Sports Nutrition

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Nutritional Supplements and Weight Gain

If you are trying to gain weight, the most important thing is a good base diet. There are also other sections of this sports nutrition section on eating for weight gain. For someone who is training at a high intensity, the diet should be high in carbohydrates, and the timing of the intake should to optimized pre and post training sessions. Below are listed a range of different supplement types, with a brief outline of what each of them are about.

Sports Foods

There are many sports drinks, bars, gels and powders that claim to assist increasing muscle mass, such as Musashi bulk, Up & Go liquid meal, sports drinks, carbohydrate gels.

Protein

pure 100% protein is no good
it should be combined with carbohydrate for best effects
for more information see
- article about protein bars - Taste is Everything When Choosing a Protein Bar
- protein supplements the easy and cheap way - Protein Shakes to make at home

Amino Acids

there is no clear evidence to show better muscle growth than with ‘complete protein’ in the diet
there are negative side effects of specific amino acid ingestion; kidney damage, inc. loss of calcium, gout, dehydration
better results in combination
for more info, see article about Amino Acid Supplements

Creatine

Creatine works to improve intermittent exercise effort, and increase weight (+ inc. water in muscle)
no significant side effects, however anecdotal claims (cramps, gastric effects) therefore not for everyone
you should follow a specific protocol for best effect
for more information, see article on what you need to know about Creatine

HMB

HMB is a by-product of the amino acid leucine
theory: influences muscle metabolism; reduces protein breakdown therefore increasing muscle size
research has indicated a very small improvement
you should follow a specific protocol for best effect

hGH

hGH is a BANNED substance in many sports
it is naturally produced by the adrenal gland and used for metabolism and muscle growth
stimulates the liver to produce insulin-like growth factor for bone growth and muscle growth
very bad side effects – ‘acromegaly’

Tribulus

Tribulus is a plant steroid, a natural anabolic substance
no science to show it works, in fact most research shows NO effects at all
high risk of doping result due to impurities in the product

Colostrum

very first milk from a cow, high in immunoglobulins, minerals, protein and IGF-1
IGF-1 also found in normal milk
theory: IGF-1 broken down in the stomach, therefore not useful as a growth factor
currently not good science to show it works - needs more research done

More about nutritional supplements
Train the natural way. See the Fitness Training section
Go Shopping in the Supplement Store
Nutrition for weight gain