is marketing hype put out by the companies that produce creatines w/ all sorts of esters and stuff attached to it.

http://jap.physiology.org/cgi/conten...ract/83/6/2055

http://www.acsm-msse.com/pt/re/msse/abstract.00005768-199908000-00005.htm;jsessionid=GtNbYrsxynsZ4lhhLwqnlVVWCxfLqnHfPzDGy5rJnLQJT1dTpNGY!50530596!-949856144!8091!-1

http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/c...TRY=1&SRETRY=0 <--stability of Cr

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/tall..._stability.pdf <--something actually useful from bodybuilding.com This actually puts research behind why monohydrate is just fine and doesn't have all the those evils spouted by all the other companies.

Creatine monohydrate, put in your PWO. NO is nonsense.

Try the no explode. I've heard some pretty good things about it, it may work for you it may not. You need to try different things to see what works.

Or, send me your $50, and get the exact same results as if you bought NO explode and used it.

i.e. no results.

i think it was already said, but if you really wanna try an NO product, buy a $10 bottle of L-arganine at the health food store.

NO explode has arginine, caffine, and overprice creatine in it. big freakin deal.

How is it cheating if anyone can buy it? I consider steroids cheating, not n02. It is overpriced, but it does make a difference. Also, it's not even bad for you.


EDIT-- However, AJP seems to know quite a bit more about weight training then myself, so I would go with his answer.

You could send Malkore 50 bucks as well. He definitely seems to know how to motivate. However, if you are going to get something find it online. You can find stuff much cheaper and GNC will meet the advertised online price. Or even try the bottle of L-arganine. If it gives you the same effect then there is not reason to spend a lot of money.

Haha, thanks. I just wanted to emphasize that it's a waste of money and doesn't give genuine results for sound gains. Yeah you may get a pump, but for a boatload of money that isn't gonna last forever. Anyone would be better off saving their money, or putting it to better uses as mentioned. And about the steroids, yes I would definitely agree with you.

No to NO. It provides no permanent results. Protein will, creatine will allow you to get a few more reps in, thus stressing the muscle more.

All NO does is keep you swole longer after the workout, but nothing of a permanent nature.

I'm just somewhat confused about the whole No Explode thing. I was under the impression that it widens ur veins (vascularity) therefore allowing more blood, aka nutrients, creatine, protien, whatever, to get to your cells. Wouldn't this provide long term results considering when you work out you need oxygen and nitrogen, which are both found in your blood, for protien synthesis to take place in the muscles? If this is the case how can there not be long term effects if you use it in conjuction with a protine shake and a post workout creatine supplement? I'm just thinking the bigger the highway to travel on, the faster the cars can get to the store.... (go ahead make fun of my analogy I desrve it). Anwayz I'm by no means an expert so if this is wrong or you have some info I'm missing here please let me know.

Thanks,
Chase B.