To supplement or not to supplement – that is the
question on more bodybuilder’s lips than ever before.
Are they safe? What works and what doesn't?
Lets have a look at the basics.
There are various reasons why athletes may be interested
in supplementation.
- Concern about getting adequate nutrients from
our food supply.
- Suspicion of pharmaceuticals.
- Belief that diet alone will not achieve optimal
nutrition
Supplements include the following:
• Vitamins
• Minerals
• Amino Acids
• Herbs
The concerning thing about supplements is that anything
classified as a dietary supplement is not required to meet
any FDA or other standards! Think about that! there are
no regulations in place that guarantee the safety or purity
of something sold as a supplement.
They are also not made to meet the similar safety requirements
as prescription drugs or any other manufacturing standards.
They are not required to meet product potency or purity
ratings and are not required to prove the effectiveness
of any health claim that is made.
Studies suggest that a number of supplements may deliver
on advertising claims. However, trainees are spending large
sums of money on products that have little or no proven
usefulness.
Personally I find the use of supplements over rated and
as with strength training, supplementation asks the same
question “if a little is good then maybe more has
to be better”
Supplementation and steroids started to proliferate when
volume strength training became the training system of the
day. Young strength trainees slaving in the gym for five
to six days a week was seen as normal. All this without
making any progress or putting on any size whatsoever.
They then turned to the latest supplement or steroid thinking
that this is the magic bullet to put on that added muscle
when all the time they were just plain "overtraining"
The cold hard facts are that the majority of the regular
trainees in your gym are overtraining. The sad reality is
that the type of training that you find in bodybuilding
books and magazines (and used by the stars) are irrelevant
to the majority of the population and has a high failure
rate.
If more bodybuilders started using more infrequent, short,
high intensity weight training sessions, followed by the
required amount of time to recover and become stronger…
MOST OF THE WEIGHT GAIN SUPPLEMENTS AND STERIODS AVAILABLE
TODAY WOULD NOT BE NEEDED.
The bottom line on weight gain supplements
• Before taking a supplement try to make modifications
to your diet that might achieve the same goals.
• Only choose products that show the amount of
active ingredients on the label that are required.
• Be aware that “natural” does not
mean ‘safe’
• Some herbal supplements may have unpleasant side
effects.
Listed below are some popular bodybuilding supplements
available on the market today:
Creatine monohydrate
Creatine was first introduced to the market place some
eight years ago and has since become the most popular bodybuilding
supplement of all time.
Creatine is said to significantly increase lean muscle
mass, improve performance, increase energy levels and speed
up recovery rates. Creatine also stimulates the uptake of
amino acids in the proteins, which means that the more that
it's used the more muscle that may be grown.
Dosage: A loading phase of 20grams a day for the first
five days then a
maintenance phase of 5grams a day from then on.
>>
Click here for Creatine Supplements
Whey Protein isolate
The highest yield of protein currently available and is
extracted from milk. This is another popular supplement
for athletes and bodybuilders because of its high proportion
of amino acids. It is supposed to be high in potassium,
which is essential for muscle growth and is an antioxidant
and a good immune system builder.
Dosage: 20gms - 100gms a day.
>>
Click here for Whey Protein Supplements
Tibulus Terrestris
Tribulus terrestris is a plant that grows in many tropical
and moderate areas of the world and is very rich in chemical
compounds such as saponins, flavonoids and alkaloids.
Tribulus terrestris is supposedly a testosterone enhancer.
and increases sex drives in both men and women.
Dosage as per bottle.
>>
Click here for Optimum Tribulus
Glutamine
Is a non-essential amino acid, which makes up to 60% of
the amino acids in the bodies muscles. Glutamine containing
products are protein shakes and good quality protein powders;
it can also be added to protein shakes for added potency.
Dosage: 5grams to 15 grams per day.
>>
Click here for Glutamine
So please remember a supplement is something added to
the diet to make up for a nutritional deficiency or imbalance
they are not intended to substitute for eating a balanced
diet. If they are to be taken at all they should only be
used to supplement the diet and not replace it.
>>
Click here for Tom Venuto's Burn the Fat Feed the Muscle
program
>> Click here for Pete Sisco's Maximum Strength Program | 
