To supplement or not to supplement ? that is the question on more bodybuilder's lips than ever before. Are they safe? What works and what doesn't?
Lets have a look at the basics.
There are various reasons why athletes may be interested in supplementation.
· Concern about getting adequate nutrients from our food supply.
· Suspicion of pharmaceuticals.
· Belief that diet alone will not achieve optimal nutrition
Supplements include the following:
· Vitamins
· Minerals
· Amino Acids
· Herbs
The concerning thing about supplements is that anything classified as a dietary supplement is not required to meet any FDA or other standards! Think about that! there are no regulations in place that guarantee the safety or purity of something sold as a supplement.
They are also not made to meet the similar safety requirements as prescription drugs or any other manufacturing standards. They are not required to meet product potency or purity ratings and are not required to prove the effectiveness of any health claim that is made.
Studies suggest that a number of supplements may deliver on advertising claims. However, trainees are spending large sums of money on products that have little or no proven usefulness.
Personally I find the use of supplements over rated and as with strength training, supplementation asks the same question "if a little is good then maybe more has to be better"
Supplementation and steroids started to proliferate when volume strength training became the training system of the day. Young strength trainees slaving in the gym for five to six days a week was seen as normal. All this without making any progress or putting on any size whatsoever.
They then turned to the latest supplement or steroid thinking that this is the magic bullet to put on that added muscle when all the time they were just plain "overtraining"
The cold hard facts are that the majority of the regular trainees in your gym are overtraining. The sad reality is that the type of training that you find in bodybuilding books and magazines (and used by the stars) are irrelevant to the majority of the population and has a high failure rate.
If more bodybuilders started using more infrequent, short, high intensity weight training sessions, followed by the required amount of time to recover and become stronger?
MOST OF THE WEIGHT GAIN SUPPLEMENTS AND STERIODS AVAILABLE TODAY WOULD NOT BE NEEDED.
The bottom line on weight gain supplements
· Before taking a supplement try to make modifications to your diet that might achieve the same goals.
· Only choose products that show the amount of active ingredients on the label that are required.
· Be aware that "natural" does not mean 'safe'
· Some herbal supplements may have unpleasant side effects.
Listed below are some popular bodybuilding supplements available on the market today:
Creatine monohydrate
Creatine was first introduced to the market place some eight years ago and has since become the most popular bodybuilding supplement of all time.
Creatine is said to significantly increase lean muscle mass, improve performance, increase energy levels and speed up recovery rates. Creatine also stimulates the uptake of amino acids in the proteins, which means that the more that it's used the more muscle that may be grown.
Dosage: A loading phase of 20grams a day for the first five days then a maintenance phase of 5grams a day from then on.
Whey Protein isolate
The highest yield of protein currently available and is extracted from milk. This is another popular supplement for athletes and bodybuilders because of its high proportion of amino acids. It is supposed to be high in potassium, which is essential for muscle growth and is an antioxidant and a good immune system builder.
Dosage: 20gms - 100gms a day.
Tibulus Terrestris
Tribulus terrestris is a plant that grows in many tropical and moderate areas of the world and is very rich in chemical compounds such as saponins, flavonoids and alkaloids.
Tribulus terrestris is supposedly a testosterone enhancer. and increases sex drives in both men and women.
Dosage as per bottle.
Glutamine
Is a non-essential amino acid, which makes up to 60% of the amino acids in the bodies muscles. Glutamine containing products are protein shakes and good quality protein powders; it can also be added to protein shakes for added potency.
Dosage: 5grams to 15 grams per day.
So please remember a supplement is something added to the diet to make up for a nutritional deficiency or imbalance they are not intended to substitute for eating a balanced diet. If they are to be taken at all they should only be used to supplement the diet and not replace it.
Gary is the author of several ebooks, including "Maximum Weight Loss in Ten Weeks" - the complete ebook and time-saving solution for burning away unwanted fat, and "Maximum Weight Gain in Ten Weeks" - easy-to-use and follow techniques that serve as a guide to muscle growth without having to "live in the gym".
Visit Gary's website at http://www.maximumfitness.com/
The next step on your road to real health is... Read More
Your Immune system Needs BalanceTaking an immune system supplement daily... Read More
Herbal Supplement ? what is it?So what is an herbal... Read More
Our system uses a free-form gas called Nitric Oxide as... Read More
OK, first let's get something straight here...If you think that... Read More
A fat burner supplement operates by breaking down body fat... Read More
HGH is an exciting new phenomenon, which aspires to help... Read More
If you think that smoking is a harmless little hobby... Read More
Proper nutrition is fundamental to optimizing your health. By eating... Read More
In a perfect world, your children would eat a balanced... Read More
Supplement is a word defined by Webster as such: Something... Read More
Lipovarin ReviewSince the ban on ephedra based products in April... Read More
Antioxidant vitamins perform many important tasks that our bodies benefits... Read More
The mankind has never stopped searching for the scerets of... Read More
I've been feeling a tired and slow lately. Just don't... Read More
In July of 1995, the United States Department of Agriculture... Read More
Coral Calcium is an excellent source of readily accessible and... Read More
Over recent years, mens herbal health care has become big... Read More
Everyone has an occasional sleepless night, and this is not... Read More
Nutrition Supplement ? nutrition.Nutrition supplement is a term familiar to... Read More
I know protein is good for me, but do I... Read More
Whey proteins drinks, especially shakes, are available in a variety... Read More
MSM (methyl-sulfonyl-methane) is a nutritional supplement derived from natural organic... Read More
Since its discovery in the late 1950â??s Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10)... Read More
The findings, published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and... Read More
Did you know that most store bought vitamins and minerals... Read More
Many people take amino acids for height growth these days.... Read More
While HA has dramatically increased in popularity and use within... Read More
At the moment we are in the grip of an... Read More
Vitamin B6 is the hardest working nutrient in the human... Read More
With all of the exciting things people are seeing in... Read More
Do you ever find yourself asking any or all of... Read More
Creatine is an amino acid that is in meat and... Read More
Calcium is the most abundant mineral in the human body... Read More
1. What supplements do you take?A multivitamin, Glucosamine-MSM-Chondroitin, Odorless Garlic,... Read More
A lot of people actually pay a good deal of... Read More
There are numerous herbal supplements on the market today that... Read More
Riboflavin is a common name for vitamin B-2 and was... Read More
A long time ago, in the country far, far away,... Read More
If you suffer from arthritis pain, chances are you've heard... Read More
Vitamins are an important part of a health diet. Unlike... Read More
Nitric oxide is a free form gas produced by the... Read More
Every minute of every day the cells of our... Read More
Will common sense ever prevail? We've all seen stories on... Read More
Since Dr Basant Puri, a consultant psychiatrist and senior lecturer... Read More
Dietary Supplement Vitamin - why is it important?Dietary supplement vitamin... Read More
There is a huge market when it comes to vitamins.... Read More
If you're smart, you should not only be focused on... Read More
I often hear people say that they have smoked for... Read More
We live in a health conscious generation where vitamins and... Read More
How can I improve my health and lifestyle beyond diet... Read More
Some fitness adherents are supplement crazy and spend money like... Read More
What Is Thiamin?Known as Vitamin B1, thiamin was the very... Read More
Whey protein is a high quality powder made from cow's... Read More
Actually, my headache is not the result of just thinking... Read More
When selecting a brand of Colostrum, you should be sure... Read More
Both types of unsaturated fatty acids are contained within neuronal... Read More
HMB stands for beta-hydroxy beta-methylbutyrate. It is a metabolite of... Read More
Benefits of using Vitamin A products:Retinol is pure and active... Read More
Whey proteins drinks, especially shakes, are available in a variety... Read More
The mankind has never stopped searching for the scerets of... Read More
The real facts about Vitamin C may surprise you. First... Read More
The real benefits of Vitamin E may surprise you. First... Read More
We all know that vitamin C is one of the... Read More
Hormones are chemical messengers made up of amino acids and... Read More
The Challenge of Free Radicals to Your BodyYour body is... Read More
Nutritional Supplements |