The most frequently asked questions are the last questions I need to ask. What supplements do I need to take to get stronger, to improve my fitness level, to become leaner? I can't resist supplementation. I think there are a lot of good supplements in the market and I think that researching natural supplements and integrating them into our diet is far more beneficial than all the money we spend on prescription drugs and drugs. That being said, even people in supplement stores will tell you that the only supplement, SUPPLEMENT. It's something you add to the right diet and exercise regimen, to boost your profits. And yes, supplements work. But they work a hundred times better if you follow the right protocol in the kitchen and gym.
In this series of multi-part articles, I'll tell you what supplements prove to be helpful and why. I will protect supplements that promote strength and health. I'm going to write some related articles, starting with today's installment, Muscle-The Basics Building Supplement. I will be following up with Muscle-Advanced Supplements, Top 10 Supplements for Healthy Eats, Top 10 Supplements for Healthy Minds, and my final supplemental article entitled NOW, including detoxification plans.
What makes our body strong? What builds our muscles and makes them function properly? We all know that our muscles are made primarily of protein and water. Many of us know protein is made up of long strands of amino acids. But we need to understand more than that. What causes muscle contraction? Why is increased blood flow important? When is the strike over? We will cover all of these in this discussion and in future articles.
In this first article, I'm going to stick to The Big 3 for building muscle. Things that work and work well all the time. Items with the most research behind it. Creatine, Protein, and Amino Acid.
CREATINE
Wow ... this is so easy but so many people don't understand .. I always meet the accusation, "David, creatine is a steroid, I can't take it." I hate this statement, not only because it is not true, not only because I am constantly attacked by it, but because it shows that the person who sought my advice had no basic knowledge of the supplement and did not conduct proper independent research to warrant the acquisition of any product. For example, when you buy a car, don't you research cars? Why is it different for something that goes into your body?
Creatine is not a steroid. Creatine or "creatine phosphate" is synthesized by three amino acids methionine, glycine and arginine. They are made and stored naturally in your own body. Even some creatine is also stored in your brain. Another interesting fact is that many studies have found creatine to improve brain function and memory among adults, and vegetarians. Both groups recovered high scores on the IQ test, Raven test, and cognitive memory test after supplementing with creatine in just a few short weeks. However, this is not the conventional use of creatine.
95 to 98% of creatine is stored in your skeletal muscle. The rest is stored in and synthesized in the liver and pancreas. But since most are stored in the muscle, one can assume that the energy derived from creatine use will become muscle. But let's get to the interesting thing.
Your body uses what is called ATP (adenosine-tri-phosphate) for every muscle contraction. ATP is our main anaerobic energy store. Without ATP we can't move. With each contraction of muscle fibers, the body uses phosphate molecules from the ATP used at that time. This converts much-needed ATP to ADP (adenosine-Di-phosphate) which is not useful for muscle contraction. CREATINE TO RESCUE !!! Luckily our small creatine phosphate store hides in our skeletal muscle just waiting to be called in as a convert to ATP. Because ATP is our fuel for muscle contraction, we can now continue to use our muscles.
Another great thing about creatine is that it inhibits glycolysis. Which basically means it can boost energy before it reaches a Glycolitic or (lactic) level. This helps to stop the body from assuming an acidic environment that is often combined with intense exercise. In layman's terms, you will not be as ill and you will not feel as burned as usual. There are only two types of creatine in the market and the best way to categorize them is soluble fat, and water soluble.
Water-soluble creatine has been a huge breakfast winner for athletes around the world for a long time. It's proven, it's tested, it works. It also weighs you down in ONE DAY. The problem that many athletes have with this creatine is that the added weight is initially water weight. This creatine is stored in water in your muscles. For a football player this might be fine. For kids who want to put on a few pounds, go for it! But for women who want to gain strength while maintaining or losing weight, this is not the way to go. For an athlete who wants to stay fit for their weight gain, be careful. This creatine will increase in size and weight. Another drawback of water-soluble creatine supplements is early loading time. You are required to multiply your dose by 4 to 7 days for your body's "burden" with this creatine. The problem is that the half-life of creatine is about 3 hours, so this is a waste of money and time.
In my opinion, fat-soluble creatine is a better way to go, unless of course you want to gain weight. But in my experience creatine should be used to gain strength from weight gain. Creatine soluble fat is stored in your fat cells, so NO BLOATING, and you don't have to take much.
One last note on creatine. Ladies and gentlemen do not change to this "FAD CREATINE WOMEN". There are so many products out there now that their creatine is made specifically for women. If you read the article above, you will know that this is stupid. My muscles work the same way as your muscles. We're both human. So don't buy a "FEMALE CREATINE" bottle that has half a dose and a half. Just because a bottle is pink doesn't mean it's for women. Use your brain.
AMINO ACIDS and BCAAS
Amino acids do many different things in the body, from improving vision to building muscle. There are 22 standard amino acids, 9 of which are important to humans, meaning that the body cannot produce them and they should be consumed. Because of the complex structure, makeup and effects of amino acids, I will stick to the basics and address what is known as BCAAS, (Chino Amino Acid Branch). These three amino acids are leucine, isoleucine, and valine. These are the three most important amino acids for muscle growth and recovery.
LEUCINE or L-LEUCINE is an essential amino acid found in a rich source of protein such as meat, dairy and legumes. Although no concrete evidence has been brought forward that Lucien assists in the muscle building process, pages and pages of evidence show that it prevents large-scale muscle damage and helps regulate insulin levels while also stimulating growth hormone when taken in larger doses.
ISOLEUCINE is another essential amino acid found naturally in many foods similar to Leucine. Although it has the same ability to repair muscles and prevent muscle damage as leucine, isoleucien also helps in the production of hemoglobin and helps the body in freezing the injury. Many surgeons recommend using isoleucine after surgery to speed up the healing process. And because of its ability to promote hemoglobin in red blood cells, it promotes carrying oxygen to all cells in your body. Sounds good enough for athletes, right !? Also if you are anemia supplement and iron does not cut it, add BCAAS to your supplement plan and you may get a little extra help with its enhanced oxygen properties.
VALINE is another essential amino acid found in protein rich foods. Valine is interesting because she does a very different job than any other BCAAS. While it promotes lowering muscle damage and improving muscle repair, it also has the effect of stimulating the central nervous system. In fact, it has been shown to improve focus and mental function. Many people who supplement with valine report increased body awareness. While I can't figure out a way to measure body awareness, I can say that I supplement with valine and it helps boost my positive energy and make me feel "alive". Valine has also been found to help detoxify the bladder and liver by removing excess nitrogen from the organ. Because of its detoxifying properties in the liver, it has been used to treat people suffering from alcohol problems and substance abuse.
PROTEIN
Big guy on campus. He's the guy you need to do on your team if you're going to win the battle against muscle loss and degeneration. For protein to be considered, there must be at least 50 amino acid chains. So you can imagine the benefits of this protein in your body when I just explained the benefits of only 3 amino acids. Protein is a muscle building block and you can't expect to perform high physical activity for long periods of time, while trying to increase your profits without proper protein intake. If you don't eat at least 5 to 1 gram of protein per kilogram of weight per day, and you do high physical activity, you break your muscles and can't provide enough nutrients for skeletal muscle tissue repair. I personally try to take 1.5 to 2 grams per kilogram of weight. High quality protein is found naturally in all meat, dairy, legumes and some vegetables. Like all foods, you better have your protein in the most bio-available form. That means as fresh as possible. Kill the chicken and eat that day if you can. However, since we are saddened to live in a world based on convenience rather than health and well-being, we have been given the opportunity to determine the type of protein powder that best suits our needs.
Whey protein - A protein derived from milk. It acts quickly to absorb protein that is beneficial to both pre- and post-workout meals. Before your workout you will need the amino acids provided by this protein to help you grow the veins and bring nutrients and oxygen to your muscles. Post-exercise this protein is useful because of its fast absorption rate. Our muscles are so hungry that we have to rebuild after training to take advantage of the whey.
Casein-This is a slow-acting protein that also comes from milk. It's what you would consider a nighttime protein. Take it before bed and let your body eat all night. One thing to keep in mind is to avoid taking this protein during the day as it will block the absorption of any fast acting protein your body may try to digest during the day.
Egg protein - Another fast-acting protein, this protein is used primarily by lactose intolerant people. Although some people say that this protein is more absorbable than whey, I have never had that experience or have found any credible evidence to support that statement.
Soy protein - In my opinion, don't go there. In America soybeans have been advertised as this very healthy food. Please do your research, as soy has been shown to have many side effects in children and adults including things like early puberty, thyroid hormone fluctuations, excess estrogen in men, and increased carcinogenicity in the body. Soya is widely advertised to Americans because it is a very good, inexpensive and available filler. Please don't be vegetarian and tell me you will get all the protein you need from soy. You were born with incisors because, you are an omnivore ... please behave that way.
This concludes my article on the basics of building muscle supplements. I hope you find this informative and helpful. Part 2 will be out later in the week as well as the other articles I promised.
David Gentile
Owner / Head Coach
Main Athenian Performance
Muscle Building Supplements - The Basics
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