What's your favorite unconventional supplement and why?
 

What's your favorite unconventional supplement and why?
(By unconventional I mean anything besides protein, creatine, and multivitamins.)

I dont really use anything besides the conventional supplements I listed above. I am, however, considering L-carnitine.

"L-carnitine transfers long-chain fatty acids, such as triglycerides into mitochondria (a cell's energy powerhouse), where they may be oxidized to produce energy. L-carnitine is a very popular supplement that promotes growth and development. It is also used for fat-burning, increasing energy, and improving resistance to muscle fatigue. L-carnitine has also been shown to help build muscle. is also great in dieting, as it reduces feelings of hunger and weakness." --from www.bodybuilding.com

Working out seems to be doing pretty good for me.

What he said. That and real food. Chicken breasts, brown rice, oatmeal, etc.

My favorite has to be BCAA powder.

The best "suppliment" has to be steroids... bar none.

EDIT: Come to think of it, DEXTROSE is my fave.

Watching Rocky IV

For people who DO use supplements please respond. And yes, that is my favorite Rocky move too.

omega 3,6,9 fatty acids and magnesium

not for bodybuilding, but for my adhd. They work amazingly well and i would be a lot worse off without them.

I take low levels of zinc to help my body heal as well. Heard studies show that high levels of zinc lead to prostate cancer though so i'm careful with how much I take in.

I did use supplements.

Then I realized that eating healthy + working out meant that I achieved my goals without spending money on supplements.

I've been taking fish oil tablets daily before they became mainstream.

As for supplements regarding working out.. I eat well and live a healthy lifestyle, but don't take any supplements.

Yeah, I heard flax oil (found in fish) was a good fat burner too. Although I dont really need to burn fat bc im overweight, I just want to be ripped. Thats my goal by the end of the summer.

Flax oil found in fish? Hmm, I didn't know that.

What are you doing to get "ripped"? HOW ripped? 3% bodyfat? 6%? 10%?

flax oil comes directly from crushing flax seed.

maybe the fish were grain fed?

Ooops. I meant to say that they were both good sources for omega-3 essential fatty acids. So you can use flax oil instead of fish oil if you wanted to. Not sure which is the better source though...

I am not really sure. I just want a very visible six pack. Which would probably mean single digits in body fat. How do I check my body fat? Do I have to invest in those fat calipers?

Sleep is my unconventional supplement. :)

Most people don't get enough, and it really slows down their progress.

http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/acc/accu.html

These are very good calipers, cheap enough and really accurate.

Yeah very visible abs would have to be at least 7% bodyfat (Fitness Model type - Men's Health).

Boat loads of vitamin C (because i drink so much), glucosamine, fish oils, Thiamin (B1), nothing to 'unconventional' there.

When i can afford it, i'm getting myself some general amino suppliments, but until then, it's just food, more food, and if i'm lucky, a workout.

Too many too list :\

My favourite supplement is protien.

As for unconventional, well, many:
- L Carnitine
- L Arginine
- BCAA powder

...and an assortment of nootropics.

Masterbation!

Hehe, I don't really do this (I hardly ever go home after the gym.)

But, if you do.
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/south99.htm

Getting that low in body fat is over rated. I was down to around 4% for a long time (im a wrestler) and it wasnt too fun. Never really felt as healthy as you would think since it takes a but load of training to get there, that is if you dont want to starve yourself to get that low.

Now for my favorite supplements are NO boosters. Basically they make your blood vessels bigger so they carry more oxygen to your muscle giving you more energy and making you look bigger and stronger. They also have the side effect of making your penis bigger. Not a bad side effect if you ask me. :thumbsup:

Hmm, non-vitamins? I guess most of you guys are talking about workout-related things, but for me (a lady), I find acidophilus pills and/or yogurt really help prevent yeast infections... which I hate.

I also try to take iron pills regularly because I'm often anemic (another common problem with women).

Btw, is single-digit body fat really that desirable for guys? It sounds kind of extreme... I'd think the low teens would be more realistic, and ideal.

Single-digit body weight is when the abs are visable.

That is really the only reason to want a bodyfat % that low.

Also allows you to see the definition in all your other muscles too.

Folic acid, B6 complex, and B12 complex. As a woman, they help A LOT with mental regulation during PMS. And that's a good thing :D

Acidophilus for digestive purposes and a B-complex to make my pee turn colors.

Sage, I've also found taking large doses of B vitamins during my menses helps with cramps.

Maybe I already eat healthy enough but I've never noticed a difference in taking any supplements. But then again I don't work out that hard.

Yep, that seems unconventional to me these days!! Can't agree with you more...

Has received results from L-carnitine? If so, how quickly and what did you see?

I've tried it a couple of times. I didn't see any clear result.

If you really want to loose weight, go vegetarian with no supplements. It's healthy and it works.

Stinging nettle. It stops my hay fever allergies.

Of course, then I found out that eating a large dose of vegetables did the same thing, so I don't take it anymore.

I was gonna say the same suppliments.

Acidophilous (Help prevent BV and yeast both - For hubby it helps control athletes foot)
Iron (Chonically anemic)
Iodine (to help with Iron absorption - it seems I don't absorb it without the Iodine)
Cranberry concentrate tablets (prevent and help heal UTI's)
Omega 3 and 6 (they seem to help my broken foot not bother me as much during barometer changes)

You don't exactly "get" results, from my experience. It almost seems like you're allowed to get away with "dirtier" eating. This pill seems to work well with the CKD diet.

Also, like with anything else, you can't sit on the couch watching Oprah eating potato chips expecting to see fat loss. Really, diet and exercise is what it's all about. Bodybuilders sometimes reccomend resorting to supplimetns when you hit a pleateau.

Alright then, I'm trying this next! Could you list dosage levels and how long before you saw a difference?

I've been taking Evening Primrose Oil for that, and condriotin/glucosamine (sp?) for my joint health, and Biotin for hair. I also try to eat a lot of yogurt and cranberry juice, although fortuantely I don't have problems in those areas.

But I can definitely use more help in the "Women's Reproductive Issues" area.

Yeah, I finally got the L-carnitine and I really havent seen any results. I take the recommended three doses a day. For those who do want to try it. I would recommend buying it from www.bodybuilding.com its about 4 bucks cheaper and you get twice the number of pills, so its waaay cheaper than walmart.