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The Question: Let's be honest: Most of the athletic training community is behind the times when it comes to nutrition and supplements for maximum performance. The biggest "supplement" in the minds of coaches and trainers is Gatorade, a glorified sugar water. The bodybuilding community on this site is decades beyond when it comes to using supplements to get results. So help them out. What are the best supplements now for an athlete to use if they want to beat their competition? What should they use pre-game? What about post-game? What should they use if they want to get bigger and/or stronger? Give the exact products and/or stacks that will work best and EXPLAIN WHY they work. Also, what would you tell an athlete or their parent who believes that all supplements like creatine are "unsafe steroids with side effects"? Show off your knowledge to the world! The Winners:
2nd place - 20 in store credit. 3rd place - Free Bodybuilding.com hat. To use your credit, e-mail Will @ will@bodybuilding.com for more info.
Before beginning with supplements we must make sure the athlete's diet is adequate. This is a major influence in the athlete achieving peak performance, as bodybuilding supplements will only be able to aid a rigid, well structured diet.
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This leads me to this week's topic: What Supplements Are Best For Sports Athletes? Here are the winners in this category: supplements for those who want maximum performance out of themselves on the sporting field:
What Does It Do?
Why Should I Take It? Improved performance in strength/power dominated sports, such as football and short distance running, as well as in more endurance associated sports, such as long distance running. If you are prepared to pay more money, CEE (Creatine Ethyl Ester HCL) is a good option. CEE is more potent and better absorbed by the body than creatine monohydrate and will negate the bloating effect experienced by creatine monohydrate (Learn more about CEE). Kre-Alkalyn is also very good for those prepared to spend a little more, and is cheaper then CEE (Learn more about Kre-Alkalyn). How Much Should I Take? Follow packet recommendations. Normally 1 serving twice a day is sufficient. On training days it's recommended that you take a serving of creatine pre and post workout. Alert For Disbelievers Or Those With Obnoxious Parents! If you believe creatine is a steroid, you're WRONG. Creatine is a natural substance occurring in our bodies. Too many articles have illustrated this. Here's a quote from an article, so you can see: "Unlike steroids or drugs, creatine is 100% natural and occurs naturally in many foods; therefore, it can never be banned from any sports or international competitions (unless they banned eating meat). Many foods especially herring, salmon, tuna, and beef contain some creatine." (Learn more).
What does it do? Why Should I Take It? Dehydration, by even the slightest amount, can impair you performance. Because glycerol causes greater water retention, it will keep you hydrated for longer during your sport, so you can always perform at your best. How much should I take? Again follow packet recommendations. Usually it will say take around 1-2 hours prior to training. My Choice: PBL Liquid Muscle - Learn more.
What does it do? Why Should I Take It? This is the most important supplement of all. Athletes engaged in strenuous sports, have a higher demand for vitamins and minerals, so athletes engaged in those sorts of sports will probably need to take more than one serving each day as well as adding additional single nutrients like Vitamin C and Vitamin E which help boost recovery from workouts. How Much Should I Take? Follow packet serving recommendations. Normally it will be somewhere around 1-2 servings per day, preferably taken with a meal. My Choice: AST Multi Pro 32X - Learn more.
What Does It Do? Why Should I Take It? The agreed amount of protein athletes require is generally around 1-1.5g/lb (bodyweight); the supplementation of whey/egg/casein protein is an easy and cheap way to achieve this. With the right choice of protein combined with the right daily regimen of use you can get the most from your training and notice that recovery is better and performance is at a higher overall level. How Much Should I Take? For best results take 1 serving of whey protein when you wake up and when you eat. Egg protein can be taken any time during the day. Casein protein, will best aid you before going to bed (1 serving), if you choose to supplement with it. My Choices:
What Does It Do? Why Should I Take It? Life in general and sports in particular cause a fair amount of wear and tear upon the joints of your body. When too much wear and tear occurs you can become sidelined with an injury that will keep you from being able to perform at a high level. How Much Should I Take? Follow packet serving recommendations. Normally it will be somewhere around 1-3 servings per day, preferably taken with a meal. My Choice: NOW Glucosamine Sulfate - Learn more.
What Does It Do? Why Should I take It? The reason Flax Seed Oil is such a valuable supplement is because it contains Essential Fatty Acids, which are very important to the human body. How Much Should I Take? You need to consume at least 2 to 3 thousand milligrams of Flax Seed each day. An easy and convenient way to do this is by taking it in the capsule form. My Choice: Optimum Flaxseed Oil Softgels - Learn more.
1-2 hrs prior - 1 serving of glycerol 1-2 hrs prior - Medium Digesting Protein - (Ex: 1 serving of egg protein powder (Optional)) 1-2 hrs prior - Low GI carbohydrate source - (Ex: Oats or Beans) 1 hr prior - 250-500mL of water 15 min prior - 1 serving of creatine (Read pack recommendations) 15 min prior - 250mL of sports drink (Ex: Powerade or Gatorade) 15 min prior - At least 250mL of water
ASAP - High GI carbohydrate source - (Ex: 500mL of sports drink/dextrose) ASAP - 1 serving of creatine Now you no longer have an excuse for not playing at your best!
Recommended Products: TKE Joint Boost With MSM, AST ProFLEX 750.
Recommended Products: Nutrex Vitrix, Biotest Tribex, Ergopharm 6-OXO.
Recommended Products: MRI NO2, BSN Nitrix.
Recommended Products: Optimum Amino 2222 (liquid), Twinlab Amino Fuel Liquid, Prolab Amino 2000.
Recommended Products: SNAC ZMA, Twinlab ZMA Fuel.
Recommended Products: AST Micronized Creatine, Dymatize Creatine Monohydrate, EAS Phosphagen.
Recommended Products: AST VP2, PrimaForce Substance WPI, Optimum Nutrition 100% Whey.
Recommended Products: Prolab Lean Mass Matrix, VPX Micellean.
Recommended Products: Optimum Opti-Men, AST Multi Pro 32X.
Everyone is so into getting big or losing weight during their workouts that sometimes they forget the importance of the little things that help keep them healthy, and one of those things is salt. The most important and only mineral necessary during prolonged exercise is sodium, which is found in salt.
Everyone should already know that athletes or anyone who exercises consumes enough fluids to help keep them hydrated, but how many of them take in the right amount of salt? Well, below is a study from Switzerland, which shows that if you exercise for more than 3 hours, you should consume fluids and salt. "During a four hour run, female competitive distance runners took in drinks with different concentration of salt. Ninety-two percent of those who took in plain water with no additional salt developed low blood levels of salt, which could kill them. Taking in fluid without also taking in adequate amounts of salt dilutes the bloodstream, so that the concentration of salt in the blood is lower than that in brain cells. This causes fluid to move from the low-salt blood into the high-salt brain causing the brain to swell, which can cause seizures and death. Taking in extra salt during prolonged exercise increases thirst so you drink more fluids, and prevents blood salt levels from dropping so low that you become tired, develop muscle cramps, and can even die." - Read More... There you go, low concentrations of salt can lead to seizures and even death! Obviously it is the athletes that are in risk of low concentrations of salt since they are the ones who lose salt through their sweat.
But What Actually Happens Inside Your Body When You Don't Get Enough Salt?
Five long-term follow-up studies have been done on the effects of salt intake and heart attack. Two of these studies suggest that a low salt intake is harmful. The other three studies show that a high intake of salt is associated with strokes or heart attacks. Most data will show that lowering salt in your diet will lower blood pressure in some people with high blood pressure, but not in most. Doctors who feel that a low salt diet will lower high blood pressure base this belief on the INTERSALT project, which showed that people with very high salt levels in their urine have high blood pressure. This study was done on people who do not exercise on a regular basis.
Conclusion Of Sodium:
Whey Protein Powder - Upon wakeup, pre workout, post workout. Creatine - When using monohydrate load for the first 5 days at around 20 grams and then maintain at around 5 grams. ZMA - Take about 30 minutes before bed on an empty stomach. Meal Replacement - Use whenever you are unable to eat a meal.
Whey Protein Powder - Upon wakeup, pre workout, post workout. ErgoPharm 6-OXO - Take 3 capsules in the morning and 3 in the evening. Amino Acids - Take 3-6 grams before cardio workout. What would you tell an athlete or their parent who believes that all supplements like creatine are "unsafe steroids with side effects"? I would tell them to educate themselves. So many people jump to conclusions when they hear an uneducated statement about supplements. It is time for the ignorant to begin researching. I think it is important for parents to have knowledge of what their children are using. A teenager can make a safe supplement like creatine unsafe by using too much or not drinking enough fluids. This is why it is important to do research on anything you put into your body. Unfortunately in the world we live in and the media that surrounds us with lies, it is very difficult to spread the knowledge to everyone. All you can do is try your best to educate them on the subject of supplements.
 Are You A Teen Bodybuilder? Check Out ???? www.teenbodybuilding.com.
In this article I will discuss the most important/helpful supplements for athletes.
For the next few hour(s) you will have incredible energy, no lazy feeling, and you will be able to push yourself to the max and exceed other competitors.
Just remember Zinc and Calcium compete in the blood stream and calcium always wins. So thats why you don't take ZMA and calcium together. I would recommend buying multi's, take them in the morning, and then take Zinc or ZMA at night for best results.
The fat burner is a product that has different vitamins and ingredients such as green tea that boost your metabolism for fast, safe fat loss. The multi's are a must, because you will be eating a bit less, and you don't want to sacrifice your vitamin intake. Remember to do cardio and soon that beer belly will be gone.
When someone says 'creatine' parents freak out. WHY? Well, creatine works, and has a reputation of dehydrating people. So parents know that it works and has side effects, not a lot different than steroids in their minds so don't blame them. Just show them that creatine is found in meat, and show them how tuna, steak, and red meat are filled with creatine, and explain that its just like vitamins; instead of eating 5 oranges per day, you take Vitamin C.
That should help, and soon you will be number one in your event, and you will be a step above all the others. Remember, knowledge is power.
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