By Kenneth Muir (Contributor) – Email
Print Edition: March 28, 2012
In the high-intensity world of body-building and high performance sport, there is a constant desire to push your body to its limit. At first, this is achieved through hard workouts, using some combination of blood, sweat and tears. However, every exercise junkie will hit a point where improvement becomes stagnant; this is often referred to as plateauing, or getting stuck in a rut. It’s a completely normal phenomenon, and the way to avoid plateauing involves planning the composition of your workouts months in advance—such as its intensity and whether or not it will comprise aerobic activity—though that’s a lengthy discussion best left for another day. There are ways to soften the effects of plateauing, and this comes in the form of, mainly, supplements.
By supplements, I’m referring to those massive containers found in health or fitness stores that promise to help you gain muscle fast, such as protein powders. Though I’m not about to completely call for the boycotting of all supplements, it’s worth saying that with the right nutritional intake, supplements are, for the most part, unnecessary. You should be able to ingest all your body’s needs through natural foods. Some supplements such as protein powders are basically get-out-of-jail-free cards that allow you to be less stringent in what you eat, as you’ll be getting your daily requirements of protein through supplement. Don’t think that I’m taking the high road by saying this, however: I do use whey protein, and I acknowledge the fact that maintaining a healthy diet 100 per cent of the time is a difficult task. There are many different kinds of expensive supplements out there, and they all do different things to help the body build muscle. If you are thinking about using supplements, here’s a rundown on what’s out there and what you need to know.
Anabolic Steroids
Anabolic steroids do appear to effectively help increase muscle growth. Though these effects are impressive, they’re also eclipsed by their potential side effects – side effects that could be extremely debilitating. Similar to the often-debated side effects of marijuana, those who juice refuse to believe the reported incidents of shrunken testicles, liver damage, accelerated balding and “roid rage,” among others. In any case, anabolic steroids are illegal unless given as prescription for an ailment (they do have other uses), so you shouldn’t really be looking at steroids as an option, but it would be naïve to completely dismiss their usage (and availability) in the public sector (I’m not saying it’s baseball players, but it’s totally baseball players). If you do decide it’s a law worth breaking, and that the side-effects are worth the risk, I ask only this: stay out of organized sport. Obviously steroids are banned by every sporting regulatory body, and at a high enough level of competition, drug tests will allow those bodies to search out and permanently ban anyone who’s using them. They really do provide an unfair advantage, so for the sake of all the honest athletes out there, keep steroids out of sport.
Of human growth hormone, a number of researchers from Stanford University found, in a May 2008 report, that the available evidence shows dosing with the hormone does little to improving athletic ability; on the contrary, it was found to actually debilitate performance. Once again, this hormone is illegal without a prescription anyways, and is similarly banned from sport.
Creatine
Creatine is a naturally-occurring substance in the body, which is used to accelerate the release of energy in muscle cells without the need of oxygen. Therefore, it’s mostly used in anaerobic activities lasting 10 seconds or less, which includes power lifting, intense sprints, and so on. Essentially, any activity that demands a high power output for a limited duration. Creatine supplements increase your muscles’ store of creatine, which should theoretically increase your body’s ability to exert power. In 2006, the Institute of Sports Medicine in Copenhagen also found that creatine supplements stimulate increased muscle growth in subjects. Other studies suggest that, under appropriate doses of 5-20 grams per day, there are little-to-no side effects.
Creatine supplements are relatively new, and are therefore poorly regulated. If you are thinking about using them, I would recommend thoroughly researching which brands can be trusted, and how much you should be taking per day. Don’t take the word of a shopkeeper – find out for yourself.
Creatine is legal, but its usage in sport is somewhat controversial. Most sport organizations haven’t banned the substance, but do appear to be watching its development with a baleful eye. You may want to research what the official position of your sporting organization is before you start using it. From what I can discern, its usage is vaguely frowned upon in most sports.
Protein Powders
I was admittedly stubborn for many years and refused to take protein powders. I knew that I theoretically should be able to eat well enough to not need it. However, talk is cheap, and my diet was far from perfect. I rarely got enough protein in a day. Finally my coach convinced me to take the plunge, and now I take a reasonable amount each day, and it appears to be having its desired effects.
The philosophy behind protein powders is to meet or exceed your daily requirements of protein in order to ensure your body will have enough to build and repair muscle fibers, which should consequently maximize the effectiveness of your workouts. Its powdered form allows it to be consumed easily. Generally protein shakes aren’t meant to replace meals, but are meant to compliment your daily caloric intake.
So what do you need to know? Unfortunately, protein powders are not regulated effectively either, so you must do some research and be a little buyer-savvy, especially if you belong to a major sport. It’s not always clear that what is claimed to be in the container is what’s solely in the container. That is, it could contain banned substances that would show up in drug test, ruining your competition results (as well as your athletic career). It pays to be cautious. As such, you should be looking for protein powders that are independently verified as safe to use. You also shouldn’t necessarily trust the word of a shopkeeper. I had a bad experience in which a store owner told me how much I should take on a daily basis; I found out a month later that the amount I was taking was completely excessive and could have caused damage to my kidneys. It’s also worth mentioning that a more expensive powder does not necessarily mean a better one. So, take it from me: do your homework and find out what powders are safe to use, and in what quantities they should be taken. Other than those stipulations, protein powders are an effective way of increasing your protein intake, and can therefore speed along the process of reaching your goals.
With a little bit of smarts and previous research, you too can start shelling out more than $80 a month (at the cheapest) to circumvent your bad eating habits. Your wallet may not forgive you, but damn, these biceps are starting to look good.
