FUEL: June 2012

It seems like everyday there's a new study claiming the incredible positive benefits that can be jam packed into cap sized pills.  We've heard of powders and shakes, pills and vitamins, drinks for pre-workout and those for post.....there's dehydrated fruit and vegetable capsules, multi-vitamins, fiber pills, and now even manufactures claiming "drink this and you'll get a full serving of fruits and vegetables"!  With all the different variations and combinations, it can get pretty confusing about what each is supposed to do for the body.....why one would use them...and then the $29 Billion (annual revenue of vitamin industry) question.....do they really work?  In the spirit of the "Olympics" theme of this month's edition of Elements, our training staff dug a little deeper to find some of the most popular supplements used by Olympic athletes, those avoided, and why.


Few could argue that the high level of intensity with which Olympic athletes train places incredibly large demands on the human body.  Often the best athletes are those that can balance intensity, injury prevention, and recovery so that they may peak physically at just the right time.  As such, proper "Fuel" (aka nutrition) and it's ability to supplement strength, endurance, and recovery becomes an even more critical component of the preparation process. 


In the 2008 summer Olympics alone, 90% of the 11,000 athletes used some sort of sports supplementation to prepare for the "Games".  Here's the KEY that many miss....these are SUPPLEMENTS, not REPLACEMENTS (instead of whole foods and proper training).  Some of the preferred supplements used by athletes, and not found on the International Olympic Committee anti-doping list included:

• Creatine Monohydrate - a favorite among athletes, this natural occurring molecule is stored in the human body as phosphocreatine and can be taken in through powders, liquids, or naturally occurring meats.  Creatine helps with the production of ATP (the bodies main "energy") and has been shown to assist in increased strength and muscle endurance.

• Green Tea & Green Tea Extract -  can be either taken in capsule form or liquid, and there are claims that it's powerful antioxidants called catechins seek "free radicals" in the body that may cause damange to DNA, contribute to cancer, blood clots, and atherosclerosis.  Additional studies have suggested that Green Tea extract may have a positive impact on endurance (speed or time to exhaustion), similar to caffeine.

• Protein -  made up of amino acid "chains", 13 of which your body can make on it's own, 9 must be taken in through food sources.  Often used by the general public and athletes alike to optimize and efficiently repair muscle tissue post exercise or stress.

Among others, common supplements that Olympic athletes must be cautios of or steer clear from:

• Pre-workouts that contain Methylhexaneamine, a stimulant now banned by the Olympics, US Army, NCAA and many high school sports. 

• DHEA - a natural steroid found in the body but when taken as a supplement can alter hormone levels to a point that may positively impact short-term performance.  

• Caffeine at high levels can stimulate the bodies cardiovascular system, improving performance, and has been used by some to alter the bodies responsiveness to pain.  

If you or your athlete is interested in learning more on sports supplements join us for a more in depth, free research review on June 19th at 7pm!  Click Here to reserve your spot!

Written by Phil Cyphers, NASM-CPT.  Phil is a certified personal trainer with Pro-Activity Associates, and has a degree in cellular biology.


sources:
http://www.nytimes.com/2001/10/12/sports/olympics-banned-substances-found-in-many-food-supplements.html
http://www.nutraingredients.com/Industry/Dietary-supplements-win-Olympic-gold
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/layne13.htm