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SPORTS
SUPPLEMENTS
So what's the
best 3 out there and how best to use them?
We are often asked what are the
most effective Sports Supplements to use. Not a day goes past when it seems that
either another product is released or another company starts operation. This can
sometimes leave us totally confused so I can only imagine how a novice trainer
with no expierence can feel. This is why some of the not-so reputable companies
pray on the novice trainer. They target this group, spinning their advertising
hype trying to make their quick sales, leaving the client totally confused with
their lack of progress and empty wallet.
So what is effective in the
big bad supplement world? OK, lets work out the mechanics behind building
muscle. We all know that weight training is just the stimulus to enable you body
to build muscle. But training is just the trigger; we need the ammunition to
finish the job. Building muscle, apart from training can be summarised by
nutrition, intensity and recovery. By focusing on these three areas we will be
able to gain all the muscle we can ever hope for - naturally and whilst
remaining healthy.
Nutrition - Protein = Muscle.
The quality and the way in which you approach nutrition are vital to any type of
success that will be achieved. Most people have heard the phrase you are what
you eat' Well when it comes to gaining muscle and losing bodyfat this is more
relevant then ever. When it comes down to it, muscle is protein and protein is
muscle. By using an effective protein supplement you can dramatically increase
your strength, muscularity and potential for new muscle growth. But now it gets
confusing. Every supplement company out there had a protein product on the
market, whether that is a powder, bar, desert etc. Deciding on what you want and
when you need to use it will determine what you use and the results you will
expierence. Different types for different needs.
I like to place protein powders
into two separate categories:
1.Food
2.Supplement
Confused yet, let me explain. The
protein powders on the market these days are generally made from Whey powder.
Whey was once a waste product used in the dairy industry when they manufactured
cheese. Today, it is a highly effective nutrition supplement. Depending on
whether we class a product a 'food' or a 'supplement' solely depends on its
ingredients and when it is best used for maximum results. Depending on whether
we class it as a 'food' and 'supplement' all boils down to ingredients and
absorption rates in the body.
Protein Powder - Supplement.
The more refined and processed the powder is, the quicker it can be utilised by
the body. The type of powder, which is utilised quickest, is 100% Hydrolysed
Whey Protein Isolate. Closely behind Hydrolysed Protein is Whey Protein Isolate.
These Proteins are best used directly after training. What happens when you
train is when you finish your body is in a highly anabolic (growing) state. To
capitalise on this you need to feed your body quickly and effectively. If you do
not, you body will start to break down existing muscle tissue to obtain the
necessary building blocks (Amino Acids) to repair the trained muscles. The
reason you should drink a Hydrolysed protein supplement at this time is that it
is broken down an utilised by the body quicker then any other product available.
The nutrients in Hydrolysed whey are in the blood system within 20 minutes
feeding hungry muscles. This is why we class this as a supplement. During the
rest of the day we want to feed our bodies a constant supply of nutrients.
Hydrolysed whey has been specifically designed to be quick acting so is not as
effective as other varieties for this purpose. Enter the 'food' protein Powder.
Protein Powder - Food. The
key to building muscle is to supply your body a constant supply of nutrients,
every 2-3 hours. If you are going to consume a protein drink as a meal then you
need to consume one in which will supply nutrients until your next feeding.
Enter the Protein Powder Meal Replacement or Synergistic Protein Powder. In the
above table you noticed that there was 4 different types of protein. We will
focus on Whey Protein Isolate, Whey Protein Concentrate and Calcium Caseinate.
Soy Protein is another variety but due to its high level of Phyto-estrogens is
not recommended for males with muscle growth in mind.
Different types of Whey all have
a specific role. You will recognise Whey Isolate from the above paragraph. We
use this due to its fast acting capabilities. Whey Concentrate is used because
it is slower acting them Whey Isolate and Calcium Caseinate is used because it
is slower acting then the previous two. When used all together, the end result
is far superior product then if using one single source of protein. When
consumed, we have a steady supply of nutrients entering the system, supplied
over a period of several hours, which is so vital for muscle growth. This
combination is not only Anabolic (muscle growth producing) but also
Anti-Catabolic (reducing muscle breakdown). This is like your insurance policy
in regards to muscle growth.
A couple of these 'food' meals a
day can greatly contribute to your success in and out of the gym. To sum it up,
use a 100% Hydrolysed Whey Protein Isolate directly after training and use a
combination of on Whey Protein Isolate, Whey Protein Concentrate and Calcium
Caseinate during the rest of the day as either meal replacements or meal
enhancers.
Intensity. Intensity is
what it's all about. The greater the intensity you train at and the more energy
you have for training the better your results will be. The one supplement which
has been proven to not only substantially increase training intensity and
energy, but dramatically increase lean muscle gains as well is Creatine
Monohydrate.
Creatine is bodybuilding's
ultimate supplement, and for good reason. For one thing, creatine can
significantly increase lean muscle mass in just two weeks. It is also
responsible for improving performance in high-intensity exercise, increasing
energy levels, and speeding up recovery rates. It's no wonder athletes who use
it have such of an edge over those who do not. Soon nearly every athlete who
competes will use it (if they don't already).
Creatine's ability to enhance
energy reserves in muscles comes from its muscle protein synthesizing action,
while minimizing protein breakdown. This occurs because creatine has the awesome
effect of super-hydrating muscle cells with water. It enhances muscles' growth
too-making muscle fibers bigger and stronger. Quite a few studies have been done
on creatine to figure out why and how it works so well. There have been over
twenty double blind (meaning neither the researchers nor the subjects knew who
was getting what), placebo-controlled studies conducted on creatine in the past
five years. They proved that creatine increased energy levels, resulting in
increased strength, endurance levels, and recovery rates.
Another unexpected benefit
attributed to creatine was discovered as well: creatine accelerates fat loss,
while building lean body mass! As you may have noticed Creatine is one of those
supplements that 'every' company out their produces. This is good in a way that
it brings the overall price of this supplement down making it more affordable
for more people, but it also lets in the hungry money sales types into the
equation. This means that with some products the quality is questionable. When
buying a creatine product, ensure you buy a reputable brand from a proven. To
put it simply, Creatine Monohydrate is able to:
* Increase Muscle Torque
* Increase Muscle Cell Volume
* Increase Muscle Energy
* Increase Muscle Strength
* Increase Muscle Endurance
* Enhances Recovery
So, how do you use Creatine
Monohydrate? To start with, you need to load on Creatine to 'saturate' your
muscles creatine levels. The reason we do this is because the greatest effect
will be achieved and the chance of growth highlighted in this saturated state.
To effectively do this you would take 4-6 x 5 gram serves a day for 5-7 days.
Afterwards for would follow what is called a 'maintenance' dose which is 5-10
grams a day for 1 month. Afterwards, you can either take 2-4 weeks off Creatine
Monohydrate or you can directly follow the loading process again.
Some people feel like they need
to take a break from this supplement but there is no research to prove that this
is needed - it all comes down to personal preference.
Recovery. You might be
using the most effective training program in the world, have the most dedicated
of training partners and a faultless approach to nutrition, unless you fully
'recover' between training sessions you WILL NOT achieve your goals. Recovery is
so vital to the success that you will expierence that if it is only marginally
affected it can spell disaster for your fitness goals. So how do we enhance
recovery?
* Use an abbreviated training
program focusing on compound movements
* Train each muscle group only
once a week
* Try to get as much sleep as
possible (the ideal 8 hours is good)
* Have a sound nutrition plan
eating good wholesome food
* Each regularly - every 2-3
hours (and that includes night time as well)
* Take a week off training every
8-10 weeks
* Don't used so called training
techniques as Forced Reps, Supersets etc (anything that will hinder recovery)
* Use L-Glutamine
The last point, using L-Glutamine
has been singled out by many people as a so called 'secret weapon' in their
recovery process. There is nothing 'secret' about L-Glutamine so lets have a
look at what it is and what it does.
Glutamine literally drives muscle
building nitrogen into the muscle cell where it is synthesized for growth. In a
recent release of the prestigious American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, the
results of a study on glutamine revealed that a single oral dose (less then 5
grams) of glutamine elevated circulating growth hormone levels by over 400%!
That's right - 400%! Significant? You bet your ass it is. With L-Glutamine
you'll be able to effortlessly increase your growth hormone levels by over 400%!
By keeping a consistently high
level of circulating growth hormone, you are able to combat the catabolic
effects of weight training, harness the anabolic activity of increased glucose
and amino acid uptake, improve whole body nitrogen retention, and increase lean
tissue protein accrual. Supplementing with L-Glutamine may just be the most
effective way of assisting new muscle growth! So there you have it.
By supplementing your training
with good quality Whey Protein, Micronised Creatine Monohydrate and L-Glutamine,
you have all the bases covered. You are supplying your body with high amounts of
Protein, increasing your Energy and Intensity and enhancing your Recovery. Now
all you need to do is go out and attack those weights like never before.
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