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A guide to fitness supplements

The fitness supplement industry is big business. The demand for such products seems to be on the rise too, with the ever increasing "body perfect" culture in the west, millions of people are looking for the magic supplement which will make them realise their dreams of looking great. With any multibillion dollar industry, competition is fierce, and the supplement companies are looking at the most effective ways to hook a customer into buying their products. Of course, like most products, this battle is won mainly with a successful marketing campaign. Endorsements by professional sport stars, pictures of fitness models on the packaging, bold claims about the product and its ability, glossy advertisements in fitness and bodybuilding magazines, to name a few. As a customer, however, is this what we really care about? In reality, there are many high priced products by big supplement brands which are no different than the products you can pick up from a much cheaper bulk supplier online. The difference is many uneducated fitness trainers wrongly come to conclusion that the product which packaging looks better, and promotion looks better, is better nutritionally. Ask yourself this question, do you want to be the one paying the bills for the two page spread in that national fitness magazine? What about the hiring of that famous sport star? Or, alternatively, do you want to be spending your hard earned cash on the quality of the actual nutritional supplement you will be consuming?

Whilst I must ensure you that there are many big brands in the supplement market that I believe are great, and create nutritionally sound products, it would be a wise choice for those who are looking for fitness supplements to educate themselves on the various supplements available to them. By educating yourself about fitness supplements you will be in a much better position to decide which supplements you need, if any, to help you towards your fitness goals.

I think firstly we must declare what fitness supplements are. This may sound basic and trivial, but you would be surprised how many people do not understand what fitness is, or know what supplements are truly meant for! If you fall into one, or both, of these categories then you are not off to a good start if you are thinking about handing your hard earned cash over to a company, for something you have little knowledge about.

Firstly, fitness, what is it? Fitness is a term which refers to various components:

• Strength
• Power
• Speed
• Muscular endurance
• Flexibility
• Cardiovascular ability
• Balance and Agility
• Body composition

Collectively, the above can be said to make up "fitness".

Secondly, supplements, what are they? There is a misconception with supplements. If you spend any amount of time on a bodybuilding or fitness forum this will quickly become apparent. Many new, and even relatively experienced trainers believe that supplements are the backbone of their nutrition when it comes to fitness or bodybuilding. The opposite if actually true.

Lets look at a dictionary definition of "supplement"...

Sup-ple-ment
-noun
1. something added to complete a thing, supply a deficiency, or reinforce or extend a whole.

The whole point of supplements are to supplement your nutritional intake. You should have a sound nutritional intake (from wholesome foods) which is suitable for your fitness or bodybuilding goal, and then, if needed, supplement your nutrition with products made for that purpose.

Now we know briefly what fitness is, and the purpose of supplements within our nutrition, we can look at the fitness components and look at which types of supplements may benefit someone aiming for progression in that particular area.

Supplements for strength, power and speed

Creatine

You have probably heard of creatine before. You may even already be taking it, or a product which contains creatine within it. Creatine has been shown to improve short explosive bursts of energy, ideal for those into strength, power or speed related sports and disciplines. Creatine is used in the creation of phosphocreatine, which is important in the production of ATP, the substance which fuels the muscle contractions of low repetition, high resistance forces.

Common dosages: 3g daily of creatine monohydrate.

Positives:

• Improve muscle strength, and power
• Creatine Monohydrate is cheap
• May increase protein synthesis
• Creatine monohydrate is relatively neutral tasting

Negatives:

• Not everybody responds to creatine supplementation
• Can cause increased water retention
• Can cause cramps
• May cause kidney issues with those with already existing kidney conditions

Caffeine

Caffeine is a commonly used supplement which can aid in decreased tiredness and increased alertness. This is a supplement which is often taken pre workout to increase performance in the gym.

Common dosages: 200mg pre workout.

Positives:

• Increase alertness and decrease tiredness

Negatives:

• High dosages can lead to the user to become "hooked"
• Insomnia if taken a few hours before bed
• Increased heart rate and possibly increased blood pressure
• Diarrhoea
• Nervousness and anxiety

Meal replacements (MRP)

A quality meal replacement offers a quick and easy way to consume a nutritionally sound meal, quickly. A quality meal replacement supplement will contain a suitable protein source (a protein blend would be a good choice so we get fast and slow digesting proteins), suitable carbohydrate source(s), dietary fats, and possibly an array of micronutrients (vitamins and minerals).

Whilst we must not rely on MRP‘s, they do come in very handy for those of us in jobs which do not offer much time for the consumption of a full meal when we need them vital nutrients.

Common consumption: there is no need for meal replacements unless you can not consume a proper meal, a real meal would be a better if possible. One or two meal replacements would be the maximum per day, if possible, and real food should always be considered the superior choice.

Positives:

• A quality MRP will supply much needed nutrients in an easy to consume shake

Negatives:

• Can be costly, especially if consuming more than one on a daily basis
• You have to be careful to pick a quality MRP, ask on the forums for any particular brands people rate
• People can over rely on MRP‘s, when really we should try our best to consume real foods for the majority of our nutritional intake

Supplements for muscular endurance

Electrolyte replacement drinks

Proper fuelling and hydration before an endurance event is vital, and so is mineral and electrolyte replacement during and after such events. A low level of electrolytes and minerals in the blood can lead to a decrease in performance, so regulating the level in the blood is important for anybody taking part in endurance training. A normal level of minerals in the blood is needed to ensure enzymatic reactions which ensure normal blood volume, and blood sugar levels.

Positives:

• If used correctly electrolyte drinks can ensure optimal levels of electrolytes and minerals in the blood, possibly improving performance

Negatives:

• Can be costly
• Some drinks contain a high number of trace elements which can actually have a negative effect due to competition for absorption

Supplements for flexibility and agility

Glucosamine

Glucosamine is a substance which may lead to positive effects in keeping the joints healthy, and is often used by people in an attempt to slow down arthritis. Whilst there are some conflicting studies into Glucosamines ability, the overall research and reviews do indicate some potential benefits, mainly as a prevention, and to maintain healthy joints.

Recommended dosage: 1,500mg daily of Glucosamine.

Positives:

• May improve the health of the joints

Negatives:

• Costly
• Conflicting studies into effectiveness
• Would do very little for those with server joint discomfort and issues

Supplements for body composition

Green tea

Green tea has many health benefits, all of which are covered in our green tea article. Green tea has also been shown to increase the resting metabolic rate, thus increasing the amount of calories used during rest. Green tea is also a powerful antioxidant, useful for bodybuilders to curb free radical damage post workout.

Common consumption: conflicting studies on the most effective consumption for health benefits, although three to four cups per day would likely be a wise choice.

Positives:

• Many health benefits
• Can increase resting metabolic rate

Negatives:

• Green tea is generally more expensive than common tea (but worth the price I may add!)

Protein shakes

Protein shakes are probably the most popular supplement for budding bodybuilding and fitness enthusiasts, often with an over reliance (and over estimate of the effects) of "protein shakes". Protein is vital for the repairing process, especially important in fitness and bodybuilding for obvious reasons. There are many different protein shakes on the market, so it can be confusing.

Whey protein is a fast digesting protein which is a good choice for the morning time, and also post workout when we want to benefit from its fast uptake. There are mainly two different types of whey protein; concentrate and isolate. Lower in fat and cholesterol, whey concentrate has a higher concentration of bioactive compounds, although contains a higher level of lactose. Isolate contains less bioactive compounds, although has a lower level of lactose due to processing.

Casein is another common protein supplement, created from the ultra filtration of milk. This protein source is slow digesting and is of benefit for the times when you want a more steady supply of protein over a long time frame, commonly before bed.

Protein is a macronutrient and vital for an healthy existence. Bodybuilding and fitness trainers often will benefit from a higher level of protein in their diets, and also the correct protein sources consumed at the correct timings during the day.

Prohormones

I was unsure on whether to include prohormones, as I would usually advise against anyone who is new to bodybuilding or fitness to stay clear of them. I have chosen to include them for that very point however, to educate you about them. Prohormones are the precursors to anabolic androgenic steroids. You can expect the same potential side effects from prohormone use as you would if you were taking anabolic androgenic steroids. They work by converting to the parent steroid upon an enzymatic process in the body.

There are many prohormones legally available in the UK and care must be taken to ensure you know exactly what you are taking, and possible side effects from its use.

If used "correctly", and in a pair of educated hands, the effects of prohormone use can be very positive, with great gains in muscle size.

Conjugated Linoleic Acid

CLA has been shown to have antioxidant and fat reducing properties. CLA has also been reported to promote muscle growth, therefore being a great supplement to improve a persons body composition (decrease body fat and increase lean muscle mass). The frustrating thing about CLA is that it has much mixed results in studies. There are studies that show that CLA has contributed towards a decrease in body fat levels and an increase in lean body mass, whilst some show no notable benefits from CLA. Recently more evidence has supported towards CLA promoting a gain in fat free mass, which is still a positive effect in shifting a persons body composition. These new findings back up the testing done on rats which demonstrated a much more notable reduction in body fat from CLA, but likely due to another secondary reason. The fat reduction in mice was likely due to their faster metabolisms, and the growth of new tissue being the majority of the metabolic process (using more calories for the increase of free fat mass). This would give a clearer indication to why humans tend to show a positive effect in free fat mass gains from CLA supplementation, but little fat reduction, whilst early studies on mice showed both.

Common dosage: 3g daily of CLA

Positives:

• May increase free fat mass
• May decrease body fat (although less conclusive)
• Has antioxidant properties

Negatives:

• Mixed and conflicting studies
• Early studies performed on mice, not humans (although recent studies due support an increase in free fat mass)

What to buy

I have tried to include a wide spectrum of supplements above which can be beneficial to those striding towards a particular fitness goal. The above supplements are raw ingredients which you can buy in a very basic form from many online bulk suppliers. Whey and casein protein, and even protein blends, are available from supplement suppliers at a very reasonable price (flavoured or unflavoured), you just need to shop around and ask on forums for advice. Meal replacements are the same, although there is also the question of quality involved greatly here, due to its spectrum of nutritional ingredients. The other supplements however are compounds which will not vary much from supplier to supplier, so by shopping around you will be able to pick out the best buys to save you a small fortune.