Generic Zinc Tablets

Started: Aug 17, 2008

Reason: Zinc is one of the cheapest and most effective supplements a person can take. While there are a great deal of supplements that have some merit, most of them simply do not warrant their price-tag. Zinc is more effective than most at boosting health and performance for next to no money. Zinc is often hailed for its effects on testosterone levels, though there is really no evidence that that effect has any result in terms of body composition. What has been demonstrated repeatedly however is that Zinc is an IGF modulator, and as such plays a key role in making post-workout hormone fluctiations more effective.

Generic Casein protein

Started: Aug 17, 2008

Reason: Getting adequate protein is the backbone of any bodybuilding diet. Supplemental protein is never a bad idea, and making protein shakes is a great way to not only get extra calories and protein in on top of your meals, they are a great replacement, in sufficient quantity, to replace a meal should that ever come up. In the past whey protein has been most hypes, due its higher BCAA content and higher blood amino acid spikes, but evidence also shows that it causes a negative balance not two hours after ingestion, making it a poor choice unless you can follow up with a meal about 90 minutes later (post-workout for instance).Otherwise, that other milk protein, casein, is far more beneficial. With a wider range of amino acids and a blood amino acid spike that can last up to 6-7 hours, it keeps you in a positive nitrogen balance until your next meal or shake, even though the spike isn't as high.

The beauty of this is that most companies have been selling protein that is mostly filled with calcium caseinate on top of a smidgen of whey, and giving it confusing names, because casein is simply cheaper. So basically, most cheap protein brands will suffice for this reason. Just check the ingredients. if the first one listed is casein (usually as calcium caseinat) its a good all-round protein for you to mix with milk.

If you like you can always buy a more expensive pure whey protein for right after the workout, as long as you can get a timely meal in, 60-90 minutes after. If not, its not really worth the extra money.