Protein
Protein is perhaps the most important macronutrient for muscles. Proteins are built from amino acids which play biological roles in the body. Predominantly amino acids are used by the muscles for repair and growth after exercise, with this being said, it is important as a sportsperson to hold a diet high in protein to fuel your muscles. The most effective and convenient way to increase ones protein intake in the diet is to supplement with a protein powder. Most powders are made from milk based proteins such as whey and casein, and hold a complete amino acid profile. The filtration process to obtain the isolated protein whey, gives it a great bio-availability and absorption rate, particularly important when rapid amino acid release and uptake is required (post workout), whilst casein extracts have slower absorption rates to allow for a sustained release of aminos.
Weight Gainers Weight gainers are protein shakes whose protein source consists mainly of whey proteins (mostly concentrate with some isolate as well). Some also include other proteins such as milk proteins and/or egg. These products are characterized by their extremely high carbohydrate content; typically in the form of maltodextrin (a high glycemic complex carb) and fructose (simple sugar originating from fruits).
Weight gainers were very popular back in the 90s but their popularity has died mainly because most people do not have the fast metabolism of a hardgainer; so as a result, a high carbohydrate diet applied on a person with over 10% body fat typically leads mostly to fat gains instead of muscle mass gains. For hardgainers however, these products be very useful for getting in the amount of quality calories required to gain quality muscle.
They are best when used for the mid-morning, mid-afternoon and post workout meals as the carbohydrate content is of a fast released nature. They can be mixed with fruit juice or skim milk, and in order to increase the calorie content the use of flaxseed oil and fruits is invaluable.
Meal Replacement Powders (MRPs) These powders are lower in calories due to the fact that they have way less carbohydrates than weight gainers. Protein-wise, most are composed of a protein blend of whey and milk proteins complete with enzymes. Newer generation formulas consist of slower released carbohydrates like brown rice and oats in order to make the product lower glycemic in nature.
Also, essential fatty acids have been added as well as a vitamin and mineral profile. While these products are too low in calories for most Hardgainers, they can use these as long as they add other ingredients such as fruit, skim milk and essential fats in order to increase the caloric base.
Pure Protein powders Protein powders are just powders that consist mainly of protein. Typically, they contain no more than 5 grams of carbohydrates per scoop and 20-25 grams of protein (per scoop). Calorie wise they consist of anywhere from 100-125 calories.
Whey protein powder differs simply by the extracting process. Whey protein isolate is the most pure form available. It is said to have a greater bio-availability because of this purity and holds a greater percentile of protein gram for gram. Isolates can now be purchased hydrolyzed, whereby the peptide bonds holding the protein together has been partially separated to allow for an even more enhanced absorption delivery of amino acids. Oligopeptide isolates take whey protein isolation to a new level. These proteins are pre-hydrolyzed by an enzymatic process then filtered to produce ultra pure oligopeptide amino acid sequences.
Creatine: Fuelling the Fuel for Muscles Since its introduction as a supplement in the early 90s creatine has become somewhat of a staple supplement for average athlete/sportsperson. Creatine supplementation gives the user an advantage through natural means of performance optimization at a muscular level. To explain simply in a general statement, creatine can make the user perform better for longer. To understand how this occurs one must know how it works in the muscles.
Creatine is an essential for rejuvenation of the expended energy source used for muscle contraction at a cellular level. It exists in two different forms within the muscle fiber: as free (chemically-unbound) creatine and as creatine phosphate. This later form of creatine makes up two-thirds of the total creatine supply.
When your muscles contract, the initial fuel for this movement is a compound called ATP (Adenosine Tri-Phosphate). ATP provides its energy by releasing one of its phosphate molecules. It then becomes a different compound called ADP (Adenosine Di-Phosphate). Unfortunately, there is only enough ATP to provide energy for about 10 seconds, so for muscle contraction to continue, more ATP must be re-produced. Creatine phosphate stored in the muscles gives up its phosphate molecule to ADP, to reform usable ATP in the body’s most efficient way of restoration known as creatine phosphylisation. This ATP can then be burned again as fuel for more muscle contraction.
As creatine phosphylistion is the most optimum efficient way for you body to regenerate expended ATP it would make sense to top up your supply of creatine in order to take advantage. More creatine, the faster ATP is remade, and more ability to train your muscles to their maximum potential. It's that simple. This greater ATP synthesis also keeps your body from relying on another ATP rejuvenating system called anaerobic and aerobic glycolysis, which both have lactic acid as a by-product due to the bicarbonate involved. This lactic acid creates the burning sensation you feel during intense exercise. If the amount of acid becomes too great, muscle movement stops. So to safeguard your body from using these inferior rejuvenation systems, creatine stores should be held at high levels allowing you to minimize the amount of lactic acid produced and actually exercise longer and harder. This helps you gain strength, power and muscle size; and you won't get fatigued as easily.
From what is explained above, creatine supplementation is not exactly essential for performance, it rather offers a natural edge, if you will, to optimize ones natural ability to perform. The user will have an enhanced muscle contraction/relaxation/rejuvenation cycle which will in turn ultimately enhance their sporting performance.
Creatine Monohydrate is perhaps the most well known supplement form, available in micronized and ultra-filtered forms for rapid absorption. Generally taken in 5 gram doses, adjusted by the time and length of activity. Many users take creatine with a moderate amount of sugar to instigate an insulin spike to allow for the supplemented creatine to be drawn into muscle cells. Many creatine muscle stacks contain the sugar to allow for this to occur.
Creatine bonded to malic acid has gained popularity in many creatine stacks. In di-and tri- salt forms the monohydrate powders are superceded as far as purity and concentration is concerned. The absorption is assured through the bond to malic acid.
Creatine Ethyl Ester is a relatively new form of creatine. It is said to be the most absorbable form of creatine due to its ability to resist the body’s excretory systems
L-Glutamine: The Safeguard Amino Glutamine supplementation is relatively new, though holds a level or importance on par with supplementary protein. To supplement with glutamine one will give their body an enhanced recovery level after intense muscle contractile exercise such as weight lifting. To understand how this works one must understand what glutamine is and its roles in the body.
Glutamine is the most abundant amino acid found in muscle protein, actually more 61% of skeletal muscle is Glutamine bonded within actin and myosin. Glutamine is a strong amine and mild carboxylic acid meaning it will contain a lot of nitrogen (approximately 19%) making it the primary transporter of nitrogen into your muscle cells.
During intense training, Glutamine levels are greatly depleted in your body, which can lead to a decrease in strength, stamina and recovery as the muscles are taxed of their amino acids leaving them in an altered state. Without supplementation it could take up to 6 days for Glutamine levels to return to balance. It makes sense, that in order to recover properly the muscles should return to a recovered state post workout as soon as possible. This is accomplished by replenishing what is used. As glutamine is taxed greatly from the muscles it is in dire demand and should be replaced to repair the muscle. As more than half of the muscle in ones body is indeed glutamine it is not surprising that studies have shown that L-Glutamine supplementation can minimize breakdown of muscle and improve protein metabolism.
Another interesting fact is glutamines’ involvement in the synthesis and secretion of the thyroid hormone, growth-hormone. It has been proved through studies that supplementing with glutamine can promote a rise in growth hormone levels by as much as 400%.
Glutamine is indeed an important amino acid as far as muscle preservation is concerned. If you are intensely training, to keep your muscles in an anabolic state, you need to supplement with l-glutamine as a part of your recovery regime to adequately stop the catabolic effects and safeguard your muscle gains.
Arginine (Nitric Oxide products): Initiate the ‘pump’
Though Arginine supplements are relatively new, they have made their way into many new creatine formulas. These products are said to assist in facilitating a ‘pump’ when weight training. The complete pump is said to be achieved when the muscles are full of blood giving them a larger than normal appearance and a lot more vascularity. Nitric oxide products are believed raise levels of nitric oxide in the skeletal muscles which causes the blood vessels to vasodilate (relax and open wider) which in turn allows more freer flow of blood in.
Nitric Oxide is a compound made up of one nitrogen atom and one oxygen atom. In order for the body to create Nitric Oxide, it must do so with the help of arginine (an amino acid) and a family of enzymes called Nitric Oxide synthase (NOS). When arginine and a NOS enzyme come in contact with each other, the reaction produces Nitric Oxide along with citrulline (another amino acid). Interestingly enough, citrulline can be reversibly converted into arginine through a two-step process requiring the amino acid aspartic acid (aka aspartate). Therefore, if your aim is to amplify Nitric Oxide levels in your body, it would be in your best interest to take a supplement that provides a generous supply of all three of these amino acids. In doing so, you'll provide yourself with the precursor to Nitric Oxide (arginine), while supplying the precursors (citrulline and aspartic acid) to support and increase arginine production. Thus, your body's total arginine pool is improved.
Nitric Oxide travels freely from cell to cell in your body directing and ordering a wide variety of functions within the body. Depending on the situation, Nitric Oxide can act as an intracellular messenger, a hormone, or a neurotransmitter. However, for the purpose of bodybuilding, we'll focus on the role of Nitric Oxide as an intracellular messenger regulating one of the body's most important processes--blood flow.
Nitric Oxide is produced within the flat endothelial cells that line the inside of blood vessels. When the endothelial cell is stimulated--such as when the muscle contracts--it synthesizes and releases Nitric Oxide. Once released, Nitric Oxide diffuses across the endothelial cell membrane into the adjacent smooth muscle tissue of the blood vessels, causing them to relax and widen (a process called vasodilatation). The result is an increase in blood flow to the stimulated area, which ultimately causes your muscles to get pumped and stay that way for around 40 minutes after training.
So why do your muscles get pumped? Well, basically, the pump is one of the body's fail-safe mechanisms for preventing a decline in muscle function and performance. Blood, which is the body's primary transport medium, carries all the vital nutrients (e.g., amino acid, creatine, glucose, and oxygen) to the muscle, which are required for energy production, growth, and maintenance. Additionally, blood carries away the byproducts of metabolism (e.g., carbon dioxide and lactic acid) that fatigue the muscle and inhibit performance.
Therefore, increasing blood flow to the muscle enhances growth, strength development, and recuperation. And remember, Nitric Oxide is what helps make the pump possible. However, as powerful as Nitric Oxide is, you must keep in mind that it does have its limitations, but there are ways of getting around them.
First off, as mentioned earlier, Nitric Oxide production is limited by the available supply of arginine. However, as also mentioned earlier, supplementing with this amino acid, along with citrulline and aspartic acid, can increase arginine availability. Nevertheless, there's a caveat here, which brings us to the next issue.
Nitric Oxide production is also limited by the availability of NOS enzymes. There are only so many enzymes present, so enzyme activity may be limited. Flooding your body with too much arginine and arginine precursors could be overwhelming. However, there are two ways to combat this: (1) Supplement with Pycnogenol[R] (French maritime pine bark extract) and ginsenosides (the active component in American ginseng extract), as they both stimulate and enhance the efficiency of the NOS enzymes, and (2) ensure your supplements of choice are time-released. In doing so, your body will be able to generate and sustain Nitric Oxide production longer, while making your pumps last longer too. The result? The short-term window of opportunity to benefit from the pump becomes long term. (Remember, the pump you get from training only lasts around 40 minutes.
