For many, many years, I have been in or on the sidelines of the “Vitamin and Supplement” industry. I have literally seen “the Wheel” reinvented, reformulated, repackage more times than I care to remember.
The purpose of this article is to inform the reader which supplements work the best, in what order one obtains benefit from them, and which should be avoided. This is this author’s opinion only, and should be treated as such.
That said, not a day goes by when someone doesn’t come into my store asking for a pill “to grow muscles!” Or better yet, do you have that “new stuff” in the magazines that says you will “gain 20 pounds of muscle”...GUARANTEED! So STOP reading, STOP being prey for advertisers, and START using common sense and making gains!
Lastly, before we get started, let me say that supplements are just that. There is no substitute for sound nutrition. We use the 80/20 rule, 20% works, 80% is a waste of money. There are many supps that do provide enormous benefits, but there is also a ton of crap. Let’s CUT THE CRAP!
What works: The good guys!
Now just because something works, doesn’t mean it is good for you.....we will be getting to that shortly.
Protein: NOT weight gainers, mass builders, MRPs, but good old simple protein. It doesn’t have to be “top of the line” either, just clean and free of sugars and ca-ca. If you want a weight gainer, a mass builder, a post W/O shake...protein is your foundation. You can add back calories, carbs, and fats, but in many of today’s products you can not take them away! An example would be most mass market weight gainers. Some have excellent protein sources, but they follow on the label right after fructose and maltodextrin. You’d be so far ahead of those products to take your protein powder and add, peanut butter, fruit, flax oil, cream or whole milk (individualistic), etc and make your own, w/o all of the SUGARS.
Note: The so-called Nighttime proteins are nothing more than casein. You can achieve the same thing with milk, calcium casseinate...even the addition of fat and fiber to a “fast burning” anabolic protein such as whey, will make it digest slower and become anti-catabolic. The science behind “nighttime” proteins is based upon the amino L-leucine which stays in your system for 7 hours as opposed to 3-4 hours with the other aminos.
Creatine: Once you have been lifting 12 weeks or more...and your connective tissue is up to speed (to avoid injury from rapid strength increases), Creatine is the single most ergonomic aid next to protein. While it occurs naturally in meat and fish, supplementation with creatine allows for phenomenal progress, both in lean body mass and strength. There are no studies, or supported incidents of cancer, fat deposits on the liver or kidney damage. Even the occurrence of calf and hamstring cramping of elite athletes in hot humid weather has been dispelled as “normally occurring, even in those NOT on creatine.” Poor grades of creatine, with chemical by-product residue, will cause the traditional gastro-intestinal upset.
Glutamine: We only suggest glutamine to enhance recovery. If you are excessively sore, tired, and are unable to train several days in a row, glutamine can change your world! On top of the cell volumizing, anti-inflammatory effects, glutamine can also help repair and soothe “gut problems” and reduce sugar cravings.
Antioxidants or Multi-Vitamins: When we exercise, we create additional “oxidative free-radical damage.” I can’t stress the importance of additional vitamins, especially the antioxidants Vitamins C and E. While we derive many of our vitamins and minerals from our food, hard training athletes invariably benefit from supplementation. It is visible not only in increase recovery ability, but also in the athlete’s capability to push the envelope day after day, without compromising their immune system.
Note: ALA, alpha lipoic acid, enhances antioxidant uptake and increases insulin sensitivity, definitely a supplement to consider.
These are the “essentials”, there are many more, but those are the basics. I could elaborate on Chromium, CLA, Liver tabs, Aminos, etc, at another time. If this article were titled “Keep it Simple”, we would stop here. There is a short list of things that work but are not cost effective (such as ZMA, CoQ10, and HMB). Also there are supps that prevent or reverse certain conditions associated with training (such as Glucosamine Sulfate, MSM, EFAs, arnica and more), but are not within the scope of this brief article. The next class of Supplements are those that work, but at a cost, and we are not talking monetarily. And in the final installment, “Pure Crap: Save your Money!”
In part one we examined certain Supplements we consider a Bodybuilder’s best friend......Protein, creatine, glutamine and anti-oxidants.
Sport's Supplements: Cut the CRAP! - Part I
Now, here in Part 2 we will look at several groups of supplements that work, as in they are effective, but carry a cost and we are not talking about money. Please don’t read me wrong, these supplements pay my rent many times over and are made by many reputable companies, yet day in and day out, I see the negative results of these products. The views here are this author’s only.
Prohormones: Yes, they work! They work so well, in fact, that they’re banned by most competitive bodybuilding associations the IOC, USOC, NCAA, AAU, and most professional athletics. Basically a prohormone, in this sense, is a precursor to testosterone. Your body converts these with enzymes that you possess in the liver into steroidal hormones with various half lives. We have used them beneficially in older men as hormone replacement therapy (HRT). In other “older” men when there have been pronounced androgenic and anabolic effects from the prohormone, we have helped their health care professionals diagnose hypogonadism. Prohormones have been useful in these situations.
However, in younger men we have frequently seen negative side effects with the usage of prohormones. Examples of this range from young men failing to achieve full erection within weeks of prohormone use, to one of our clientele being referred from doctor to doctor, finally being diagnosed by an endocrinologist as permanently hypogonadal at the age of 27.
Let’s think about the common-sense mechanism here. The body is receiving exogenous (outside) replacement of a hormone that the body usually produces endogenously (inside). It no longer has to produce it’s own testosterone, there exists the potential for testicular shrinkage as the Leydig cells in the testes no longer need to be stimulated by LH (luteinzing hormone) for normal testosterone output. Additionally, this exogenous testosterone converts to the metabolites DHT or estrogens, both having a plethora of side effects beyond the scope of this article.
The point we’re trying to make here is that, for some individuals using an actual steroidal compound or a prohormone, the risks and side effects can be the same. While 99 times out of 100, we rarely see negative side effects of prohormones, and normally a person’s own hormonal system switches back on after a “cycle,” are these worth the risk?
Thermogenics: Thermogenics are a catch-all phrase for products that elevate body temperature. An elevation of body temperature leads to a higher metabolic rate, and therefore, more calories are burned. We are using it here to mean the common, everyday E/C/A (ephedrine/caffeine/aspirin) stacks. While the mechanisms of such products are beyond the scope of this article, they are commonly used for energy prior to a workout or during the day, increasing one’s metabolism to accelerate fat loss, and, unfortunately, for the simple fact that many individuals have developed a psychological and physiological dependence and cannot function adequately without them.
Having greater energy for a workout is perhaps the only viable use of the E/C/A stack. This can actually be accomplished by ephedrine (ephedra alkaloids), caffeine, or even green tea in place of the whole stack. If the use is infrequent and a person does not develop a tolerance, E/C/A stacks are beneficial in the stress/adaptation process and overcoming plateaus in weight-lifting.
The downside, however, is continued use or abuse. Common sense dictates that the body, being an intelligent organism, if chemically revved up to 110% for 4 - 6 hours, will, in turn, compensate at 90% for an equal amount of time. The net effect to many people’s surprise, is zero--especially for people seeking fat loss. However, body weight loss can occur in many due to the appetite suppression characteristics of these products.
The unseen danger that we see on a daily basis in our business is the downward spiral that many individuals incur on these products. Not only do they feel lifeless and non-energetic without them, but hair loss, anxiety, depression and gauntness develop in many individuals. One needs to recognize that ephedra, ephedra alkaloids, and ephedrine are precursors to amphetamines and methamphetamines. All of these products, when overused or abused, severely tax the central nervous system and adrenal function. It is now recognized that a form of chronic fatigue, called “Adrenal Burnout Syndrome,” can partially be attributed to the overuse of stimulants. For a self-test and more information, please see the following URL:
Thyroid Enhancers: This is a rather narrow group of products with a single purpose: to enhance or elevate thyroid function. The simple theory here is to boost the metabolism. Such products include
diiodothyronine; and the synonamous TRIAX, TRIAC, tricana, triacol, all forms of triiodotheyroacetic acid. There are four basic thyroid hormones. T3 is derived from T4 (thyroxine), and T2 (diiodothyronine) is derived from T3. T4 is formed by the release of TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone), which is produced by the anterior pituitary.
Now we are back in the same position as with prohormones. Add external, or exogenous replacement anywhere in the pathway, and the body’s own production of these hormones can be compromised. It is a well-known fact that many individuals taking these products and pharmaceutical versions of thyroid replacement can deter the thyroid’s normal functioning. This then can severely interfere with the body’s metabolism, and the individual might incur a tremendous amount of lipogenesis (fat accumulation) upon cessation of usage. Again we ask, is it worth it?
More information on hypothyroidism, Wilson’s Syndrome, and iodine deficiency can be found here:
Other: Just a quick mention here on one very dangerous supplement
Usnic acid or sodium usinate has NO practical application for the “Natural Bodybuilder.” It’s standard usage is to simulate a drug called 2,4 Dinitrophenol, a common ingredient in bug poison. DNP is what’s known as a classic uncoupler of oxidative phosphorylation, The body uses a lot of energy in converting ADP to ATP. Normally, the process is about 60 percent efficient, and the energy that’s not converted is wasted as heat, in this case body heat. DNP makes the process only 40 percent efficient by uncoupling the high energy phosphate from the ATP and turning the ATP into ADP, while the energy from the uncoupling is dissipated as body heat. Unfortunately the effective dose is very close to the “lethal” dose, with the individual literally cooking from the inside out. While usnic acid is not DNP, it is, hepatoxic, and also not worth the risks!
We have covered the good supps, the ones every Bodybuilder benefits from, and now, the more questionable supplements - those that work, but at a cost to the body. In the last installment of Sport’s Supplements: Cut the Crap, we will look at “Pure Crap: Save your Money!
In Part I we examined certain Supplements we consider a Bodybuilder's best friend......Protein, creatine, glutamine and anti-oxidants.
Sport's Supplements: Cut the CRAP! - Part I
Part II examined several groups of supplements that work, as in they are effective, but carry a cost and we are not talking about money.
Sport's Supplements: Cut the CRAP! - Part II
Now, here in Part III, we look at "Pure Crap", save your money! These are only this author's opinions, I sell many of the supplements mentioned, always informing the customer, but often time losing to the "power of Advertising!" We have had many discussions with the companies themselves, their distributors, scientists, research departments, etc, only to conclude the consumers attention and dollar rule the marketing decision, not the quality of the product. The result is too much crap!
Liquid Creatine: After lengthy conversations with SKW Laboratories (Creapure), we were assured that creatine can only be stabilized in oil, and if there were a way to make a "liquid creatine", SKW would be leading the way. Creatine breaks down into it's component amino acids (arginine, glycine, methionine) within two hours of being placed in liquid. Next came the independent third party lab assays all saying there was NO CREATINE in the products. Finally we called the companies involved, they explained "We have changed the molecule, so you can not test for it." Unbelievable BS!
The recent "Class Action Suit" against this product hasn't detoured sales either. Please look at a bottle. The leading product claims 75 grams of creatine in their product. You can't even fit 75 grams in the little bottle, let alone find the residue of the so called semi-dissolved creatine. It kills me when I sell bottle after bottle of it and the person says, "I love this, I don't get any of the side effects I do when I use powdered Creatine". I reply, "That's because there is NO creatine in it!" They buy it anyway.
Growth Hormone, Sprays, Analogs, Prologues: More hype and advertising goes into these products than you can imagine. The only people getting any results from these products are the ones selling them. Strange how those buying them never get any results. The truth is, if it's not prescription GH, a certain combination of 191 amino acids, refrigerated immediately once it is reconstituted, then it is bunk! Exceptions would be that there is some weak scientific evidence that homeopathic GH preparations, and some amino acid combinations produce an "infinitesimal" release of GH within ones body. If you want more GH, sleep deeper (REM stage 3 and 4 sleep aid in the body's GH production)
5-methyl-7-methoxy-isoflavone, aka Methoxy-isoflavone, or Methoxy: Once thought of as both an anabolic and anti-catabolic isoflavone, it was recommended by a nationally renowned trainer that dosages be increased to well over a gram a day in order to experience results. We called the manufacturer on a leading product, named after the "key ingredient", when we traced that ingredient down on the contents list as occurring right between the 125 mgs of calcium and 100 mgs of sodium. What a joke.....you'd need 10 servings of the product to theoretically get anywhere...and their explanation...."Well our research shows......." Having sold quite a bit of this product, I can tell you my research shows "No Effects" even at 2 grams a day. Not to say that it doesn't work for some, just that it doesn't work for most!
Ecdysterone, Plant Sterols, Sasprilla, Frac, Dibencozide, Gamma-Oryzanol, Colostrum, Inosine, Ipriflavone, Wild Yam, and the list goes on and on!
It's not that all of the these products "don't work at all", some have other uses. It's that they are simply not worth investing in.
Day after day, trainees come to me looking for that "Magic Pill", there are no shortcuts to hard work, good nutrition, and proper recovery. With supplements, nobody has reinvented the wheel, they have simply repackaged it, hyped it up, and now charge an arm and a leg for it! Invest in supplements that are safe, and proven to work, and give you good return for your investment. Save the rest of your money, don't buy the highly advertised "crap"
