Best Post Workout Supplements
Nowadays, supplements or food supplements for sport and fitness are omnipresent and you almost get the impression that you could not achieve success without them.
Protein, creatine, BCAA, glutamine, dextrose, maltodextrin, fish oil, weight gainers, test boosters and fat burners are just some of the endless list.
Do you become an animal through supplements alone?
Of course not! As the name suggests, they serve as additional support and are not a substitute for a healthy and balanced lifestyle, healthy diet and optimal training.
Do you think fitness model world champion Obi Obadike only ate protein powder all day?
Of course not. He has to eat a healthy and balanced diet and can proudly claim to be steroid-free As you can see, it is quite possible to achieve great goals with iron discipline and a lot of ambition, even without substance.
How do you think the Romans and Greeks (the first bodybuilders) shaped their bodies?
Certainly they had no protein powder, weight gainers or even anabolic steroids, at most various plants.
Every reasonable person knows that there were no supplements back then . A steely body was “only” achieved through training and nutrition, as can easily be seen in film 300.
I do not want to question the effect of the supplements here , although some certainly advertise themselves with questionable claims, but rather clear up the misunderstandings.
Protein powder, for example, shouldn’t be a substitute for a decent piece of meat, but powder also has its place.
It certainly makes sense to treat yourself to a protein shake after training, as this can be absorbed and used very quickly by the body and, for advanced users, maybe in the morning after getting up or before going to bed (casein).
Of course, it can sometimes be quite difficult to get the required amount of protein in a firm form, especially if you should consume 200 g and more daily.
Dextrose and maltodextrin can also be very helpful as a post-workout shake to boost insulin levels and replenish glycogen stores as quickly as possible.
However, it should also be noted here that the remaining meals are preferably eaten with potatoes, oat flakes, whole wheat pasta, whole rice, etc., as a constantly increased insulin level can lead to diabetes, among other things.
On fish oil should not be used under any circumstances, because it contains omega-3, DHA and EPD and has a positive effect on health (including entzündungshemmernd and vasodilating).
Do you see what i mean
Supplements can be very helpful, but by no means replace your eating plan. Supplements are of no use at all without optimal training and proper nutrition! If training and diet are coordinated, supplements can account for around 10-15% of success.
Do you want to put your hard earned money into 15% of success? Is it worth it when you consider that supplements are n’t exactly cheap?
For an amateur athlete, it makes rather not make sense, who wants to go and however serious and full of energy to the cause of achieving big goals,
Such as build 20 kg muscle mass or reduce 20 kg fat, it should cover all cases superior to the one or other supplement in to include its range.
This does not mean having to buy every powder available on the market, but rather to find out what is useful and not harmful to health.
Perhaps, once in a while, question a product critically, study the ingredients and their effects.
Or read testimonials about certain products to find out if it brings something, but that can sometimes be very confusing as it does not work the same for everyone.
Otherwise, I can recommend Supplement Secrets , a manual that guides you through all possible product areas, explains their effects and ingredients exactly and how you can make your own supplements .
After you have studied this manual, you will be one of the professionals among the supplement connoisseurs and will not be dazzled by any packaging, however beautiful.
I personally take protein powder, BCAA, glutamine, dextrose, maltodextrin, fish oil , ZMA and vitamin C. I take creatine about twice a year as a cure (3 months).
As you can see, I’m sticking to the tried and tested products and doing without the latest designer supplements ,
Some of which can also be dangerous. Strong pre-workout energy boosters can lead to a lack of power, energy and motivation,
For example, if they are consumed regularly for a longer period of time, since the serotonin and dopamine levels can be overstimulated (similar to amphetamines and cocaine).
Ultimately, everyone has to decide for themselves what is good for them or not, and the demands change considerably depending on their sporting goals.
So do yourself a favor and find out about the sports and fitness supplements you are taking or plan to take.
Best Post Workout Supplement
I’m reading a book about Vince Gironda right now. He was an American natural bodybuilder and known among other things as the “Iron Guru”.
As you can see in this picture, it is quite possible to put on a lot of muscles without any anabolic steroids.
Vince and I share the same beliefs about anabolic steroids because we see it as cheating. By taking these additives, the body can recover faster from a hard workout and thus build more muscles faster.
Nowadays it is almost the norm and bodybuilders are all thrown into the same pot, as bodybuilding is shaped and dominated by the huge unaesthetic meatballs.
Do you see the “small” difference between 4-time Mr. Olympia Jay Cutler and Vince Gironda?
This is precisely why bodybuilding has always been associated with steroids. I’ve seen Jay live before and have a lot of respect for him as a person, but the fact that he pumps additives into himself bothers me.
You could compare it to school, who is more likely to deserve the good grades? The so-called nerds or the cheat sheet terrorists?
just…
The honest and clean path requires a lot more discipline and time, but after reaching your goal you can be quite proud of yourself and your performance.
For me it’s more of a moral question – to be or not to be?
How do you have to feel comfortable when you win with the knowledge that you have gained an “unauthorized” advantage?
This joy cannot last, if one can be happy at all. Or do you want to pat yourself on the shoulder and talk yourself to “well cheated boy”?
And until now we haven’t even considered the possible physical consequences. Apart from damage and diseases of the internal organs, infections and abscesses from inflamed puncture sites, there are also hormonal loads.
By supplying additional external hormones, your own hormone production is reduced to a minimum.
For this reason, for example, during a testosterone cure, the natural testosterone production in the testicles is minimized,
Which means that the testicles shrink and when you stop after a few years these tiny creatures can no longer produce nearly as much testosterone as before the cure.
It is precisely because of such hormonal horror scenarios that one is doomed to fall into this vicious circle from the start,
Because without anabolic steroids the body will no longer be able to hold the muscle mass and the hormones go crazy and the hormonal balance falls out of balance.
Is it worth the extra pounds on your ribs?
I think it should be clear to everyone by now that these additives bring more bad than good with them.
The Different Muscle Fibers
The percentage of muscle in our body can be between 25% -60%, and higher for anabolic steroids users.
The muscles consist of different types of muscle fibers, which also perform different tasks and are stimulated by other efforts.
A distinction is made between two types: fast muscle fibers (FT = fast-twitch muscle fibers) and slow muscle fibers (ST = slow-twitch muscle fibers) whereby both are always active during training, but one of the two plays the more dominant role.
ST muscle fibers:
Slow twitching muscle fibers are enduring and can cope with low stress over a long period of time. They work aerobically, ie with oxygen and where the red color comes from.
Properties:
- low rate of contraction
- low stress development
- very high fatigue resistance
- high mitochondial number
- high number of enzymes for aerobic carbohydrate and fat metabolism
- low anaerobic capacity
- Red color
FT muscle fibers:
Fast-twitch muscle fibers are a lot stronger than the ST fibers and can handle a lot of force over a short period of time.
For example, FT fibers are trained in weight training with high resistance and low repetitions. They work anaerobically and therefore without oxygen, which is why they are white in color.
Properties:
- high contraction speed
- high tension development
- low fatigue resistance
- White color
The average person has a 50 to 50 ratio of the muscle fibers just mentioned. Bodybuilders tend to have more FT than ST fibers, and long-distance runners do the opposite.
Normally, the muscles in our shoulders, calves and abdomen consist mostly of ST fibers. That’s why they recover pretty quickly and can cope with more effort than other muscles.
If you are one of the bodybuilders (anyone who wants to specifically shape their body) and want to build a few layers of muscle here and there so that you can take off your shirt in the summer without getting embarrassed,
I definitely do not recommend the higher repetitions to neglect. Unfortunately, the ST fibers are too often neglected and so the muscle potential is not fully exploited.
So either try to integrate a few higher repetitions (15-20) in the next training session or rotate the repetitions weekly or monthly, e.g. for 2 weeks between 6-12 and 1 week 15-20 repetitions (reps).
To incorporate it into an exercise, for example, you could do 2 sets (sets) of 6-12 reps and the 3rd set of 15-20 reps.
There is also the advantage that an enormous amount of blood is pumped into the muscle -> the muscle is supplied with nutrients.
And who doesn’t like to see their body inflated when everything looks a little bigger?
In addition, our muscles should be stimulated differently every few weeks, otherwise they will get used to the exertion and will not develop any further.
Anti-Acidic Agent
Our body is constantly producing a wide variety of hormones and each of these hormones is produced for a specific reason, namely to support the effects or regulatory functions of our organs.
These biochemical messenger substances can be released through stress, fear, diet and sport, for example, to fight for or against a condition in the body.
Have you ever heard that it is not possible to reduce fat in a specific area of the body?
You have probably been told that you cannot lose fat in just one place, fat reduction is a process that occurs evenly throughout the body.
Fortunately, this assumption is wrong!
The problem is that most people don’t know what the cause of the body-specific fat deposits are and therefore can’t offer you a solution.
What are the problem areas?
Hips, buttocks, thighs, stomach, swimming rings and the so-called men’s breasts.
Fortunately, any of these areas can be tackled with targeted training, but what hormones are causing these unsightly fat build-ups and how can you fight them?
Problem zone: hips, thighs, buttocks and man’s breasts
causing hormone: estrogen
counter hormone : testosterone
Problem zone:
Hormone causing swimming rings: Insulin
Counter hormone: IGF-1 (insulin-like growth factors)
Problem zone:
hormone causing stomach : cortisol
counter hormone: growth hormone (GH = growth hormone)
So how can you stimulate these hormone releases?
Testosterone: Density Training
What does density mean?
Density contains 2 important factors: Quantity and duration
Quantity / volume stands for the total amount of your training, i.e. how many repetitions (reps) and sets (sets) you have done in a particular workout.
The duration only represents the time used for your workout.
There are 2 methods to increase the density of the training.
Method 1:
Reduce the working time If you do 10 sets x 10 reps of bench press, for example, you will achieve a set of 100 reps in a time of say 40 minutes.
If you did the same volume in 30 minutes now, you would have done the same job in 25% less time.
Method 2:
Do more work in the same time You could leave the example above at 40 minutes, but do more work in the same time. That would mean instead of 10 sets x 10 reps you do 12/15 sets x 10 reps.
Yes, I know there are other ways to naturally increase testosterone levels, but this one is the most effective at burning fat.
IGF-1: dynamic training
Dynamic training consists of a combination of explosive, compound / compound and hybrid movements.
GH: Lactic Acid
Most of the lactic acid is produced during positive movements, that is, when you are lifting a weight. The concentric movement should therefore last longer than the eccentric (negative) -> slowly lift the weight within 4 seconds and, as soon as it reaches the top, let it come down quickly without a break. By over-acidifying the muscles, your body produces more GH to bring it back into balance and GH is promotes fat burning and muscle growth.
As promised, here is the update on acidification of the body.
You can of course take various precautions to combat an acidic body when you are eating.
It would be best to eat lots of vegetables and salad with every meal, but this can also have disadvantages, especially when trying to gain muscle mass.
Not because the vegetables are counterproductive, but because they fill the stomach and you have to struggle to cram the required calories into yourself.
That’s why I take green powder 2 times a day.
What’s this?
Green powder is a mixture of several vegetables and salads. In order not to suffer from a nutritional deficiency (and to counteract acidification)
I also supplement with it, which of course should not be a substitute for a healthy and balanced diet.
But I have to warn you, because it just tastes awful. It is best to mix it with a lot of fruit juice and not, as I did initially, with water.
Alkaline fruits and fruits
| Apples | Mangoes |
| pineapple | Mirabelle plums |
| Apricots | Nectarines |
| avocado | Olives (green, black) |
| Bananas | Oranges |
| Pears | Grapefruits |
| Clementines | Papayas |
| fresh dates | Peaches |
| Strawberries | Plums |
| Figs | Cranberries |
| Grapefruit | Quinces |
| blueberries | Pure Claws |
| Raspberries | |
| Honeydew melons | Gooseberries |
| Currants (red, white, black) | Star fruits |
| Cherries (sour, sweet;) | Watermelons |
| Kiwi fruit | Grapes (white, red) |
| Limes | Lemons |
| Mandarins | plums |
Alkaline vegetables and mushrooms
| Algae (Nori, Wakame, Hijiki, Chlorella, Spirulina) | Navetten (white turnips) |
| Eggplant | Okra scots |
| Oyster mushroom | paprika |
| Celery (celery) | Parsnips |
| cauliflower | Parsley root |
| Beans, green | chanterelle |
| Boviste | Radicchio |
| broccoli | radish |
| mushroom | Radish (white, black) |
| chicory | Romanesco (cauliflower) |
| Chinese cabbage | Beetroot |
| Egerling | Red cabbage |
| Peas, fresh | Shallots |
| fennel | Black salsify |
| spring onions | Shiitake |
| Kale | Cucumbers |
| Carrots | mushroom |
| Potatoes | Sweet potatoes |
| Kohlrabi | Pointed cabbage (sugar loaf) |
| Pumpkin species | Truffle mushroom |
| Leek | White cabbage |
| Swiss chard | savoy |
| Morel | zucchini |
| Mu-Err mushrooms | Onions |
Alkaline salads and herbs
| basil | Lollo Bionda Salad |
| Batavia salad | marjoram |
| Savory | horseradish |
| Borage | Melde (Spanish spinach) |
| Nettle | Lemon balm |
| Watercress | nutmeg |
| Chinese cabbage | Cloves |
| chicory | oregano |
| Chili peppers | parsley |
| dill | Pepper (white, red, black, green) |
| Oak leaf salad | peppermint |
| Iceberg lettuce | Allspice (clove pepper) |
| Endive | Purslane (Postelein) |
| Lamb’s lettuce | Radicchio |
| Fennel seeds | Romaine lettuce |
| Frize salad | rosemary |
| Garden cress | Rocket (rocket) |
| ginger | saffron |
| Capers | sage |
| cardamom | sorrel |
| chervil | chives |
| coriander | Black cumin |
| Lettuce | Celery leaves |
| cumin | Spinach, young |
| Caraway seed | thyme |
| Turmeric (turmeric) | vanilla |
| Lettuce | hyssop |
| Lovage | cinnamon |
| dandelion | Lemon balm |
| Lollo Rosso Salad | Zucchini flowers |
Basic sprouts and germs
| alfalfa | lenses |
| Amaranth | Mung beans |
| Buckwheat | Rosabi (type of kohlrabi) |
| Fennel seeds | Red clover |
| arugula | Sesame (unpeeled) |
| millet | Mustard seeds |
| Coriander seeds | Sunflower seeds |
| cress | Wheat germ |
| linseed |
As you can see, incorporating a few of these foods into your daily diet shouldn’t be that difficult.
Apart from the acidification, the dietary fibers of these foods also help with digestion and the many minerals, vitamins and trace elements also make the food better absorbed by the body.
The simplest solution to get as much vegetables and fruit in as possible would of course be a juicer, but that’s always a question of cost.
Acidification Of The Body
Today’s way of life and nutrition can easily affect our organism in the form of hyperacidity. Many people suffer from an unbalanced acid-base balance, which is also responsible for various health problems.
What does hyperacidity mean?
The word itself says it all: there are too many acids in the body or too few bases. The correct ratio of these two components is decisive and is determined on the basis of the pH value.
- the neutral pH is 7
- an acidic pH is below 7 (0-7)
- a basic pH value is above 7 (7-14)
How do I find out if I am over-acidic?
Preferably with pH test strips. These are available in all drugstores and pharmacies, including a pH value table. You just have to urinate on the strips and wait 1-2 minutes.
With a balanced acid-base balance, the pH values are 6.5-6.8 in the morning (slightly acidic), around 7 at noon (neutral) and above 7 in the evening (slightly basic).
What are the consequences?
As with most diseases and ailments, these do not occur immediately, but rather develop in a slow process. Older people in particular are affected by the consequences, as, for example, kidney function decreases and the toxins and acids can no longer be excreted as well. The acid or slag collects in the connective tissue, joints and blood vessels.
This creeping process, which lasts for years, can lead to the following symptoms:
- fatigue
- exhaustion
- Lack of drive
- Difficulty concentrating
- Nevosity
- Mood swings
- sleep disorders
- a headache
- Nerve pain
- Muscle aches
- Joint pain
- different forms of rheumatism
- different forms of allergy
- non-specific inflammation
- frequent colds
- Conjunctivitis
- Tumors
- and many others.
Of course, one cannot say that these are only consequences of hyperacidity, but they certainly contribute to it.
What are the causes?
As with a motorway, our body can only process or excrete a certain amount of acid, if too much comes at once there is a jam. The connective tissue plays a crucial role here because its molecules act as acid stores. The acid is stored there until the blood or the excretory organs have free capacity again.
If more acid is added to our body than it can excrete, the connective tissue is over-acidified.
So more and more garbage accumulates than can be disposed of. This is also commonly known as slagging.
But where does this garbage come from?
Too little / too much sport, negative stress and an acid-forming diet.
- too little sport leads to a lack of blood flow and oxygen supply in the tissue
- too much sport leads to local acidification through lactate (lactic acid)
- Negative stress affects the hormonal balance and causes an increased release of cortisol
- Acid-forming foods include meat, eggs, grain and dairy products, coffee, and alcohol
This is why fitness fanatics (including myself) are at risk of overacidification with increased protein consumption.
acidic foods:
- Meat, meat broth, sausage products, ham
- Fish and shellfish
- Milk and milk products (including low-fat), such as quark, yoghurt, kefir and all types of cheese, including from sheep and goat
- Mustard, vinegar, ketchup, pickles
- Legumes (peas, beans, lentils)
- Asparagus, Brussels sprouts, artichokes
- all nuts except almonds
- all types of grain and grain products such as pizza, pasta, rice, rolls, bread and other pastries as well as whole grain products, spelled, soy, amaranth and quinoa
- Sugar, sweets, ice cream, also water, soy and yoghurt ice cream, honey
- hydrogenated, refined fats and oils, including margarine, cheap salad oils
- carbonated beverages like mineral water, lemonade, cola
- Coffee, grain, instant, decaf coffee
- black tea
- Fruit tea
- Icetea
- alcohol
- tofu
How can you counteract this?
- Consume less acidic foods
- consume more alkaline foods
- Consume basic foods at every meal (vegetables and fruits)
- balanced and regular exercise (sport)
Basic foods include:
- Broccoli
- Carrots
- Potatoes
- Cauliflower
- paprika
- Mushrooms
- Onions
- basil
- Iceberg lettuce
- young spinach
- arugula
- alfalfa
- Almonds
- Bananas
- Apples
- avocado
- Lemons
Yes, you read that right: Lemons. They are acidic, but have a basic effect in our body. Of course that’s not all food, but I think you understand what it’s about.
In tomorrow’s blog I will devote myself to the alkaline diet.
There are also various detox cures with which you can cleanse the body relatively quickly, but these are only temporary solutions and are of little use if you then fall back into your old nutritional patterns.
I will deal with this topic more intensively in the near future. Since I definitely cannot do without a protein-rich diet, I will definitely also test some products, such as food supplements.
The Anabolic Switch In Practice
Malnutrition, overeating, and physical exercise force our bodies to initiate the anabolic process whereby tissue is repaired, regenerated, improved, and recreated.
During the deliberate malnutrition and simultaneous training, the body initiates the anabolic state and synchronously the growth activities are maximized through nutrient replenishment and rest.
The undernourishment and overeating cycles can last between 1 and 7 days. With this method, the body is detoxified, which is urgently needed.
Liver detox is imperative for adequate steroid hormone production and the proper utilization of nutrients for energy and maximum growth.
Malnutrition
Malnutrition is a relative term as it is different for everyone. But basically it means consuming fewer calories than you need or eating less than normal.
For our purpose of activating the growth potential, this means at most eating fruits with a low glycemic index (GI) or vegetables (or drinking their juice) and a little protein for the muscles.
It’s best to just stick with the vegetables and protein, this will save you the headache about the GI.
You can also drink coffee or tea, but only without sugar and no artificial sweeteners.
You should also avoid industrially processed carbohydrates such as white bread, pasta, white rice, etc., as this boosts the insulin level, which inhibits the activation of the growth-stimulating cellular factors.
Overeating
Just like malnutrition, this is a relative term that can be interpreted for anyone else. What is a lot for one person may be too little for another. In short, it simply means eating more than usual, i.e. getting a calorie surplus. You should always consider and include all macronutrients: proteins, fats, carbohydrates.
You should eat proteins and vegetables first, these are the nutrients that are most important to the body, and only then do carbohydrates. Make sure you only consume wholesome proteins such as meat, eggs and dairy products.
Of course, the essential fats should not be forgotten such as flax oil , fish oil or krill oil which are rich in omega-3 and omega-6. The essential fatty acids are vital and responsible for cell growth, cell membrane functions and hormone synthesis.
Periodic overeating signals your body to increase the metabolic rate in order to cope with the thousands of calories or to burn them.
After a few such cycles (malnutrition / overeating) it may be that your metabolism is automatically increased and you can consume more food, accelerate muscle growth even more without gaining body fat.
Exercise on an empty stomach
Exercising on an empty stomach before eating is the most effective way to accelerate anabolic state activation while forcing the body to burn fat and inhibit fat storage.
People who train immediately after getting up or at another point in time on an empty stomach are in a win-win situation.
In order to be able to exploit the full potential, you should take all the necessary nutrients that are required for an anabolic state immediately after training.
The great pump
Professional bodybuilders know exactly what this means. The day after the competition they usually experience an enormous pump.
The term muscle pump stands for the muscle and vein swelling after training, whereby the body looks fuller, more muscular and more defined.
Many bodybuilders who follow a calorie or carb-restrictive diet prior to competition sacrifice lean muscle mass in order to look lean and defined on stage.
But amazingly, most don’t look their best until the day after the competition.
The reason for this is that the restrictive calorie intake puts your body in a catabolic state and it is precisely in this phase that the body is optimally prepared for the anabolic phase.
As soon as the bodybuilders can eat what the heart desires (excess calories), i.e. immediately after the competition,
The body is put into an extremely strong anabolic state. It is the malnutrition / overeating cycle that puts the body in a maximally anabolic state and that is exactly what happens the day after the competition.
application
Daily cycle: 20 hours of malnutrition and then 4 hours of overeating. It is best to plan the overeating phase immediately after training in order not to risk muscle loss and to provide the body with the necessary nutrients.
2 day cycle: 1 day malnutrition and 1 day overeating. Maybe you plan the undernourishment day on a non-training day so as not to risk muscle loss and if you do, I would just increase the BCAA intake.
3 day cycle: 1 day malnutrition and 2 days overeating.
As you can see, there is a relatively large amount of leeway here.
Just try it out and see how they react. If you have health problems or are taking medication, you should definitely clarify this with your doctor first.