You've got protein, a multivitamin, fish oil, and a post-workout drink. But what other supplements should you take?
Digest Force
How the hell are you going to build muscle if you can't assimilate your nutrients, son? Digest Force contains a combination of enzymes that aid digestion. The Betaine HCl works in a similar manner to hydrochloric acid. It also contains pancreatic enzymes to aid the digestion of starch, protein, and fat.
Make sure to take this with food, though. You know what heartburn feels like, right? Well, multiply that by ten if you swallow this on an empty stomach!
Benefiber
Usually I don't care what The American Dietetic Association recommends (they're not the greatest source of cutting edge nutrition info), but they are correct that a healthy diet should include 20-35 grams of fiber a day. However, many guys are lucky to get half that amount. What's that mean? They have hard time taking a shit. Fiber mixes with water and makes it easier for your stool to pass. Sounds lovely, right?
I prefer unflavored Benefiber powder to chewable tablets. Those give me gas like you wouldn't believe. (I'm sure you wanted to know that.)
FA3 Fatty Acid Complex
If you're not getting enough fiber you're probably not getting enough fat, either. Hey man, these things walk hand in hand. And if you're negligent with one, you're probably not paying attention to the other. (Check your protein intake for that matter. You probably need more.)
Anyway, FA3 contains a few fatty acids that are very beneficial but hard to get from regular food. And because I work with Biotest I can directly steal stuff from their site. Lucky me!
Here's the breakdown of the fatty acids and what they're good for.
Fatty Acids in 4 FA3™ Softgels
Lauric Acid 1,350 mg
Oleic Acid 815 mg
Gamma-linolenic Acid 455 mg
Linoleic Acid 875 mg
Lauric Acid
• Stimulates metabolism
• Is beneficial to skin
• Contributes to prostate health
Oleic Acid
• Increases Testosterone production*
• Is cardioprotective (beneficial effects on the heart, cholesterol levels, and blood pressure)
• Combats degenerative disease
*An animal study just published in "Lipids" reports that olive oil, or more specifically, oleic acid, increases the rate at which the testes produce Testosterone. The Leydig cells in the testes make Testosterone from cholesterol. A diet rich in olive oil and coconut oil (oleic acid and lauric acid) apparently helps the cells absorb more cholesterol. In short, the more cholesterol the Leydig cell has available, the higher the rate of Testosterone production. Incidentally, the testes of the animals on the oleic acid and lauric acid diet actually got heavier.
Gamma-linolenic Acid
• Stimulates metabolism through activation of brown fat
• Is anti-inflammatory
• Is anti-estrogenic
• Improves cholesterol levels
• Improves skin health
Linoleic Acid
• Is essential in natural production of steroid hormones
• Is essential in controlling cellular metabolism
• Is anti-inflammatory
Not too shabby of a list, huh?
+++++
So what kinds of "lesser known" supplements are you taking and why? Vitamin D? B12? Coagulated elks milk? I want to see at least 30 comments with a few new suggestions!
Posted Nov 22, 2009 by Nate Green.
This entry is filed under supplements.
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Comments for This Entry
Vitamin D - http://www.tmuscle.com/free_online_article/sports_body_training_performance_nutrition/d_is_for_doping .... enough said.
-Chad
Nice work, Nate. I like the video format.
Regarding lesser known supplements:
1) pumpkin seed oil: similar to FA3, but I've noticed it's also great for skin
2) cinnamon - (capsule form) - increases insulin sensitivity. I take this in conjunction with ReceptorMax
3) Polquins Brand - once again, insulin management.
I like the digestive aid, as well.
Nate,
Awesome video.
All those "lesser known" supplements are a kickass complement to any1's diet and I actually use two of them; HCL I gotta give a shot and experiment with.
Some other "lesser known" supplements I love to use are:
1. Krill oil- Neptune makes the majority of this product and its 48x as potent as fishoil in regards to antioxidents.
2. Cinnamon (seen above)- Heard that first from Tim Ferris. John awesome article on TT Fatloss by the way with Ballantyne.
3. Reishi Mushroom Complex- Sounds gross eh? This has been the most powerful "immune renew" supplement I have ever taken. It is an immunostimulant and is used as an aid for sleep and to lower cholesterol. Reishi mushrooms, simply stated, are antioxidants and liver protectants
4. CLA- make sure its the safflower seed extract. Studies have shown the "healthy fats" in CLA to correlate with fat loss. With all its possible fat-burning, muscle-building, blood-sugar lowering, immune-enhancing effects, its worth a shot .
5. WATER- I think a lot of people forget to supplement water. Whats the #1 way to increase strength up to10% and endurance in 24hours? Yup, water. This is only true if your not getting enough, but guess what 90% of people don't, so there's a free 10% increase in strength for ya. (Goddam it, I wish I still fit the category)
Wow,
I've only just started taking fish oil tablets.. It's only my budget really that's holding me back.
These sound really interesting!
@CG - Vitamin D is also on the inexpensive end of things, as are BCAAs.
I've actually been cutting back on the pile o' pills I take (due budget cuts on the home front), so instead of the laundry list it was a couple of months ago, it's pretty modest:
- Fish Oil (I prefer the stuff from AffordableSupplements.com, since it doesn't have any taste or that lovely burp factor, but the cheap-ass, generic bottle from CVS works)
- Vitamin D. I take between 10 and 20k IU (which sounds like a lot, but @ 2k per capsule, it's like three with breakfast/lunch/dinner, and one at bedtime)
- Tribulus Terrestris extract for T support. I just take the non-compounded stuff (a'la Alpha Male, which is awesome, but spendy).
- BCAAs
- Beta-Alanine
Natural Calm.
It is a magnesium supplement, in a powder form, you add boiling water to dissolve it. I make lemon singer tea and pour it in a cup with the natural calm, makes a nice relaxing tea before bed. I usually take the natural calm with calcium.
Really enjoy your blog,!
In addition to vitamin C, a multivitamin, protein, and fish oil, I take an MSM supplement every day. MSM is a naturally-occuring source of organic sulfur -- the supplement supports organ and joint function by donating sulfer for maintenenace of healthy connective tissue. It's acclaimed for its pain-relieving and anti-inflammatory effects, but there is a much broader list of benefits out there (do a google search for MSM benefits, or better yet read the book 'The Magic of MSM').
It was recommended to me to help treat tendonitis, and I've since become a believer in it's use as a daily dietary supplement. Best of all, it's relatively cheap and is widely available.
I absolutely love Superfood from Biotest. I take D3, and CLA too.
I've tried L-Leucine a couple times. I dunno what it is about it, but it just tastes HORRIBLE. They already put it in Metabolic Drive anyway, so I just bought it the one time to try it.
I'm a biotest whore, I don't really buy any supplements anywhere else. And whenever someone asks for suggestions Biotest is the first place I send them to. They have everything you could ever want. And TONS cheaper than anything you'll find at GNC.
I suppose just creatine (year round), BCAAs (when i'm dieting for fat loss), and a multi-vitamin. I've had decent results with CLA during fat loss as well, but not sure if it's because I tend to tighten up my diet when I take a supplement just so as not to "waste" any effect it might give me.
Personally I'm trying to cut down on the money I spend on supplements and just spring for basic whey, creatine monohydrate, and fish oil. I'll try different ones every once and again (waxy maize right now, which I'm not crazy about and going back to whey+gatorade powder as a post-workout drink once this runs out) just to mix it up.
I might pick up magnesium for cheap to see how much it really helps with sleep.
I guess I should add that I take fish oil like it's going out of style too.
I'd buy flameout and FA3 if I weren't so low on cash. I usually stock up on Metabolic Drive and Surge once a month or so and that runs a good $150.
I usually go to Walgreens or CVS where they have the HUGE bucket 'o fish capsules. I usually try to make sure there's at least a decent amount of EPA and DHA. I also make sure to take some sort of Fiber. I got sick of the chewable tablets and the powders, so after reading the article "30 Things Waterbury Said" and seeing his mention of NOW! Super Enzymes, I take those. A hell of a lot easier. I just dislike spending more than 10 minutes or so in whole foods to buy them and my meat, being around all those uppity, pasty and yellow vegan hippies makes my skin crawl.
1. a good probiotic
2. resveratrol
Forget this stuff, I just read on T-Nation that Anaconda is coming out this week. I need to save my money. Funny you Betaine HCI, T-Nation had an article today about the subject of digestive problems.
Supplements in my cabinent:
Omega-3 Fish Oil
Nitrean protein by At Large Nutrition
Grow! protein by Biotest
Spike Shooters
Creatine
BCAA's
Whey, Casein
Creatine
Fish oil
I was taking acai berry and calcium/magnesium because I try to stay away from dairy
I'm going to look into some of these other ones people posted though, thanks!
I take ZMA which works immediately on my sleep, but only for short periods because I'm a little suspicious about the amount of zinc going into my body.
what else:
Apple fiber
creatine
Tribulus herb thing
A thing called restorin but I can’t really tell if it’s working
well that’s it besides the protein. The herb supplements I'm backing of on. I am going to try some of that NO preworkout powder. Got some from my friend and it did fire me up that one time.
I really like a product called Synerchi by Myogenix.
"An organic fusion of greens, raw vegetables, pharmaceutical chlorella, green tea matcha, and flax. Revitalize your body at the cellular level with living nutrients. Increase energy levels naturally and safely. Boost immune system with antioxidants, vitamins, and aminos. Improve health and vitality with chlorophyll, polyphenols, EGCG's, glucosinolates, and sulforaphanes. Convenient individual packets preserve each delicate nutrient keeping it enzymatically active and biologically alive. Organic and kosher. Chlorella - pharmaceutically grown and kosher. Green tea matcha - 100% organic. Broccoli sprouts - 100% organic. Barley juice - 100% organic. Beet juice - organic and kosher. Carrot juice - organic and kosher. Spinach - 100% organic and kosher. Flax seed - organic and kosher."
Vitamin D
Sesamin Oil extract
ZMA
EAAs
Beta Alanine
Lesser "used" supplements I take:
- Chromium picolonate: to help maintain healthy blood sugar levels. It helps with cravings and helps control appetite.
- 5-HTP: to help keep those adrenal glands healthy.
- L-arginine: on off-days only, as studies show that it can actually reduce the GH release from regular training when taken pre-exercise and can reduce IGF with chronic use.
- Methoxy Isoflavone: to help with building muscle mass. I'm a woman with not so great genetics, so I need all the help I can get ;-)
Thanks for the comments guys! I've picked up a few things I've never even heard of...
-Nate
- Vitamin D is right up there with your fish oil
- L - Leucine any time your eating protein shovel 5 grams of this into your diet until you've hit 20g for the day
- Trying to shed fat ... MCT Oil, start replacing some of your fats with that.
What are your thoughts on Zinc supplementation for the 30+ (...muscular...) dudes?
If so, dosages? When to take it? After breakfast? After training? Before bed?
Great info!
ps loved the interview with Rooney today!
@Nate
You mention the FA3 product from Biotest being made from coconut oil and olive oil, but what about the Borage oil they mention in the Biotest article? Do you happen to know if this doesn't play a huge part in pills? I know its a good source of GLA but is that also supplied by the coconut oil and olive oil?
I mention this because I just started cooking with some coconut oil (breakfast foods) while still keeping my olive oil for dinner time. I feel like taking in the fatty acids in the slightly less refined form might be more beneficial, but I'm mostly curious if the Borage oil is really improving the mix that much.
Do you need to refrigerate the FA3?
Can you recommend any good supplement brands in UK. You guy's in the US have it so well with Biotest etc, but add on postage to the UK and it's just not sustainable long term. Nate, you gotta get onto Beradi to do a supplement recommendation for the UK.
Great information....thanks a lot. I am taking vitamin D supplements on the advice of my personal trainer from Carlsbad. I am feeling the increased vitality already!
Coenzyme Q10/ Fish Oil,
Zinc- For immune system, HCL production , and tons of other benefits
and a B complex.
ZMA
EAAs
Beta Alanine
and of course vitamin D
The most common herbal supplement is a plant known as Lingzhi in China and Reishi in Japan. It is a very powerful herb which has been scientifically studied for it healing properties and ability to boost your immune system.
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