New member with new stack review

[M3RRY]

How's it going guys, I have had this application for my workouts for a little over 2 months and I love it, however I am new to the forums. I am 25 years old, and I have always enjoyed working out and staying fit. Typically, I have used just a multivitamin and a post workout low carb protein shake as I have not wanted to gain weight, I like being lean. However, lately I have been wanting to gain a little wait but continue to stay lean as well. Currently I am 167lbs and 10.8% body fat (as of my last test 3 months ago). My main goal is to be at 185 and continue to keep a low percentage of body fat. I did a lot of research and came across a few supplements I was going to give a try to help me reach my goal. I am not new to working out, however I am new to different supplements besides protein, so any info or reviews about the ones I chose would be great. I was born with an irregular heartbeat and I know that pre-workout supplements are typically spiked with stimulants, so after a few sample packs I decided to stick with a nice BCAA mix to use as my pre-workout. Here is my small stack, I will keep everyone updated on progress and thoughts about the products I am using.

I work long hours so I always get to the gym at around 6am.


I start with Dymatize ISO 100 Smooth Banana shake with skim milk mixed with a carb source (bagel,cereal,etc..)
EDIT: Also add I take Animal Pak multi when I wake up.
I take 3 tablets of Now amino9 essentials BCAA pre and post workout. (5 is one serving)
One serving of Purple Wraath amino acid mix during my workout.
One serving of Now Omega 3-6-9 fish oil post workout.
One serving of Dark Matter post workout supp immediately after workout.

Today again was my first day using this and I worked on my shoulders and arms, pretty good workout so I am excited to see how I feel in the morning as Dark Matter is known to be a great post workout to help with sorenessa and recovery. It is a thick drink overall, however is decently tasting. Again, I will let you know the progress of how I am doing, hopefull I will get a few followers to give me their advice and reviews if you have used the product. Thanks for tuning in!! Talk to you soon!

Dustin Merry

[M3RRY]

So far I have still felt a nice pump going throughout my day. I have heard many people feeling the same way from the Dark Matter, tastes great, again a little thick but overall not bad at all. The pump I have feels almost like I just stopped lifting, but I was out of the gym at 745am.. Only downfall so far with todays experience is the Omega fish oil makes my burps taste really fishy (however that is expected I guess, but I have never taken fish oil so just not used to it).

[OptikaNET]

To be honest I think that, unless you are an olympic powerlifter, most supplements are a waste of money. With the exception of the one supplement you don't have there - creatine!!!

If you've got money to burn then fair enough. So far as I can see, none of that is going to do you any harm. "Dark Matter" I'm unfamiliar with but a quick google shows it's essentially a sophisticated protein shake.

If you are looking to gain muscle mass, getting plenty of protein is the key. During a mass gaining phase I have at least three protein shakes a day and load with creatine (lots of articles out there on how to most effectively use creatine - remember to take time away from it as well, or the body will stop making its own).

Branched Chain Amino Acids are vital to the body, and shown to have anabolic properties, but I'm unconvinced that the cost of purified AAs is justified, since they are found in whey protein isolates anyway (perhaps in lower quantities).

My advice is to get the diet right, and supplement with lots of protein; varied protein sources are best in the diet (soya, egg, milk (whey and casein), beans, fish, white meat, red meat etc) and whey shakes are quite cheap. Use creatine as directed and take a multivitamin.

The rest is entirely optional. Your goals are perfectly achievable without it as long as you get into the gym and work those weights. A postworkout protein something is essential. An energy drink or equivalent will keep your blood sugar stable as you workout (on energy drinks your-mileage-may-vary, but personally I find them essential. Best option is to mix your own, but I see no harm in the commercial ones used in moderation).

It's common to put on a little fat as you gain muscle mass. This can be avoided with careful diet (at risk of putting the muscle on more slowly), or - since it sounds like you have a fast metabolism anyway - you can accept the weight and then cut when you reach your desired muscle mass. It sounds as if that would be relatively easy for you. (Some of us find this hard!).

It's up to you, and no doubt there are some hardcore-supplement fans on this forum who'll be along in a moment to tell you how wrong I am (supplements tend to be somewhat of a "marmite" issue and their fans can be quite - errmmm... vocal!). To be honest, though, I think you are being misled by all the advertising out there as it sounds like you are quite capable of reaching your goals without spending all this money on pseudo-pharmaceuticals!

Best of luck with your workouts!

Kind Regards
Dave

[M3RRY]

Thank you very much for your imput Dave, it is really appreciated. I edited my original post as I forgot to mention that I also take Animal Pak as my multi (used to use megamen sport, but wanted to try something new). Also, I know about creatine, and I have done a lot of research into these products before using them. Dark Matter does have Creatine in it, and from reading probably over 100 reviews, the overall product rates a 4.8 of 5 on fitflex.com (great website for reviews). I also do not want to take any energy drinks or potent pre-workouts as again I have an irregular heartbeat and do not want to take anything that is spiked with stimulants. Thank you a ton for all information, I look forward to progress.

[OptikaNET]

Then make your own energy drinks; for example - 2 spoons of glucose powder, 1 spoon of Fructose powder and six scoops of hydrolysed corn starch in a litre of water and flavour with whatever you want (eg orange squash - but I recommend you use the sugar-free versions or it ends up REALLY sweet!).

You can add a spoonful of salt to that or - better still - rehydration salts. Maybe a soluble multivitamin.

I'm sure there are better recipes out there, but that is the one I used to use.

Kind Regards
Dave

[OptikaNET]

Personally I don't recommend taking protein supplementation during a workout - it will overtax the digestive system at a time the body is diverting blood flow away from the viscera and to the muscles and skin. The most likely result is bloating and nausea, and it's likely that all but simple nutrients (eg glucose etc) will simply go straight through you without being absorbed!

I'm not sure of the wisdom of taking Amino Acid supplements during the workout. If they are purified molecules then they are pretty simple and may be absorbed (simple sugars are absorbed by the stomach but Aminos are absorbed in the Duodenum and so, since the stomach empties half its contents in one hour, it is likely that taking them during workout won't actually make any difference at all!) but I suspect they probably won't be taken up during the workout anyway.

During the workout sugars and rehydration salts are the thing (and vitamin C is valuable too), post workout is when you want to feed the body - especially in the hour immediately following exercise.

Kind Regards
Dave

PS, there are lots of studies saying this supplement or that supplement helps workout. In my experience of reading these things for twenty years I find that no sooner does one come out than another comes out which contradicts it. The fact is that the biochemistry of exercise is very complex and hard to study in isolation. In something like 50 years the basic exercise advice has hardly changed! Despite all the may-fly studies...

[M3RRY]

Thank you for that recipe, maybe after this phase I will give it a shot. Your information is great and very appreciated, thank you Dave! keep in touch with this thread and give me advice while I go along the journey! haha

thanks again!

[M3RRY]

Well today was day two. I have very little soreness from my arms and shoulders workout yesterday. Today I did a recovery of shoulders (light weight) just to stretch them a little and I worked my chest hard. I really pushed myself as hard as I could go to really see how this Dark Matter works. I am ALWAYS really sore after a chest workout, so we will see if all these reviews I have read are accurate. As for everything my feelings overall, I feel great. I know this is only the second day, but I am really pumping myself up to go strong during this trial.

Also, I heard that refrigerating the Omega 3 pills really reduces the fishy burps... I will try that as well and let you know.

Any advice again is appreciated. I will check my weight this weekend and see where I stand as well.

[M3RRY]

Alright, for anyone who is slightly paying attention to this haha, today I did feel a little sore in the shoulders, but nothing too bad at all. However, I will be finding out for sure how well this Dark Matter works as I did legs today and I am ALWAYS veryyy sore after legs, I don't know why. Also, keeping those Omega pills in the refrigerator really did work! Barely any fishy burps lol. I know this is not supposed to be a review website, but I am doing this log for my own experience and tracking of the different things I am trying. I am very excited to see where I stand one,two, and even three months down the line.

[M3RRY]

Well today was not bad at all! I went to the gym and usually when I start off with a light cardio workout to get warmed up, I can really feel it in my legs after a great leg workout the day before. Today I felt great, legs had minimal soreness and I was able to complete my whole workout without much fatigue. After taking many different samples, I really cannot get over how well I feel while working out after a serving of Purple Wraath, it gives me the energy, pump, and endurance I have been looking for.
Today I actually added a few exercises to my arms and shoulder routine as I was not that tired after finishing my normal workout, and with the application I use to track my progress, I had broke a few of my own personal records, so I wasn't going light at all. So far I am pleased with this stack and feel like there is not much I would change, again I will have to see how I feel after a full cycle. Hope everyone had a great day.