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“I’ve been training for a couple of years, but now I’m getting serious about my nutrition plan for the first time. Can you tell me which supplements I should take?”
Which supplements you decide to take are a matter of budget and priority. I believe strongly in supplementation, and I take many supplements every day, far more than those I mention here. Since you are just beginning to get serious with your nutrition, I recommend starting slowly and adding supplements one at a time, so you can ascertain the effects of each. Here’s a rundown of how you might proceed.
- Protein Supplement. Start with a protein supplement, especially if it’s hard for you to take in at least one gram (g) of protein for each pound of bodyweight each day from solid food. Protein shakes and powders make it much easier to get in all the protein your muscles need for growth and recovery. Dosage: two drinks per day with 30-50 g of protein each.
- Glutamine. This is the most prevalent free amino acid in muscle tissue, and one of the most important nutrients for bodybuilders. It helps you recover, strengthens the immune system and improves digestion, among many other bodybuilding benefits. Try 10-20 g, taken 5 g at a time throughout the day.
- Creatine. Creatine helps pull fluid into the muscles, gives you a better pump and increases your strength. The benefits from training with creatine are substantial. Supplement with 5 g per day taken pre- or postworkout. You can take many other bodybuilding supplements as you gain experience and learn the effects that each has on your body. Again, you should start slowly and see how your body responds to each before adding new elements to your supplement regimen.
- Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs). Very few bodybuilders get enough healthy fats. Essential fatty acids are extremely important and beneficial. Take flax, hemp, wheat germ and cod liver oil, and eat foods (such as salmon and avocados) that are high in EFAs. Take 10-15 g of supplemental EFAS over the course of each day with meals, with a majority consisting of omega-3 fatty acids.
- Vitamins and Minerals. A good multivitamin/multimineral contains vitamins C, E and B complex, and also zinc and magnesium, as well as many other nutrients identified as essential. Take a pack with at least 100% of RDA minimums of these nutrients once a day with a meal.
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An average male bodybuilder carries 5 liters of blood (females have about 4)…At rest that blood is distributed throughout the body and follows certain path - normally supplying the body with physiological order of importance (what is needed the most is being on higher list of physiological priorities)…and simply organs and other tissues take preferance over the skeletal muscle AT REST…
So, when body is NOT physical (when we are resting) about 12-18% of total blood goes to our muscles and the rest is distributed ELSEWHERE (as I said - according to physiological importance at that moment)… Also, note that this 5 liters of blood are circulating quite slowly…
Well, when we start being more physically active…we start “moving” and using our “motors” ( read: MUSCLES) - our hearts start pumping a bit faster and as a result - blood start circulating that much faster and somewhat different…No longer certain organs, systems or tissues prevail in “need for blood” internal physiological war body is having on a daily bases…
Now body faces extreme shock - WEIGHT RESISTANCE TRAINING and should I say: INTENSE KIND of weight training only BODYBUILDING could create…and as a result OUR MUSCLES start winning the war and getting high on the list of “physiological importance for blood” list…
More and more blood follow the path to OUR MUSCLES!! Each muscle contraction, every rep, every set and every exercise increases the need for blood…Higher the intensity - higher the blood flow…
NEW PHYSIOLOGICAL IMPORTANCE is certainly our muscles and soon we have MAJOR BLOOD FLOW into the area of our body which is engaged the most = OUR MUSCLES!!!
Well, as science has discovered HYPEREMIA (INCREASED BLOOD FLOW TO THE PART OF THE BODY…in this instance OUR MUSCLES) reaches incredible 80% blood flow to the muscle with up to 20 times faster circulation!!!
What is Hyperemia?
Hyperemia is a condition in which blood congests in a particular area of the body. Hyperemia can be either active or reactive.
Active hyperemia takes place during muscle contraction, which has earned it additional names, such a functional hyperemia and exercise hyperemia. Other cause of active hyperemia include an increase in mental, cardiac, or gastrointestinal activity. With active hyperemia, blood collects in a particular organ as the result of increased blood flow caused by the arteriolar smooth muscle dilating, which is often due to an increase in the body’s metabolism. When the metabolic activity of the organ is increased, it develops a decreased ability to vasodilate and to perform vascular recruitment. This is particularly true if a skeletal muscle is affected.
Active hyperemia becomes evident within seconds of increasing tissue metabolism, which also increases blood flow. This increased blood flow returns to normal when the metabolism is restored to normal. The severity of the active hyperemia is determined by the how much the metabolic activity is increased.
With reactive hyperemia, also referred to as passive hyperemia, blood collects in an organ of the body in response to a blockage in the veins that are supposed to move the blood out. Reactive hyperemia usually takes place after a person experiences a period of ischemia, such as arterial occlusion. This leads to a shortage of oxygen, as well as an increase in the amount of metabolic waste that builds up in the organ.
Reactive hyperemia can occur after a tourniquet is applied to a person’s limb and then removed. It can also occur when a person’s arterial vessels are clamped, such as during surgery, and then released. If a person undergoes coronary occlusions, such as those experienced with a coronary vasospasm, reactive hyperemia may result. Experiencing coronary occlusion for only a few brief seconds places high metabolic demands on the contracting myocardium, which results in pronounced reactive hyperemia. The longer a person experiences coronary occlusion, the more severe the reactive hyperemia will be and the longer it will last.
This concept is xtremely important. Bodybuilder MUST FOCUS on Hyperemia.
If you want to deliver something to your muscles WHEN DO YOU THINK IS THE BEST TIME?
Before training when only 15 % of the blood is in the muscle?
After the training when blood is leaving your muscles…or MAYBE (Huh)
DURING THE TRAINING - when up to 80% of the BLOOD is…where…Huh
Oh - IN EXACT MUSCLE YOU ARE TRYING TO BUILD and doing all your heavy lifting for…day after day, week after week…month after month…should i even say - year after year…or for some even decade after decade - with MEDIOCRE results at best!
So, don’t you think that IF YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU COULD POSSIBLY ACCOMPLISH when you have 80% of your blood in exact muscles you are trying to build and YOU ACT UPON IT - you would possibly IMPROVE like never before (or like all the athletes I am preparing who keep shocking the world with FAST IMPROVEMENTS)?
If you PREPARE your blood correctly (sound diet plan in general + 30 minutes BEFORE training knowing WHICH NUTRIENTS TO TAKE that will in synergy with YOUR WORKOUT DRINK insure that YOUR BLOOD IS ANABOLIC/ANTI-CATABOLIC BOMB - filled with maximal amount of anabolic and anti-catabolic nutrients as well as TIMELY RELEASED anabolic and anti-catabolic hormones…What do you think WILL HAPPEN?
I will only say this once: DON’T SEND EMPTY BLOOD TO YOUR MUSCLES AT WORK…YOU ARE WASTING YOUR TIME!!!
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I know this blog is about muscle building. But we always forget the reason for achieving this extra muscle mass.
Some of you are competitive bodybuilders and the reasons are obvious.
Some of you want to be stronger and bigger to have a strong physical appearance.
Some of you are in pursuit of physical perfection.
Some of you psychologically link more muscle mass to more sexual success.
Some…
Why we forget that muscle is a crucial factor for well being and longevity?
For me this is one of my important issues, especially because now I’m over 40 years old. One author I usually read about is Scott Wainner. And in one of his latest articles he talks about 6 Reasons People Don’t Support Longevity Research.
I strongly support we must dedicate more funds to support longevity research because this research definitively improves our life quality and probably will help to achieve more muscle!
Think about it!
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