A Guide to Sports Supplements

Supplement Guide Last Updated 21/11/2008

Welcome to the PowerMyself supplement guide. Here at PowerMyself we want to make it as easy as possible for beginners and experienced athletes alike to find exactly what they’re looking for and only buying the supplements they specifically need. To do that, you need to know exactly what each category of supplement is and how they would benefit your body. Below is each category broken down as precisely and clearly as possible.

* Protein * Creatine * Testosterone * Fat Burners * Weight Gainers * Glutamine * Glucosamine * Flaxseed Oil * Nitric Oxide * BCAA's

Protein

Benefits – Gain lean muscle, improve recovery – for all athletes. Whey Protein

Whey protein is separated during the process of turning milk into cheese and is the very best form of protein as a supplement. Although a variety of meats and dairy products contain a good selection of protein, whey is by far the most effective and easiest to use and is probably the first thing you’ll find in any serious bodybuilders supplement cabinet.

Not only does whey have the highest value of branched-chain amino acids, the building blocks of muscle tissue, supplementation of whey has positive effects on the immune system and also enhances cellular and hormonal responses. Casein

Micellar Casein is a slow-digesting and rich source of protein found in milk that slowly releases the benefits of a protein supplement over several hours, as apposed to the quicker digestible whey supplement. Also whey can benefit muscle growth and synthesis quicker and more effectively following workout, Casein has been shown to better protect your muscles against breakdown. It also causes a slower release of amino acids into the blood stream, providing nutrients to your muscles for up to 7 hours after ingestion. Egg Protein

Before the supplement boom, bodybuilders were forced to either drink several raw egg whites (think Rocky) or cook them up, both a dangerous and cholesterol-rich way of getting your protein. Egg protein supplements have made it safe and easy to get high quality egg protein without the risk, hassle and price of stacking your cupboards with egg boxes. Several forms of quality whey products found at PowerMyself have a strong mixture of proteins often including Egg Protein so a separate egg protein supplement isn’t always needed. Soy Protein

Soy Protein is a complete protein supplement with low or no fat, cholesterol and lactose, therefore highly recommended as an alternative for those who are lactose intolerant, also used as a meat substitute. Derived from Soya beans, Soy Protein can also be used for cooking as a substitute to flour and to produce high protein, low fat foods – great for serious bodybuilders. Ingredients such as saponins, phytosterols and isoflavones support the immune system, help lower cholesterol and not only provide a great source of non-meat protein but also have a number of benefits for people’s health in general, especially beneficial to women. Who needs it and when?

Who doesn’t!? Literally anyone involved in sporting activities should know how vital it is for protein levels to be topped up. Following exercise, protein levels are depleted and as protein is a direct precursor to muscle tissue and amino acids, a good quality protein supplement will allow your muscles to recover and re-build much more effectively. Anyone who lifts weight should no doubt be using some form of protein supplement, as well as anyone involved in sporting activity. Protein supplements such as whey can also benefit people looking to lose weight as it balances blood sugar levels, cutting out binge eating and providing energy to burn calories. How much and when?

Protein supplements should be taken at least once a day, though many athletes supplement two or three times depending on the quality of the product. We’d recommend at least one 25g serving of protein per day after workout. If you’re looking to put serious muscle on and are burning a lot of calories, you can increase that to 2 or 3 times, spread out during the day.

Note: Always follow the instructions as an early precaution to ease your body into any form of supplementation. Check out our great Protein product range HERE Creatine

Benefits – Gain strength, increase muscle mass, power and speed in athletes.

Creatine is a substance produced naturally by the body and ingested in small amounts found in foods such as red meat and fish. It provides energy to muscle and nerve cells, thus combined with any form of strength or endurance training, adds more power to your arsenal, promotes protein synthesis to rebuild your muscles stronger and protects them against tissue damage.

There are 3 forms of creatine: Creatine Monohydrate is basically creatine bound with water. Each gram of creatine has about 88% creatine and 12% water and is the most popular and widely used form of creatine supplement. Creatine phosphate is what creatine needs to bond with in order to work and although many people believe it to be more effective than monohydrate, it has never been proven and phosphate contains less creatine per gram. Creatine citrate is the most soluble form of creatine but again, contains less creatine per gram than monohydrate. How to take creatine.

Powder – The most popular form of creatine, powders are taken by adding the product to water or fruit juice. This is a very well tested form of ingestion and is also the cheapest option you’ll find and is also easy to vary the dosage if you’re new to the product, or want slight increases in supplementation.

Liquid or Serum – More creatine is absorbed when taken in liquid or serum form so you don’t need to take as much, though the creatine will need to be stabilised to prevent it breaking down.

Capsules – Similar to powder, capsules are easy to take and just as effective and are much better with travel. The only slight downside is they are more difficult to vary dosage, tho that shouldn't be a problem. Who needs it and when?

Creatine use amongst bodybuilders has skyrocketed since it rose to fame in 1998 and has become the most popular bodybuilding supplement in the world so you can safely assume anyone involved in any kind of weightlifting should be using a creatine supplement of some kind to increase power, strength and size. Creatine is also beneficial to many kinds of sports as it provides stronger and quicker bursts of power from your muscles when sprinting. Rugby players and footballers alike are increasingly turning to creatine to boost energy levels, speed and gain much stronger upper body strength to gain an edge over their opponents.

As for when to take creatine, again it’s important to read the instructions carefully before use, but most creatine is taken at least once a day, often used for a few months following a ‘wash-out’ week.

There are no health side-effects associated with over-loading on creatine, within reason, although stated dosages are often the most effective way of ingesting the supplement and should be stuck to. You’ll usually find the dose is about 5grams and taking more wont have any more positive effects (you’ll probably want about half that if it’s a serum due to increased absorption rates). Check out our great Creatine range HERE Testosterone Boosters

Benefits – Muscle growth, strength, well-being, sexual function – advanced bodybuilders.

Testosterone is a steroid hormone and has multiple effects on the body ranging from promoting protein synthesis and tissue growth to general health and well-being, sexual functions and protection against disease.

All products sold on PowerMyself.com are safe and legal and promote the natural production of testosterone as it is depleted following exercise or decreases with age.

Here are some of the forms of testosterone enhancements. ZMA

ZMA supplements (such as CNP’s Pro-Vital and 1FAST400’s ZMA) is a special combination of Zinc, Magnesium and Vitamin B6 and has been proven to increase testosterone levels through supplementation. Zinc is specifically depleted following exercise and is vital to muscle growth and testosterone/hormone production. Magnesium is involved in number of benefits to sportsmen, including protein synthesis, as does Vitamin B6 so a combination of the three is seen as a crucial product to anyone looking to make big gains in the gym, or many athletes in general.

It is usually recommended to take one dose/capsule of ZMA 30 minutes before bedtime, though as usual, please refer to the instructions on the bottle. Tribulus Terrestris

A safe natural testosterone booster (such as ON’s or NOW foods tribulus), tribulus is a plant extract proven to elevate natural testosterone production. It is an extremely safe, natural way of creating an anabolic effect resulting in increased muscle mass, strength and endurance, as well as a number of other health benefits mentioned above.

There are no known side-effects and it is usually recommended to take two capsules prior to training and one after. Eurycoma Longifolia

Found in many testosterone enhancing products such as Nutrex Vitrix, this is another natural herb shown to scientifically enhance natural testosterone levels and improving natural health and athletic performance. Anti-Estrogens

High estrogen levels can slow your testosterone production and cause the loss of many gym gains during post-cycle stages. Following training cycles your body will be low in testosterone and will attempt to re-address the balance by producing estrogen therefore lowering testosterone levels and the benefits associated with them. Anti-estrogens are best taken as part of post-cycle supplementation due to the lack of research associated with long-term effects.

Bodybuilders with structured programmes will benefit mostly from anti-estrogens and should be taken with care following detailed research on the subject. They are not for anyone interested in increasing athletic performance or weight lifting beginners. Anabolic Compounds

Not for the faint hearted are testosterone enhances such as Kilo-Sports Trenadol, Muscletech’s Leukic and MHP’s T-Bomb are the most powerful legal anabolic formulas on the market place and have been proven to boost testosterone levels giving you extreme results in muscle mass. Pre-cautions should be taken and products like this are only for the experienced bodybuilder. Due to the huge gains and possible side-effects, we always recommend you do your research before thinking about adding supplements like this to your stack. That said, if you want to take it to the next level legally, it doesn’t get much better than this. Sexual Enahncers

Products such as MRM’s Natural V and Pro-Lab’s Horny Goat Weed are all-natural formula’s proven to increase testosterone and enhance sexual performance. They might not give you the muscle gains of the more advanced boosters as detailed above but hey, that might not be what you’re after…. Fat Burners

Fat loss products come in a variety of shapes and sizes and with the supplement boom, more research has been sunk into producing a variety of ways to shift those last few inches, something most of us would admit to wanting. To make things a little easier, here’s a list of the different fat-burners out there so you can best decide what products best for you.

Thermogenic – These are ephedra free, something a lot of people are preferring due to an intolerance to ephedra from a medical condition or making them feel jittery. Ephedra free fat burners such as CNP’s Pro-Lean and SAN’s Tight Hardcore, raise natural metabolism levels so you burn more calories each day, even when resting.

Great products for anyone wanting to lose weight in a natural, problem-free way.

Stimulant free thermogenics come without caffeine for those who want to avoid stimulants altogether, although they are less effective than other fat-burners.

Carb-Blockers – These are great as they can be used alongside other fat loss products to increase fat loss and really hit that last pound or two, or give you a jump start if you’re just starting off. The carbohydrate blockers increase the storage of nutrients in muscle cells and decrease the storage of fat cells so can work alongside products that speed up metabolism, allowing you a few ‘cheat meals’ to stop you going completely mad on daily salads.

Fat Blockers – Fat loss supplements like Cheaters relief and Baywood’s fat eliminator contain an ingredient called Chitosan, which works the same way as carb-blockers by binding fat in the digestive system resulting in fat being unabsorbable and passed through our bodies. Stimulant and side-effect free, these are great products for people who like a treat now and again and don’t want the alternative effects of caffeine or ephedra.

Appetite Suppressants – Great products like Sci-Fit’s Hunger Strike or Primaforce’s Syneburn suppress appetite’s to stop you eating when you shouldn’t and work alongside a good diet to help you lose weight. For a lot of people, eating when you shouldn’t is tough to take and not everyone is as disciplined as competitive bodybuilders and athletes. These are great products for anyone wanting to lose weight.

Cortisol – When we are stressed, our bodies release a stress hormone called Cortisol. This tells the brain that we’re hungry and tells our bodies to store fat, never a good thing for weight loss! Cortisol reducing supplements are great for both the comfort eaters among us and an added effect is that it promotes lean muscle growth. They are also non-stimulants. Other fat-loss enhancers:

Caffeine based – Products such as our 1FAST400’s caffeine range release adrenaline, which acts as a nervous system stimulant, enhancing the metabolic rate and core body temperature, which increases the use of body fat for fuel and spares muscle glycogen, increasing endurance. Great products and highly recommended.

Sida Cordifolia – Products such as CNP’s Sida Cordifolia contains the natural herbs that act as a stimulant on the bodies central nervous system, causing more energy to be used. The herb contains naturally occurring ephedrine alkaloids, which are used in some of the best fat burning supplements around and also increase energy levels as a pre-workout boost.

Other supplements and snacks – Supplement products such as protein bars are great to use as protein rich snacks which not only give the body a great supply of protein and energy, but also suppress appetites by providing your bodies with a fuel alternative to the craved chocolate bar or bag of crisps. Check out our great fat loss product range HERE Weight Gainers

Benefits – Add lean mass quickly, good value

Weigh gain supplements are designed to work in conjunction with heavy weights training to add muscle and mass to your physique. This can be extremely difficult for some people, especially as people’s genetics, age and previous training/eating habits vary so much. Weight gainers such as ABB Extreme and Dymatize mega-gainer basically consist of the same ingredients, though measurements can vary depending on the product. The bottom line being that each supplement will contain huge amounts of calories, protein and an array of vitamins and minerals that often tip over 1,000 calories and 50 grams of protein. Who needs it?

Anyone desperate to add some serious mass to their physique should be using a weight gainer. Mostly, this will be required by people with naturally slim physiques, or those of you who want to put some weight on without spending a fortune at the supermarket. For a more seasoned bodybuilder, or those with naturally thicker set physiques, there are many better alternatives to get the physique you want. How much and when?

Add several scoops (see directions) to either water or milk and blend well, usually best taken following workouts to get the best recovery possible. Remember, with products such as these, you need to be spending some serious time in the gym and should cut down on aerobic activity in order to get the most effective mass gains from the supplement. Check out our great weight gain product range HERE Glutamine

Benefits – General health and well-being, boosts protein synthesis, prevents muscle deterioration, boosts energy.

Glutamine is an extremely important amino acid as it makes up a large percentage of your skeletal muscle tissue. It is highly important during times of illness and injury due to its healing properties and has become an important part of sporting and bodybuilders supplement stacks. Who needs it?

Naturally, we all produce Glutamine in our bodies so in essence, we all need it and all get it. It can also be found in foods such as dairy products and meat/fish. However, supplementing Glutamine has become increasingly important in sports, endurance exercise and bodybuilding due to levels being depleted after intensive exercise. Glutamine has been found to enhance the bodies Human Growth Hormone (HGH) thus promotes muscle growth, especially important following workouts. It also boosts the immune system and prevents muscle breakdown, again essential to any sportsperson. Adding a supplement like Glutamine to your stack adds that extra something to your diet that will take you to the next level in bodybuilding. Check out our great Glutamine range HERE How much and when?

Glutamine comes in tablet or powder form (there’s little difference between them) and should be taken as stated, usually around 500mg or 2-3 capsules a day, often recommended between meals. Glucosamine

Benefits – Lubricates and re-generates bones, ligaments, tendon and joints.

Glucosamine is an amino sugar – a combination of protein and sugar that occurs naturally in ligaments and joint tissue. Due to the physical strain intense exercise and weightlifting puts on the joints, Glucosamine is increasingly seen as a vital part of any serious bodybuilders stack. Who needs it?

Anyone participating in intense sporting activity or lifting weights is sure to benefit from taking a Glucosamine supplement. Not only does Glucosamine strengthen the joint and cartilage cells, it also helps connective tissue elasticity and reduces the pain and inflammation that occurs after over-exertion of the joints. Two founder members of powermyself know first hand what a knee ligament injury does to your training regime (i.e. destroys it) so before you put that intense pressure on your joints, add a Glucosamine supplement to your stack.

Further benefits can also be linked to reducing inflammation and range of motion of patients with osteoarthritis and similar joint problems. How much and when?

Found in either powder, tablet or liquid form, doses can vary between 400mg-1500mg taken any time of the day. Taking twice as much wont double the effects of the supplement so stick to the directions of the packaging. Check out our great Glucosamine range HERE Flaxseed Oil

Benefits – General well-being inc. skin, nails, hair, lowers cholesterol/blood pressure and boosts immune system.

Flaxseed oil is said to be one of nature’s richest sources of Omega-3 alpha linolenic acid (ALNA), an ‘essential fatty acids’ (EFAs). Basically, Omega-3 is one of the ‘good fats’ and we all need it more than we’re getting it. Omega-3 is heralded as being good for every molecule in the body and Flaxseed Oil is one of the richest sources of it on the planet, which is why it is becoming increasing popular as both a basic every day supplement, and an important part of dedicated bodybuilders stacks. Who needs it?

Flaxseed Oil is a dietary supplement that will benefit your body whether you’re a dedicated sports fanatic or a couch potato. Due to the Westernised diet, we don’t get anywhere near the amount of Omega-3 as we should and this results in imbalances in our system. Supplementing with products such as Sci-Fit’s or Natrol’s Flaxseed Oil will correct the imbalance and add a great deal to your overall health and well—being. Furthermore, Omega-3 can also speed up your metabolism helping you burn fat and lose weight. How much and when?

Scientists recommend taking around 1,000mg 1 to 3 times daily at whatever time suits you best. Check out our great Flaxseed Oil range HERE NO (Nitric Oxide)

Benefits – Greatly enhanced muscle energy and power, increases blood flow to induce muscle growth.

Nitric Oxide is a free form gas that is produced in the body and is used by the body to communicate with other cells in the body. Supplement N.O. products such as BSN’s No-Explode, use the combination of nitrogen and oxygen to increase the blood flow to deliver more nutrients to muscles and reduce inflammation following intense exercise. Who needs it?

Like all natural supplement products, we all need Nitric Oxide to carry out key physiological processes in the body, but supplementation can add so much more to our progress if we participate in endurance sports or bodybuilding. Anyone looking to add mass to their frame will benefit from a N.O. product and it can easily be stacked alongside other products such as BSN’s Syntha-6 protein and BSN’s Cellmass Creatine (find out about more supplement stacks here). There may be more important supplements to prioritise if you’re on a budget, but if you want to get there faster and more effectively, an N.O. supplement may be for you. How much and when?

Doses may vary and are often lowered on non-training days when N.O. is less needed. I can’t stress enough the importance of sticking to the recommended doses stated on the product itself as these are scientifically backed. You wont receive any benefits from taking more N.O. and overdosing may cause side-effects so like most new products, try it out for a couple weeks, noting reactions and take it from there. Check out our great Nitric Oxide range HERE BCAA’s (Branched Chain Amino Acids)

Benefits – Boosts immune functions, enhances muscle growth, increased recovery/endurance, helps with fat-loss, prevents muscle deterioration, improved brain function.

Amino acid’s are the building blocks of protein (check out our article pages for more info) and have far reaching effects on our bodies, not just for our general health, but are vital to anyone involved in any form of sports activity. Some amino’s (essential amino acids) cannot be produced by our bodies so we need to get them from our diet. Supplementing with some of the great BCAA products out there means we’ll get maximum benefit from our workouts at the right time, and enables you to avoid the many disadvantages of BCAA depletion such as muscle loss, lack of enery/endurance. Who needs it?

As I’ve just said, we all do, especially athletes. If you’re not competing in sporting activities, you will probably get enough from your diet, but the more you exercise, the more important it is to supplement BCAA’s. As the benefits of BCAA’s are so many, it will benefit us all to take them and often the products are reasonably priced. Remember, BCAA’s aren’t like taking a simple vitamin, branched chain amino acids, as sold here, are metabolized into muscle once a protein is digested. As the liver doesn’t break down these BCAA’s, they are released into the skeletal muscle and also used for energy. Finally, BCAA’s are great to take when dieting as they prevent muscle deterioration. Get the picture? How much and when?

BCAA’s can also be found in specialist creatine’s and protein’s so sometimes one of these products will do, although many more benefits can be gained from taking a separate BCAA product. Research has also shown a direct correlation between taking BCAA’s with Glutamine, showing enhanced benefits associated with anabolic muscle growth.

See the individual product for dosage guides. Check out our great BCAA range HERE

Comments? Questions? Email Here

© HowtoAdvice.com

How to Advice .com