The fitness supplement industry is worth billions of dollars. However, most of the products available on the market are junk. Either the products do not contain ingredients that actually work or if they do, the dosage would not be enough to even give my 100lb rottweiler the extra oomph that we would hope for. In this article I will highlight the top three supplements proven to actually work.

 

Key Points

• Most of the supplements on the market are junk.
• Avoid the marketing statements and go straight to the ingredients list.
• The top 3 supplements proven to actually work and are worth the money: creatine, citrulline malate and beta-alanine.

 

The question is “How is the supplement industry worth billions if most products are garbage?”

Answer is simple – marketing. Skip over the incredibly magnificent marketing ‘promises’ and go straight to the ingredients list. Better yet, purchase these supplements individually so you know exactly what you’re getting.

 

Creatine

Creatine is the “OG” of supplements and has been extensively researched for decades.

A study published in 2003 found creatine to improve maximal power/strength, work performed during sets of maximal effort muscle contractions, single-effort sprint performance, and work performed during repetitive sprint performance. During training, Creatine has been reported to promote significantly greater gains in strength, fat free mass, and exercise performance primarily of high intensity tasks. (1) 

A more recent study published in May of 2018 found Creatine to increase strength in as little as two weeks, while actually increased muscle damage markers. (2) Muscle damage is necessary for increase in lean tissue. Due to creatine providing the ability to train harder, increased muscle damage occurs resulting in higher muscle adaptation and growth.

 

Dosing

The basic dosage protocol is to take 5g of creatine daily.

Although not necessary, a loading protocol can be used with up to 10 or 15g per day for 5-7 days to reach peak levels faster. After 7 days, reduce the dose to 5g daily to maintain stable levels of creatine in the body.

Since creatine increases your body’s total water mass, drinking extra water when using it is recommended. Combining creatine with extra water intake and some carbohydrates in your diet will provide a noticeable increase in strength and performance in the gym.

Creatine monohydrate is the type of creatine most researched and recommended for use.

 

Key Benefits

• Increase in strength, lean tissue and exercise performance
• Improved rate of recovery
• Prevent and/or reducing the severity of injury, enhancing rehabilitation from injuries, and help tolerate heavy training loads. (3) 

Note* Individuals with low creatine levels, such as vegans and vegetarians, may see a greater benefit from supplementation than meat-eaters. This is due to meat containing creatine, while vegan or vegetarian foods do not or do in low amounts.

Best of all, creatine is perfectly safe for use as a healthy adult.

 

Citrulline Malate

L-citrulline is a non-essential amino acid, meaning that our body can produce it naturally as needed. It is also naturally occurring in foods such as watermelons.

L-citrulline is converted to arginine by the body which increases nitric oxide.

Nitric oxide is important for signalling increase in blood flow which causes greater pumps in the gym as well as improved recovery.

A study published in 2010 reported an approximately 53% increase in more repetitions and 100% more on the last set of bench press in the Citrulline Malate treatment group from only one singular dose. In addition, speed of recovery was improved by 40% as well. (4)

 

Dosing

A full effective dose of citrulline malate is 6-8grams.

Best time to take it is 30 to 45 minutes prior to a workout session.

 

Key Benefits

• Improved energy and athletic performance
• Increased rate of recovery
• Enhanced pumps in the gym even on a low carb diet

Research studies have shown no adverse effects from using citrulline malate.

A small percentage of people reported some stomach discomfort when ingested. If that’s the case, try having some food in your belly when taking it.

 

Beta-Alanine

Like L-citrulline, beta-alanine is also a non-essential amino acid, occurring in the body naturally.

Beta–alanine aids in the production of carnosine, a molecule that helps buffer acid in muscles, increasing physical performance.

A study published in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, reported that beta-alanine supplementation was effective at increasing power output when lifting loads equivalent to the individual’s maximal strength or when working at maximum power output. (5)

Another recent study posted in Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, shows that beta-alanine supplementation increased exercise capacity and eliminated endurance exercise induced declines in executive function seen after recovery. (6)

 

Dosing

An effective dosage protocol for beta-alanine is between 3 to 6 grams daily split every 4-6 hours in equal doses.

 

Key Benefits

• Most effective for higher endurance exercises lasting between one and four minutes.
• Reduced fatigue during intense training
• Improved strength
• Increased time to exhaustion (TTE)

There are no research studies reporting any adverse effects using beta-alanine.

Note* Beta-alanine causes a tingly-like bodily feeling when ingested, especially when at the beginning of the protocol.

 

Final Words 

Nutritious foods should make up the bulk of your diet plan.

My suggestion is to consistently follow a diet plan consisting of whole nutrient-dense foods and mastering exercise execution first.

Once you’ve covered those grounds, use these supplements to help you overcome plateaus and progress towards building a body that you love.

Out of all the non sense supplements out there, these three supplements are proven to actually work.

 

With the vast amount of B.S. information coming from TV, celebrity magazines or social media, no wonder there’s so much confusion when it comes to health and fitness. Although having access to information is awesome, too much of it can be overwhelming and cause further lack of understanding. In this article I will debunk eight of the most popular fitness myths that still exist when it comes to training and weight loss.

 

1. You must stretch before a work out

Truth: Stretching causes tendons to loosen up resulting in less stability and muscles having less force to move weights.

A study published in Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research found that the participants felt 23 percent less stable and 8 percent strength decrease during an exercise when they performed static stretching prior to lifting. (1)

Leave the stretching for yoga classes and incorporate a dynamic warm-up before training instead.

 

2. No Pain, No Gain

Truth: Indeed muscle tension and muscle damage is required to achieve results. However, over-doing it to the point where it hinders recovery can be counter-productive.

According to  Edward G. McFarland, M.D. and Andrew Cosgarea, M.D., fatigue after a good, strenuous workout is a sign that the exercise is pushing the limits of the athlete’s physiology, but it should not be too excessive. If it lasts days, it means the individual’s physiology has been excessively challenged, and this means that the muscles and the energy stores are not being effectively replenished. (2)

 

3. You can spot reduce fat

Truth: Even though it sounds logical that doing bicep curls may make your arms leaner, the body does not work in that manner. The order that your body decides to strip off (or store) fat during your fat loss journey is largely based on genetics. We can lose overall body fat, but fat spot reduction is yet another fitness myth.

A study done in 2011 found fat spot-reduction to be false. They concluded that an abdominal exercise program did not achieve greater abdominal fat loss than a non-exercising control group consuming the same amount of calories in the diet. (3)

Another study done in 2007 by Kostek et al.  used a similar design and did not find any greater fat loss in the strength trained arm than the non-exercised arm with MRI measurements. (4)

 

4. Lifting heavy weights makes you “bulky”

Truth: Women especially have a fear of weights with the belief that it will make them too “bulky”.

In reality, resistance training using moderate to heavy weights improves hormonal response, burns more body fat and helps you achieve a more aesthetic, fit and ‘toned’ body.

This is a huge fitness myth. Weights are your friend, not foe. 

 

5. Working out makes you hungry

Truth: Actually working out can reduce cravings and overall appetite. Working out in fact, will often lead you to make healthier food choices.

A study published in the International Journal of Obesity suggests that high-intensity training had a lowering effect on appetite as well as cravings. (5)

So next time you’re about to eat that chocolate cookie out of boredom, hit the gym instead. 

 

6. Eating too much protein is bad for your kidneys

Truth: Eating a high-protein diet has no negative effects on health. In fact, eating more protein can positively affect your body-composition by increasing your lean tissue (using resistance training as well) and helping you lose body fat.

A study done by Nova Southeastern University in 2016 tested the long-term effects of high-protein intake on kidney function. Results showed no adverse effects of consuming a high-protein diet (four times the recommended daily allowance) on the kidneys, liver or lipids.  In addition, despite the total increase in energy intake during the high protein phase, subjects did not experience an increase in fat mass. (6)

 

7. You have 1 hour to drink your protein post-training.

Truth: Truth is that the “anabolic” window can last up 4-6 hours after training. That means you don’t have to rush to your locker or run home to ingest the 30-40grams of protein right after training.

But is there a good reason to hold-off the post-workout meal? Most often, no.

Despite the fact that the anabolic window does not end within 30 minutes of training, fueling your body as soon as possible after an intense training session does provide quicker recovery benefits.

However, if one day you forgot your shake at home or are busy doing errands, don’t stress it. Just have have a good protein and carb meal a little later.

 

8. As long as you work out, you’ll lose weight

Truth: Working out alone may not be enough to achieve the weight loss results you are looking for.

Although, exercise is a major part of losing body fat, working out alone will not yield the weight loss results most people are hoping for. Studies show that it is extremely difficult to burn enough calories through exercise alone in order to create the caloric deficit required for weight loss. (7)

Working out must be coupled with a calorie restricting diet for best weight loss results.

 

Unfortunately we do not choose our parents and must live with the genetics given to us. Fortunately, this does not mean we cannot change or make the improvements we would like to see on our physique. We certainly can. Whether you genetically possess lagging body parts or as a consequence of sub-optimal training methods, this article will help you overcome that and turn your weaknesses into strengths.

 

Key Points

• Utilize isolation exercises to target weak body parts.
• Perform these isolation exercises using a weight that allows you to perform them with proper exercise execution. Leave your ego at the door.
• Use a low volume, high frequency style of training.
• Focus on one lagging muscle at a time.

 

The Cause of Lagging Body Parts

Weak or lagging body parts are a function of genetic limitations combined with poor exercise execution and programming.

The way you teach your body to perform certain exercises from the first day you walk in the gym is exactly how your muscles will respond to that training.

In other words, if you work out incorrectly from the start, it will show up later on in your imbalances and lagging body parts.

Our genetics determine how our physique will look. However, we have complete control of how we choose to build and grow our physique through correct training techniques and programming specific to our goals.

If you simply choose to go to the gym, unconsciously get through your workout and move some weight from point A to point B, your results will mirror exactly that.

 

Solution

Imbalances require imbalanced programming, placing a greater emphasis on the weak points.

Here’s the thing.

When you perform multi-joint compound exercises that stimulate many muscle groups at once, your most dominant muscle groups will unconsciously take over.

This means that the bigger, stronger muscles will get the most stimulation and growth, while the smaller, weaker muscle groups will remain unchanged.

It is no surprise that your dominant muscle groups are the ones that you are able to activate in an instant while your lagging body parts are the opposite.

“So how do I change that?” I thought you’d never ask.

Begin incorporating isolation exercises into your training program in order to build up the weaker muscles.

Isolating a muscle will allow you to create a stronger mind muscle connection, thus providing the required stimulus for growth.

Proper exercise execution is absolute key to growing your weak points.

That means spending some time consciously applying effort into initiating the movement with the target muscle and using it in its full active range of motion.

The muscle that initiates the exercise will end up doing most of the work.

Repeating this task will not only stimulate and make the muscle grow, but it will also wire your brain to subconsciously begin using that muscle more in other exercises as well.

When you start performing isolation movements with correct exercise technique to target your lagging body parts, you will notice that they are in fact extremely weak.

Kick your ego to the curb and use whatever weight  is necessary to properly activate, stretch and contract that muscle. Don’t worry, it won’t be long until that muscle will strengthen and improve.

 

Volume & Frequency 

Next up is volume and frequency of training.

Since lagging body parts are smaller and weaker relative to you, training volume necessary for growth will be low.

In other words, if the muscle is small and weak, it won’t require a ton of work to exhaust it.

Since the training volume is low, recovery will be somewhat quick which allows you to increase the training frequency for those body parts.

For example, if you want to bring up your biceps, training them 3x a week with a total set volume of 8-10 will yield better results than training them once a week with 20 sets. Completing 20 sets is an overkill and quite unnecessary for a small lagging body part.

Using precise exercise execution, it should not take more than 10 sets of total work to exhaust your biceps.

 

Final words

While on a mission to improve lagging body parts, reduce the heavy compound movements to only 1-2x per week. Use the rest of the time targeting your weaknesses. 

Focus your isolation work solely on your lagging muscles, since compound lifts will be dominated by the stronger ones.

Address only one weak body part at a time. This type of focus will help wire your brain to activate and fire the target muscle strongly.

Once you have mastered exercise execution with one lagging body part, you can begin applying this method with a different lagging point in your body.