by Steven Mathis | Jun 4, 2015 | Supplements
Remember, we are looking at nutritional supplements and how they can benefit us in and out of the gym. Also, remember that if your diet, sleep, and recovery are crap… supplements are a waste of money! If you are interested in improving any aspect of training, nutrition, or recovery, or if you need help finding a specific supplement to meet your needs, email me at steven@csfitlife.net. You can also connect with me through social media by clicking the links below: CSFitLife on Facebook CSFitLife on Twitter For our fifth and final week, I thought we would take a look at Carbs! Key Points: Ingesting high-glycemic carbs post training helps with recovery and nutrient delivery. To get the biggest bang for your buck when it comes to post training carbs, consider taking them immediately following your training session. Vitargo is probably the best post training carb source; however, due to its cost, dextrose is a great replacement. You can purchase pure dextrose powder. Wonka Pixy Stix and SweeTarts or Haribo Gummy Bears are also great sources of dextrose. Consider taking 20-60 grams of high-glycemic carbs immediately following training. Wait… I thought these posts were about supplements?!?! While this post is about carbohydrates (carbs), it is also about supplements. Let me explain… In the protein post, we discussed that when we perform high intensity workouts (like CrossFit), we use glycogen (stored carbs) as the primary fuel. By the end of the workout, our stores are diminished. So, we need to top them off. Also, taking in fast digesting carbs post-workout can help with nutrient uptake and speed recovery. In the creatine...
by Steven Mathis | May 28, 2015 | Supplements
Remember, we are looking at nutritional supplements and how they can benefit us in and out of the gym. Also, remember that if your diet, sleep, and recovery are crap… supplements are a waste of money! If you are interested in improving any aspect of training, nutrition, or recovery, or if you need help finding a specific supplement to meet your needs, email me at steven@csfitlife.net. You can also connect with me through social media by clicking the links below: CSFitLife on Facebook CSFitLife on Twitter For week 4, I thought we would take a look at Beta-alanine! Key Points: Beta-alanine is a derivative of carnosine. Carnosine helps to fight fatigue. Supplementing with beta-alanine can increase endurance, power and strength output, and muscle. Consider taking 2-3 grams of beta-alanine and 2-5 grams of creatine 30-45 minutes prior to training. Consider taking another 2-3 grams of beta-alanine and 2-5 grams of creatine immediately following training. Beta-alanine Beta-alanine is a non-essential amino acid that is derived from carnosine. It is naturally occurring in the body but is normally found in small amounts.[i] We can also get carnosine through our diet by eating chicken, beef, fish, and pork. A diet with minimal animal foods or a plant-based diet may have diminished levels of carnosine.[ii] For those who train, is that carnosine is 3-5 times more prevalent in the muscle tissues most commonly associated with sports like CrossFit, weightlifting, powerlifting, sprinting, etc.[iii] What does it do? When we exercise at high intensities (like CrossFit or sprinting), our bodies can become more acidic. As we become more acidic, it’s harder to contract the muscle,...
by Steven Mathis | May 21, 2015 | Supplements
Remember, we are looking at nutritional supplements and how they can benefit us in and out of the gym. Also, remember that if your diet, sleep, and recovery are crap… supplements are a waste of money! If you are interested in improving any aspect of training, nutrition, or recovery, or if you need help finding a specific supplement to meet your needs, email me at steven@csfitlife.net. You can also connect with me through social media by clicking the links below: CSFitLife on Facebook CSFitLife on Twitter For week 3, I thought we would breakdown BCAAs! If you don’t care about the “why” and just want the cliff notes, I included a “Key Points” section at the start of the article and a “My Take” section at the end. Let’s Giddy UP! Key Points: BCAAs are the rock stars of amino acids. BCAAs can increase strength and muscle and decrease fatigue. BCAAs can aid in maintaining performance levels when trying to reduce bodyfat or overall bodyweight. The preferred ratio of BCAAs is 2:1:1. That is 2 grams of leucine to isoleucine and valine. Thirty minutes prior to training and immediately following, consider taking 5 grams of BCAAs. BCAAs… What the…??? Okay, we read during the first week that protein is super important. I gave you tons of reasons why we need more. Now, if you remember back to junior high science class, we were told that protein is made up of amino acids. What you probably weren’t told is that all amino acids are not created equal. Our bodies can produce certain amino acids and others have to be...
by Steven Mathis | May 14, 2015 | Supplements
Remember, we are looking at nutritional supplements and how they can benefit us in and out of the gym. Also, remember that if your diet, sleep, and recovery are crap… supplements are a waste of money! If you are interested in improving any aspect of training, nutrition, or recovery, or if you need help finding specific a supplement to meet your needs, email me at steven@csfitlife.net. You can also connect with me through social media by clicking the links below: CSFitLife on Facebook CSFitLife on Twitter For week 2, I thought we would breakdown creatine! If you don’t care about the “why” and just want the cliff notes, I included a “Key Points” section at the start of the article and a “My Take” section at the end. Let’s GO! Key Points: Creatine supplementation is safe and effective in healthy individuals. Creatine supplementation can increase muscle size, strength, power and overall athletic performance. For the best results, follow a loading protocol for creatine monohydrate. After the loading phase, take 1.5-5 grams of creatine (depends on the type) prior to training. Following training, take 1.5-5 grams of creatine (depends on the type) plus 20-30 grams of protein and 20-40 grams of fast digesting carbs like dextrose, waxy maize, white rice, etc. What if… What if I told you that there is a substance that can possibly increase power, strength, and performance? What if I also told you that the substance is one of the most extensively studied and scientifically validated performance enhancing aids for athletes? Finally, what if I told you that the substance is not only safe, but possibly...
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,...
