Do Supplements Really
Work?
If you think that buying a shake or taking a few pills will all
of a sudden make you huge, then you are mistaken. No supplement
will help you if you are not training and dieting correctly --
they will just give you very expensive urine. All aspects of your
program have to be in order for you to get the maximum benefit
from sports nutrition supplements. From my experience, supplements
enhance your program by:
Adding an element of convenience
Using food supplements like Meal Replacement Powders and whey
protein help to eliminate the common problem of "not enough
time", by providing you with an quick efficient way to get
your required nutrients each day.
Increasing strength and decreasing recovery time.
Using vitamin and amino acid supplements help to minimize the
negative side effects of weight training and speed your recovery.
The Benefit of Convenience
There are many "old school" trainers and bodybuilders
who profess the uselessness of supplements. They are constantly
preaching that they don't work, and that you don't need them.
Well, to tell you the truth they are correct, somewhat. Remember
that not too long ago there were no supplements. Bodybuilders
built huge physiques without meal replacement powders, creatine
or prohormones.
There was no such thing as exercise "machines". They
used multi-jointed, compound free weight exercises that not only
increased their muscular size, but also make them incredibly strong.
So, if you look at that way it can be done and you don't need
any supplements. However, the decision whether or not to use supplements
should involve the consideration of other factors that may come
into play when speaking of dieting today. The first of which is
time.
Many people today just do not have the time to live, eat and
breathe food. Very few people like to cook, and even fewer cook
on a regular basis. When was the last time that you actually had
six meals that you actually cooked yourself? Many of those who
are against dietary supplements continue to preach that you should
get all the nutrients that you need from your diet. "Eat
a balanced diet and you will get all the nutrition you need".
Well, 100 years ago that may have been true, but today this type
of advice is questionable.
The fact is, most people's idea of a good meal is restaurant
or (even worse) fast food. To ask someone to eat specific amounts
of protein, fat and carbs seems like an impossible request considering
that most people can't even even get their minimum requirements
of good fat or fiber. Experts will continue to spout "eat
a balanced diet," while Americans feast on nutritionless
fast food and sugar. Not only do our bodies have to deal with
the ever-increasing external stresses of everyday life, they also
have to combat nutrient-depleting, tissue damaging exercise.
If I did not have the option to supplement my diet with whey
protein, I probably would not have gained as much weight as I
have. Now, I'm not saying that the whey protein is why I gained
weight, but it did help me a great deal. I am usually very busy
and I just don't have the time, nor the desire to eat six, planned
whole food meals per day. Supplements like meal replacement powders
and whey protein fill in this gap for me.
I typically have three real food meals and three protein supplement
meals -- that makes up my required six meals each day. When I'm
away from home, or not able to get an adequate meal, my MRP is
always right there when I need it. It gives me a quantifiable
amount of protein so that I can keep track of my nutrient intake.
In my opinion, this is much better than just grabbing something
and then trying to guess at how much protein, fat or carbs you
just ate. Getting in all of your required meals and nutrient amounts
is crucial to your success.
My mass diet requires a very high daily protein intake -- Over
300g per day. Just to give you example of how much that is, here
are some examples of what 300g of protein is equal to:
Tuna -- 50 oz of canned tuna (the average can
is 6-8oz.), which is 1,750 calories and 25g of fat
Chicken -- 38oz of chx breast (equals about seven
6oz breasts), which is 1,313 calories and 38g of saturated fat
Beef -- 43oz of lean ground beef (about 2.7 pounds
of meat), which is 3,214 calories and 215g of saturated fat
Eggs -- 50 large whole eggs, equals 3,750 calories
and 250g of saturated fat
Egg whites -- 100 egg whites, equals 1,600 calories
and almost no fat
Pure whey protein -- 15 scoops of EAS Precision
Protein, equals 1,500 calories 7.5g of saturated fat
It is very possible to get this amount from eating whole foods
only -- But it will take work. Also, as you can see from the above
numbers, getting all of your protein from regular food will also
bring a lot of unnecessary elements like extra saturated fat.
Yes, our goal to gain mass is to eat a lot of calories (including
fat), but your main fat intake should consist of unsaturated fats
that are liquid at room temperature like olive oil, flaxseed oil,
sunflower oil and safflower oil. Whey protein supplements will
help to give you the extra protein without the fat.
Increased Strength and Decreased Recovery
In addition to a whey protein supplement, I recommend that everyone
should be taking a multi-vitamin, plenty of vitamin C, and glutamine.
Creatine can also be added if you are over 18.
Multi-Vitamin
Weight training increases the body's need for many minerals like
magnesium and selenium. The multi-vitamin ensures that I am not
deficient in any major essential vitamin or mineral. Deficiency
symptoms include muscle weakness and suppression of the immune
system, muscle cramping and fatigue. I always take a multi-vitamin
without iron, because grown men do not need additional iron. We
get enough from our food. Men and postmenopausal women should
never take iron supplements unless they have iron-deficiency anemia,
which is only diagnosed by blood tests. The body has no way to
eliminate excess iron except through blood loss. Women who menstruate
are protected from iron overload, obviously. Iron is also an oxidizing
agent that can cause damage to the heart and arteries, and is
a major risk factor in arteriosclerosis.
Vitamin C
Vitamin C essential to prevent free radical damage, which is accelerated
after the heavy trauma of weight training. It is also essential
is helping to repair connective tissue which helps decrease the
amount of time you are sore. I train very heavy and extremely
hard. When I train my legs, I am usually sore for about 5-6 days
afterwards. If I do not supplement my diet with vitamin C, I would
normally be sore for almost 10 days! So, it really helps me to
recover and get back to training. I typically take around 3,000mg
in divided doses. That would equal quite a few oranges!
Glutamine
Glutamine is an amino acid that is produced by our bodies, but
most of the time our bodies demand so much, that it can't create
enough. I supplement my diet with glutamine to increase my levels
of glutathione. Glutathione is a powerful antioxidant, which helps
to combat the stresses of exercise trauma, and prevent muscle
protein breakdown. I especially believe that it helps prevent
my body from breaking down my new muscle while I am asleep, so
I never go to bed without taking it. I take about 15g per day
(in divided doses), which would be impossible to get naturally.
Creatine Monohydrate
Creatine's purpose is to supply our muscle with energy. It is
also found in red meat, but you would have to eat an enormous
amount of meat to get the same benefits as taking pure creatine
powder. Everyone knows about creatine so I will not go into it
here, but I do want to say that the major benefit from taking
creatine is that it will increase your strength.
This will enable you to lift heavier weights, which will stimulate
more muscle growth. Many people make a big fuss over the muscle
volumizing effects of creatine, because if you stop taking it,
you lose that extra fluid that creatine brings into your cells.
So what! You certainly DO NOT lose the extra muscle creatine helped
you to gain.
I can honestly say that I could not have built the body I have
today without the convenience and enhancements supplements provide.
I simply don't have the time or desire to do it any other way.
This is a choice that you must decide for yourself. You will be
spending your money on these products, so make sure that you know
their place in your program.
Don't get caught up in product hype. Supplements will help, but
they will NOT do the work for you.
Recommended
Reading: Gain
Mass by Anthony Ellis
