Category: Supplements

Is your Pre-workout Supplement Killing your gains? (Part 2)

Your Pre-Workout Supplement may be hurting you, but luckily there’s a solution!

Touching on Part 1 of this article (which you can find HERE), there are a couple major issues that arise from pre-workout supplementation. More so, the KIND of supplements people are taking and HOW LONG they are taking them for.

To give a brief overview, using stimulants and/or other popular pre-workout ingredients such as arginine, or beta-alanine can only be sustained for a limited period of time. The adrenal glands and other systems have to process these ingredients and often your receptors are overloaded and overworked.

Pre-workout supplementation I believe is ABSOLUTELY ideal for maximal work capacity and focus for intense workouts, however as many of you know, doing things RIGHT is great, but doing things OPTIMAL is better!

 So I have a solution for you, are you ready?

The answer to the myths and often “unnoticed” problems of pre-workout supplementation that I mentioned in the last article can be given in one simple phrase: Cycle your ingredients for maximal absorption, usage and uptake.

Below, I am going to break down 3 major periods for cycling your pre-workout ingredients. Again, this does not have to be followed to the “T”, however my personal experience shows it to work quite well.

There are TWO MAJOR things we want from our pre-workout supplementation: Increased energy, and increased blood flow. Let’s tackle those separately.

Increased Energy

The most popular ingredient found in almost every single pre-workout mix you’ll find is caffeine. The studies and years of proof do not lie: caffeine works. Through supplementation, this ingredient has the ability to constrict your blood vessels, increase your drive, stimulate heart rate and increase your metabolic processes for higher energy levels.

Increased Blood Flow

The second biggest goal of your pre-workout cocktail is to provide insane pumps! Ingredients such as arginine stimulate the production of Nitric Oxide, expanding the blood vessels and allowing maximal blood flow to the working muscles and sustained nutrient and oxygen uptake.

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Did you catch the problem?

If you walk into any supplement store here in the U.S., over 95% of the pre-workout products you’ll find will contain BOTH of these. The major problem we have here is that caffeine or other stimulants tell the body to constrict your blood vessels to increase energy, and vaso-dialators such as arginine are giving the EXACT opposite signal!

What the heck bro…I’m being played!

As mentioned above, the answer is through cycling these ingredients so that the benefit of BOTH is felt over time and the body is allowed to regulate each independently.

Here’s your next 2 months mapped out:

pre workout supplementation

 

If you pay close attention above, you’ll notice the 3 week cycles you’ll be switching between higher stimulants and supplements intended for greater pumps and blood flow. I included also a product list of the most proven and scientifically-backed supplements on the market today.

Remember the lawsuit from Muscle Pharm I touched on in the previous article? Well, with all of these products you can have 100% assurance brought to you by a third party testing company called Informed Choice.

This company tests all of these products for over 140 different impurities and other banned substances. So long story short, the things that are listed in the ingredients of each product are ACTUALLY  in the container!

 Product Snapshot

advocare sparkAdvoCare Spark is a unique multi-nutrient system that was developed as a nutritional source of energy and enhanced mental focus.* It’s a sugar-free with more than 20 vitamins, minerals and nutrients that work synergistically to provide a healthy, balanced and effective source of energy that won’t overburden or over stimulate your body.* This amazing product serves as an all-in-one solution that gives you a quick boost of energy that lasts for hours.*

 

arginine ExtremeArginine Extreme combines a substantial amount of L-arginine with other amino acids, B-vitamins and related nutrients scientifically designed to contribute to the body’s production of nitric oxide and muscle support.* This unique combination of powerful nutrients nourishes the growth of lean muscle tissue in conjunction with an exercise program and provides targeted nutritional support for the vascular, cardiovascular, reproductive and immune systems.* For athletes and exercisers, great-tasting Arginine Extreme is a premier pre-workout supplement that can help magnify the results of strength training by providing nutrient-delivery support directly to the muscles.* With 2 1/2 grams of L-arginine per serving, plus L-leucine, another important amino acid, you can get better endurance in the weight room and improved stamina during cardio workouts.

v02 prime barVO2 Prime™ is a premier pre-workout bar with innovative ingredients that have been shown to contribute to the body’s production of nitric oxide. This convenient, 140-calorie bar gives you the fuel you need to take your workouts to the next level.

 

 

 

advocare catalystCatalyst™ Amino Acid Supplement is a blend of essential branched-chain amino acids and L-glutamine that supplies your body with muscle-building components and sustains your muscles during exercise and reduced calorie intake.* Whether you’re trying to lose weight or gain muscle, Catalyst helps repair and protect muscles.*

 

 

 

CONCLUSION

Sometimes it’s hard to know exactly what you’re getting with your pre-workout supplement. But luckily there is always a solution if you’re willing to find it! The above recommendations have worked extremely well for by myself and my numerous clients who trust the Advocare name. Try them out for yourself and see what all the hype is about, you won’t be sorry I promise you…

If you enjoyed this article or even had specific questions on the products or content I’ve shared, please leave a comment below in the space provided and let’s chat!

I’m always here to lend a hand and get you started on the right foot. Take care and God bless!

 

-Mitch Muller

MindsetFitness.net

Full reference from product descriptions above are owned and located at MindsetElite.com.

Is your Pre-workout Supplement Killing your gains? (Part 1)

It’s funny, with the amount of hype the supplement industry gets these days, it’s really hard to tell what Pre-workout supplement is the best to go with.

I get asked all the time about which one I use and/or if I have my own special formula for getting an insane pump and crazy energy. While both of these have been true in some regard, I want to clear up some common mis-beliefs about what your pre-workout supplement can do for you.

 

Myth #1 – Taking a pre-workout supplement will make my workout better

I’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news but this isn’t always the case. I would never say that using these supplements is a bad idea either, however the CONTEXT of supplementation, there’s a lot that can be negative.

Do you ever wonder why after using the same pre-workout supplement for weeks on end, you will tend to not FEEL it working anymore? Hmm, maybe there’s something to that, I wonder?

Your body is extremely smart. Once you saturate your muscle cells and receptors with the same thing over and over again, the end result becomes bland and almost useless. This same principle can apply to almost anything you do.

Take for instance in business; would you always use the same marketing plan to increase profit over 20 years? Absolutely not. Times change, the market changes, and we are forced to adapt to grow.

Your body is built the same way.

So with the question as to if the pre-workout supplement you use right now is actually HELPING you train harder and longer, my answer for you is, “it depends”.

  • How long have you been taking it?
  • How much of it are you taking?

If your first answer is anything over “a month”, then you might be wasting your money.

Here’s the conclusion to this myth: Taking a pre-workout supplement for too long may actually make you feel WORSE in the gym than not taking it at all. Maybe you should give your adrenal glands a break for a bit huh?

 

Myth #2 – I can trust the label on the products I take

I don’t know about you but I love simplicity. Worrying about the integrity of 20+ products on any GNC shelf seems exhausting, and to be honest, I know there’s a simple answer to this.

Before I give it to you though, I want you to see some recent news about one of the major products that have been popular amongst our fitness and bodybuilding family: Iron Mass from Muscle Pharm.

Here’s a clip from a Forbes article (also referenced at the bottom of this page):

“Similarly, a lab test of MusclePharm’s “Arnold Scharzenegger Series Iron Mass” revealed that just 19 of the promised 40 grams of protein were present, according to exhibits in the lawsuit.”

“I believe it is a pretty simple, cut and dry issue: We allege in these lawsuits that these companies use misleading language on the label regarding the amount of actual protein in the products, and the consumers are the ones that pay. That’s the bottom line,” says Nick Suciu, the lead attorney for the plaintiffs on many of the lawsuits. “I began developing the cases because customers have been misled by this practice for years.”

 

Pretty shady huh?

You can take from this article what you will, but my point is that it can be extremely hard to trust the products you put in your body, period. Most of us don’t have the time anyway to do all the research that is needed to make a logical, educated decision. It’s just easier to pick a canister off the shelf that looks shiny and “hardcore” enough to make you feel tingles in your face and the short-term ability to smell colors.

“BRO! This stuff is working!”

One MAJOR Problem…

Stick around for PART 2 of this article to find out the solution!

 

Your Mindset Muscle Coach,

-Mitch Muller

MindsetFitness.net

Reference: http://www.forbes.com/sites/alexmorrell/2015/03/12/lawsuits-say-protein-powders-lack-protein-ripping-off-athletes/

Joint Supplement Reviews

joint supplement reviews

Joint Supplement Reviews

People of all ages and activity levels suffer from joint pain. Arthritis is the most common culprit, which can strike at any age. Athletes are another group that is particularly susceptible to joint pain and inflammation. Proper nutrition and exercise techniques can help alleviate many of the symptoms of joint pain. The most popular and effective joint supplements typically contain ingredients that can both promote stronger joints and joint repair, as well as help with pain and inflammation. It has been observed that 2/3 individuals are afflicted with joint pain in the US alone. This joint pain ranges from the temporary joint immobility and stiffness to the chronic rheumatoid arthritis.

Lifestyle, diet, medication and exercise all play an important role in deciding the nature of joint pains that one could become prey to, with advancing age.

What causes Joint Pain

As we age, bodily collagen breaks down, cartilage and bone is subject to wear and tear, cellular regeneration is lowed down in the body, illness and disease, injury and stress all leave their own marks on the overall health and fitness. The pain between joints is mostly due to thinning of the cartilage, which no longer acts as the shock absorber. Inflammation of the joints due to increasing friction and wearing down of cartilage and bone results in joint deformity and Arthritis.

Athletes engaged routinely in high impact sports (rugby, soccer etc.,) and exercise, are also subject to severe joint pains in later years.

Ingredients

While most Joint Supplements contain cartilage building Glucosamine and Chondroitin, which also protect existing cartilage, newer suplements incorporate substances like Methylsulfonylmethane (MSM), Collagen and Hyaluronic acid (HA).

Some new generation joint supplements contain COX-2 inhibitors, which are a class of drugs that selectively inhibit COX-2, an enzyme involved in the inflammation pathway, while sparing COX-1, thereby reducing gastrointestinal toxicity. COX-2 selective inhibitors are the newest of the NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs).

How They Work :

Joint Supplements are designed to provide lasting relief when it comes to joint pains and rheumatic arthritis.

To protect cartilage and help rebuild it, physicians recommend Glucosamine and Chondroitin. Collagen, Hyaluronic acid (HA), and Methylsulfonylmethane (MSM) are some of the newer and more promising ingredients being used by people suffering from joint pain.

Joint supplements have been observed to reduce pain and swelling, repair damaged tissue and also increase joint strength in 2-3 months after usage.

Synotrex, with its proprietary blend of patented ingredients, natural COX-2 inhibitors and multiple joint support and anti-inflammatory agents has made it to the top as an effective alternative for most kinds of joint pain. Synotrex is the only product with a 90-Day Guarantee, and the customer support and results were among the best.

 

This Article is Originally Published here: http://www.vitamin-review.com/joint-pain/joint-supplements.html

Know Your Supplements – BCAA’s

It seems like just a couple years ago that BCAA supplements were unheard of. These amino acids have made a huge breakthrough in the supplement industry today based largely on the fact that they DELIVER, hands down. BCAA stands for branched chain amino acids and is increasingly being recognized as an important supplement in the field of sports nutrition. In short the term refers to three essential amino acids – leucine, isoleucine and valine. Amino acids are widely known as the building blocks of protein. When protein food is eaten it gets digested into individual amino acids and short chains of amino acids that are sufficiently small to be absorbed into the bloodstream. They are then used by the body to build and repair tissues amongst other things. Amino acids are split between those classed as essential and those labelled non-essential. This simply means that essential amino acids cannot be made by the body, whereas non-essential amino acids can. There are nine essential amino acids and each must be obtained from the diet. The nine essential amino acids are histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, tryptophan and valine. Non-essential amino acids are just as important as the essential variety and the term simply means they can be made by the body from vitamins and other amino acids. The non-essential amino acids are alanine, arginine, asparagine, aspartic acid, cysteine, cystine, glutamic acid, glutamine, glycine, proline, se

rine and tyrosine.

The BCAA’s are especially important to athletes because they are metabolized in the muscle rather than the liver. This means that they can be used either to build new proteins or be burned as fuel to create energy. Supplementing with BCAA’s has been shown to result in measurable gains in both muscle strength and size. Taken before a workout BCAA’s can improve performance and delay the onset of fatigue. They also operate as anabolic agents allowing the body to burn fat and not muscle. As a supplement that has no reported side effects, branched chain amino acids offer many benefits to the serious bodybuilder or fitness enthusiast. Go pick some up today!

Supplement Week: The Truth About Creatine

creatine

In this article I wanted to touch on a supplement that has been subject to some scrutiny throughout the entire time it has been available to the public. I’ve met with many fitness professionals and talked to clients and close friends about their opinion on the use of creatine in sports, various types of training, and bodybuilding, and to no surprise there came a quick dispute. So with all the opposing information that has been filling the fitness world, I’d like to share some of my personal opinions backed by scientific research. By the end of this article, you should have a better understanding of what creatine does and if it’s right for you in your daily supplementation.

WHAT EXACTLY IS CREATINE?

First off, creatine is a simple mixture of three important amino acids: glycine, arginine, and methionine. That’s it, nothing fancy here. Creatine is actually produced naturally in the body and can be found in various forms of high protein foods like fish and red meat.  Because the body produces it naturally and it is easily obtained through the diet, some people tend to think supplementation of creatine is unnecessary. This may be the case in some instances however if you’re a person who is trying to build muscle or spends a great deal of time doing physical or endurance-like activities, you should consider creatine as a supplemental “must have.”

HOW DOES IT WORK?

There are three main things that Creatine does for us…

1.     AID IN ENERGY SYSTEM

I’m assuming most of you reading this aren’t biochemistry majors, so I’ll do my best to simplify this process as much as possible. Creatine plays its natural role in the body in our energy system. The energy that the body uses for virtually EVERY process being performed is called Adenine Tri-phosphate or ATP. When creatine is produced in the body or enters via supplementation, it automatically gets paired up with a Phosphate molecule to become Creatine-Phosphate. Just like Creatine has a Phosphate molecule, so does ATP.

When a particular system needs energy (for example a muscle contraction), ATP will become hydrolyzed and its Phosphate molecule will break off from it, producing heat (energy). The resulting molecule is now called Adenine Di-Phosphate or ADP. The body has no particular use for the ADP molecule so the only available option is to convert ADP back into ATP! This is where Creatine checks into the game…

Because creatine has a phosphate bound molecule attached, it donates it to ADP thus converting ADP back into ATP, in turn producing more energy for the body’s use. So it is safe to say that an increase in creatine will result in increased potential energy to be used during physical activity. I hope that makes more sense…

2.     IMMEDIATE ANAEROBIC ENERGY

Many people may not realize, but creatine itself is actually a fuel source. During intense workouts, the body will first dig into creatine stores to provide immediate anaerobic energy to the muscle cells. The more creatine that is made available in the creatine stores, the more energy can be produced, thus giving you much-needed endurance to finish your workout.

3.     HYDRATION OF CELLS

This is where most people will jump on or off of the creatine bandwagon. A popular remark I hear all the time about creatine is that it “only fills your muscles up with water to make them look bigger.” While this is completely an uninformed statement, it is right about extra hydration for the muscle. The more water that is pushed into the cell, the more nitrogen ions and other important ions will follow to aid in the muscular concentration of these ions. This whole process is anabolic in the body and helps to increase protein synthesis. All good things!

SHOULD I CYCLE OR LOAD CREATINE?

This is the question I get most frequently about creatine. There are numerous articles floating around the internet that may lead you to believe that both loading and cycling are not necessary, however through some recent studies on creatine, you should consider both options:

“A study found that individuals taking 20 grams of creatine for five days performed better on a calf muscle strength test compared to a group that took a placebo. The creatine supplement group also had superior neuromuscular function and faster muscle contraction time. A second study found that taking 20 grams of creatine for five days increases sprint running capacity. Participants improved their time to exhaustion by 23 percent, highlighting the value of creatine loading prior to a sport competition with a high-intensity component. Another study from the University of Oklahoma found that participants who took creatine for four weeks while performing high-intensity sprint training had higher creatine phosphate levels. Participants who didn’t take creatine but did perform the training had significantly lower creatine levels at the end of the study.” (Source 2)

So what’s the takeaway from this? Basically it is not completely necessary to load creatine but it may help you get some results faster. In order for creatine to take full effect during your intense training, the muscles must first be completely filled with it. If you were to take smaller dosages each day, eventually the muscles would become saturated, however the results may take a bit longer.

Here are my loading recommendations:

  1. Start by taking 20-25 grams of creatine for 5 days
  2. Once the loading stage is over, maintain a constant dosage of about 5-10 grams per day

As far as cycling creatine, there are no precise studies to show any positive or negative effects. In my opinion, the body will always try to maintain a homeostatic balance. This means that if you ingest too much creatine, you may be able to use most of it for a prolonged time, but eventually if the dosages are too high the body will enforce homeostasis and reject the incoming creatine to maintain balance.

Personally I tend to cycle off of creatine for a week or so at the same time when I take a week off from lifting. This occurs about every 8-10 weeks. This break allows my body to get back to normal with enough rest to recover and come back strong the following week.

WHAT TYPE OF CREATINE IS BEST TO TAKE?

There are so many supplements out on the market these days that promise the best results because of the included creatine dosage. But if you’re strapped for money or you’re just a savvy shopper then stick to creatine’s purest form: Creatine Monohydrate. It’s not too pricy and it will last a long time on the proper dosages.

WHEN SHOULD I TAKE CREATINE?

From popular studies and general recommendations, creatine has been shown to work better in both pre-workout and post-workout supplementation. Try consuming around 3-5 grams pre and post workout to utilize creatine’s effectiveness.

CONCLUSION

Because of the short time that creatine has been available to the public; there are very few studies about its long-term effects. Given the information that I previously noted, creating is completely safe for supplementation. I have used it safely for a couple years now and it has definitely proved itself!

Take care,

Mitch Muller

CPT – MindsetFitness.net

 

Source list:
  1. “Beyond the Confusion: Getting the facts straight on creatine for optimal results!”, Author: Layne Norton, www.biolayne.com
  2. Blog “Tip 138: load with creatine: Improve performance and train harder, longer, and faster.” Author: Charles Poliquin, http://www.charlespoliquin.com/