Diet, Nutrition and SupplementationPost here for supplement reviews or nutritional advice. If you're trying to get "ripped abz" THIS is where you should be.
I saw it posted this evening and I'm wondering how many more supplements they can come up with. Threads keep talking about this "Anaconda" stuff that is supposed to rival their Mag-10 prohormone in results. And don't get me wrong I really like Biotest products but some of it just seems too much for me. I guess I'll stick to my multi, ON Whey, Metabolic Drive, Fish Oil, Surge and Spike!
The one specialty supp. that has sort of caught my eye from them is the Rez-V but again that is something I'm going to wait on a bit; at least until I'm not a poor college kid
As much as I love T-nation, their authors, and the idea behind their website, their supplement line is slowly evolving into another muscletech in my opinion. Now, they do have quality stuff like surge, metabolic drive, power drive, Flameout, BCAA's, etc., although quite expensive, effective products. But they just seem to come out with a lot of crap out of nowhere with no research besides their own product description, that simply seems aimed at making money, i.e. Carbolin-19, Methoxy-7, their super tribulus (tribulus worthless anyway for unless your test is significantly lowered), Rez-v (While resveratrol has anti-aging effects, I have yet to find anything significantly relating it to test levels), and now this Beta-7. $48 for a 30 day supply at their lowest recomended dosing, while creatine is $35 for over a years worth and has been proven effective. I haven't read their description yet or even researched beta-alanine, but I'll bet anybody anything right now that it ain't the next creatine. Why? Because their is no 'next' creatine. If you understand how creatine works and anything about the ADP to ATP process you realize their really is no way to improve on creatine, as long as it gets in the muscle tissue (and for 90% of the population plain monohydrate powder works fine), it works. The problem with creatine for supplement companies? Same as caffiene. It's cheap, but effective. So supplement companies must come up with other products claiming to be better to make more money.
Save your money. Just my .02.
__________________
I do not workout. I TRAIN.
I do not eat. I FEED.
I do not sleep. I RECHARGE.
My greatest fear in this life is the fear of being ordinary.
OK, just skimming through the interview, here's a couple things making me raise an eyebrow:
Quote:
Oh, by the way, they were not on a restricted caloric diet. They ate whatever they wanted and still lost fat!
Do I really have to explain what's wrong with that?
Quote:
TC: Fat loss? Why would there be a reduction in body fat?
JS: We were stumped on this one, too. When we analyzed the diet of the creatine vs. creatine + beta-alanine groups, we found no difference in total calories or protein content in their diet.
However, the creatine and beta-alanine group had a much higher training volume for every workout for the 10 weeks.
First off, you had 22 different football players making up these two groups, eating whatever they wanted, but somehow there were no differences in their calorie and protien intake? And you had one group using a much higher training volume? When testing on variable (creatine alone vs. creatine + beta-alanine) all other variables (i.e. exercise volume), should remain as constant as possible.
Quote:
HOWEVER, Biotest's BETA-7 uses the very latest in time-release technology which will allow for a 24-hour presence of beta-alanine in the blood from only 3 doses a day.
This will solve the problem of having to take 4 to 8 doses per days to get the same effect and that annoying paraesthesia!! Nice!
Just to let you know, this Dr. was also the head of GNC's Pro Performance line, now it seems likes he's towing the biotest company line.
Not saying this stuff doesn't work, nobody knows right now, all I'm saying is be skeptical.
__________________
I do not workout. I TRAIN.
I do not eat. I FEED.
I do not sleep. I RECHARGE.
My greatest fear in this life is the fear of being ordinary.
First off, you had 22 different football players making up these two groups, eating whatever they wanted, but somehow there were no differences in their calorie and protien intake? And you had one group using a much higher training volume? When testing on variable (creatine alone vs. creatine + beta-alanine) all other variables (i.e. exercise volume), should remain as constant as possible.
I think that they meant "on average." Looking at both groups, they averaged similar macro and calorie levels.
If the one group did signifacantly more more work during that time, that would certainly explain why they lost fat. Does the "article" tell the difference is muscle gain between the two groups?
I'm skeptical, as well. I'm sure it works, but does it work well enough to justify the cost? Not for me. If I were rich, I'd have a cupboard full of supplements, but I'm not rich, so I have protein powder, fish oil, and creatine.
I've seen the research first hand and I know that this supplement is not garbage: It really works and it does what Jeff Stout states that it does.
Although there are few pubmed papers online right at the moment, that doesn't mean that the research hasn't been conducted. It takes a long time to get any paper accepted and published, even though the research is legit and is just anxiously waiting to be printed on paper. Beta-alanine has a solid line of research behind it and the findings will be out just as soon as the reviewers get off their butts and accept the damn papers.
If you want to spend your money wisely, you should invest in this product -especially if you're someone who is worried about weight gain from creatine (i.e. body weight sports like cycling and running) or you're a non-responder to creatine.
Beta-alanine is not crap and it does work.
Jeff Stout is an honest researcher who has just been in the right place at the right time. He's been lucky enough to be contacted by supplement companies such as Biotest and GNC and asked to be their scientific advisor - it does not mean that he's pulling your leg and only wants to make a buck.
I'm happy that Biotest collaborated with Jeff to make this product and will be one of the people taking it.
(PS> I have nothing to gain from writing this, but just wanted to let you know that I am one of the scientists that have seen it's effects in action).
I've seen the research first hand and I know that this supplement is not garbage: It really works and it does what Jeff Stout states that it does.
Although there are few pubmed papers online right at the moment, that doesn't mean that the research hasn't been conducted. It takes a long time to get any paper accepted and published, even though the research is legit and is just anxiously waiting to be printed on paper. Beta-alanine has a solid line of research behind it and the findings will be out just as soon as the reviewers get off their butts and accept the damn papers.
If you want to spend your money wisely, you should invest in this product -especially if you're someone who is worried about weight gain from creatine (i.e. body weight sports like cycling and running) or you're a non-responder to creatine.
Beta-alanine is not crap and it does work.
Jeff Stout is an honest researcher who has just been in the right place at the right time. He's been lucky enough to be contacted by supplement companies such as Biotest and GNC and asked to be their scientific advisor - it does not mean that he's pulling your leg and only wants to make a buck.
I'm happy that Biotest collaborated with Jeff to make this product and will be one of the people taking it.
(PS> I have nothing to gain from writing this, but just wanted to let you know that I am one of the scientists that have seen it's effects in action).
Cassandra
Hey Cass!!
Its CF approved. I may have to give this a shot down the road. Would this be saved for a bulking cycle?
No, you don't have to save B-alanine for bulking cycles. Read the article again and you'll see that it actually helps to improve training performance in all aspects of cardio and anaerobic exercise. (see: improved anaerobic threshold). This means you can sustain more activity in many types of exercise at any given time. So... your BBall game will jump through the roof!
(I'll be back in the US in a few days... right now still enjoying Canada)
No, you don't have to save B-alanine for bulking cycles. Read the article again and you'll see that it actually helps to improve training performance in all aspects of cardio and anaerobic exercise. (see: improved anaerobic threshold). This means you can sustain more activity in many types of exercise at any given time. So... your BBall game will jump through the roof!
(I'll be back in the US in a few days... right now still enjoying Canada)
ttys!
Thanks Cass!
HAve a good vacation, then we have to get that Blog going!
I read it too, and have the same hopes and skepticisms about it. I have good feelings though, since they didn't invent a new kind of creatine, just claim to have figured out a creatine 'stack' that renders it more effective.
I don't think the fat loss quip will hold water...at least not consistently. There's always the couple oddball guys that can eat anything and as long as they lift they shed a little fat.
I'm not sure why people are hooked on the fat loss thing. Biotest isn't really pushing this as a weight loss product. It is a "do more work so you burn more calories and build more muscle product."
I'm pretty excited about beta-alanine. Not many compaines are pushing it yet but once they do the price will definately go down.
iSatori also has a beta-alanine product called H-blocker
With all the wackball supplements out there this seems like one that works.
Just wait until MuscleTech gets a hold of it. Then you'll see outrageous claims and prices...
__________________ Mike Roussell
Nutrition Doctoral Student
Don't forget to listen to the latest episode of Max-Out Radio featuring Zach Even-Esh.
Biotest's Beta7: The next creatine
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