Thread: Having Trouble

Originally Posted by eventhorizion

I have been going to the gym for the last 4 years and have tried just about everything on the shelves at the stores, with out really getting any gains. I need some idea's for what to take, and how to get it. I've heard that d-bol is good, but you cant really find the real stuff, only the fake shit. Some help is badly needed.

If you're not gaining weight your simply not eating enough. Steroids can't defeat the laws of physics. You will need to eat more before you should even think about taking any supplements let alone steriods. Please post up your current diet in the Diet & Nutrition section and we will fix you up and have you gaining weight in no time flat.

Originally Posted by nj-surfer

if you're not gaining weight your simply not eating enough. Steroids can't defeat the laws of physics. You will need to eat more before you should even think about taking any supplements let alone steriods. Please post up your current diet in the diet & nutrition section and we will fix you up and have you gaining weight in no time flat.

+1.

You're body BUILDING, equate that to any other type of BUILDING. For instance, if you're building a brick wall you need bricks and mortar. Yeah, the mortar is what holds it together but, you need the bricks to make it big. What good is a whole truck load of mortar if you don't have any bricks to build with?

Supplements, including steroids, are nothing more than the mortar that helps you build your wall. But it's protein that is the bricks you need to get big. If you're not gaining size it's because you're not taking in enough protein.

The general formula is that you need at LEAST one ounce of protein for every pound of body weight EVERY DAY in order to gain muscle. That means if you weigh 200 pounds, you have to take in at LEAST 200 grams of protein EVERY DAY to gain size. And to be truely effective those 200 grams of protein need to by spread evenly over five or six meals per day so that your muscles are constantly being fed. If you skip meals your muslces will literally start eating themselves, negating any gains you've made.

If you follow the 200 grams/pound/day routine and still aren't gaining, you need to take in even more. It's just that simple.

I agree with everyone above. In my added opinion, I think making size gains is dependent on these things with appropriate ratio:

Training: 30%
Eating: 35%
Resting: 30%
Supplements: 5%

With that said, your emphasis should shift from trying to find the "real stuff" in terms of supplements and focus on eating, training right and resting first. These alone should allow you to make 95% of your gains. Use supplements at a later stage to give you that final boost.

Originally Posted by NJ-Surfer

If you're not gaining weight your simply not eating enough. Steroids can't defeat the laws of physics. You will need to eat more before you should even think about taking any supplements let alone steriods. Please post up your current diet in the Diet & Nutrition section and we will fix you up and have you gaining weight in no time flat.

I also agree.

Okay, i understand about the eating, is there a protein shake that is highly recommended? should i even use shakes, or just actual food?

Macronutrients from a protein shake are the same macronutrients that you would find in solid food. However, solid food provides additional vitamins, minerals, and fiber that you may not find in all protein shakes. Therefore, it is typically recommended that the large majority of your nutrient intake comes from solid food. On the other hand, protein shakes are quick and convenient and therefore can provide an excellent substitute --- I usually drink one or two shakes each day because of their convenience.

I'd recommend LG Sciences Lipotropic Protein. It has an excellent price point and it tastes as good as anything else that you would find. It is the protein supplement that I use daily. Also, LG Sciences is an IM board sponsor --- always a good thing to support them.

Whole foods are your best macronutrient sources. Shakes are an excellent way to get extra protein, especially when you're short on time (i.e: work, travel, etc).

Do a little research to find a protein shake that fits your nutritional needs, budget and tastes. The forums here are a great place to start, so you're already on the right track.

Good luck with your training.

Originally Posted by eventhorizion

Okay, i understand about the eating, is there a protein shake that is highly recommended? should i even use shakes, or just actual food?

Remember that protein shakes fall under the category of supplements. They SUPPLEMENT an already sound diet.

Going back to my early post about grams of protein/pounds of body weight. I weigh about 250. I simply can't eat enough whole food every day to get 250 grams of protein so, I supplement my diet with protein shakes. I find the best times to drink my shakes are first thing in the morning because my muscles have been starved all night and a shake is the fastest way to get protein into my system. Then immediately after a workout since that's when my muscles are sucking up all the nutrients they can get. Finally, right before bed because I want my last meal to be as clean as possible.

But that's me, you have to do what's right for you.