BCAA's and Multi-Vitamins??

[Shredz]

What brands have you guys used? I am looking into all kinds of different brands but wanted to here what your opinions where on them.

[IronCy]

gnc mega men......makes your piss neon green tho!
-Cy

[BIG TEXAN]

Vitamins.. mega man gold, can't be beat.

BCAA's.... it's all in my protein powder so I don't mess with taking extra anymore.

[Shredz]

gnc mega men......makes your piss neon green tho!
-Cy

I agree I have used those in the past looks like you are pissing Mountain Dew.

What about BCAAs or any other Multi-Vitamins that are as good as GNC or better?

[Shredz]

Vitamins.. mega man gold, can't be beat.

BCAA's.... it's all in my protein powder so I don't mess with taking extra anymore.

The reason why I am looking into this is I have read a bit on the BCAA's and many still recommend even if you are taking in a substantial amount of protein you should still be taking BCAA's in as well. Expecially while dieting? Why I can't remember off the top of my head..I will have to dig up the artical.

[Devourer]

i too use the mege man

[spywizard]

Centrum Gray...

it has the extra folic acid...

[Shredz]

Centrum Gray...

it has the extra folic acid...

Now with my past experience, centrum is a good quality MV however the dosages are generaly a lot lower then those of GNC's Mega Men. Maybe even a 1/3 the dose.

How do the Centrum Grays compare as apposed to the regular centrum?

[Juggernaut]

I hate to even tell you cause mine might not be all that great............Puritan's Pride Green Source multi.

I don't take BCAA's for the same reason as Big T. Although I'm reading more on it so I might try it.

So tell me............my multi is for **** right? hahaha

[usualsuspect]

I use Vitamin Shoppe Mega-Vites "75." their half the price of GNC's mega man and just as good. As for BCAA's I rely on my protein shake for them along w/ liver tabs throughout the day.~US~

[Shredz]

Regular Centrum Stats:

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION


Each tablet contains:
(average values) %EC ADULT RDA

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Vitamin A (total) 800µg 100
of which Beta Carotene 1200µg ·
Vitamin D 5µg 100
Vitamin E 10mg 100
Vitamin C 60mg 100
Thiamin (Vitamin B1) 1.4mg 100
Riboflavin (Vitamin B2) 1.6mg 100
Niacin 18mg 100
Vitamin B6 2mg 100
Folacin (Folic Acid) 200µg 100
Vitamin B12 1µg 100
Biotin 0.15mg 100
Pantothenic Acid 6mg 100
Vitamin K 30µg ·
Calcium 162mg 20
Phosphorus 125mg 16
Iron 14mg 100
Magnesium 100mg 33
Zinc 15mg 100
Iodine 150µg 100
Copper 2mg ·
Manganese 2.5mg ·
Potassium 40mg ·
Chloride 36mg ·
Boron 70µg ·
Silicon 2µg ·
Chromium 25µg ·
Molybdenum 25µg ·
Selenium 25µg ·
Nickel 5µg ·
Tin 10µg ·
Vanadium 10µg ·

[Shredz]

GNC's Mega Men Stats:

Supplement Facts
Serving Size: 2 Tablets
Servings Per Container: 90

Amount per Serving % Daily Value


Vitamin A 100% as beta-Carotene 10000 IU 200%
Vitamin C as Ascorbic Acid 300 mg 500%
Vitamin D as Cholecalciferol 200 IU 50%
Vitamin E as Natural d-alpha Tocopheryl Acetate 100 IU 333%
Vitamin K as Phytonadione 75 mcg 94%
Thiamin (B1) as Thiamin Mononitrate 30 mg 2000%
Riboflavin (B2) 30 mg 1765% Niacin (B3) 30 mg 150% Vitamin B6 as Pyridoxine Hydrochloride 30 mg 1500%
Folate,Folic Acid,Folacin 400 mcg 100%
Vitamin B12 as Cyanocobalamin 30 mcg 500%
Biotin 250 mcg 83%
Pantothenic acid as Calcium d-Pantothenate 30 mg 300%
Calcium as Calcium Citrate Malate Complex 200 mg 20%
Iodine as Potassium Iodide 150 mcg 100%
Magnesium as Magnesium Oxide 100 mg 25%
Zinc as Zinc Oxide 25 mg 167%
Selenium as Selenium Yeast 100 mcg 143%
Copper as Copper Oxide 2 mg 100%
Manganese as Manganese Gluconate 5 mg 250%
Chromium as Hydrolyzed Protein Chelate & Chromium Picolinate 50 mcg 42%
Damiana Leaf Powder Turnera aphrodisiaca 70 mg*
Korean Ginseng Root Powder Panax ginseng 70 mg*
Oat Straw powder Avena sativa 70 mg*
Deodorized Garlic Powder Allium sativum 50 mg*
Oyster Extract Complex Powder 50 mg*
Saw Palmetto Berries Powder Serenoa repens 50 mg*
L-Cystine 50 mg*
Nettle Leaf Powder Urtica dioica 30 mg*
Pumpkin Seed Meal Cucurbita pepo 30 mg*
Citrus Bioflavanoids Complex 25 mg*
Choline as Choline Bitartrate 10 mg*
Inositol 10 mg*
Para-Aminobenzoic Acid 10 mg*
L-Methionine 10 mg*
Alpha-Lipoic Acid 5 mg*
Lutein 500 mcg*
Lycopene 350 mcg*

[Shredz]

How about some more opinions on BCAA's??

[abstrack]

Apex bcaa's and multi

Thay have the best quality supps hands down, the have the best purity, potency and delivery system. If you need more info PM me.

[animal-inside]

I take 3 "one a day" multivitamins... one in the AM and 2 right after a workout.. not sure if spacing them out is better ot not tho???????

[Rod Farva]

I've been taking AST for most of my things includint their multi-pro 32X. I'm not observant enough to tell you how great it works but this is what it contains:

Amount per serving:

Vitamin A (as Vitamin A Acetate) 10 000 iu
Vitamin C (as Ascorbic Acid) 200 mg
Vitamin D (as Vitamin D3) 400 iu
Vitamin E (as dl-Alpha Tocopheryis) 60 iu
Vitamin K 25 mcg
Thiamin 30 mg
Riboflavin 30 mg
Niacin (as Niacinamide) 30 mg
Vitamin B6 30 mg
Folic Acid 400 mcg
Vitamin B12 30 mcg
Biotin 60 mcg
Pantothenic Acid 30 mg
Calcium (as Di-Calcium Phosphate) 75 mg
Iron (as Ferrous Fumarate) 18 mg
Phosphorus (as Di-Calcium Phosphate) 45 mg
Iodene (as Potassium Iodene) 150 mcg
Magnesium (as Magnesium Oxide) 100 mg
Zinc (as Zinc Chelate) 30 mg
Selenium (as Selenium Chelate) 25 mcg
Copper (as Copper Chelate) 2 mg
Manganese (as Manganese Sulphate) 5 mg
Chromium (as Chromium Chelate) 25 mcg
Molybdenum (as Molybdenum Chelate) 25 mcg
Chloride (as Potassium Chloride) 36 mg
Potassium (as Potassium Chloride) 40 mg
Silicon 30 mg
Tin (as Tin Chelate) 10 mcg
Vanadium (as Vanadium Chelate) 10 mcg
Boron (as Boron Chelate) 150 mcg
Nickel (as Nickel Chelate) 25 mcg

Other ingredients
Croscarmellose Sodium, Magnesium Stearate, Microcrystalline Cellulose


Is this worth it? Do I have to take 1 in the AM and 1 in the PM after my workout or is 1/day enough?

[Rod Farva]

As for BCAA's, I take AST's protein VP2 and this is what they say about the topic:

Most BCAA supplements are free form and when you factor in the amount needed to be considered effective they are outrageously expensive. Now to the rescue. VP2 Whey Isolate is a approximately 25 to 30 percent BCAAs. One serving of VP2 contains about 6 to 8 grams of peptide bound BCAAs.

That's the short version. If they're not trying to sell me BCAA's seperately then I have to assume that their VP2 actually does contain sufficient quantities. The long answer they give is as follows:

Q: I have heard a lot of good things about branch chain amino acids (BCAAs). If they are so important to muscle growth and recovery why don’t you recommend them?

A: There seems to be more documented research on BCAA supplementation than any other amino acid(s). BCAAs are the amino acids leucine, isoleucine and valine. They are 3 of the eight amino acids that fall into the essential category. That is, they can not be made by the body, and must be part of your diet. Research has demonstrated they do enhance protein synthesis, a positive nitrogen balance and help prevent muscle breakdown. All the good things needed to increases muscle and recovery after training. I have always been a big fan of BCAA supplementation. Especially when taken within that nutritional ‘window of opportunity’ that occurs directly after hard training. The time where the introduction of certain nutrients actually enhances muscle building mechanisms. However, I think too many people tend to use supplements haphazardly and inefficiently. They do not have a clear rational to why they are using a particular supplement.

Research on BCAA supplementation during exercise does show they increase mental alertness and reduce mental fatigue. In the blood stream BCAAs compete with tryptophan (the tranquilizing amino acid). Tryptophan is the direct precursor to the neuro- transmitter serotonin. This depresses the central nervous system and produces symptoms of fatigue. When you exercise intensely, the ratio of tryptophan to BCAA is altered in favor of increases in tryptophan. This itself makes you fatigued. Several studies with various types of athletes confirm that reasonable does (7-9gms) of BCAAs do reduce mental fatigue and increase mental alertness during their respective events (Bloomstrand et al 1991). Therefore if you are using BCAAs for this purpose, I would highly recommend them. However if your answer for BCAA supplementation is to enhance recovery and muscle growth then there are far better, more potent and cost effective methods that achieve this.

A premium quality whey isolate like VP2 has now made individual amino acid supplementation obsolete. If you are looking for an effective BCAA supplement, over 50% of whey proteins' fraction profile is peptide bound BCAAs. BCAAs are shown to be absorbed far more effectively in this peptide-bound form (Grimble et al.1986). VP2 is completely hydrolyzed (cleaved) into unique, very small peptide chains. These particular whey protein peptides are shown to be absorbed the more effectively than any other protein chain. They are so low in molecular weight they utilize different cellular pathways. (Silk 1980).

Therefore the combination of whey protein’s naturally high concentration of BCAAs and the incredibly absorption kinetics of VP2 is a potent one. Extremely large amounts of BCAAs are transported directly to the muscle, and in a far greater amounts than any free form supplement could provide. This ensures potent anabolic effects from your supplementation.

Once in the body, most BCAA supplements go directly towards glutamine/glutamate formation. (Neu 1996) A part from the large concentration of BCAAs, whey protein’s amino acid profile is already rich in peptide bound glutamate. This amino acid is also shown to be absorbed far more effectively in peptide-bound form (Silk 1980).

One scoop of VP2 provides 25gms of an entire spectrum of the amino acids essential for muscle growth and, they are in optimal (naturally occurring) ratios. VP2 whey isolate also presents these amino acids to the body in the most easily assimilated form. To try to use the same amount of free form BCAAs week in, week out would not produce half the muscle building benefits and be twice as expensive.

[jeffylyte]

I remember an 2 articles that I made my decision from, Ill have to look them up. the first was on bioavailability and differential uptake speeds of three different proteins...whey, amino acids, and di and tripeptides. turns out the di and tri-peptides were best. the second was a comparison of whey, certain amino acids (BCAA's as I think, but am unsure), and protein supplemented with amino acids. (this article is a little foggy so bear with me). the amino acids and supplemented materials outperformed the whey.

based on this I started taking a liquid protein hydrosylate supplement such as Amino 2222 (liquid) as a post workout protein supplement. I checked it out and had what I needed in the right abounts if you up'ed the dosage. I like the taste, its fast, cheap, and easy. Im happy

[jdog55]

Multi-vitamins kinda make me feel tired.

Jdog55

[hoss827]

ON protein...ON BCAA's (ON=Optimum Nutrition)

[Shredz]

I picked up some Multi-Vitamins tonight I picked up GNC Mega Ultra. The only difference between them and the Mega Men is that the ultra has the same dosage as 2 of the Mega Men.

Lets here some more info on the BCAA's then so I can find out which ones I am gonna go with.

Thanks again for the help thus far.

[Shredz]

bump

[nevaenuf]

Amino 2222 or regular bcaa's from gnc. I try to use mega men but sometimes I am hurting for cash and I go with soltron. Almost the same thing but its not time released.

[Tock]

http://www.puritan.com
Good prices on most stuff.
-Tock

[cb25]

I use the optimum nutrition opti-men or whatever for my multi-vit...it's a lot like GNC's MegaMan, which i'm a big fan of.

As far as BCAA's, here's my opinion. Yes they are incredibly expensive to use a decent dosage of. If you are building/cutting on a budget, i wouldn't even consider them.

However, they have their benefit. Hospitals have known the anti-catabolic effect of BCAA's for some years now. Trauma patients and burn victims receive infusions of BCAA's to prevent (more accurately, reduce) muscle catabolism. They are in an extreme state of catabolism, and the BCAA's have been proven to reduce the amount of lean body mass lost.

BCAA supplements can also be a useful adjunct to a cutting diet, for the same reason. Your body is put in a catabolic state in order to lose weight. A supplement of BCAA's would theoretically lower the amount of LBM you would lose while still cutting. I'm not sure of the necessary doses anymore, and I don't have any of my nutrition textbooks with me, so I won't quote (or guestimate) doses. I will say, however, that I think it can be a useful add-on to your supplement regimen, if you have the money to throw around. As far as which brand, i wouldn't worry. As long as you're getting free-form BCAA's (rather than peptide bound which may be just a regular protein source) you'll be fine. Also, it would be a good idea to stick to companies known to be reputable for standardizing their supplements, so that you know that you're actually getting what you are paying for. That being said, it's not deathly important, since you cannot OD on BCAA's the way you could taking a very high dose of thermogenics, etc...

[monster.]

Mega Men Vitamins, and for BCAA: Optimum nutrition, Get the syrup rather then the horse pills..

[DBarcelo]

I have Mega Man, even though I never used it yet. I haven't used BCAA's in over a decade. I eat enough meat that I don't need to suppliment aminos.

[spywizard]

No iron........... and has the folic acid supplement..

And multi's have always given me issues.. so i am able to take these.......

It strives for balance........not expensive urine........

Now with my past experience, centrum is a good quality MV however the dosages are generaly a lot lower then those of GNC's Mega Men. Maybe even a 1/3 the dose.

How do the Centrum Grays compare as apposed to the regular centrum?