The Junkyard

It depends on your age. Are you in your 20's, 30,s,40's? I am in my 50's and take something different than i did in my 20's and 30,s!

I'm 20.

Ive been taking a pre workout drink the past couple of years and the one that I like the best is NO Explode. It comes in all different flavors (watermelon, fruit punch, blue raspberry etc) but man it gets the blood flowing and it lasts for a while. Sometimes Ill be in the gym for 2 hours and not even realize it. It doesnt give you a groggy feeling after youre done either. Its awesome. Dont take it within like 3 hours of going to bed because you will not be able to sleep because you'll be so wired. Post-workout I simply take a protein shake. I try and stay away from creatine.

pre workout its tough to beat a scoop of craze and a scoop of hemavol. post 1 scoop of amino 1 by muscle pharm. and plenty of protein.

When my youngest son was 15 I got him a personal trainer that I used to lift with when I was much younger by the name of George Herron in Loganville.
Over the years he has broken 68 power lifting records. He also has a a couple degrees in nutrition and the human body as it relates to fitness! I am old and I cant remember the degrees. Anyway he recommended ISOPURE Mass that is made by Natures Best. 5HIW HQW pROTEIN FROM WHEY pROTEIN iSOLATE..... My son gained 30# in 4 month period and strength increase greatly. You mix with milk to make shakes. There are several flavors such as dutch chocolate and french vanilla. You want to eat all foods with heavy protein and also plenty of pasta which is loaded with carbs.

One thing that has to be said first off: Supplements are just that, supplements. Nothing can replace a proper diet. If you don't eat right or get proper sleep, you won't reach your full potential in the gym. Plain and simple.

Obviously the most important supplement when it comes to gaining weight/muscle/mass is PROTEIN. Whey protein is the best bet for muscle building. Whey gets into your muscles quickly and begins building muscle the quickest. ANother good protein, casein protein is a much slower digestive protein. It breaks down much slower than whey, which makes it good to take right before bed(your body does its most growing at night and by taking casein before bed, its keep protein in your system as you sleep and prevents your body from breaking down you muscle).

There are other supplements that are very important to take other than just protein, though. BCAA's, Beta-Alanine, Carnitine, Fish oil, NO boosters, creatine, etc. Here is a quick break down of the best types of these supplements and when to take them:

Protein:
My favorite protein based supplements to take for mass gaining are:

1. Anabolic Peak Loaded Mass Gainer Edition- Inner Armour
2. Amplified Mass XXX- GNC Brand
3. Beyond Raw Re-Built Mass- GNC Brand

Having said that, you don't want to take Mass Gainers too often. Often times they are full of dextrose and maltodextrin, both are sugars. Even though the label may say there isnt much sugar, maltodextrin can be considered a complex carb. In other terms, mass gainers are good for putting pn weight, but you need to add in some additional cardio to avoid adding fat over your newly added muscle.

Whey Protein
1. Amplified Wheybolic Extreme 60
2. Optimum Gold Standard 100% Whey

Whey Proteins are not going to add as much weight as quickly as mass aginers because they often arent packed with other supplements like the mass gainers. However, Wheybolic Extreme(my favorite protein) does have 7.7g of Leucine, which is a BCAA that stimulates protein synthesis.

Casein Protein
1. Gold Standard 100% Casein Protein
2. Beyond Raw Re-feed Casein Protein
3. Pro Performance 100% Casein Protein

Casein Protein you want to take at night before bed. As I said earlier, casein takes much longer to break down. It is acid sensitive, which means it thickens when it gets into your stomach and settles. You will feel full after this so don't take it before a meal. It takes all night for your body to break down this protein. As you sleep your body continues to work, instead of breaking down your muscles, it breaks down this protein. Sleep, behind a proper diet, is the most important aspect to gaining muscle and weight.

Pre-workout NO Boosters:

I don't take a pre-workout(just never liked them). Here are a few that my workout partners use:

C4 Extreme
1.M.R
Assault
NO Explode

Other Supplements you should take:

Creatine- Some like creatine, some don't. It is really up to you. No denying that it works. Creatine floods your muscles with water which opens up the muscle cells and promotes longer lasting muscle growth. Be careful with creatine though, you will put on water weight. You will feel bigger quickly but it will go away just as fast if you don't stick to your plan.
L-Carnitine
Fish Oil
BCAAs
Beta-Alanine
Vitargo

If you have any other questions let me know. Let me know what you guys think

thanks man! i will look into some of these. and i too agree with preworkout supps, make my heart race a little to much...

VirginiaDawg, great information. I cant really remember what i took when I was younger. You hit the nail on the head with proper diet, sleep and workout!
One thing i would add is if you do take creatine, drink plenty of water because it can dehydrate you and bad things can happen.