Are Bodybuilding Supplements The Answer?

Saturday, November 7th, 2009

So there’s me obsessing over the best creatine supplement and I begin to wonder if it’s really the answer.  I started to weigh up creatine supplements against other weight gain supplements and my head was starting to spin.  I delved back into the books and talked more to my gym instructor.  I realised that there is one worrying thing about supplements.  Anything that comes with the label ‘dietary supplements’ isn’t forced to meet with FDA standards or any other standards for that matter.

When you consider that for a moment you start to wonder why there are no regulations protecting us, nothing in place to guarantee our safety or the purity for that matter of the supplements being sold on the market today.  Comparing these supplements to prescription drugs also opens up more questionable things.  Bodybuilding supplements aren’t forced to meet the same requirements.  There are purity ratings and potency ratings that these supplements are not necessarily  made to meet these specific ratings.

So why does the supplement industry strive?  The more I considered it the more I realised it must have been the money invested into it.  Studies have shown that supplements do deliver on their advertising claims yet the fact remains that the guys in the gym were spending a lot of money on something that had no or little proven value.  There’s always that thing in your mind that tells you that you need the magic bullet.  You need the fast way, the easy way.  Often times when we feel great about these things we train harder, with more belief so we naturally put on muscle a lot quicker.

There’s a fact that might shock you but I want to be honest with you.  My honest belief is that if more bodybuilders utilised infrequent, short-burst/high energy training sessions and then took the time to become stronger by taking appropriate rest time most, if not all of the steroids and supplements would be rendered ineffective.  So I started to look back on the best creatine supplement and realise it just wasn’t what I wanted any more.  But what did I want?

The Best Creatine Supplement – The Big Question

Friday, November 6th, 2009

When I was searching for the best creatine supplement I’d come to the realisation that creatine was my fast track solution to achieving the right sports nutrition and steadily increasing my muscle mass.  The big question I kept asking myself was are supplements the only way forward?  I found myself pondering everything I’d been exposed to in the gym.  I remember seeing those massive dudes who were as ripped as I wanted to be.  they all seemed to drink whey protein shakes and take numerous other supplements.

I remember being in the changing rooms looking around and trying to feel masculine.  I felt angry because  couldn’t help but feel like I was wasting my time.  I pictures how good it’d feel when my creatine monohydrate kicked in and I was looking buff like those bronzed dudes I so longed to look like.  After around three months I soon realised that my realisation of how I wanted to look was slightly hazy.  I wanted to put on muscle and I wanted to put it on fast.  What is the better way?

When I looked into the best creatine supplement I tried to take in everything my gym instructor told me.  I absorbed the facts and tried to see myself using these shakes and seeing the benefits.  I was impatient to say the least.

Here’s what I learned.

The body utilizes nutrients in food to perform daily metabolic and what’s commonly referred to as the “wear and tear processes”. With bodybuilding, additional strain is put on the body to make new muscle tissues. Therefore the nutrient requirements also shoots up to stay with the demand.
The best bodybuilding nutrition comes from a balanced intake of carbohydrates, adequate protein, vitamins, minerals, fats and large amounts of water. So if you are serious about getting lean and ripped it’s time to say goodbye to mayo burgers, colas and other synthetic foods. Adopt eating habits imbibing fruits, whole grains, milk, eggs and fresh farm products.
How much protein do you need?
Your growing muscles need amino acids to create new tissues. The amino acids are provided by protein in diet. There is a lot of debate on the exact quantity of protein required in bodybuilding. The caution to maintain is that extreme amounts of protein in the diet can cause gastric and renal complications. Recent studies have suggested that a protein intake of 1 to 1.4 grams per unit of body weight is adequate to sustain the bodybuilding process. This means that the protein requirement of a 70 kg individual should be around 70 to 98 grams. To give an estimate of the amount involved consider the following: A 100 gm chicken breast has 22 grams of protein, a glass of milk has 8 grams,an egg approximately 5 grams and a slice bread 3 grams.

Your body takes in all the nutrients from the food you eat and it uses them  for daily metabolic performance and what some people nickname the ‘wear and tear processes’.  Large amounts of water, adequate protein and carbohydrates are just some of the ingredients that make up  the really good bodybuilding nutrition.  When your muscles are growing and expanding they need amino acids and these acids create new tissues.  You can get these amino acids from your diet and protein in particular.  People are always arguing over how much protien the body needs.  I’ve seen them raging on into the small hours on internet forums, but what’s new.

So, how much protein do you need?  renal and gastric complications often stem from extreme amounts of protein in the diet.

When you’re pumping iron, there’s a lot of pressure on the body to produce fresh muscle tissue so your body’s need for nutrients are sky high in order to retain the body’s desires.  If you’re serious about packing on those pounds and creating lean muscle you’ve got to be disciplined.  You have to get rid of cola, synthetic foods and burgers with mayo on them.  Try some whole grains, eggs and fresh farm products.