Does anyone use GNC brand supplements (not sure if they have them overseas or if they're just a US store)? I noticed yesterday (it was my first time in there) that they're pretty overpriced and was wondering what kind of quality there stuff was? Is it worth the extra money or is there better stuff out there for cheaper? I ended up buying some ZMA and my Wife wanted to get some Thermo-Burst because they were "buy one get one 50% off". Has anyone used Thermo-Burst? I guess i'll see how it goes today... I'm still waiting on my free sample of Spike to arrive... They had Spike in there (50 tablets for $40 which I thought was expensive). Anyway, enough rambling... Back to my original question: Is GNC worth the overpricing or should I order from a different website?
I am not sure about how they are seen in the BB community but they don't seem to bad to me. As for the prices I think they bad at first site but when you get a membership card (over heres its about £10) they go down to a very reasonable one. I'm not really a supplement freak so I think you will find better opinions from other on here.
GNC products are good quality, but WAY over-priced. You can find similar or better products online much cheaper.
Locally I bought a membership and used to buy my protein powder there. Then I realized they are just plain and simply over-priced. They also sell a lot of CRAP. And their sales people NEVER know what they are talking about, in my experiences. I had this girl telling me I should buy their brand of protein powder instead of my Allmax and that it had more protein in it. I told her to look at the percentages, not the amount per serving because their brand serving was twice as much, vs 10 grams more protein. Then she tells me I should get 40 grams per serving anyway... Last time I shopped there. There is a place right around the corner from my gym that carries everything I want - Popeye's Supplements. They are better priced than GNC (even with a gold card membership), they know what they are talking about and will recommend for OR AGAINST a product depending on your goals, they give fair reviews of products and who they may or may not work for, AND they give out a few "popeyes dollars" with every purchase I made so far which drops another few dollars off the price. In the end my protein costs about $5 less at popeyes as I would pay at GNC after buying a membership AND the guys who work there are honest and know what they are talking about. Not to mention I pass it on my way to the gym. I'd say keep shopping around.
Well the guy who worked at GNC seemed fairly knowledgeable yesterday. I can't say for certain because I don't know enough myself to make a valid call on that. He was having a few conversations with some people while I was in there, though, and like I said before, he seemed to know what he was talking about. As far as the Thermo-Burst my Wife and I took today for the first time, it seemed to work decently... The recommended amount is 3 tablets 1 hour before working out, my Wife took 2 and I took 3. She was pinging about 45 minutes after taking them, very ... Energetic. I didn't feel it at all, not like she did. I'm feeling a bit pumped now but I can't tell if that's from the workout I just did (I squatted 200lbs for the first time - and I did it 5 times) or if it's actually the Thermo-Burst. I suspect it may be a bit of both... Anyway, we'll see how it goes after two weeks or so of taking it. Another question: As far as ZMA goes - Can anyone suggest a brand or does it matter what brand? I was looking at Bodybuilding.com and they had a few different brands for quite cheap (compared to GNC brand). The Optimum brand was sold out, so I figure that's either the best brand or just a cheap buy. Suggestions on brand?
You know what, for some reason that didn't even register. I knew not to ingest calcium or dairy, but I didn't even think twice when I read "Calcium Carbonate" in the "Other Ingredients" section on the bottle. The GNC brand includes:Riboflavin (Vitamin B-2) 6 mg Vitamin B-6 (as Pyridoxine Hydrochloride) 6 mg Folic Acid 300 mcg Vitamin B12 (as Cyanocobalamin) 3 mcg Magnesium (as Magnesium Aspartate 300mg) 60 mg Zinc (as Zinc Arginate 300mg) 30 mg Copper (as Copper Gluconate) 2 mg Hops Flower Extract (Humulus lupulus) 120 mg Valerian Root Extract (Valeriana officinalis) 500 mg Other Ingredients: Cellulose, Calcium Carbonate, Vegetable Acetoglycerides The Optimum brand ingredients include:Zinc: 30mg (as monomethionine and aspartate) Magnesium: 450mg (as aspartate) Vitamin B6: 10.5mg (as pyridoxine HCl) Other Ingredients: Rice Powder, Gelatin, Magnesium Stearate. Maybe i'll take it back and get my money back and buy a different brand.
Speaking of the lack of knowledge at GNC ... I just returned the ZMA but I kept the Thermo-Burst. I made a point of telling them I was only returning the ZMA... Well, it was a different clerk, a girl this time (maybe 21, 22?)... She gave me all of my money back... For the ZMA and the Thermo-Burst... I tried to tell her, but she just smiled and giggled at my out of state license. Heh, go figure. Oh well.
Where? I use GNC and would like to get away from the high cost. Thier products are good, but as you said costly.
I get my Optimum Nutrition Whey at GNC for 20 bucks flat for a 2.2 lb jug (lasts me a month about). It's not too bad. I haven't had a look at their brands though (they have like, 6 different kinds of proteins or "formulas" or something ) so I just stick to my ON. Unless anyone can recommend anything else besides surge.... And since this is kinda the supplement store topic, anyone have experience with vitamin world? There's one in the mall where I live. Looks like they have a large selection too. Thanks.
For protein, you can't beat www.trueprotein.com. I don't know of any other place that has better products at a lower price. Plus, you can make your own custom mixes if you want something specific. They also have CEE, Creatine Monohydrate, Glutamine, BCAA's, and a few other products as well. Check them out. For everything else, try www.dpsnutrition.com, or www.1fast400.com
if you order more then 25$ try drugstore.com i usually dislike gnc due to their prices as well. however their prices for "nettle" or "stinging nettle" (great for alergies/hay fever or muscle pains (arthritas swelling) was only 8.5$ when online 6.99$... which wasnt a biggy some stuff is 2x as expensive try bodybuilding.com
