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The Question: It seems to be some new bodybuilding trend... mega-dosing supplements. There is much discussion on how to mega-dose, what to mega-dose, etc. What are the best supplements to mega-dose? Why? At what dosages should they be mega-dosed at? What supplements can be stacked and mega-dosed? How much is too much? Bonus Question: Have you ever mega-dosed one or more supplements? How were the results? Do you think mega-dosing supplements has more of a benefit? Show off your knowledge to the world! The Winners:
2nd place - 50 in store credit. 3rd place - 25 in store credit. To use your credit, e-mail Will @ will@bodybuilding.com for more info.
"It seems to be some new bodybuilding trend... mega-dosing supplements. There is much discussion on how to mega-dose, what to mega-dose, etc."
Mega-dosing has become a huge deal in bodybuilding all across the world. Is it just a fad, hyped up by the supplement industries to make money? What should I mega-dose? Is mega-dosing dangerous? What benefits can I see mega-dosing over taking a normal dose? Most of these questions are very broad, therefore hard to answer. However, I'll try my hardest to get the point across in my TOTW response on mega dosing.
1) What Should I Mega-Dose?
Branch-chained amino acids help preserve muscle while cutting (trying to lose fat), help recovery no matter what your goal is, and pack on the muscle if you're bulking up. I recommend around 20 grams per 100 pounds of bodyweight, per day. For a runner/athlete/semi-bodybuilder, I recommend citrulline malate. If creatine has an aerobic equivalent, this is it. I'd let you know more about it in this topic of the week, but I could spend my whole response on it. These bodybuilding.com writers describe it very well here: Author Recommended Articles:
I recommend 6 grams per 100 pounds of bodyweight, per day when mega-dosing.
2) What Advantages Will I Have Mega-Dosing Over Taking A Normal Dose Of (Insert Product Name)?
3) Is Mega-Dosing Safe?
4) What Kind Of Gains Can I See Mega-Dosing (Product Name)?
I found this thread using the search feature.
When asking these questions, please supply us with:
Mega-dosing is taking a higher serving of a supplement than someone normally would.
I recommend taking three servings a day, or if you buy pure citrulline malate, take 6 grams of it per 100 pounds of bodyweight, per day. 
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I recommend starting with 3 tablespoons a day, if your joint pains aren't cured, work up to 6. If they still aren't cured by then, you probably have a serious problem and should see a doctor.
For a normal dose, most people would take 10 of these capsules a day, but for a mega-dose I recommend 20 capsules, spread out evenly throughout your meals.
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I recommend taking 3-4 servings a day per 100 pounds of body weight.
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As I said earlier, I advocate at least one gram to at most 2.5 grams of protein, per pound of body weight.
MSM helps with the elasticity of your joints. Many people, however, do not see good results with these products (which stacked together have synergistic results) until they are mega-dosed. The highest doses I would go with these products are: 3 grams of glucosamine, 2.5 grams of chondroitin, and 2.5 grams of MSM per day. Any brand of these products will do fine, I would just find the cheapest brand.
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When mega-dosing, I recommend up to 5 grams of Vitamin C per 100 pounds of bodyweight, every day.
Some supplements have synergistic effects when taken together at normal doses. Some supplements have exponentially better effects by upping the dosage. But what products are both synergistically better when used in combination with each other, and can both be mega-dosed? Here's a list that I have compiled: 1) Omega-3 Fatty Acids (Fish Oil) & Glucosamine/Chondroitin/MSM:
2) BCAA's & Citrulline Malate:
3) Water & Protein:
4) Glutamine & BCAA's:
In the future (when I have more money) I would love to mega-dose lots of the products I mentioned in my topic of the week response for this week. Currently, I'm mega-dosing two things for joint problems:
I think that mega-dosing some supplements has benefits, but for others it can be dangerous and/or a waste of money. Always do lots of research on a supplement you want to try before trying it. Thanks for reading my topic of the week response, I put lots of time and thought into it!
Dosquito
I usually don't like to write entire articles regarding supplements because I am a firm believer that diet and training are far more important than any arsenal of supplements. Diet and training will make or break you. However, supplements have their place too, and shouldn't be neglected! Supplementation coupled with proper diet and training will get you excellent results! But what if I was to tell you that "mega-dosing" with supplements will get you even better results, faster?
"Mega-dosing" is simply taking in more than the recommended serving size for a given supplement. Many bodybuilders have experienced amazing results mega-dosing supplements, and you can too!
1. BCAA (Branched Chain Amino Acids)
The term BCAA refers to the three essential amino acids: leucine, isoleucine, and valine. The essential branched chain amino acids (BCAA's) benefit bodybuilders and athletes greatly because rather than being metabolized in the liver, they are metabolized directly in the muscle! This is of great benefit for bodybuilders and athletes because after digestion, the amino acids can either be used as an energy source or used to form new proteins. BCAA's is a BCAA product with the addition of Glutamine, Citrulline Malate, and Vitamin B6 that give you the energy you need to maximize your training and improve recovery! BCAA's also decreases catabolism (muscle breakdown), reduces cortisol levels, increases protein synthesis, and promotes cell volumization! Bodybuilders have supplemented with a regular dosage of BCAA for many years. However, mega-dosing BCAA's was unheard of until Bodybuilding.com's very own Derek Charlebois (AKA "Beast") and many other bodybuilders decided to run a little experiment: mega-dosing with BCAA's using SciVation's BCAA's. During the first week of mega-dosing BCAA's, Derek experienced a rather large increase in lean body mass, muscle fullness, and vascularity! After 4 weeks of mega-dosing, Derek had gained 7 pounds in 4 weeks, all of which was lean body mass, and lost 3 pounds of fat while bulking!
Using SciVation's BCAA's as an example, an effective "mega-dosage schedule" would like this:
Mega-dosing with 50g of BCAA daily is an effective dosage for excellent results! I also believe that it's best to mega-dose BCAA's with the addition of Glutamine, Citrulline Malate, and Vitamin B6. However, if you wish to mega-dose using BCAA alone, an effective mega-dose schedule would be:
Again, it is the writer's opinion that unflavored BCAA tastes like garbage, so I highly recommend getting some flavored BCAA if you decide to mega-dose with BCAA.
Yes! In fact, I'd recommend stacking other supplements while mega-dosing BCAA's for maximum results. Stacking BCAA's with "the basics" such as creatine monohydrate, protein powder, multivitamins, and EFA's (essential fatty acids) will guarantee maximum results, and encourage an anabolic environment! An effective schedule for mega-dosing BCAA's while stacking it with "the essential supplements" would look like this:
Dosing with over the recommended 50g of BCAA is really unnecessary, and will ultimately put a hole in your wallet. Stick with 50g of BCAA when mega-dosing for best results! 2: Omega-3 Fatty Acids
Omega-3 is classified as an essential fatty acid (EFA) that is derived from plant and animal sources. However, obtaining omega-3 from fish oil supplements is the most common way of doing so. These fats are extremely vital for general overall health, and are given the term "essential" due to the fact that the body cannot process them. Therefore, the body can only obtain these fats through food intake and supplementation. Research indicates that consumption of omega-3 fatty acids may decrease the risk of coronary heart disease. Other properties of omega-3 and EFA's:
Obviously, these fats are of great importance for the human body and for overall health. These EFA's have also been shown to decrease body fat levels and improve body composition in many individuals. Omega-3 acids (supplemented in the form of fish oil) have been shown to also increase leptin sensitivity (and aid in nutrient partitioning) much more efficiently than other EFA's!
Supplementing with fish oil (omega 3's) with a dosage ranging from 15 to 20 grams a day will allow for drastic changes in body composition, overall health and wellness, and even decrease body fat! This dosage recommendation assumes that you are using a standard fish oil supplement, which contains 30% EPA/DHA and 1g fish oil.
Yep! In fact, mega-dosing fish oil and stacking it with other fat loss products and thermogenics will result in quicker changes in body composition! Stacking the fish oil with sesame seed oil products will mobilize fatty acids and adipose tissue more effectively, seeing sesamin products are more readily used by the body when taken in conjunction with more than 10g of dietary fat. This means that by taking over 10g of fat worth of fish oil along with a sesamin product at one meal will promote rapid fat loss and changes in body composition! Throw in a thermogenic and you become a fat burning machine!
Mega-dosing with over 20g of fish oil is too much, and not needed. Staying within the range of 15-20g a day is optimal for best results! 3: Vitamin C
Vitamin C is very important to the human body. It's even more important for bodybuilders and athletes! Vitamin C, a water-soluble vitamin, has been shown to strengthen the immune system tremendously! It also aids you in recovering much faster from your workouts because of its cortisol (catabolic hormone) suppressing properties. Other amazing properties and benefits Vitamin C contains include:
Generally, the recommendations for Vitamin C supplementation is 1000mg daily. However, I'm a firm believer of mega-dosing with Vitamin C to maximize recovery, muscle growth, and improve overall health. I made tremendous progress mega-dosing with 3000mg of Vitamin C daily! Recall that Vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin; therefore, it will not be stored by the human body. If the multivitamin supplement you are taking has 1000 mg, then simply spread the remaining 2000mg throughout the rest of the day. For improved recovery, reduced muscle soreness, and increased muscle growth, Vitamin C should be mega-dosed at 3000mg daily. The best times to take your Vitamin C supplement is immediately upon waking, pre-workout, and post-workout. Therefore, an effective supplement schedule for mega-dosing Vitamin C would like this:
Absolutely! Mega-dosing Vitamin C and stacking it with the basics (protein powder, creatine, fish oil, etc.) has worked wonders for others and myself in the past by improving recovery and reducing muscle soreness. An effective pre and post workout supplement set-up, which involves mega-dosing Vitamin C and stacking it with other supplements to improve recovery would be: 30 minutes pre-workout, after consumption of pre-workout meal: 1000mg Vitamin C, 5g creatine monohydrate, 1 serving BCAA's or 10g BCAA Post-workout: 1000mg Vitamin C, 50g dextrose, 5g creatine monohydrate, 1 scoop whey protein
Although Vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin, which cannot be stored by the human body, surpassing the recommendation of 3000mg daily would be rather unnecessary. Remember that more isn't always better! Stick with the recommended 3000mg daily for best results!
Yes. I've mega-dosed with fish oil and Vitamin C in the past and experienced amazing results. I have not yet mega-dosed with BCAA's or BCAA yet, but it's next on my list!
The results were great! On my last bulking cycle, I mega-dosed with both fish oil (up to 15g daily) and Vitamin C (3000mg daily). I also stacked these supplements with the basics, such as protein powder, a multivitamin, and creatine. In a total of 12 weeks, I added 10 pounds to my frame with only a 1.5% increase in body fat! Obviously hard work, intense training sessions, and a strict diet allowed me to accomplish this. But there is no doubt in my mind that mega-dosing these supplements helped me bulk up!
Not all supplements are meant to be mega-dosed. However, mega-dosing with the proper supplements that I mentioned are of great benefit. Mega-dosing is a proven method to achieve your goals faster and quicker!
Good luck with all of your fitness goals!
Mike
It seems to be some new bodybuilding trend... mega-dosing supplements. There is much discussion on how to mega-dose, what to mega-does, etc.
What are the best supplements to mega-dose? Why?
A great topic for debate if there ever was one. Bodybuilders are known for extremes. It takes an extreme amount of dedication just to stick to the diet, let alone the workouts and recovery. Of course we all want faster results, better results, and that extra edge. Diet, rest, recovery, hydration are all more important than supplementation. Once these disciplines have been mastered there are two things left in the physical realm. If we are going drug free, that leaves one thing. Supplementation. For extreme results we may want to consider extreme doses. Mega dosing. Creatine? Mega dosing of creatine virtually assures that constipation will not be an issue. Ephedrine? See you in the morgue. How about L-Glutamine? Possibly, known to work for cancer patients and burn victims at doses of 30 grams and up per day. What we want to do is build lean muscle and avoid side effects. May I be bold enough to recommend:
These plant sterols have been researched and shown to have anabolic effects similar to steroids. They increase protein synthesis and contribute to fat loss, lean mass gain and many other desirable effects. They are not known to have any negative side effects and the toxic doses are extremely high.
A toxic dose for Methoxy-7 has not been established for humans, but the two gram range should be safe. As always, consult with your physician before embarking on any exercise, nutrition, or supplementation regimen. Your mileage may vary.
"The safety of Ipriflavone was confirmed on animals when mega-doses where given to them. Up to 4000 mg per kilogram were applied with absolutely zero side effects. Rather, they just gained more lean muscle!" (*)
Yes when I quit smoking, for 12 days I ate over 3400 calories per day, did light exercise due to a strained lower back, and took 1.8 grams of ecdysterone per day. I lost weight (5 pounds) and gained some strength, and was able to increment all of my lifts. I believe that the benefits of this supplement were augmented at three times the recommended dose of 600 mg for a 250 - 300 lb man. Reference * Ipriflavone Info And Products
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