Top 5 Supplements for Fight Prep....

Dragan

Now then, I have compiled this list of supplements that I feel will help those preparing for a fight. There are definite benefits to certain supplements for certain training. Don't worry about adding huge amounts of muscle weight when you are taking any of these and ending up finding it hard to make weight as sadly adding muscle simply is not that easy! First of all, your body needs to be feed the calories to support muscle growth, and second off all, you need to give it a reason to grow!! That means hitting the weights good a heavy folks!!! As such, most MA trainers coming up to fight time have nothing to worry about!

Anyway, If you have any questions please ask, and if any of the supplement guru's here want to offer some advice then please do!!!

Remember, this is not a definitive list, and I am not a specialist in such things. I'm just a guy who spends a lot of time trying to get bigger, stronger, healthier and better at MA and I keep an eye on the things that work for me! Maybe they will work for you!!!

1) - Multivitamin and Mutlimineral

When your training for a fight, it's normally far more intense training that you would normally do and it normally involves a pretty restrcitive diet as you may be trying to cut weight as well. "Free eaters" ( people who can eat what they want ) normally have a tough time hitting the right numbers of the right Vitmains and Minerals at the best of times, on a restricitive diet you run the risk of becoming depleted in certains vits and mins and this can lead to illness, tiredness, disrupted sleep etc, all things that can greatly interfere with your training. Get your multi packs in and cover your bases.

2) - Glutamine

I rate Glutamine very highly for the fighter in training because of the positive effects if has been shown to have on the Immune System, as well as on the bodies Muscle Mass. As mentioned earlier, sometimes the fighter in training needs to cut some weight, so cannot eat what they want in the form of proteins etc. As 60% of the free form amino acid that makes up muscle is Glutamine it can be an idea to supplement with this. A good hard workout will drop your Glutamine stores by about 50%, so supplementing with 10grams or so after your workout can help speed recovery and give those all important immune and gastro intestinal systems a boost! Now then, the final hoy of Glutamine is that research seems to indicate that supplementing with it will increase the bodies GH levels, which is vital for repair and growth of tissues damaged during training. Remember, quick recovery from one training sessions not only improves the next, but also seriously reduces the risk of muscular injury.

3) - ZMA

Test. At the very heart of everything male is Testosterone. And the simple fact is that the majority of males in our modern world have test levels below what they should be. This is due, in part, to a lack of zinc and magnesium in the diet in the right balance! ZMA is a scientifically designed anabolic mineral formula. It contains Zinc Monomethionine Aspartate plus Magnesium Aspartate and vitamin B-6, and is an all-natural product that has been clinically proven to significantly increase anabolic hormone levels and muscle strength in trained athletes. What that means is that if you supplement with ZMA, your test levels will increase! Now then, studies have shown an increase in strenght of 11% in ZMA groups over just 4% in non ZMA groups.The muscle strength increases may have been mediated by the anabolic hormone increases in the ZMA group. The ZMA group had 30% increases in free and total testosterone levels compared to 10 percent decreases in the placebo group. So the Placebo group test levels dropped? This would most likely be caused by some hard training. Now imagine that your opponent is the same size and strength as you, and one of you spends fight prep training supplementing with ZMA and the other doesn't!


4) - Whey Protein

I'm not gonna go into huge detail on Whey, as it has been well covered. But it can help with muscle recovery AND weight cutting, so get it in after your workouts and maybe as a good low cal snack during the day. All in all, the advantages are well documented so you want this in your supplement press!

5) - Creatine

Now then, Creatine. It's always been a bit of a fighter "do I or don't I". When people think of Creatine, too many people think about the changes in muscle size it can bring about! While this is one advantage it is also great for energy and muscular endurance! The most important thing I can say about Creatine is stay hydrated! In the body, Creatine converts to ATP to power your muscles and be a source of fuel to them, but this can only happen if you are drinking enough water! Add in the fact that creatine causes the muscle to uptake more water, and people who under hydrate may find themselves with a headache!!! This is YOUR OWN FAULT and easily fixed by simply hydrating!!! Now then, don't freak out at the thought of all the extra water weight either, it can be lost as easily as any other water from the body as you come closer to your fight date.

topdog8

i couldnt of said it better myself man u have covered everything as much as possible in terns of ciet supplementation. and as for traing ur right as hard as possible without straining any of ur muscles into injury which will prob happen if ur a newbie to the whole weights thing, also on the last week i would circut train lightly only for a fight.

Please aanyone who has fought recently list there diet preparing for a fight but make sure u outline ur goals etc

Valmont

I found Nandrolone was pretty effective although I'm taking efedrin now.



I have been taking Creatine and Whey Protein for a few months now although it hasn't done much, I'm finding it hard to work them, weight lifting and training into my time table, considering I have a job and in full time education! Any advice?

Is it possible to drink too much water? How much Whey should I be taking? (Im 67kg)

TapouT

Valmont wrote:

I found Nandrolone was pretty effective although I'm taking efedrin now.



I have been taking Creatine and Whey Protein for a few months now although it hasn't done much, I'm finding it hard to work them, weight lifting and training into my time table, considering I have a job and in full time education! Any advice?

Is it possible to drink too much water? How much Whey should I be taking? (Im 67kg)

Why did you use Deca (Nandrolone) and now Ephedrine?. When you used the Deca did you use Testo with it, & run PCT?.

As for protein, use 1.5-2 grams for each lbs of lean body weight.

dlofnep

Informational.. I don't know crap about any of this kind of thing.

Dragan

Valmont wrote:

I found Nandrolone was pretty effective although I'm taking efedrin now.

........

Is it possible to drink too much water? How much Whey should I be taking? (Im 67kg)

So i am assuming you were on a bulk and cut? To be honest, i don't see the point in having run a Deca cycle without some form of decent weights routine in there but hey, thats just me!!!

The easiest way to work in weights with a busy week is to do 2 5x5 sessions. Three would be best.

I will do up an article of what i see as the best way to weight train in conjunction with MA and conditioning training and post it in a seperate thread in a few days!

As for too much water, generally speaking, nope. You would need to be drinking pretty huge volumes of water on a daily basis to do harm, a good rule of thumb is to aim for four clear urinations a day ( i know, sounds weird). The first two of the day will most likely be coloured, as your body will be dehydrated after sleep. Drink about 500mls of water upon waking to rectify this and really get the body going again!!!

yomchi

Informational.. I don't know crap about any of this kind of thing

Stick around you might learn something!:)

I never felt any great gains using creatine to be honest

Dragan

Jon wrote:

Stick around you might learn something!:)

I never felt any great gains using creatine to be honest

Some people simply don't. It's normally just a sign that your body is either very efficent at using it's baseline saturation, or it's very innefficent at storing supplemental ATP.

whitelightrider

Excellent post Dragan.

At the minute Im taking ProX and CellX, so thats my Protein, Creatine and Glutamine covered.
Im also taking Centrum and Garlic to build up the immune system. Guess the only thing Im missing is the ZMA!!!

Just starting back into my weight training again so any tips or advice on routines would be greatly appreciated!

TapouT

Jon wrote:

I never felt any great gains using creatine to be honest

Same here, IMO people experience a placebo effect with it more so than the creatine actually working.

Dragan

TapouT wrote:

Same here, IMO people experience a placebo effect with it more so than the creatine actually working.

Not at all, there is countless research and studies that show and increase in muscle ATP based of supplementation of creatine. ATP is muscle fuel so you know it works. As previously said, your body can either product all it needs or simply cannot process the supplemental creatine that you take.

A suggestion would be to try either Kre Alkyln or Creatine Ethel Ester, as the improved absorbancy may help you. Or it may not.

Simply put though it is not a placebo effect. Granted, people in double blinds on a maltodextrin placebo have claimed various results etc, but for 90% of the population, creatine is a very viable supplement.

Dragan

whitelightrider wrote:

Excellent post Dragan.

At the minute Im taking ProX and CellX, so thats my Protein, Creatine and Glutamine covered.
Im also taking Centrum and Garlic to build up the immune system. Guess the only thing Im missing is the ZMA!!!

Just starting back into my weight training again so any tips or advice on routines would be greatly appreciated!

Centrum is really good as it is quite high in Leucine, however i worry that it is a little bit low in Bvits, so maybe try and find a decent B complex as well. Garlic rocks for the immune systems, and onions, and if you can get some ZMA then the zinc will help out also.

I'll do a weight training article over the weekend and pop it up! I have a flu and a throat infection so i will have lots of spare time!!!!

Roper

Dragan wrote:

I'll do a weight training article over the weekend and pop it up! I have a flu and a throat infection so i will have lots of spare time!!!!

Man does everybody have that!!!:eek:

JohnMc1

Good info here. Thanks.

Dragan

Roper wrote:

Man does everybody have that!!!:eek:

It seems to be going round, and it's a pretty tough one as well. This is maybe the first time I have been sick in 3 years or so and for me to get it means it must be a tough little bug!

whitelightrider

Cheers Dragan, Id appreciate that mate.

TapouT

Dragan wrote:

Not at all, there is countless research and studies that show and increase in muscle ATP based of supplementation of creatine. ATP is muscle fuel so you know it works. As previously said, your body can either product all it needs or simply cannot process the supplemental creatine that you take.

A suggestion would be to try either Kre Alkyln or Creatine Ethel Ester, as the improved absorbancy may help you. Or it may not.

Simply put though it is not a placebo effect. Granted, people in double blinds on a maltodextrin placebo have claimed various results etc, but for 90% of the population, creatine is a very viable supplement.

Yes I've seen the research done on Creatine, and I'm still not convinced. And IMO its too expensive for the small gains you might make from it. Providing it works for you you'd have to weight off the price of the product over its effectiveness and keepable gains from it. Again in my opinion and my own experience Creatine does nothing to promote protein synthesis. It might have mild water retaining proparties but thats about it.

But to each their own I guess. Personally I've never experienced gains from Creatine, but if others do and like them its not up to me to tell them not to use it.

As for the group blind tested using a dextrous subsitute, depending on the dose they'd have experience something from the increase in blood sugar levels anyway.

Which leads me to another area. Have you done any research on dextrous with your protein PWO?. (Post Work Out)

Just realised I've hit 50 posts with this reply, WOO HOO, I'm a post whore!

Dragan

TapouT wrote:

And IMO its too expensive for the small gains you might make from it......Again in my opinion and my own experience Creatine does nothing to promote protein synthesis......As for the group blind tested using a dextrous subsitute, depending on the dose they'd have experience something from the increase in blood sugar levels anyway......Which leads me to another area. Have you done any research on dextrous with your protein PWO?. (Post Work Out)

I'm gonna break up my answer to refer to the points that you made!

a) It's only expensive for people who does it incorrectly! After the 5 day loading of 20 grams of protein, or 30 days at 5 grams of protein, you can go 21 days before creatine saturation will start to deplenish! As such the 10 grams a day everday mindset is rubbish! 5grams, on training days only will be more than enough to keep this going. Add in the fact that you can get a kilo of it for 50quid from www.usnireland.ie and the cost is really not that great.

b) A quick search of pubmed will back up your point on protein synthesis, however this is not the main aim of the supplement, nor is it the main goal of the people who take it! Taking Creatine is simply about upping ATP in the muscle cells and that about it!

c) And insulin spike from Maltodextrin should only have some kind of effect based on what is taken with it, i would never expect the kind of placebo effects that people can report from just an insulin spike after training!!! Quite literally, these guys felt they were getting the full benefits of creatine ( and in some studies regarding anabolic steroids they felt they were making those gains )! All in all, you gotta love the human mind!

d) Yeah, i find it pretty effective at spiking the old insulin and getting my creatine, glutamine and protein to where it needs to be. All in all, i noticed a good effect on DOMS when i started this protocol.

Roper

My difficulty with creatine is that most of the research is either "wow" or "boo". There doesn't seem to be a hell of a lot of independent research done by somebody who isn't in either camp.

TapouT

Dragan wrote:

I'm gonna break up my answer to refer to the points that you made!

a) It's only expensive for people who does it incorrectly! After the 5 day loading of 20 grams of protein, or 30 days at 5 grams of protein, you can go 21 days before creatine saturation will start to deplenish! As such the 10 grams a day everday mindset is rubbish! 5grams, on training days only will be more than enough to keep this going. Add in the fact that you can get a kilo of it for 50quid from www.usnireland.ie and the cost is really not that great.

b) A quick search of pubmed will back up your point on protein synthesis, however this is not the main aim of the supplement, nor is it the main goal of the people who take it! Taking Creatine is simply about upping ATP in the muscle cells and that about it!

c) And insulin spike from Maltodextrin should only have some kind of effect based on what is taken with it, i would never expect the kind of placebo effects that people can report from just an insulin spike after training!!! Quite literally, these guys felt they were getting the full benefits of creatine ( and in some studies regarding anabolic steroids they felt they were making those gains )! All in all, you gotta love the human mind!

d) Yeah, i find it pretty effective at spiking the old insulin and getting my creatine, glutamine and protein to where it needs to be. All in all, i noticed a good effect on DOMS when i started this protocol.

A. For what is does I still think €50 per kilo of Creatine is too expensive. But since 1lbs of lean beef contains approx 5mg of Creatine you could argue its not bad value, but hey, you can't put the creatine on the BBQ!.

B. So proves my point that your not going to make quality weight gain and strenght gains for your €50 per kilo. Its alot of money for water retention IMO.

C. It wouldn't depend on what their taking it with if they believed they were experiencing gains from the placebo. I've seen people thinking their getting huge gains from 19-Nor products, let alone AAS.

D. DOMS, you stopped experiencing Delayed Onset of Muscular Soreness from using Creatine?. Regardless what I'm running I rarely experience DOMS, but I go get fatigued muscles.

Dragan

Roper wrote:

My difficulty with creatine is that most of the research is either "wow" or "boo". There doesn't seem to be a hell of a lot of independent research done by somebody who isn't in either camp.

the best place to check for research on ANYTHING is at www.pubmed.com it can be a bit difficult to search through everything but after a while you get used to the way the search function operates!!!

When it comes to these type of supplements as well, pretty much anything by a guy called Layne Norton is worth a read, and www.t-nation.com is a great place as well.

TapouT

Roper wrote:

My difficulty with creatine is that most of the research is either "wow" or "boo". There doesn't seem to be a hell of a lot of independent research done by somebody who isn't in either camp.

Unfortunetly thats most people's experience. And most manufacturers source their product from the same suppliers anyway, so you pays your money and you takes your choice when it comes to Creatine.

Dragan

TapouT wrote:

Unfortunetly thats most people's experience. And most manufacturers source their product from the same suppliers anyway, so you pays your money and you takes your choice when it comes to Creatine.

If your gonna try any form of creatine make sure it's Creapure TM. It's pretty much the only manufacturer who's product has consistently passed every purity test going!

There is plenty of much out there, so the usual google search on anything is always a good idea!

celt2005

Alright Lads,


Let the thread start before I appeared ....


All said was good, others not mentioned would be:


L-Glycine: post training, daily use if doing heavy training.

03 Oils/ VitC : Can stimulate fat loss in correct diet (Paleo would benefit from high good fats in training phase for energy) 03 can be unlimited, find your own level, and the body can metabolise Vit3 3gms Orally ; 10 Gms Intraveniously per sitting ..... also VitC will clear up free radicals in the system.

You could setup a new thread on Creatine , as the cycling, mix of BCAAs you take in conjunction, amounts and quality of products are key .

Generally speaking, if your body fat is over 10% of body weight ,its benefits will be minimal.

TapouT

Dragan wrote:

If your gonna try any form of creatine make sure it's Creapure TM. It's pretty much the only manufacturer who's product has consistently passed every purity test going!

There is plenty of much out there, so the usual google search on anything is always a good idea!

Thanks for the debate. Hopefully people have learned from it.

I'm not against supplements, indeed at the moment I'm using Garlic, Omega 3+6, a Multivit and Glucosomine. I prefer to get my protein from food, although depending on how I train I'll take a protein shake or Amino acid supps as I don't believe you can get all my essential amino acids from food alone.

TapouT

celt2005 wrote:

Generally speaking, if your body fat is over 10% of body weight ,its benefits will be minimal.

Why?

loz

Roper wrote:

Man does everybody have that!!!:eek:

Erm yes - received my course of distaclor cefaclor from doc today - and told to go home to bed - ouch - can't swallow :-(

Roper

Blame Stinger. I have it too but he had it first so he's the carrier, I just know it!

whitelightrider

Guys, Im starting to take Cell-X and I was wondering if there is a loading phase with this product? How often and when should I take it? Should I take it on non training days? Should I cycle it???

TapouT

whitelightrider wrote:

Guys, Im starting to take Cell-X and I was wondering if there is a loading phase with this product? How often and when should I take it? Should I take it on non training days? Should I cycle it???

Might sound abit obvious, but have you checked the instructions with it?.

Dragan

If you have already been taking creatine there is no need to load. Taking a scoop or two after your workouts will be fine.

If you do need to load i would suggest you use a standard creapure creatine mono 3 time a day, 5 grams per go, with the cell-X after your workouts still.

Do this for 5 days and loading is done.

There is also no need to cycle creatine, just take it after your workouts and you will be fine.