Supplements and their uses for fitness in and out of the gym
What is a Supplement?
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Supplements play a role in body developement, whether its to build muscle, strength, endurance, or just to simply stay fit and healthy. They are however in no ways a replacement for food or a 'magic fix' despite what may be said about them.
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The idea of using a supplement is to gain an edge to increase performance in and out of the gym, hence the name 'supplement'.
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While they are not required, taking certain ones for their benefits is recommended. This article will go through the most popularly used supplements out there and explain what they
are and what they can do for you.
Whey Protein Isolate - One of the most important supplements you can have! Protein powders, particularly Whey isolates that digest rapidly, allow you to get much more protein into your diet in the form of a beverage, meaning you don’t have to consume more and more whole foods to get the necessary daily amount needed to get the results you want. Whey is one of two types of proteins found in milk (the other being casein) and it is a by-product of the transformation process of cow's milk into cheese. Most powders have around 25g of protein per serving which is around the equivalent to a portion of chicken or fish between 80 - 100g.
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They are the single most used supplement in the world with a variety of blends and flavours. Not only can they be taken in liquid form but can be used as ingredients in meals to increase protein levels per meal, such as in pancake mixes or yogurts.
Creatine Monohydrate - Creatine is a natural substance that turns into creatine phosphate in the body. Creatine phosphate helps make a substance called adenosine triphosphate (ATP). ATP provides the energy for muscle contractions.
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The body produces some of the creatine it uses. It also comes from protein-rich foods such as meat or fish.
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It's become one of the most widely researched supplements in recent years and studies have proven to show that by taking it alongside training (either before or after) an increase in strength and muscle density occurs, taken in either powder or capsule form.
Creatine also draws water into the muscles and in turn gives them a much more fuller appearance. I use it myself for that extra edge and normally take it both before AND after training to ensure my muscles are getting adequate amounts.
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I’ve seen a dramatic increase in strength from using creatine and noticed a huge difference when I took a week off of it, coming back into training after that week I seriously saw a difference, I couldn’t do nearly as many repetitions as I once did! Not cool!
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Alot of people will argue as to the best time to take it and there's also a popular method of 'Creatine Loading' where you take a period of say 1 week taking it however this isn’t 100% necessary, but there are benefits to it. The phase usually entails supplementing a larger daily amount, generally between 15-20 grams of creatine, for the first 5-7 days.
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This should be spread out throughout the day into several 5g doses and timings can vary although before and after workout are usually recommended. Following the loading period, doses generally drop down to around 3g per day, meaning you only need to supplement once daily. In reality it really comes down to personal preference, providing you get 3g on a training day to really enhance your results.
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BCAA - BCAA's or Branch Chain Amino Acids are proteins broken down into their celular form. These are what repair the muscles and make them stronger! While some protein powders will have BCAA’s included, many don’t so it’s best to take them separately. Aside from the benefit
of the amino acids already broken down and therefore able to get to work faster at repairing the muscles after a great workout, they’re also a great solution for if you want to cut calories but need the extra amino acids that you would normally get from a protein shake.
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If you prefer not to take Powders then 5g of BCAA's on training days are the best supplement to go for when building muscle.
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Glutamine - Glutamine is another amino acid and like other Amino acids are molecules that play many roles in the body. Their main purpose is to serve as building blocks for proteins.
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Proteins are crucial to the organs. They also serve other functions, such as transporting substances in the blood and fighting off harmful viruses and bacteria and has a special role in
intestinal health.
Your body naturally produces this amino acid, and it is also found in many foods. Yet, you may be unsure if you need extra glutamine from supplements for optimal health. Since glutamine is an amino acid that is naturally produced in the body and found in many foods, there is no concern that it's harmful in normal quantities.
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It has been estimated that a typical diet may contain 3 to 6 grams per day, although this amount could vary based on the types and quantities of foods consumed.
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Pre Workout - Pre Workout is usually a blend of other supplements like BCAAs, simple carbohydrates, caffeine, beetroot juice, and creatine monohydrate (a popular muscle-building supplement) which are all common pre-workout supplement ingredients that have been shown to improve exercise performance and while not required, they have become a very popular form of taking these supplements because of the energy boost commonly received.
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Dosages vary and while alot of pre workout brands are not FDA approved the argument states that the required energy needed for exercise can be acquired from foods and other supplements, which is why its much simpler to just take a preworkout that has everything you need.
In truth you can get similar benefits from choosing one of the other supplements such as creatine or caffeine directly but because the blends of pre workout vary from brand to brand it could be beneficial for someone to choose one over another because of the extra ingredients they have, such as carbs or glutamine.