Anavol? & BCAAS

[WantingMuscle7]

I've heard from a few people now that if you want to gain mass and strength in a quick amount of time that I should go on anavol. What Information do you have on this? Would there be a point in taking creatine (ethyl ester) at the same time as anavol? Also, would taking BCAAS be beneficial? I was looking at my protien powder and compared it to ingredients found in a BCAA supplement aside Leucine my powder had more mgs than the supplement did.

[Darkhorse]

What Information do you have on this?

I haven't seen anyone respond so I'll at least throw in my .02 so you'll at least get a response. First, I hate blends, which is what this product is. Here's the ingredients:

Anavol Proprietary Blend: 2600mg
Creatine Alpha-Ketoglutarate
Glutamine Alpha-Ketoglutarate
Citrulline-Malate

Creatine Alpha-Ketoglutarate: AKG acts as a transport molecule and thus enables more creatine to enter muscle cells and be utilized at a quicker rate. The AKG is also used in the same manner for the glutamine.

Just by looking at it, I can say with certainty that the citrulline malate is severely underdosed. I personally don't see any benefit whatsoever with a dosage under 3 grams. I also don't know too much about the AKG transport module. Glutamine alone needs 10-20 grams, and I don't see AKG being so effective that it'll limit the dosage from 20 grams to roughly 1.5 grams. I could be wrong. If it works, it works.

Would there be a point in taking creatine (ethyl ester) at the same time as anavol?

I don't believe so. Once your creatine stores are maxed, they're maxed. All these new types of creatines do really is have more efficient rates of absorbtion with smaller and smaller amounts of creatine. Basically, instead of 10 grams of creatine mono combined with 50 grams of dextrose, you'll have 2-3 grams of CEE in a glass of water.

If you have CEE, I would just stick to that until it's finished before spending your money on this product.

Also, would taking BCAAS be beneficial? I was looking at my protien powder and compared it to ingredients found in a BCAA supplement aside Leucine my powder had more mgs than the supplement did.

Absolutely. I personally rank them in my top three must have's along with my protein and creatine. As for the supplement BCAA's you were comparing your protein to, some IMO are underdosed compared to others. For example, ON's brand doesn't hold a candle to Scivation's Xtend. Xtend has 3.5/1.75/1.75 (if memory serves), which is higher if we are measuring by a single serving.

Example:

ON's 100% Whey: 5 grams of BCAA's per serving. Going by a 2:1:1 ratio, that's 2.5/1.25/1.25...

Bulk BCAA's: Same 2:1:1 ratio. I think mine's 4-5 tsp. for around 10 grams, which is 5/2.5/2.5

Whey protein is toted as being fast digesting, but in reality, it's still very slow. They always compare whey to casein when dealing with the fast acting rate of absorbtion. However, this is like comparing a turtle to a snail. (Yes, the turtle is a metaphor for whey ) Supplementing BCAA's is IMO vital when taking preworkout, during workout, and immediately after since it'll shuttle into your muscles a lot faster than it will with whey protein. All the studies I have read on BCAA supplementation have all used an EAA solution, not any form of whey. Just to cover my ass, the rates of absorbtion of whey increase in speed depending on what form of whey you use. For example, whey hydrosylate is of course going to absorb a lot faster than whey isolate, and so on...

[Dr X]

Good response. I don't like blends either. I just buy my sups seperatly so I know what I am getting.

[hrdgain81]

Go pick up some CEE and Citruline powder, you'll save yourself money and it will give you the same results.

For answers on Anavol, one needs only to look at any bodybuilding mag. The pages are plasterd with 3 and 4 page adds for anavol, thats enough for me to stay away from it.

[Kane]

Originally Posted by hrdgain81

one needs only to look at any bodybuilding mag. The pages are plasterd with 3 and 4 page adds for anavol, thats enough for me to stay away from it.

That's what I started doing. I grab the latest version of whatever mag, M&F, musclemag etc. (browse through it in the store lol) and I take a look at the latest supp they are pumping and I know not to get sucked in when I'm browsing through the supplements when I grocery shop.

[EricT]

I have always been into buying supplement ingredients separately. Besides being cheaper, like Dr X said, you know what you are getting. You control the dosages, etc.

Besides designer blends often underdosed, these companies want to make you think they are doing something magical in the way the are blending them, rather than just putting some stuff into a capsule or container.

They use fancy but meaningless lingo designed to sound scientific. More work goes into designing the labels and advertising campaigns than goes into the product. Here's a test: when you come by a fancy sounding scientific term in a product description, you should be able to find that term in plenty of other places. If you can't, then you should probably consider it bullshit.

I'm not saying all blends are bad. 0311 mentioned Xtend, for instance. Well dosed and cut and dry. If you can afford the good products and want the convenience, then go for it. Just remember that if an ingredient is good, it is good.