Essential Fitness Supplements Overview

Chances are you have taken or at least thought about taking some type of supplement. But there are so many different supplements out there to choose from, with various claims about improving health, fitness, and even longevity. But from a fitness perspective, there are some supplements that are clearly more effective than others when it comes to improving and enhancing fitness and athletic performance. So today we're going to talk about three of the best supplements for fitness and performance, and of course discuss why these supplements top the list. and talk about how to properly use them. So, let's do this. First, I want to start by saying the main reason these particular supplements made our list is due to the sheer amount of evidence supporting their effectiveness. There is very little doubt about the ability of these supplements to improve fitness and athletic performance. Now, that doesn't mean there are not other supplements out there that can be beneficial. I personally have tried and take other supplements as well. It just may be that some of the other supplements may not be as effective, or they may only be useful in certain situations, and or they may just need some more research. And with that being said, the first supplement that we'll mention is likely not going to shock you, and that is creatine. And I can't think of very many reasons for someone that is interested in their fitness to not take creatine, especially if one is concerned with improving strength and or size. Plus, we're finding that creatine's benefits could extend beyond fitness, which we'll get into in just a second. But creatine is a compound that is stored in our muscle cells as phosphocreatine or creatine phosphate. And during the first 5 to 10 seconds of exercise, especially high intensity exercise, we use the phosphocreatine energy system to power our muscle contractions. And now many of you know that the energy currency of our cells is ATP or adenosine triphosphate. And as you can see, I've drawn in ATP with our little muscle diagram here. And again, ATP provides the energy. for that muscle contraction. So poof, muscle has contracted, and during that process, a phosphate is released from the ATP in order to provide that energy, and then we're left with ADP, or adenosine diphosphate. Now remember, creatine is stored in the muscles as creatine phosphate, and so what can happen is the creatine phosphate can be utilized to rephosphorylate, or in other words, add this phosphate onto ADP, creating more ATP. And what's awesome about this process is it's extremely fast. It only takes one step and one enzyme to get from here back to here. And that's really important for high-intensity exercise that's only lasting 5 to 10 seconds. And so the idea is if you were to supplement with creatine and you could increase your overall muscle stores of creatine, maybe you could last 7 to 12 seconds. Or say you're doing like a bench press. or a squat and you were lifting a load that you could only do like eight repetitions, maybe with creatine or increased storage of creatine, you could do 10 repetitions. So during these exercise workouts or these routines, you'd be doing more work or putting your body under a greater stimulus and over time that would result in greater adaptations, especially with strength and hypertrophy. Now as far as dosing, the daily recommended amount to get these performance benefits is five grams of creatine monohydrate per day. And even though the research has shown creatine to be a safe supplement, there are some potential side effects. There are some people that can feel some gastrointestinal distress and bloating with taking creatine. And there is some water retention in the muscles that you get with creatine. But typically the benefits outweigh the amount of this water retention. Something else that's also interesting about creatine is that some research is starting to show that creatine may not only be beneficial for muscles, but also for the brain. The neurons of your brain use a lot of ATP in order to function. So creatine may help with this energy demand, and this could possibly lead to improved cognitive function, especially during demanding tasks. It may also enhance memory and reduce mental fatigue. But so far, these benefits are from higher doses, usually over 10 grams a day. So this is something someone would want to consider if they're trying to take creatine to also get neurological benefits. But taking a quick break from our powdery supplements, let's talk about supplementing our skin with the Illumina LED Face Mask from the sponsor of today's video, iRestore. This is one of the most powerful LED masks on the market with clinically proven technology. And with more LEDs and face coverage than the leading competitors, this mask is perfectly engineered for both efficacy and comfort. The Illumina has 360 medical grade LEDs and is the only device that delivers red, infrared, and blue light therapy at the same time, helping to promote clearer, calmer, and more youthful looking skin. And thanks to enhanced eye protection and portable battery pack, it's clearly designed for multitasking while working, relaxing, and filming. YouTube videos and all it takes is 10 minutes 3 to 5 days a week. This device is loved by women 25 and older who are looking to prevent aging and have more radiant skin. But guys, if you want to use it too, there's no shame in that. So buy one for yourself or for that special someone who is just going to steal it from you anyway. So if you're looking to up your skin routine, try the Illumina LED Face Mask today by clicking on the link in the description and use our coupon code IOHA25 for a limited time discount. of 25%. And now, let's get back to those supplements. Next up, let's talk about the most commonly used stimulant, and that is caffeine. As pretty much all of us already know, caffeine is a powerful stimulant found in coffee, tea, and many pre-workout supplements. It's well known for its ability to enhance alertness and reduce the feeling of fatigue. But how does this actually translate to improved athletic performance? Well, caffeine works by blocking the neurotransmitter adenosine, specifically the adenosine receptor. Now I have adenosine represented with these blue diamonds and we have the adenosine receptor as these green little y's plugged into the outside of the neuron here. But as the day goes on, adenosine starts to accumulate in the brain which means more and more adenosine can bind to these adenosine receptors. And when adenosine binds to these adenosine receptors, it is associated with a feeling of tiredness and fatigue. But caffeine binds to and blocks the adenosine receptors which I have the caffeine represented. in red here showing you that it's binding and blocking and so therefore the adenosine could not bind and give that feeling of tiredness and so therefore this accounts for caffeine's stimulatory effects and the consensus is that this stimulation of the central nervous system improves athletic performance due to a heightened sense of awareness and engagement which may translate to more explosive and forceful muscle contractions a decreased perception of effort and even an increased pain threshold Which means someone may feel as though they could push themselves harder during those highly intense, uncomfortable, and maybe even slightly painful workouts or competitions. Now, there's also some evidence that caffeine may also improve performance in endurance-type activities by increasing the mobilization of fatty acids, which your body could therefore use more readily as a fuel. This could spare your muscle glycogen stores and allow you to sustain exercise for longer periods of time. Now, there obviously can be side effects to caffeine. And how much to take depends on the person. Somebody who's caffeine naive, or in other words, doesn't normally ingest much caffeine, may not need as much to get these performance effects. Because people develop a tolerance to caffeine. And if you're somebody who drinks a lot of caffeinated beverages, you may have to take more to get some of these performance benefits. But the recommendation is always to start low and go slow. You don't want to just go crazy and ingest high levels of caffeine out of nowhere, as too much can cause anxiety. irritability, insomnia, headaches, gastrointestinal distress, and even heart palpitations in some people. I personally take caffeine once a week, and in the eyes of some of my more caffeinated colleagues, I'm a lightweight with my 100 milligrams of caffeine that I get in my half a scoop of pre-workout on Saturday mornings before our competitive day of basketball. Now, many of the exercise physiology texts will state that you need to take a little bit more than the 100 milligrams that I'm taking if you're wanting to get the maximum physiological benefits. Now admittedly, and this is anecdotal, I notice a difference with just 100, but again I'm pretty caffeine naive. But the exercise physiology texts state that 200 to 300 milligrams is the dose range you'd want to start at, again for maximum performance benefits. And I do know people that take this amount all the time, and I know others that take even more. And most of the literature states that 400 milligrams of caffeine per day relatively safe for most individuals but again if you are new to this start low and you can always titrate up to a reasonable level based on your response and finally let's talk about the third supplement and that is protein an adequate amount of protein is essential for muscle repair and muscle growth making it a critical nutrient for anyone involved in fitness and sports now technically you could get enough protein in your diet but if your protein needs are on the higher end A protein supplement really comes in handy as they are quite convenient, but some protein supplements tend to be more effective than others as they contain almost everything you need for muscle growth. So what is the best type of protein and how much protein do you actually need? Now I did do a previous video on how much protein different fitness enthusiasts and athletes may need based upon their goals, but the quick answer is that this can range anywhere from about one gram of protein per kilogram of body weight all the way up to two grams of protein. of protein per kilogram of body weight. And if you're concerned with building muscular size and strength, you'd wanna be closer to that two grams of protein per kilogram of body weight. So for me, I weigh 184 pounds, which is about 84 kilograms. So I would wanna be at about 168 grams of protein per day for muscle growth. But again, if you want more details on protein amounts, I'll link that previous video at the end of this one. But what type of protein supplement tends to be the most effective? Well, Whey protein tends to check the most boxes when it comes to protein supplementation. Is it the end-all be-all for protein supplements? No, there are other types of protein supplements that are effective. It's just that whey is derived from milk and is therefore an animal protein. And animal proteins are complete proteins, meaning that they have all the indispensable amino acids in pretty much one scoop. And the bioavailability of whey protein is excellent for most people. It's easily and quickly absorbed into the body. and then can be quickly shuttled to the muscles for protein synthesis. Now, some people may not want to take whey for various reasons. Maybe they don't tolerate it well, or maybe they don't want to use animal or milk products. And because plant proteins are not considered complete proteins, they do not contain all the indispensable amino acids like the animal proteins do. So you just need to make sure that the plant protein supplement that you do choose sources multiple types of plant proteins so that the supplement contains all of those. indispensable amino acids.

So today we're going to talk about three of the best supplements for fitness and performance, and of course discuss why these supplements top the list. and talk about how to properly use them. So, let's do this. First, I want to start by saying the main reason these particular supplements made our list is due to the sheer amount of evidence supporting their effectiveness.

There is very little doubt about the ability of these supplements to improve fitness and athletic performance. Now, that doesn't mean there are not other supplements out there that can be beneficial. I personally have tried and take other supplements as well.

It just may be that some of the other supplements may not be as effective, or they may only be useful in certain situations, and or they may just need some more research. And with that being said, the first supplement that we'll mention is likely not going to shock you, and that is creatine. And I can't think of very many reasons for someone that is interested in their fitness to not take creatine, especially if one is concerned with improving strength and or size.

Plus, we're finding that creatine's benefits could extend beyond fitness, which we'll get into in just a second. But creatine is a compound that is stored in our muscle cells as phosphocreatine or creatine phosphate. And during the first 5 to 10 seconds of exercise, especially high intensity exercise, we use the phosphocreatine energy system to power our muscle contractions. And now many of you know that the energy currency of our cells is ATP or adenosine triphosphate. And as you can see, I've drawn in ATP with our little muscle diagram here.

And again, ATP provides the energy. for that muscle contraction. So poof, muscle has contracted, and during that process, a phosphate is released from the ATP in order to provide that energy, and then we're left with ADP, or adenosine diphosphate.

Now remember, creatine is stored in the muscles as creatine phosphate, and so what can happen is the creatine phosphate can be utilized to rephosphorylate, or in other words, add this phosphate onto ADP, creating more ATP. And what's awesome about this process is it's extremely fast. It only takes one step and one enzyme to get from here back to here.

And that's really important for high-intensity exercise that's only lasting 5 to 10 seconds. And so the idea is if you were to supplement with creatine and you could increase your overall muscle stores of creatine, maybe you could last 7 to 12 seconds. Or say you're doing like a bench press.

or a squat and you were lifting a load that you could only do like eight repetitions, maybe with creatine or increased storage of creatine, you could do 10 repetitions. So during these exercise workouts or these routines, you'd be doing more work or putting your body under a greater stimulus and over time that would result in greater adaptations, especially with strength and hypertrophy. Now as far as dosing, the daily recommended amount to get these performance benefits is five grams of creatine monohydrate per day.

And even though the research has shown creatine to be a safe supplement, there are some potential side effects. There are some people that can feel some gastrointestinal distress and bloating with taking creatine. And there is some water retention in the muscles that you get with creatine. But typically the benefits outweigh the amount of this water retention.

Something else that's also interesting about creatine is that some research is starting to show that creatine may not only be beneficial for muscles, but also for the brain. The neurons of your brain use a lot of ATP in order to function. So creatine may help with this energy demand, and this could possibly lead to improved cognitive function, especially during demanding tasks. It may also enhance memory and reduce mental fatigue. But so far, these benefits are from higher doses, usually over 10 grams a day.

So this is something someone would want to consider if they're trying to take creatine to also get neurological benefits. But taking a quick break from our powdery supplements, let's talk about supplementing our skin with the Illumina LED Face Mask from the sponsor of today's video, iRestore. This is one of the most powerful LED masks on the market with clinically proven technology.

And with more LEDs and face coverage than the leading competitors, this mask is perfectly engineered for both efficacy and comfort. The Illumina has 360 medical grade LEDs and is the only device that delivers red, infrared, and blue light therapy at the same time, helping to promote clearer, calmer, and more youthful looking skin. And thanks to enhanced eye protection and portable battery pack, it's clearly designed for multitasking while working, relaxing, and filming.

YouTube videos and all it takes is 10 minutes 3 to 5 days a week. This device is loved by women 25 and older who are looking to prevent aging and have more radiant skin. But guys, if you want to use it too, there's no shame in that. So buy one for yourself or for that special someone who is just going to steal it from you anyway. So if you're looking to up your skin routine, try the Illumina LED Face Mask today by clicking on the link in the description and use our coupon code IOHA25 for a limited time discount.

of 25%. And now, let's get back to those supplements. Next up, let's talk about the most commonly used stimulant, and that is caffeine. As pretty much all of us already know, caffeine is a powerful stimulant found in coffee, tea, and many pre-workout supplements.

It's well known for its ability to enhance alertness and reduce the feeling of fatigue. But how does this actually translate to improved athletic performance? Well, caffeine works by blocking the neurotransmitter adenosine, specifically the adenosine receptor. Now I have adenosine represented with these blue diamonds and we have the adenosine receptor as these green little y's plugged into the outside of the neuron here. But as the day goes on, adenosine starts to accumulate in the brain which means more and more adenosine can bind to these adenosine receptors.

And when adenosine binds to these adenosine receptors, it is associated with a feeling of tiredness and fatigue. But caffeine binds to and blocks the adenosine receptors which I have the caffeine represented. in red here showing you that it's binding and blocking and so therefore the adenosine could not bind and give that feeling of tiredness and so therefore this accounts for caffeine's stimulatory effects and the consensus is that this stimulation of the central nervous system improves athletic performance due to a heightened sense of awareness and engagement which may translate to more explosive and forceful muscle contractions a decreased perception of effort and even an increased pain threshold Which means someone may feel as though they could push themselves harder during those highly intense, uncomfortable, and maybe even slightly painful workouts or competitions. Now, there's also some evidence that caffeine may also improve performance in endurance-type activities by increasing the mobilization of fatty acids, which your body could therefore use more readily as a fuel.

This could spare your muscle glycogen stores and allow you to sustain exercise for longer periods of time. Now, there obviously can be side effects to caffeine. And how much to take depends on the person.

Somebody who's caffeine naive, or in other words, doesn't normally ingest much caffeine, may not need as much to get these performance effects. Because people develop a tolerance to caffeine. And if you're somebody who drinks a lot of caffeinated beverages, you may have to take more to get some of these performance benefits. But the recommendation is always to start low and go slow.

You don't want to just go crazy and ingest high levels of caffeine out of nowhere, as too much can cause anxiety. irritability, insomnia, headaches, gastrointestinal distress, and even heart palpitations in some people. I personally take caffeine once a week, and in the eyes of some of my more caffeinated colleagues, I'm a lightweight with my 100 milligrams of caffeine that I get in my half a scoop of pre-workout on Saturday mornings before our competitive day of basketball. Now, many of the exercise physiology texts will state that you need to take a little bit more than the 100 milligrams that I'm taking if you're wanting to get the maximum physiological benefits.

Now admittedly, and this is anecdotal, I notice a difference with just 100, but again I'm pretty caffeine naive. But the exercise physiology texts state that 200 to 300 milligrams is the dose range you'd want to start at, again for maximum performance benefits. And I do know people that take this amount all the time, and I know others that take even more. And most of the literature states that 400 milligrams of caffeine per day relatively safe for most individuals but again if you are new to this start low and you can always titrate up to a reasonable level based on your response and finally let's talk about the third supplement and that is protein an adequate amount of protein is essential for muscle repair and muscle growth making it a critical nutrient for anyone involved in fitness and sports now technically you could get enough protein in your diet but if your protein needs are on the higher end A protein supplement really comes in handy as they are quite convenient, but some protein supplements tend to be more effective than others as they contain almost everything you need for muscle growth. So what is the best type of protein and how much protein do you actually need?

Now I did do a previous video on how much protein different fitness enthusiasts and athletes may need based upon their goals, but the quick answer is that this can range anywhere from about one gram of protein per kilogram of body weight all the way up to two grams of protein. of protein per kilogram of body weight. And if you're concerned with building muscular size and strength, you'd wanna be closer to that two grams of protein per kilogram of body weight.

So for me, I weigh 184 pounds, which is about 84 kilograms. So I would wanna be at about 168 grams of protein per day for muscle growth. But again, if you want more details on protein amounts, I'll link that previous video at the end of this one.

But what type of protein supplement tends to be the most effective? Well, Whey protein tends to check the most boxes when it comes to protein supplementation. Is it the end-all be-all for protein supplements? No, there are other types of protein supplements that are effective.

It's just that whey is derived from milk and is therefore an animal protein. And animal proteins are complete proteins, meaning that they have all the indispensable amino acids in pretty much one scoop. And the bioavailability of whey protein is excellent for most people. It's easily and quickly absorbed into the body.

and then can be quickly shuttled to the muscles for protein synthesis. Now, some people may not want to take whey for various reasons. Maybe they don't tolerate it well, or maybe they don't want to use animal or milk products. And because plant proteins are not considered complete proteins, they do not contain all the indispensable amino acids like the animal proteins do. So you just need to make sure that the plant protein supplement that you do choose sources multiple types of plant proteins so that the supplement contains all of those.

indispensable amino acids.

Transcript for:Essential Fitness Supplements Overview

Transcript for:
Essential Fitness Supplements Overview