I' m sure there are a lot of different takes on utilizing supplements and eating properly and what not. Personally, I've never really used any supplements...aside from muscle milk/protein bars to get some calories in my stomach pre-workout.
My current method: Eat a lot/eat a lot of meat.
My energy levels during workouts seem to be fine, and recovery is usually not an issue either.
I feel like the less "random" stuff I'm sticking in my body, the better.
So I guess what I'm wondering is..
1) Is normal food/occasional protein shake/bar enough for proper muscle recovery?
2) Are supplements necessary for maximum powerlifting gains?
3) If so, which ones are most important?
4) Are they REALLY necessary?
6 comments:
Dean-o, I would say all you really need for supplements are the following:
- multivitamin
- fish oil
- calcium
- glutamin (if cheap)
- creatine (ditto)
That's all I ever take, and as long as I eat correctly and get enough sleep I'm good.
What has really helped is cutting out the assistance exercises and concentrating more on the main lifts. Mike Tuchsherer would agree. Dave will not. Experiment and see what works.
Oh yeah, here's a handy trick I've been doing lately:
1. Drink a small container of orange juice in the middle of your training.
2. Drink a small container of 1% or higher milk after your session.
OJ == carbs == energy
Milk == protein == anti-catabolism (muscle breakdown)
Why milk and OJ? They're goddamn cheap compared to everything else (caveat: I buy from Trader Joe's).
Anywho, these have really helped with keeping up energy for multiple heavy compound exercises.
I'll speak specifically to your situation, assuming nothing has changed. You don't need anything right now. The difference it will make is completely negligible.
You could try creatine, see if you notice less fatigue towards the ends of workouts. I'm not a huge fan, but it might help a little.
Fish oil is a good overall health supplement, but you don't have recovery issues so you don't need it in your training. Same for multivitamin.
The only thing that would help you significantly at this point would be anabolics, but then you couldn't compete in IPF. =)
I eat a protein shake in the morning and then take a multivitamin, some calcium, and glucosamine chondroitin. The last one helps with the joints, which give me problems. I find the protein keeps me less hungry and ups my otherwise meager protein intake. I like taking calcium, as the massive amounts of diet soda and coffee I drink are probably leching away my bones as we speak.
Also during the day, I snake on delicious promax protein bars from TJ. I spend a lot of the time at the office, and when I get hungry, I figure I might as well eat something healthy. I also eat fruits and nuts too.
In the evening I drink another protein shake right after my workout and then eat sometime later when I get hungry.
At night I transform into a robotic pharaoh, while onlookers stand in full salute, softly singing "God speed! Man is something that is to be surpassed. What have ye done to surpass man? All beings hitherto have created something beyond themselves: and ye want to be the ebb of that great tide, and would rather go back to the beast than surpass man?" Pausing for a moment, I then take eight steps, one in each of the cardinal directions and responded, "I conjure you, my brethren, REMAIN TRUE TO THE EARTH, and believe not those who speak unto you of superearthly hopes! Poisoners are they, whether they know it or not." I then transcend to the sky where angels attend to me as I leave for the heavens, carried by six-winged seraphim with eyes on all sides.
Sometimes I make some curry with boneless, chicken breast too.
HAHA. Thanks guys.
1) Is normal food/occasional protein shake/bar enough for proper muscle recovery?
Yes, of course. Food is obviously enough. The question of supplements is a question of time and quantity. Supplements are about making the best use of your time, while helping you eat a more manageable amount of food.
2) Are supplements necessary for maximum powerlifting gains?
Only if you're not eating the right profile of food. You're going to expend certain minerals/vitamins more when you lift and you may or may not get them back fast enough through food.
3) If so, which ones are most important?
Tier 1: protein/multivitamin/creatine
Tier 2: glutamine/omega 3 supplements/anything else you deem necessary (joint supplements for example)
Tier 3: other extra vitamin/mineral supplements
4) Are they REALLY necessary?
They are necessary to the extent that you want to maximize your down time. You can do it without any of them. But why would you ride a horse without a saddle?
Seriously, you should just be jamming as much food as you can into you. All the time. Ever. Always. Drink a gallon of milk a day, that's my new secret (thank you, Rippetoe).
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