What to Take with Creatine Ethyl Ester

Here is a good question from one of our loyal readers, "Tarheel Tim" from New Bern, NC.

I have been taking creatine ethyl ester (BSN CellMass is the best brand, in my opinion) for about 2 and a half weeks now, and I am already seeing incredible results with no noticeable side effects! So first off, I wanted to say thanks to you for writing this blog because it was what finally convinced me to give CEE a shot....so thanks!

My question is this: what supplements would you recommend, if any, that I take along with creatine ethyl ester? Thanks in advance!

Well Tim, that is a great question. And you are definitely welcome for this site, that's what we put it here for! Now on to your question...

First things first: before anyone should even worry about any type of bodybuilding or muscle building supplements, you need to FIRST make sure that your diet is adequate. If you are trying to build muscle and get bigger and stronger, you need to make sure that you are getting enough protein. Shoot for about 1.5 grams of protein for every pound that you weigh. Get as much of this as you can from natural food sources, especially healthy foods like chicken breasts, shrimp, and tuna.

You also want to make sure that you are taking in enough calories to fuel muscle growth! This seems basic, but this is probably the single biggest mistake that most "hard gainers" are making. Even the best supplements can't help you pack on the pounds if you aren't getting enough fuel for your body. So get to eating!

With all that said, you will not want to suck down food indiscriminately. All calories are not equal, plus you want to keep healthy and live for a long time, right? So follow most of your basic health guidelines, being sure to get plenty of fruit, veggies, variety, and avoid too much saturated fat, sodium, etc.

You will also want to AVOID SUGARS, sweets (even artificially sweetened foods), and simple, refined carbs as much as possible. Simple carbs/sugars spike your blood sugar, switching your body into fat storage mode, rather than muscle building/fat burning mode. (This is simplified, but this is the gist of it.)

Creatine Ethy Ester, Glutamine, Protein: The Three Amigos of Muscle Building

So, finally, allow me to answer your question. What supplements should you consider taking along with your creatine supplement?

Number one on the list is a protein supplement. Whey protein is generally the best, and I would generally recommend a whey protein powder to make into a shake. Drink your protein shake immediately after working out to aid in recovery. This will probably be just as effective (if not more so) than an expensive post workout drink. Mix your protein powder with milk if at all possible to get the maximum benefit. Also, try to get as much protein as possible from food, but use your protein supplement to reach your daily protein goal.

Finally, another supplement to consider is L-glutamine. Some people will argue that you will get enough of this with your protein, but I feel that an extra supplement could provide some benefit. Glutamine is a non-essential amino acid that plays a major role in protein synthesis.

These three bodybuilding supplements, along with proper nutrition/diet and effective weight training, will give you the boost you are looking for. However, if you are unsure about the glutamine, you should still see most of the benefit by sticking with the whey protein supplements and the creatine ethyl ester.