Does anyone have a favorite pre- and post-workout supplement or meal?

Hi Bradley,

Interestingly, the best thing for recovery is not what you take after training, it's what you take before! As I've written many times before on Fitness Inventor, essential amino acids (EAAs) taken before training, have been shown to have the strongest effect of protein synthesis (the process that builds and repairs muscle). So you should still have whey protein with carbs and creatine, etc after training but it won't crank up the muscle-building process as much as EAAs taken just before training.

For the details, see my previous answer, which explains the benefits of EAAs over protein, etc before training - Is it worth drinking a protein shake whilst I'm working out?

..I'll answer the "buzz" part of the question in a few hours...gotta go right now...

Hi Bradley

Part 2:

For a "buzz", the strongest legal stimulant is 1,3 dimethylamylamine (DMAA, geranium) - as found in Jack3d, Neurocore, Rocked, NOX Pump, Code Red, Hemo Rage Black, Mutant Mayhem, etc. For most people, this ingredient will give the most noticeable stimulant effect.

However, it has yet to be proven that this stuff helps burn fat or increase performance. Caffeine and green tea both have strong evidence that they do increase fat burning and exercise performance. Also, geranium / 1,3 dimethylamylamine / DMAA constrict blood vessels and may actually make it harder to get a pump or to deliver oxygen and nutrients to the muscles.

So for mental focus, motivation and stimulant effect, "1,3 dimethyl" may be the best choice but we need to see more research done on this ingredient to see if it has any bona fide positive effects for bodybuilders, athletes, sportsmen, fitness models, etc...