Please excuse me if this post sounds a bit like it is too geared towards the “meat head” weight lifter crowd. My good friend, Larry Bodine, asked me a question about using protein powders as a useful supplement. The one he asked about claimed to “improve physical performance by 20%, fuel lean muscle 142% faster than regular protein and improve endurance by 5 minutes.”
These claims always make me a little skeptical. Most of these product claims are never vetted by the FDA, so there is a whole lot of marketing hype involved. I encourage you to read this article that will help you review the claims and ingredients of the hundreds of supplements that are on the market.
I have never been a big fan of using supplements since they make you lighter in the wallet and they rarely are backed by true scientific studies. However, I started using creatine a few years ago, and that did greatly improve my performance. As I have gotten older, I have started investigating post-workout recovery supplements since I do not seem to bounce back after a hard workout as fast as I used to when I was a dumb kid. Currently I am trying out Cellmass by BNS. I will update you in a few weeks on how it has worked for me.
Make sure you check out some of the ingredients before you buy, or ingest, anything. Some products contain high levels of caffeine, which might irritate some people who are not used to drinking the equivalent of 2-3 cups of coffee with each dose.
All supplements are exactly what they say they are: supplements. They are not magic potions. They contain many of the same ingredients that you will find in good food, but they are in a concentrated and easy to ingest form (powder, shake, etc) that makes to convenient for some people. You still have to do the work, eat well, get your rest and have a good mental attitude about your workout regimen. They won’t do the work for you.
3 comments:
Thank you for this article. While I have plenty of knowledge about nutrition, I have little knowledge of sports nutrition. I haven't exercised in years and have just started again now that I'm obese and I don't know what I'm suppose to be doing. The internet is full of misleading info from drug-company owned sites; its refreshing to find real advice from a real person.
Darryl,
I just threw away my remaining Bio Cellmass creatine powder because of a side effect they didn't mention: you'll gain 15 pounds if you take it. Yes, it helps build lean muscle mass, but it also turned my body into the shape of a punching bad. If you don't want to get fat all over, don't take creatine.
Larry Bodine
Uncle Lar, my friend, I understand your concern. Many people, especially those who are naturally lean like you, will notice changes from using creatine. However, keep in mind, creatine does not make you fat. Calories make you fat. Period. It is physiologically impossible for it to occur any other way.
With that being sad, let me attempt to clarify what might be going on. Some common side effects of creatine include water retention with some brands. Scientists debate if it is the creatine that causes it (some think it is left over sodium from refinement).
Water retention in the interstitial spaces of your cells is one of the ways that allows for faster recovery and faster results.
Keep in mind though that creatine, like any other supplement or food, requires hard training to balance out the effects. If you are not training hard or long enough to NEED a recovery supplement, you should not take it.
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