A Personal Trainer’s List of Must Take Supplements
People always ask me what are the supplements they’re supposed to take to get healthier/fitter. I’d like to share with you today the answers that I provide to them.
Here’s a list of must have and optional supplements.
Must have:
Fish Oil
Some proven benefits of Omega 3 fatty acids:
- Decreased levels or depression
- Heart health, protection from heart attack and stroke
- Anti-inflammatory
- Decreased incidences of childhood disorders
- Increased brain function
- Decreased risks of certain cancers like breast cancer
If this isn’t enough, fish oil is also shown to have positive effects on fat loss and muscle building.
Try to consume as much fatty fish as possible. If not, pop 3 to 6 one gram fish oil capsules every day. Make sure you refrigerate the product after opening it!
Multivitamins
Here are some reasons why one should supplement with a daily multivitamin and mineral formula to guarantee that you are receiving the right amounts of nutrients that your body needs:
- Low nutritional value of processed foods nowadays
- Nutrients being increasingly stripped off natural foods
- Crappy diets that contain nothing but unhealthy junk foods
- Diets where certain foods like milk are avoided
Make sure that they do not over or under dose the vitamins or minerals in the formula. Quick tip: Guys should try to choose a formula whenever possible with no Iron as one of the minerals.
Protein Powder
Whatever your goals, may it be muscle gain or fat loss, daily protein intake should be kept high. A general rule of thumb is to consume 1g per pound of bodyweight. A person adopting a western diet may not have a problem achieving this amount but a Singaporean diet where rice and noodles are the staples of the diet instead of meat, getting the optimal level of protein into the diet may prove problematic. Thus, one can consider the use of protein powders. One serving of powder can usually provide about 20-30g of high quality protein. What kind of protein should you use? In general there are 2 main types of powders on the market (soy and egg protein powders are the other 2 types. Avoid soy protein. Egg protein powders are okay). They are whey protein and timed-release proteins that usually contain a mixture of casein protein and whey protein. Whey protein is being digested faster than all other types of protein thus they are the most suitable for breakfast and pre/post workout consumption. They are further categorized into whey protein isolates and whey protein concentrates with the former being of higher quality. Timed-release proteins can be taken at other times of the day.
Protein powders are actually cost effective if you compare gram for gram the prices of different sources of protein (with eggs being the cheapest). However, only use it as a supplement to your diet. You should always strive to eat from a wide variety of foods like dairy products and lean meats.
Find a brand that tastes decent, mixes well with water and doesn’t give you the runs.
Optional:
Creatine
Creatine is one of the most researched sport supplement in the world. It is effective in building muscle mass during a mass gain phase but can be useful during a fat loss phase as well as it helps to boost strength and retains muscle mass when dieting. However, please note that initial use may cause some water retention and may thus mask fat loss.
The goal is to saturate creatine levels in the muscles thus the loading phase (20g daily for 5 days) can help to increase muscle creatine levels more quickly. If not, just stick to the usual recommendation of taking 5g daily and you will saturate levels eventually, but at a slower pace. For maintenance, 5g can be taken daily. It may be beneficial to take this product with some sugar in order to increase absorption rates.
For cost effectiveness, the powder form of creatine can be better than the capsule form. Avoid liquid creatine
Glucosamine
Glucosamine is a synthetic version of a compound naturally made by the human body to stimulate the growth of cartilage - a major component of joints that allows easy mobility. Glucosamine rebuilds cartilage and reduces the symptoms of arthritis while alleviating pain. Glucosamine also assists with the body’s natural anti-inflammatory processes and helps repair connective tissue in the joints. Use Glucosamine for improving your joint health.
Written by Chung Tze Khit. He is a certified personal trainer and co-owner of Unleash Fitness Gym @ Bukit Timah. Visit his websites: Personal Trainers Singapore & Unleash Fitness gym
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