by Steven Mathis | May 5, 2015 | Supplements
Over the next few weeks, we are going to look at nutritional supplements and how they can benefit us in and out of the gym. This isn’t an exhaustive series by any means. These are the staple supplements. Keep in mind that nutritional supplements are just that: supplements to your diet. If you eat at the golden arches on the regular, sleep with the mentality of “I can rest when I am dead”, and don’t manage stress well, you are literally crapping and pissing your money away on supplements. Nail nutrition, sleep, and stress management down first and then you may want to consider supplements to help achieve your goals. Also, if you don’t care about the “why” and just want the cliff notes, I will include a “Key Points” section at the start of each article and a “My Take” section at the end. So let’s geek out and start with protein and protein powders. Key Points: Consuming adequate amounts of protein is necessary to recover from training sessions and to gain muscle or get faster and stronger. Those who exercise should consider protein intakes of .72 – .91 grams/lb of bodyweight per day. This is 109 – 136 grams of protein for a 150lb individual. Using protein powders can be an efficient way to meet the recommended amounts of protein. Pre- and post-workout nutrition is key! At a minimum, consider consuming 20-30 grams of whey protein about 30 minutes pre-workout and 20-40 grams of a blended protein (i.e. whey, casein, etc) within 30 minutes of finishing your training session. Consume 20-40 grams of fast digesting carbs (dextrose,...
