There are shady characters in every industry, but it’s seemingly within the nutrition and supplement industry where the shadiest of shady characters reside.
How else to explain an industry where (celebrity) doctors cut their ties to integrity and shill the miraculous fat loss properties of Raspberry ketones?
Or where some of the product descriptions on the backside of a bottle or package resemble that of a science-fiction movie?
Like this one for example:
“The World’s strongest vaso-anabolic psychoactive experience. Our secret cellular volumizing formula is patented to nanomolecularize your vascular expanders.”
For those scratching their heads, in supplement speak, I’m pretty sure “nanomolecularize” means you’ll cause an earthquake when you flex your pecs.
Or you suddenly gain the ability to fly.
I don’t know, something will happen.
Whatever the case may be, now, more than ever, with all the varying pills, powders, and diets being “sold” to us as the next great thing, we need someone we can trust to cut through the BS and help filter through the phony facade.
We need someone to serve as the “shadiness police.”
My friends at Examine.com have just launched their new and vastly updated Examine.2.0. They’ve built an amazing resource; one that’s hands-down THE most extensive, thorough, and UN-BIASED tool at our disposal as fitness/health professionals (or people who are generally more curious and proactive with their health information).
They stick to their lane – cute kitty pictures analyzing research information – and that’s it.
No fluff
No opinions
No up-sells
No BS
If one of my clients or athletes walks in and asks about Keto, creatine, vitamin D, caffeine, or whether or not Deer Antler Root dipped in Unicorn tears harvested from a remote mountain range in Minas Tirith is worth trying…I can usually provide a competent, well-informed answer.
However, if I ever get stumped – which definitely happens – I can gather all the information I’d ever need from Examine 2.0.
And I know it’ll be the most recent, relevant, and scientifically peer-reviewed information out there.
What’s more, they include monthly updates and they also provide CEUs for American RDs, NASM, as well as the NSCA.
Starting today (through 8/25) you can take advantage of their re-launch sale:
Monthly Membership – usually $29/month will be $19/month
Yearly Membership – usually $199/year will be $144/year
Full Disclosure: I’m an awesome sleeper. I’m awesome at a lot of things – deadlifting, eating eggs, throwing a vicious split-finger fastball, the board game Stratego, coloring – but sleeping is my jam.
My wife often jokes that my side of the bed is my version of the Fortress of Solitude. As soon I’m horizontal I’m like “don’t talk to me” and I’m asleep 49 seconds later.1
To that point, I’m married to someone who isn’t a great sleeper. I’ve learned over the years that, in addition to my wife, some people, including clients of mine, aren’t good sleepers and that often times it behooves us to troubleshoot a few sleep hygiene tactics to see if we can nudge them towards a few more zzzzzz’s (<— see what I just did there?).
I get it: Sleep it not a sexy topic to write about. It ranks somewhere in between the Kreb’s Cycle and smoothie recipes featuring celery.
That said, ample sleep is crucial for a bevy of reasons – especially if you’re interested in getting bigger, faster, or stronger – and if you’re someone who has a hard time with it I hope this article, co-authored by both myself and my wife, Dr. Lisa Lewis, will help.
It’s not mid-town Manhattan, but busy nonetheless, and not devoid of your traditional city ambiance. You know, an orchestra of honking horns, construction everywhere, and drunk college students woo-hoo’ing at odd hours in the night.
Sleep can be a challenge sometimes.
That said, outside the general shittyness of traditional city chaos, it’s not uncommon for me to mutter to myself “go to bed” even if I hear someone shout for their Uber at 6:30 at night. I’ve grown quite cantankerous at 43.
Go to bed.
It’s my go to response to everything.
– “I feel awful/tired/sick.”
Go to bed.
– “I’m not making progress in the gym; I feel weak.”
Go to bed.
– “Tony, do you want steak or chicken tonight for dinner?”
Go to bed.
Encouraging people, particularly my clients, to get more sleep is something I am always aiming to highlight. More often than not, I find, lack of progress has less to do with adopting the latest fitness fad – keto, Jade eggs, gluten free, deer antler hand cream – and more to do with going to freakin’ bed.
Routine is paramount, and is something Lisa highlights in more detail below. For this reason, I always get a kick whenever I am training my high-school athletes and I tell them I start my bedtime magic mode around 8:30 PM.
Based off their facial reactions you would have thought I told them I grew up on Mars.
Truth be told I’ve always been an early-to-bed kind of guy.
In high-school I was consistently in bed by 9 PM.
The same could be said when I was in college; although change 9 PM to 10-11 PM, or if I were living life dangerously, maybe midnight.2.
And even now, as an adult, bedtime hovers around 9 PM…
…and it’s all because I stick to a routine.
But let’s let Lisa chime in.
Lisa
Despite the recommendation that adults sleep 7 to 9 hours per night (1), only 65% of Americans report hitting that mark (2). Getting less than six hours of sleep a night, on a regular basis, is bad news, and is linked to all kinds of negative health outcomes, specifically:
“… weight gain and obesity, diabetes, hypertension, heart disease and stroke, depression, and increased risk of death. Sleeping less than 7 hours per night is also associated with impaired immune function, increased pain, impaired performance, increased errors, and greater risk of accidents (p. 591).”
That’s bad.
But sleeping is awesome! It’s good for you, AND it feels fabulous! So what is the problem?
Why are so many of us sleep deprived?
In a word, life.
Longer working hours, balancing family and work, media and the internet, amazing TV, stress, anxiety, depression, substance abuse, and the Night Owl’s insistence that if they go to sleep, they’ll miss something (never understood that one, but to each their own).
Additionally, folks are stressed out, anxious, and/or depressed.
The National Institute of Mental Health reported that approximately 18% of the adult population will suffer from an anxiety disorder in a given year, and that more than 6.5% of the population will suffer from depression (3). Add the commonality of high stress lifestyles, and you’ve got a culture that’s worn down, strung out, and in need of a good night’s sleep.
But sleep is almost always negatively impacted by stress, anxiety, and depression.
So, whether you’re looking to treat anxiety, depression, or stress, to get stronger or leaner, be happier and healthier, or just be a functioning human being, you need 7+ hours of quality sleep under your belt every night. If you have trouble, here are some quick and easy tips for improving sleep hygiene:
Use your bed and bedroom for sleeping and sex, nothing else.
(Note from Tony: BOM CHICKA BOM BOM)
Make your bedroom dark, cool, and quiet.
Use earplugs, an eye mask, and/or white noise if needed.
Tony’s bedside table. Pictured are his superhero eye mask and current books he’s reading.
Avoid caffeine after noontime.
Avoid alcohol 6 hours before bedtime.
Avoid screens (laptop, tablet, phone, TV) before bedtime.
Create a bedtime ritual (this may include moisturizing, journaling, sex, meditation, and/or other relaxing activities).
(Note From Tony: My normal routine is to turn on both the fan and white noise machine and then grab one of my books and start reading. I’m lucky if I make it past four pages.)
If you’ve tried these interventions but still have trouble, you may have considered medications, supplements, aromatherapy, or banging your head against the wall. However, with so many options, it may seem overwhelming to research and then try something new.
In addition to being familiar with insomnia as a counselor and a psychologist, I also have plenty of personal experience. Since becoming a mom and an LLC, my thoughts, to-do’s, and concerns about the future can make it hard to get to sleep, and more importantly, to stay asleep. During busy and particularly stressful times, I’ve awoken after two to four hours of sleep, and have been unable to return to sleep for three or four hours.
And once there’s one bad night of sleep, a negative pattern can develop, and night after night of tossing, turning, tea-drinking, and deep-breathing leads to exhaustion, grumpiness, and mental-fogginess.
After trying some cognitive behavioral techniques for insomnia, meditation, and melatonin for Lisa, we felt there was “nothing left” for her to try but heavy duty sleep medication…
But then!
We found a supplement that has not “cured” her, but has helped her improve her sleep habits and the overall quality of her sleep on a consistent basis. Thanks to this once-at-bedtime pill, she can stay down once she’s fallen asleep, and if she does wake up, can return to sleep after 10-20 minutes, as opposed to three to four hours.
What is it?
Momentous Sleep
I was sent a bottle a few months ago to try out. But, admittedly, because I don’t suffer from insomnia or ever have any real issues falling (or staying asleep) I don’t use it as frequently as Lisa.
This isn’t to say, of course, I don’t dabble. I mean, we do live with a toddler.
I’ll alternate between Momentous Sleep or one of my other “go to” sleep supplements: a stack of Z-12 and ZMA (Zinc/Magnesium).
It just kinda matters what I’m in the mood for.
The former, though, does include Magnesium and melatonin, and I have noticed an even smoother transition to bedtime magic mode whenever I take it.
And to that end, the people at Momentous have been kind enough to offer $20 OFF any order of $50 (or more) on their site to any of my readers who may be interested in trying their products (they have several).
All you have to do is enter the code GENTILCORE20 (does not have to be all caps) when prompted to do so at checkout. If you’re someone who, despite all your best efforts to improve your sleep hygiene, still has a hard time falling (or staying) asleep…this may be an option to consider.
References
Watson, N.F., et. al. (2015). Recommended amount of sleep for a health adult: A joint consensus statement of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and Sleep Research Society. Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, 11, 591- 592. https://aasm.org/resources/pdf/pressroom/adult-sleep-duration-consensus.pdf.
I’d like to start with a story. It involves a temple, a monk, a woman, and her small child.
(Sorry, this story doesn’t begin with your standard “a cowboy, rabbi, and turtle walk into a bar…..”)
It’s a story I originally heard from strength coach Martin Rooney and few years ago, and it’s a story that has resonated with every since.
It begins with a woman and her small child walking up the stairs of a temple that houses a monk. At wits end, the woman reluctantly approaches the wise monk and asks, “wise Monk I’ve tried everything I can to get my child to stop eating sugar and nothing has worked. Can you offer any sage advice? Anything?”
The monk looks at the woman and the child, and calmly says, “come back and ask me again in two weeks.”
With a quizzical look on her face, the mother reluctantly walked away. Two weeks later, she brings her son to see the monk.
“Stop eating sugar,” he says to the little boy.
“Why did we have to wait two weeks for that?”
“Because,” the monk said, “I myself had to stop eating sugar.”
That’s integrity.
in·teg·ri·ty
inˈteɡrədē/
noun
the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles; moral uprightness.
“he is known to be a man of integrity”
It’s something I feel that’s missing from the fitness industry.
But this isn’t to throw the entire fitness industry under the bus. Nor is it an attempt to single out the fitness industry as the sole proprietor of snake oil fishery.
By and large I feel the industry as a whole is rife with well-intentioned, good-hearted, truthful, and honest professionals who want nothing more than to help people and do so in a non-douchey manner.
Likewise, it would be naive of me to say that no other profession is immune to having its veins cut off from integrity with a tourniquet. All we have to do is take a hop, jump, and skip back to 2008 with the housing market and all the Wall Street and investment banking scumbags who purposely preyed on and sold subprime mortgages to unsuspecting home buyers knowing full well that what they were doing was unethical and likely going to bankrupt a lot of people.
Not to mention the economy.
Likewise, we don’t have to steer far off the beaten track to witness shady deals and actions by our politicians. And, have you not heard a good lawyer joke lately?
I don’t want to sound like a Jonny Raincloud, though; I truly am someone who gives most people the benefit of the doubt and feels most people are kind and good hearted.
While there’s a lot about the industry I love, there’s something about he fitness industry that rubs me the wrong way. Maybe it’s partly because I’ve been “in it” for so long and have seen anything and everything that can happen. All I have to do is turn on the television at 2AM and see any number of shams being sold to the public. Anything from Shake Weights to 7-Minute Abs (or are we down to 6 minutes now? I’ve lost count) to detox diets to a certain “celebrity doctor” announcing that Acai Berries are the greatest miracle food in the history of ever.
They make you shit rainbows!
It’s nauseating at times.
And it all makes me reminisce about that Wendy’s commercial from the 1980s where the three ladies exclaim: “where’s the beef?”
Except in this case I want to ask: “where’s the integrity?”
But then again who am I to judge? All these people are making bank and it’s a free country, right? And this isn’t to suggest that all the aforementioned people and examples are the Spawn of Satan. For all I know they’re all lovely individuals who donate blood a few times a year, pay their taxes, volunteer their time at a local homeless shelter, or read scripture to orphaned kittens. Or whateverthef***.
All that said, while it’s my own opinion, there’s an astonishingly emaciated level of integrity in the fitness industry.
At the expense of coming across as a little holier than thou, I can count numerous times where I turned away distance coaching clients in lieu of encouraging them to purchase The New Rules of Lifting or The New Rules of Lifting For Women instead.
They don’t need to drop a few hundred dollars over the course of a few months when a book that costs $10 can be just as useful. Many times I tell them to buy the book, read it (<— this is important: they need to understand the WHYs of doing what they’re being asked to do), follow the program, and after 3-6 months, if they’re ready for a more personalized approach, to shoot me another message.
Moreover, while I could easily step away from coaching and do nothing but tap away on my computer on a day to say basis writing articles and fitness programs for people all over the world, there’s just something that doesn’t jive with me to writeabout training people and not actually train people.
In a gym.
In person.
In real life.
But that’s just me. I have all the respect in the world for those colleagues of mine who have the luxury to work from home seven days a week and travel the world. Many of them still do coach people, though. And many of them accumulated years of experience beforehand.
It’s when the new trainer who’s fresh out of school and feels he knows everything because he read SuperTraining (dude, you didn’t understand a thing! I still don’t understand it) is quick to jump on the “I’m-going-to-be-rich-because-I-wrote-an-ebook” train, that my gears starting grinding.
How can someone with little or no actual coaching/training experience write a book on how to train people?
My good buddy, Bryan Krahn, wrote an amazing article on this phenomenon not too long ago. Essentially on how to go about spotting the Liars, Scammers, and Douchebags in the fitness industry. Part I and Part II.
It’s a great read, and not for nothing…Bryan is someone you should be following.
And then there’s the supplement industry.
Oh boy…….now that’s a cesspool of douchebags to the douchiest degree if there ever was one.
Did I break the record for using the word douchebag in a post yet?
If not, douchebag.
Yes, I believe there are companies out there who provide awesome products and I’d be lying if I said I don’t use supplements or recommend them to my athletes and clients.
However, the “good” ones are few and far between.
Which is why I find the guys (and girls!) over at Examine.com invaluable. When it comes to integrity – and lets be honest, the supplement industry, at times, is severely lacking in that department – Examine.com is the integrity police.
It’s the largest (over 1 million visitors per day) and most trusted UNBIASED resource on supplementation on the internet. They have an advisory board full of physicians, researchers, scientists, and probably wizards that scrutinize and dissect every piece of literature released on their site.
You can be assured that the information they provide is 100% correct, and not to be reiterated enough….UNBIASED.
As it happens, the site itself just turned 4 years old yesterday. Holla!
Creatine has been around for well over 20+ years and is undoubtedly one of the most researched (and popular) sports and performance supplements in human history. Still, there’s a lot of preconceived notions and misinformation regarding creatine and its efficacy.
Some people think it’s a steroid (it’s not), some people think it will stunt growth (it doesn’t), some people think it will shut down your kidneys faster than Congress can shut down the Federal Government (it’s close, but no cigar; in fact, it’s perfectly safe), and some think creatine is part of the Periodic Table of Elements (Walter White would be disappointed in you).
And while there’s certainly no shortage of blog posts, articles, and even books written on the topic, this post written by Eric Bach of Bach Performance won’t make your head hurt with long words and overly “sciency” stuff.
In every essence of the phrase, he gets right down to the nitty gritty and tells it like it is.
Enjoy! – TG
Creatine. We’ve all heard about it, but what’s the real deal?
I get tons of questions regarding the safety and effectiveness of creatine.
Does it make me look better naked?
Will it turn me into a deadlifting Megatron?
What’s the ideal dosing?
Is it dangerous? Are there any side-effects?
With all the products and information it’s no wonder there are questions. I’m going to dig in and tell you what creatine is, how to use it, and what to expect.
What is it?
Creatine is a natural amino acid most commonly found in red meat, but is also produced in small amounts by the liver, kidneys, and pancreas. In the body, creatine becomes a fuel source for short duration high-intensity activities such as weight training, sprinting, and jumping where phosphocreatine is converted to ATP.
The amount of creatine consumed through the diet and produced naturally in the body are low; supplementation increases available levels.
Why It’s Important
*Warning, this gets a bit heavy. But I promise it will be fairly painless.
The energy needs of brief and powerful movements lasting less than 10 seconds, such as a short sprint or a maximum lift, are met by the phosphagen system. This system replenishes the stores of adenosine triphosphate, or ATP, which provides energy to working cells (Andrews).
Muscles have a small amount of ATP in the cell, but only a little bit — enough for a few seconds. ATP is broken down by removing a phosphate, which turns it into adenosine diphosphate. To generate more ATP, the muscles need to replace the third missing phosphate. AH-HA!
This is where Batman creatine saves the day. Creatine donates a phosphate for ADP to become ATP again, providing fuel to finish the sprint without a drop in performance.
Supplementing with creatine creates larger stores of creatine, allowing for more ATP for short-duration exercise performance. Endurance athletes have also experimented with the use of creatine, but for the most part creatine is not useful in endurance sports.
Basically, more creatine let’s you go Beastmode for longer. And that’s cool.
Do You Even Lift, Bro?
A sweet side effect of creatine supplementation is weight gain. Some don’t gain any weight, and some gain 5-10 pounds, it’s highly individualized.
Here’s the deal: Creatine is osmotic, meaning it pulls water into the cells. When supplementing with creatine it’s best to drink boat-loads (this is an actual measurement, trust me bro) of water to properly hydrate the body.
When this happens your muscles pull additional water into the muscle, increasing cell volume. The additional hydration increases the speed of protein synthesis within the muscle, boosting muscle growth and recovery.
Safety Concerns
Contrary to the beliefs of its pundit’s, creatine is safe. Creatine has gone through extensive research and testing without significant findings that it’s harmful.
The biggest issues related to creatine relate to dehydration, which can lead to soft-tissue injuries such as a strain, and hypothesized kidney dysfunction at extremely high levels.
Recently, increased research and testing of creatine have analyzed the effectiveness of creatine on health related outcomes. Preliminary evidence has suggested supplementation can be beneficial in the treatment of a broad range of diseases, neurodegenerative disorders, cancer, rheumatic diseases, and type 2 diabetes.
How to Use It
The body can store only a limited amount of creatine. I don’t recommend a loading phase for my clients; rather, taking 5-10 grams per day.
On workout days dose it pre and post-workout with your beverage of choice. Taking creatine with a protein or carbohydrate beverage can increase absorption, as the increased insulin response will pull more creatine into the muscle tissue. A recovery drink works better than beer, trust me.
On non-workout days creatine works well in the morning with a drink such as green tea. Using a warm drink helps dissolve creatine better, so the bottom of your beverage doesn’t taste like a sandbox.
Other Types of Creatine
There has been an influx of new creatine products hitting the market over the past few years. Despite the fancy marketing and price tag they aren’t better than good ole’ creatine monohydrate. In this study, creatine ethyl ester was found to not be as effective as creatine monohydrate at increasing serum and muscle creatine levels OR in improving body composition, muscle mass, strength, and power.
Sounds busted to me.
Wrap Up
Creatine is a great supplement that increases high-intensity exercise performance and boosts muscle mass. Stick with creatine monohydrate, as it’s the most tested and proven form. 5-10 grams per day should work great, especially if taken post-workout with your recovery meal or in a warm beverage on non-workout days.
To maximize creatines’ effectiveness and alleviate any safety concerns hydrate your body.
About the Author
Eric Bach, CSCS, PN1 is a Strength Coach in Denver, Colorado. Eric trains clients in-person at Steadman Hawkins Sports Performance and is President of Bach Performance. A writer for EliteFTS, thePTDC, and STACK, Eric has established a great reputation for his simplistic style, nutritional programming, and helping clients develop long-term lifestyle changes.
Andrews, Ryan. “All About Creatine.” Precision Nutrition. Precision Nutrition Inc., n. d. Web. 2 Nov. 2013. <http://www.precisionnutrition.com/all-about-creatine>.
Baechle TR & Earle RW. Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning. National Strength Training Association, 2nd ed. Human Kinetics. Champaign, IL. 2000.
Green AL, et al. Carbohydrate ingestion augments skeletal muscle creation accumulation during creatine supplementation in humans. Am J Physiol 1996;271:E821-E826.
Gualano, B., H. Roschel, A. H. Lancha Jr, C. E. Brightbill, and E. S. Rawson. “National Center for Biotechnology Information.” In Sickness and in Health: The Widespread Application of Creatine Supplementation. (2011). National Center for Biotechnology Information. U.S. National Library of Medicine. Web. 28 May 2012. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22101980.
Spillane, Mike, et al. The effects of creatine ethyl ester supplementation combined with heavy resistance training on body composition, muscle performance, and serum and muscle creatine levels. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition 2009, 6:6doi:10.1186/1550-2783-6-6.
Today’s guest post comes to you courtesy of Examine.com’s own Sol Orwell. In case you’ve been living in a cave for the past year, Sol and the team at Examine.com have easily become the go to source for anything and everything related to supplements and supplementation.
Whenever I need a quick reference to anything supplement related – whether it’s information on the efficacy of BCAAs, who should be taking vitamin D, or asking the one question that’s on everyone’s mind: will overdosing on creatine give me a third nipple? – I can easily hop on their site and get unbiased, scientifically researched answers.
There’s absolutely no agenda outside of giving people solid information.
What’s more, their resource, Supplement Goals Reference Guide, is undoubtedly the most comprehensive book on supplements ever put together, amounting to over 900 pages, 25,000 studies (including 2000 human studies).
And, just as an FYI: it’s on sale from NOW until Friday (Nov. 8th) at midnight.
With that said, I asked Sol if he’d be willing to write up a quick Cliff Notes version on caffeine and this is what he came up with.
Enjoy!
What is caffeine?
Caffeine is an alkaloid compound that belongs to the structural class of purine compounds. It is found naturally in a variety of plants. Most famously, it is a component of cacao beans, which have found their way into the food supply of most nations. Caffeine can also be found in the camellia sinensis plant, the source of green tea. Usually, caffeine is associated with coffee.
What does caffeine do in the body?
Caffeine is a stimulant and a sleep suppressant. This stimulation comes with an elevated mood state and an increase in physical power output. Its antisleep properties negate side-effects of sedation, improving focus, power and attention, but only if the imbiber is already tired.
How does it work?
Caffeine is a rare kind of supplement, because almost all of its biological effects are linked to a single mechanism: the adenosine receptor antagonism. ‘Antagonism’ refers to caffeine’s ability to block the adenosine receptor. Caffeine also amplifies dopamine signaling, which is responsible for the stimulatory and power increase effects.
Though the adenosine blocking effects persist for as long as caffeine is taken, the effects on dopamine signaling are short lived and eventually stop altogether.
How do I use caffeine optimally?
Caffeine is a performance enhancer. It causes stimulation through its dopamine amplification and anti-sleep properties. It is easy to become desensitized to the dopamine signaling stimulation, which is what leads many people to down several pots of coffee a day.
Note from TG:and, for some, leads to an unhealthy affiliation with energy drinks. Throwing myself under the bus I drink one Spike (300mg caffeine) per day regardless of my training plans. Two if there happens to be a Star Wars convention nearby and I have to pull an all-nighter and watch both trilogies or if I know my girlfriend is going to want to try to talk about our “feelings.”
On one hand I understand that all I’m really doing is drinking a bunch of chemicals (at least with coffee and tea there’s the antioxidant benefits) and that my ‘tolerance’ has definitely increased as the years have gone by. I almost feel like I’m at a point where I need to directly inject Spike into my left ventricle in order to feel anything.
But on the other, like everyone else who prefers to rationalize their actions, it’s my one vice. Some people smoke, others watch way too much internet porn, and some prefer Pepsi over Coke. Hey, I’m not here to judge.
I don’t drink, I don’t do drugs, I lift heavy things, I eat a crap ton of veggies everyday, and I call my mom once a week. I’m allowed one energy drink per day dammit. I said ……..DAMMIT!!!!!
To benefit from caffeine’s anti-sleep properties, take caffeine in a dose that works for you, usually in the 70-200mg range, whenever you want to stave off tiredness.
To benefit from caffeine’s stimulatory and power output properties, dosing needs to be more specific. Stimulation from caffeine is known to possess ‘insurmountable insensitivity’, meaning that not only do the effects of caffeine dull after a while, but just increasing the dose cannot overcome tolerance. Once tolerance is achieved, the only way to become desensitized is abstinence from caffeine.
If you do not already consume caffeine, take a large dose 30 to 45 minutes before a workout. Most studies use a dosing protocol of 4-6mg of caffeine per kilogram of bodyweight. This means a 150 pound person should take between 270-410mg. Anyone weighing more than 150 pounds can dose between 400-600mg of caffeine.
Obese people should not calculate dosages based on bodyweight. Instead, determine what bodyweight you would be at with a normal amount of fat mass and calculate off of that, or stick with 500mg to prevent a potential overdose.
Begin dosing caffeine once a week. Pick a workout that needs the most help, like a killer deadlift session. If you feel yourself starting to become desensitized, lengthen the duration between doses to 9 days.
If you’re already a coffee addict, you will only benefit from caffeine’s power increasing properties if you break your habit. Stop caffeine consumption for as long as it takes to start being stimulated by it. This can take up to a month. Then, follow the dosing protocols above.
What should I expect if I use caffeine properly?
Used properly, caffeine will provide the same kind of stimulation your first cup of coffee blessed you with, every time. This stimulation can be used as an indicator for power output. The less stimulated you feel, the less caffeine is helping you in the weight room.
Like other stimulants, caffeine will increase heart rate and blood pressure. Normally, desensitization to caffeine numbs these effects, but if you are dosing to preserve sensitivity, these effects will also persist.
When used properly, caffeine can provide up to a 10-15% increase in power output.
Who shouldn’t take caffeine?
Anyone with a known hyper-responsiveness to stimulants should not supplement caffeine, particularly not in the infrequent way discussed above. Caffeine should not be used by anyone with known cardiac conditions. If caffeine impairs your function or has ever caused noticeable cardiac arrhythmia, do not use it.
As noted above, the Supplement Goals Reference Guide is on sale NOW through Friday (Nov. 8th) until midnight. It’s a resource that will continue to have a lifetime of updates, and in addition to that, Examine.com just expanded their team to include a medical doctor, two PhDs, as well as a PharmD, so you can expect world domination to follow.
Note from TG: I try my best not to come across as someone who overhypes stuff to my readers on a daily basis.
I mean, it’s not really THAT big of a deal that The Wolverine opens this weekend. You’d think based off how excited I am that I’d be walking around all week with toy Wolverine claws on or something. That’s just silly talk. Nope, not me. That’s just absurd.
The Wolverine!! Arrrrrggghhhh%@*!*!*^$*@!!
Okay, now that I’ve gotten that out of my system. I like to think that when I do go out of my way to promote something on this site that it’s something I know works and that I KNOW will help a lot of people.
It just so happens that today marks a unique instance where two things deserve your attention.
You know the pivotal scene from Raiders of the Lost Ark when that evil Nazi Gestapo agent’s, Arnold Ernst Toht, face was melted off his, um, face?
Well I just had a similar experience from all the knowledge bombs that were thrown my direction after watching a sneak peak of Mike Robertson’s Mobility, Flexibility and Stability Training presentation.
A (40+ minute) presentation, mind you, he’s offering for FREE in anticipation of the release of his brand spankin new product, Bulletproof Athlete, next week.
Yeah, yeah I get it: mobility schmamility. We need another mobility presentation about as much as we need another Tracy Anderson workout DVD.
Fist pump for that one, right?
But this is Mike freakin Robertson we’re talking about here. The guy trains his fair share of professional athletes and world record holders in powerlifting. Not to mention the numerous physique athletes and average Joes and Janes who trust him to keep them healthy, kicking-ass, and taking names.
There aren’t many coaches out there I trust more than Mike, and you can rest assured that whenever you have the opportunity to listen to him, you’re going to learn at least one thing. Or in my case, 20.
In this presentation you’ll learn:
The three BEST methods for improving mobility from head to toe.
A definition of what mobility really is (as well as what it isn’t!)
Why mobility and stability are critical components of smart training, and why you need both to dominate in the gym or on the field.
How improving mobility can help you get rid of aches and pains in your knees, back and shoulders.
And most importantly how mobility training can help take your performance to the next level – whether that’s running fast, jumping high, or lifting heavy things for fun, Mike can help you out.
Again, this video is totally FREE, but only for the next couple of days.
Something else I think many of you may find valuable and will want to check out is Examine.com’s Supplement Goals Reference Guide.
As a strength coach, and as someone who works with numerous high-school, collegiate, and professional athletes myself, on an almost daily basis I get asked “dude, is it customary to coach with your shirt off?” “dude, what supplements should I be taking?”
I’m not one to bag on supplements, as there’s a mountain of evidence to back their use. But more often than not I fall into the camp which views supplements as progress enhancers, not progress starters.
Put another way: if you’re current training and/or nutritional approach isn’t garnering the results you wanted, whether it’s to pack on mass, finally get rid of that ‘muffin top,’ or squat a rhinoceros (just go with it), taking a pill or adding a powder to your drink typically isn’t going to amass to much other than an empty wallet.
Nevertheless I do feel (s0me) supplements have their place, and serve a purpose. I believe things like fish oil, vitamin D, and protein powder, to name a few, should be utilized if for nothing else than their health benefits alone.
Where things get murky is when walk into your local GNC or open the latest MuscleRag and are inundated with supplements left and right that will claim to give you a six pack in three weeks, increase your testosterone levels by 217%, and make you shit rainbows (if that’s your bag).
The main monkey wrench is finding a reputable resource which doesn’t have an ulterior motive other than to give you evidence based research; something which will either confirm or dispute said claims.
Well here it is:
Supplement Goals Reference Guide
Some of you may recall a guest post that Examine.com’s very own, Sol Orwell, wrote earlier this year titled Supplements That Suck, Supplements That Work, and Supplements That Are Underrated – Part One, and Part Two, which you can think of as the Spark Notes version of the reference guide.
And that really isn’t giving it its due diligence. We’re talking about a 700+ page manual that’s taken over two years to put together, encompassing over 20,000 individual studies, for only $29!
Needless to say, these guys know what works and what doesn’t.
Anytime you need to find out what a particular supplement does (creatine, for example) or are interested in a particular health goal (lowering blood glucose levels) this guide should be your go to source. And you can feel confident that you won’t be misguided with smoke and mirrors or disingenuous intentions.
It’s just solid, evidence based information all around.
The topic of supplements is about as controversial as they come – right up there with homeland security, government deficit spending, global warming, that silly ban on big gulp sodas in NYC, and trying to figure out who the best Spice Girl was back in the day.
Scary Spice obviously. No, wait…..Sporty Spice!
On one end of the spectrum you have those who take a minimalist approach (like myself) and generally advocate people to lean more towards those supplements which elicit positive health benefits outright; such as fish oil, vitamin D, multi-vitamin (or a Green’s product), protein powder, and I’d even throw creatine into the mix.
On the other end of the spectrum you have those who take anything and everything under the sun and whose kitchen cabinets look more like a pharmacy than where they keep their peanut butter and canned peas.
Regardless of which side of the spectrum you fall on, to say that the supplement industry is a bit confusing is a massive understatement. Which ones work? Which ones are a waste of money? Which ones cause explosive diarrhea? These are all very important questions.
Thankfully my buddy, Sol Orwell of Examine.com, offered to sift through the muddy waters and provide some much needed insight on some common supplements and whether or not they’re worth the hype.
Enjoy!
Overrated Supplements
Glucosamine
Glucosamine is usually marketed as a joint health supplement, and is commonly used by many athletes to either help alleviate joint pain and/or increase the mobility of joints.
Despite how popular glucosamine is (one survey found that 5% of the entire population had taken glucosamine), beyond exhaustive research into people with osteoarthritis, there is very little research done into glucosamine usage by athletes.
Glucosamine is usually associated with being a building block of collagen or otherwise stimulating its synthesis. While glucosamine can do that, it’s in concentrations that you cannot achieve with oral supplementation. What it can do is help decrease the rate of collagen breakdown; essentially it can slow down further degeneration, but it cannot actual cure the problem.
Glucosamine is not outright crap; it could potentially be an anti-catabolic (but not anabolic) agent for connective tissue in athletes undergoing high impact training.
However, using it to help deal with joint health is likely wasted money. It can slightly help (a meta analysis found that it can slightly reduce pain), but it is nowhere near as amazing as marketed.
Tribulus Terrestris (and “testosterone boosters” in general)
Tribulus is a triumph in marketing and human psychology. It is one of the few supplements that has ample evidence to outright demonstrate that it doesn’t work. Still, it is the most popular testosterone booster on the market (with d-aspartic acid coming up fast).
Tribulus is a libido enhancer, confers some urogenital benefits (reduced formation of kidney stones), is generally a healthy herb, has some antioxidant and antiinflammatory properties, and is potentially heart healthy.
It does not boost testosterone, nor luteinizing hormone, at all; there is no evidence to support this claim and there is quite a bit of evidence against it. Treat it like a vegetable (good for you) that also makes you horny, but does not actually increase testosterone
On the topic of testosterone boosters in general – they do exist, there are a few studies (mostly in animals) to support their actions and efficacy in increasing testosterone.
The category is just overhyped; no testosterone booster will give you the muscular gains that are classically ascribed to testosterone boosters and no study has actually measured the muscular gains from a testosterone boosting herb intervention. Theoretically, it should be dose-dependent (assuming you eat right and work out, the more testosterone the better) but the magnitude of benefit could be so small it isn’t even that visible.
Statistically? Significant. Practically? Irrelevant. Most of the testosterone boosters being marketed increase your libido; people incorrectly assume their increased libido is due to a correlated increase in testosterone.
Testosterone boosters should be viewed as cognitive enhancers. They make you horny and a bit confident and might increase cognition and output in the gym, but the ones currently on the market are unlikely to ‘pack on muscle’.
Glutamine
With the importance of dietary protein come the individual amino acids being sold as their own supplements. Common ones include BCAAs, leucine, glutamine, arginine, and tyrosine. Glutamine is one of the more popular ones, and really the only one that truly does not fit its claim (arginine technically does, although is subpar; glutamine just seems to be lying).
Glutamine is said to build muscle, and supplementation of glutamine in real-life situations just does not.
Glutamine is involved in cell anabolism, and is especially important for the cell when it is sitting outside of a body in a culture. When glutamine is introduced to a muscle cell in isolation, there is dose-dependent muscle growth; this has been demonstrated repeatedly, and glutamine is basically a requirement for a proper in vitro study to just keep the cell alive (glutamine being the food source).
That being said, glutamine is highly regulated in a living system; there will not be such an excess of glutamine at a cellular level since it can simply be converted to carbohydrates in excess or otherwise partitioned to other organs. Oral glutamine supplementation is well known to be sequestered by the intestines and liver, leaving barely any to reach the muscle cell (only as much as the body seems to allow).
The only time glutamine builds muscle mass is when the body is in a glutamine deficient state. This is obscenely rare, and seems to only frequently occur in physical trauma patients or burn victims. Glutamine can build muscle in these settings (or at least, slow the incredible rate of muscle loss) and has absolutely no evidence beyond these settings.
There is a school of thought that glutamine can be a sacrificial amino acid during periods of carbohydrate and caloric restriction, and thus provide an anti-catabolic effect by being gluconeogenerated itself in place of skeletal muscle; this works in theory, but has not yet been demonstrated.
Check back tomorrow for part two, where I’ll cover supplements that I actually like and those I feel are drastically underrated.
Author’s Bio
Kurtis Frank and Sol Orwell are cofounders of Examine.com, where they spend their time making sense of scientific studies on supplements and nutrition. They also have a Beginners Guide to Supplements, which you should really, really check out (subtle hint).
