. The range of so called high performance supplements on the market now days is massive to say the least. The content of most sports magazines, especially bodybuilding magazines is literally saturated with full page adds on the latest and greatest muscle building or performance enhancing supplement. It's a multi million dollar industry designed to suck you in and take your money , something it does extremely well.

  I am going to keep this article short and ill start by summing it up in couple of sentences. Ninety percent of supplements on the market don't work! I know, Ive tried them! Steroids do work and no i have never tried them but many of my training mates have and if they eat right and train hard they get big, strong and fast!

  There are some evil concoctions out there. I read recently that a well know bodybuilding supplement company was actually putting a blood thinning drug in there pre workout drink to aid in muscle pump! During the late eighties Joe Weider, the owner of Muscle & Fitness magazine was selling a supplement called the Anabolic Mega Pack. This was a box with a months supply of so called anabolic stimulating supplements, and guess what all the stars of the day were on them, or so the full page adds said in his magazines. Many years after its introduction the Mega Pack was tested and found to have no anabolic effect at all and as a result Weider was forced to pay $400,000 for false claims by the Federal Trade Commission. There are hundreds of these stories, do some research before you take a particular supplement and then look for independent reviews on each of them.

   There is no doubt about it some supplements do work, however they don't have to break the bank to do so. The secret is when and what to take. Supplements are components of food , some are derived from food others are synthetic .Wholesome food is better! much better! never forget that. A wholesome diet will do much more for you than all the supplements in the world.  A combination of wholesome food and certain supplements taken in the correct dosage at the right time, can and will aid in both recovery and long term performance in both strength and endurance training.

  Protein powders are essential in the development of strength, size and recovery, simply because they are easer to digest and are absorbed faster than food. Taken at the right time, in the right dosages and in conjunction with a healthy diet they can turbo charge your training results. Don't bother with the ones that you see at your local health shop, most of these are full of artificial flavours and fillers, they may taste good but are a huge waste of money. Whey protein is the bye product of cheese making and as such for many years  was a discarded waste material, then someone discovered it's usefulness and bingo, a million dollar industry all in its own. The point i am trying to get across here is that you don't have to pay mega bucks for protein powders, don't pay for fancy flavours and advertising.

   Source Pharmaceutical grade Whey protein, one scoop will equal two of the on the shelf variety. It's cheap, as it should be and is widely available on line. However it tastes very plain and needs flavouring if thats your thing  (I throw a handful of berries in with it) Also there are 2 major variates , Isolate and Concentrate. Use Isolate for what we want here, its a faster digesting protein and has a higher protein value.

    Below are 2 amino acids that will be used in conjunction with the whey protein before and after a workout. These are not there only functions and benefits, just the ones we are looking for without the mumbo jumbo.

   L- Glutamine is the most abundant amino acid in the body especially in the muscles. It can also be converted easily to glucose when need.

   L-leucine aids and helps increase protein synthesis.

   You will also need Maltodextrin a high Glycemic, high Carbohydrate supplement. This will have the effect of spiking your insulin levels. Spiking or raising your insulin level after training provides a key way to much greater and faster absorption of anything that is taken with it.  Maltodextrin + Whey Protein + Amino Acids =Faster and Greater recovery. This will result in superior training results.

   This is one of the major reason why now days there is so many fat people. They are constantly spiking there insulin with carbohydrates and at the same time ingesting large amounts of fats as well (McDonald's etc) This results in a faster and much greater absorption of these fats. Next issue we will take a look at this very subject.    Manipulating your insulin levels at the right times is the key to becoming lean and muscular.

   How to take it

    5 to  10 MINUTES  BEFORE A WORKOUT (pre) mixed in a glass of water.

•  Whey Protein.................. 15 grams
•  Maltodextrin.................... 15 grams
• L-Glutamine..................... 2 gram 
• L-Leucine ........................ 2 gram

      WITHIN 5 to 10 MINUTES  AFTER A WORKOUT (POST)

•  Whey Protein....................Times your bodyweight (kgs) by 0.45     E,G If you are 80kgs.....80 x 0.45 = 36grams of whey protein
• Maltodextrin......................Times your bodyweight (kgs) by 0.35   E.G If you are 80kgs.....80 x 0.35 = 28 grams of Maltodextrin
• L-Glutamine...................... 2 grams )
• L-Leucine.......................... 2 grams 

  How it works

   Sufficiently raising your insulin levels after training and then at the same time ingesting a high grade protein and amino acid supplement has a similar effect of actually injecting nutrients directly into the body, the uptake is that much greater! This is the effect that raised insulin has on the body, insane uptake of nutrients. You must take this within 5 to 10 minutes after a training session. Ideally it should be taken as soon as you finish, the longer you wait to take the supplement the lesser the effect will be.

   Your pre workout drink is to simply make sure you have sufficient nutrients while training, it's better that your muscles are charged with these rather than the body having to actually chew muscle to extract them to support the work being done.  Mix all ingredients together and take it with a glass of water 5 to 10 mins before training session. 

   It is not a healthy practice to constantly raise your insulin levels through out the day as much of the population does through excessive  carbohydrate ingestion. FFS will look at this very modern problem in a up and coming article.

       Like this article? sent feedback to colin@fitterfasterstronger.com.au  Got a training question? Putting together a FAQ soon. Email any you have and we'll put it in the FAQ article.