In part one, I talked about the
importance
of the right supplementation and also what
supplements
work best for you in order to be a better
bodybuilder
without paying a fortune.
So far I said that a good multivitamin/mineral
formula, with the addition of extra anti-oxidants,
Creatine, L-Glutamine and
Meal Replacement Powders, you can feel secured that
your supplementation program is very good.
But what other supplements can make you an even
better
bodybuilder? That's what we are going to discuss
today.
HMB (Beta-hydroxy-beta-methylbutyrate) - Learn More
It is a metabolite of the amino acid "leucine". It
appears to upgrade the body's natural potential to
build muscle and burn fat by minimizing the muscle
tissue breakdown that occurs after all intense
exercise sessions.
In one study that was published in the "Journal of
Applied
Physiology", it was revealed that athletes who
supplemented their diets with 3 grams of HMB a day,
for
only three weeks, gained three times as much lean
body
mass and experienced an increase in strength two and
a
half times greater than test subjects who followed
the
same workout program but used a placebo.
Also another very good plus, is HMB is very safe
and nontoxic. (You don't need to cycle it).
Despite many people's belief that HMB does not
work, HMB has been extensively studied and has been
found to have a very consistant, positive effect on
protein metabolism. The reason that some people
believe that HMB does not work is because as with
most
supplements, it can not work for the 100% of the
population. It's effectiveness is around 70% for the
people that try it.
Recommended dosage:
3 grams per day. Click here for more info on HMB.
D-Ribose - Learn More
Ribose is a naturally occurring energy metabolite
found in all cells of the body. It plays a vital
role
in myocardial and skeletal muscle metabolism through
it's participation in the synthesis of ATP and other
adenine nucleotides. Research indicates that
supplementing with Ribose is an effective way to
increase
energy levels (ATP) within the muscle cell, enhance
muscular performance, and aid in recovery after high
intensity exercise.
Ribose is a wondrously effective nutrient for
increasing energy, maintaining normal function of
the
heart and skeletal muscles, and keeping energy
levels
high and performance at its peak.
Recommended dosage:
3 to 5 grams per day should
be enough to maintain normal ATP levels. Serious
competitors or individuals concerned about
cardiovascular health may want to take more. 5 to 10
gram
per day is appropriate. Start with the lower dose
first, however, and move up if more seems necessary.
Ribose has been found to be completely safe at these
recommended dosages. Click here to learn more about Ribose.
NAC (N-Acetyl-Cysteine) - Learn More
N-Acetyl-Cysteine (NAC) is an altered form of the
amino acid cysteine, which is commonly found in food
and synthesized by the body. It has been shown to
help
increase glutathione levels by up to 500%.
Research has shown that
NAC supplementation
virtually
eliminates the exercise related changes in
glutathione
status by preventing the increase of oxidized
glutathione in the blood.
Also, in one more study, the positive results were
not
just because of NAC's ability to scavenge free
radicals but also its ability to support higher
levels
of Glutamine in the bloodstream, which aids in
repairing damaged tissue.
Something very interesting about NAC, it has been
found that NAC supplements improved symptoms in
individuals with bronchitis.
Finally remember that NAC may increase urinary zinc
excretion. Therefore, supplemental zinc and copper
should be added when supplementing with NAC for
extended periods.
Recommended dosage:
Take 600mg of NAC every day,
divided in 2 seperated doses through the day. (So take two-300mg dosage,
for better results).
EFA's (Essential Fatty Acids) - Learn More
Many of us have experienced very bad results when we
wanted to diet hard, because we had eliminated fat
from our diet as much as possible. We were thinking
that since fat is bad, if we don't eat fat at all we
will get leaner, right? Totally wrong! The more fat
we refuse to eat,
the more our
testosterone levels drop, insulin function
becomes impaired, muscle growth slows, and
finally we run out of energy.
What most of you don't know, is that there are good
and bad fats around. Some fats are essential to life
itself, not to mention that we need them in order to
have optimal muscle and fat metabolism.
The fats that you should avoid are the saturated and
the hydrogenerated, and these fats are responsible
for
problems like heart disease, cancer, and many more
health problems.
In contrast, Unsaturated and Poly saturated fatty
acids are much healthier (solid evidence shows that
eating EFA's will protect your most important
muscle, your heart), and those are the ones you
should
ALWAYS consume when you are dieting.
The essential fatty acids are the omega-3 (linoleic)
and omega-6 (linolenic) fatty acids. These nutrients
can maximize athletic performance in various ways
and
are useful supplements for anyone with a physically
active lifestyle.
Omega-3 (linoleic) fatty acids are found in
abundance
in flaxseed oil and fish oils. Omega-6 fatty acids
are
found in many vegetable oils (such as black currant
seed, borage, flaxseed, walnut, chestnut and soy),
and
are especially abundant in evening primrose oil.
So if you want to diet right, you need EFA's.
One last note: Remember that if you want OPTIMAL
health and athletic performance, you need to consume
the right proportion of omega-6s to omega-3s, up to
approximately five times more omega-6s than
omega-3s.
Recommended dosage:
Take 5-8gr of omega-6s and 1-2gr
from omega-3s. (Or take a supplement containing
Alpha-Linolenic Acid (the parent of the omega-3
family).
Pro-Hormones - Learn More
Last but not least, I left maybe the most
controversial supplement that exists on the market
today. In many countries is not approved due to its
"steroid like effects", and it's banned from any
athletic organization that is under the guidance of
the IOC (International Olympic Committee). So if you
are a competitive athlete in any sport, and they
have
regular drug tests, forget this supplement.
Also the opinions of most people are totally
split. Half of the people that have taken it,
swear that it works like a mild steroid, and the
rest
believe that what you can get from it is only
negative side effects and nothing good.
Without entering into details to say if it works
100%
or not I will try to explain briefly all the forms
of
andros/nor andros and what they do to your body.
Before I start, just remember that there are only
two
compounds that convert directly into testosterone in
the body. These are Androstenedione and
Androstenediol. Other substrates will convert into
testosterone but not directly.
Androstenedione - Learn More
This was the first steroidal nutrient that hit the
market almost 3 years ago.
When you take androstenedione it is converted into
testosterone by a natural enzyme in the body.
Once converted into testosterone or nortestosterone in
your body, you may get the numerous muscle-building and
recovery effects testosterone provides through its
various pathways.
4-Androstenediol - Learn More
4-androstenediol, like androstenedione, is quite
androgenic. Also noteworthy is the fact that
4-androstenediol probably has some inherent intrinsic
anti-catabolic value. (This means that it doesn't have
to convert into anything for it to be active and that
it can be considered to have true hormone-like
activity). It seems to work better than
Androstenedione.
5-Androstenediol - Learn More
It seems to work a little better than
4-Androstenediol.
The benefit to 5-Androstenediol is
it may exert anabolic effects in its unconverted
state. This means that it might not have to be
converted into testosterone to have an anabolic effect
on muscle tissue. This is very significant because a
large portion of all pro-hormone substrates go
unconverted in the body. With 5-Androstenediol, this
unconverted portion may be anabolic in muscle tissue.
19-Norandrostenedione - Learn More
19-Norandrostenedione, supports nortestosterone
production. Nortestosterone is a highly anabolic hormone
but is considered low androgenic. It seems also to
work pretty good without experiencing the negative
side effects.
19-Norandrostenediol - Learn More
19-Norandrostenediol is an isomer of
norandrostenedione. It converts into nortestosterone
via enzyme conversion just like the other nor-andro
products.
What is very interesting about this steroidal
nutrient, is that it seems to be the best in terms of
safety and effectiveness.
A study that held in late 50s, determined it to be
a highly effective anabolic compound on the same order
as nortestosterone. The patent describes this steroid
as a relatively weak androgenic agent. It is of
special value in human (and in veterinary therapy)
because of its high degree of activity in promoting
nitrogen anabolism. This compound also has
anti-estrogenic properties.
Recommended dosages for andros/norandros:
At first I want to say that any steroidal nutrient can
not be totally safe. It seems that Nor-Diol works the
best with the minumum side effects but if you decide
to take them do it at your own risk. Read very
carefully the warnings that every pro-hormone product
writes at its label. So if you decide to try them, I repeat, it
would be at your own risk.
So for all the forms that I described above, DO NOT
exceed 500-600mg at most per day.
Personally, I think that you are fine if you use only
200-300mg per day, divided in two or three equal 100mg
doses every day, or only one dose for some supplement
companies that produce andros having 300mg per
capsule.
Anything more than 500-600mg will not
produce better results, but in contrast, it might put
you in greater danger for any possible negative side
effects. Also, if you want to stack different andros in
order to get better results, that might be good,
but remember never exceed the 500-600mg point.
So take 100-200mg when you wake up, and again, another
100-200mg dosage, 30-40 min before you train.
Remember that you should always cycle andros.
The best cycle seems to be 6-8 weeks on, 3-4 weeks
off.
Also on your non-training days, remember again that it is
very important to take supplements as these are critical recovery days where
your body may utilize the pro-hormone substrates and other
nutrients for supporting muscle growth and repair. However,
it's fine if you take only one serving every day since
you are not putting your body in the same catabolic
state that you do when you weight train. (That means
to take half the dosage that you take on your training
days).
Finally about the best form of andros available, I
think capsules work the best since we don't have
many scientific data that say that pro-hormones in
liquid or time-released form, work better.
This was the end of my second part about supplements
you can use in order to have even better performance.
So far you know every supplement, dosages,
and when you should take them in order to help you
increase your performance and your muscle mass and
what can help you achieve the great body that you
always wanted.
Just remember to keep in mind, that no
matter what supplements you take, if you don't eat 5-6
good nutritional meals every day, and if you don't
sleep at least 7-8 hours every day, you won't
experience great results. So use supplements wisely.
giannis@bodybuilders.com
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