How Important Are Supplements?

For many people who exercise strenuously, and I mean those who workout 6 days a week and really pay attention to their health and overall lifestyle, the body will naturally require more nutrients so that it can repair and grow. I’m not necessarily even talking about bodybuilding specifically, but as with any sport or fitness regimen, you’re putting your body through incredible amounts of stress. Sometimes, this level of stress means that you have to go above and beyond the everyman / everywoman routine and nurse yourself with supplements and vitamins that would otherwise be difficult to get even from whole food sources. With whey protein for example, which is commonly used by bodybuilders as a quick-releasing protein source, it will provide you with essential amino acids - building blocks of protein which cannot be created by the body. This example is more or less case in point that supplementation is imperative if you are to get the best results from your fitness regimen. 

This is just an example, however, as there are in fact an abundance of supplements out there that’ll help optimise your performance, and rest and recovery period. It’s true that someone who never hits the bench may have no use for whey or creatine. But even avid cyclers or those who run and swim will at some point face an injury or some obstruction to their performance that could perhaps have been avoided if the correct measures were taken - if the correct supplements were taken.

Glucosamine is a very popular natural source which athletes use to prevent, or decrease the effects of joint or muscle pain. The body synthesises it naturally. However, it is not known to be found in any food source. This means that those who do take part in any one, or all, of said triathlon of sports, could take preventative steps and use this supplement to help keep their body tissue healthy and free of pain and inflammation. Glucosamine is just one of many examples.

Personally, I use a handful of supplements which helps me to both reach my daily macronutrient goals, and also speed up the recovery process by helping my muscles repair and grow. I’ve even found an improvement in my level of performance itself. As a student, I make the most of the 10 percent discount at MyProtein. Their prices are unbeatable for the quality of their products. They also deliver very quickly too. As someone who has goals of building mass, I never go a day without having their whey protein isolate, which is the core of any post-workout shake. Dextrose and maltodextrin are two more supplements I also choose to have for the spike they both cause in your energy levels. Both are carbohydrates that score high on the glycemic index, but dextrose is a simple carb which quickly spikes your energy and maltodextrin is complex so takes longer for your body to break down - making it slow-releasing much the same as a food like oatmeal for example. The fact it’s high in sugar shouldn’t scare you. When taken during exercise it can greatly improve your performance and endurance and you’ll burn it all off as you workout anyway. Many athletes use it and it’s a great supplement to have. It’s also very, very cheap.

There are hundreds of minerals, vitamins, supplements and other sources that you can’t provide your body with just purely through foods. And these sources could be the difference between an injury and a slight nick, or results you get in 12 months that you could have got in 6. Analyse the stresses you put on your own body and work out accordingly which product from your local health shop or nearest Holland and Barret can help get you to where you want to be with regard to your own lifestyle.

The Truth Behind Abs

I saw an intriguing tweet the other day which seems to be a popular phrase circling the internet at the moment amongst fitness forums. It essentially says that abs on a skinny guy doesn't count. It was at least a saying that I hadn’t heard until now and I realised how true this was. Abs are perhaps the most sought after part of a man's physique, and the part which many women look for on a guy too over any other feature. But how easy is it to achieve a chiseled core? I for one have had major trouble finding my six pack when the rest of my body seems to progress. My chest, shoulders, legs, back, and arms have all grown bigger, more pronounced and defined, but although my abs are visible and I have a strong core, I still have those couple percentages extra in body fat that keep me from looking as good as I want to look. Now that could be down to the fact I'm relatively new to the regime of a fitness junkie, as I didn't start getting into shape until just about over a year ago. But I'm quite sure that depending on where you start, it's definitely possible to achieve a decent washboard stomach in a shorter period of time.

So why is it so hard for a bodybuilder? And why is it that skinny guys seem to achieve it with ease? Well the truth may seem simple and the clue is right there in the difference between those trying to put on mass and those who, well, don’t. Considering the obsession with abs that this generation of health conscious people has, it's surprising how confused we can be about the illustrious six pack. Some articles will tell you that direct abs exercises like crunches or planks, for example, will build a rock solid core. Other publications will say you first have to melt away the fat on top of your abs. That is after all why 'skinny' guys have abs - because their body fat is so low. But really it's a combination of the two that will get you the abs you want - direct, and indirect.

A high intensity workout that kicks your metabolism into overdrive will initiate the fat burning process and decrease the body fat around your middle, as well as the rest of your body. That's what makes your muscles pop and more defined after a cutting phase, for instance. Doing such workouts can achieve a higher metabolic rate for up to 48 hours after exercise. Combine this with an abs routine that directly targets your core and makes the abdominal muscles burn, and the six pack will come in time. It's just a case of sticking at the high intensity workout like HIIT cardio so that your body fat gets lower and lower. This of course, however, depends much on your diet too, as generally speaking burning more calories than you consume means your body has no choice but to shred the fat.

Unfortunately for us bodybuilders though, eating less calories than you burn is counter productive - building is in the word bodybuilding for a reason - it's not called bodylosing! And eating less than you burn means muscle loss as well as fat loss. So how can you achieve abs while bulking? Well, I've actually yet to see an effective plan that will achieve both. And that's basically down to the biology of our bodies. Neither can really work at once. That's why the cutting phase you hear bodybuilders talk about is a phase. Because it's a part of a bigger plan where the rest of the time you're packing in calories - building your body, growing, gaining weight - all to get to your desired size. So how come bodybuilders aren't fat? At least many of them. That's because the ones that aren't pay just as much, if not more attention to their diet than their actual workout regime. This is where consuming the right amount of macronutrients, which I've stressed the importance of before, will make or break your success. You'll find that you can easily eat 3000 or more calories a day and yet still eat less of the bad nutrients, if you can call them that, such as saturated fat for example, than the average person.

All of these factors contribute to how quickly and how defined you will see your own abs. Because they are there. Everybody has them. Just as everyone has a brain. It's just about how you use your brain to get achieve the results you want. A strict diet, strict regimen, and a strict overall lifestyle is what will get you those abs. And that's why a set of them always look better on a muscular physique more than a skinny one, because you have to work harder to get them. So don't be despondent if you're working out every day and yet still don't have as impressive a set of abs as the guys you see on the beach. Instead of analysing the appearance of your core, ask yourself if the guy you're comparing yourself to has the chest, the arms, the legs and the shoulders that you have. You'll get the abs you want, but don't worry about it until you're the build and size that you’re after. That's my advice on getting abs. As long as you’re paying as much attention to the food you put in your mouth as the work you put in at the gym, abs wont be far away when you shift your focus from your brawn to your belly. And aren’t abs just way more impressive with a big chest and shoulders to match? Just something to think about.

Meal Of The Day

Seasoned Chicken, Red Potato Wedges, Mixed Vegetables.

By no means am I an accomplished chef. The concept my parents have of cooking is to just bung something in the microwave! So naturally I’ve grown up with a rather limited knowledge of what a real, nutritious meal should taste like. Now I am discrediting my parents a bit here - they did the best job of raising me and my poor dad even sacrificed most of his garage space so I could have a place to put all of my home gym equipment! But as my mum’s favourite magnet says on our home fridge / freezer which is packed full of ready-meals, “If it fits in a toaster, I can cook it!”

I think this is relevant to a lot of people who want to get in better shape - there’s this preconceived idea that you’ve got to be some celebrity cook or at least have a book which Waterstones recommends in their food and drink section, if you are to have any chance of living more healthily. The truth is that you don’t have to be Jamie Oliver’s protégé in order to cook a decent meal. In fact all you need to know is where the fresh food sections are in your supermarket of choice, and which dial in your kitchen works the oven.

One of my favourite lunches I make for myself at home, which takes five minutes to prepare and 20-25 minutes to cook, is chicken, roasted red potatoes, and a cup to two cups of any couple of vegetables of your choice. Personally I love onions and peppers together with this meal. It may not sound like something as exciting as you’d find on the menu at Barbecoa, but actually, it only takes a few more seconds to season your chicken and potatoes with some sea salt, pepper and a few spices and herbs, to disguise it as something not too dissimilar to a Jamie Oliver dish.

Firstly you preheat your oven to about 200°, or gas mark 6, and then oil a baking tray or use some non-stick foil. Chop a 5 ounce red potato up into wedge-like chunks, and then finely chop your vegetables. Put it all on the baking tray with your chicken, and season with whatever you fancy. Personally I have a taste for spicy food so I add a dash of paprika as well as sea salt and pepper. In the oven it goes and in 20-25 minutes you couldn’t have made a healthy meal any simpler. Optionally, if you have more time to spare, you can always pan fry your vegetables so you have more control over the temperature and cooking time, but either way the result will be downright tasty!

Macronutrients: What They Are And Why They're Important

I’m surprised by how little the coverage is of macronutrients in the pages of health and fitness magazines, given that it is one of the most critical things to learn about when it comes to your eating. Fortunately, it’s very easy to understand. Made up of carbohydrates, protein and fats, macronutrients are simply the primary food groups that need to make up your daily food intake if you are to eat a fully-balanced and nutritious diet.

It’s a simple concept, but one which I believe is imperative. You can have the cleanest, most minimally processed diet in the world, work harder than everybody else in the gym, but still if you’re not getting enough of any one of these macronutrients you will be inhibiting your results. If carbs dominate your every meal but your plate is short of protein, your body simply wont have enough amino acids to repair itself. And yet if you’re eating three chicken breasts a day but not fuelling yourself with things like potatoes, oats, or rice, your workouts will be a complete bust because you simply wont have the energy you need to push through those last few reps. Fats are also essential in a daily diet. Now, I’m not talking cupcakes and chocolate brownies, but unsaturated fats which you can get from nuts, seeds, oils and fish, or oily fish, all provide energy as well as certain vitamins. They also help reduce cholesterol and fight against inflammation.

Depending on your own body type, the amount of macronutrients you need will differ from everybody else. No two people are the same, and just as you wouldn’t expect a 200lbs bodybuilder to eat the same ratios as a welterweight boxer trying to cut down for the weigh-in, you will have your personal goals to meet too.

Much of what I have learnt in fitness and nutrition has come from BeachBody’s home workout programmes, and particularly Body Beast, the bulking programme devised by two-time Mr Israel and world renowned bodybuilder Sagi Kalev. Now I don’t claim to be a health or fitness expert myself at all, but his approach to macronutrients comes from his 26-years of experience, and I stick by his opinion religiously. You too can find your personal, accurate nutrient needs online with calculations concerning your own weight and body fat percentage. It sinks my heart when I see someone trying to lose weight but is eating, for example, way more fruit than what they should be allotted. Yes, fruit is good for you, but it can still do more harm than good if you overload yourself with all that sugar, even if it is natural - you wouldn’t eat jars of honey in one go so don’t eat punnets of strawberries either! Same applies to every other food group. So make sure you get this right and you will succeed!