Supplements

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It is a common misconception that only bodybuilders and weight lifters use supplements and vitamins. However, the reality is that, supplements and vitamins are used by many different people in all areas of personal health and fitness.

So what is the difference between Vitamins and Supplements?

Multivitamins are often tablets, capsules, pastilles, powders, liquids and injections intended to supplement the diet with vitamins, dietary minerals and other nutritional elements. When constructing your own fitness and nutritional programs you should pay careful attention to the selection of a multi-vitamin.

The most important thing to consider when selecting a multivitamin is your own personal health. Make sure that the choice of multivitamin does not conflict with any allergies or health issues you may have. You should always consult with your physician prior to making any significant changes to your diet, including taking multivitamins.

A dietary supplement (also known as food supplement) is similar to multivitamins but is intended to supply nutrients, such as vitamins, minerals, fatty acids or amino acids that are missing or not consumed in sufficient quantity in a person's diet.

Supplements can be one of the most important parts of a good weight lifting or exercise program. You could have the best workout routine possible, but if your diet and supplement routines are not well planned, your results will be compromised. Often, supplements are the difference between bigger muscles, or leaner bodies.

How do I choose what to use?

There are many supplements that are key to a great fitness routine. Most people use them to improve energy during workouts or to maximize potential gains. You will find below the most important supplements that have proven to be the most used and recognized. There is plenty of information on the internet today about supplements and multivitamins that is inaccurate. It may be beneficial for you to talk to someone at your local gym and ask them about certain products. Plenty of discounted products are available online which is most often cheaper than buying from a local supplement supplier.

Try not to get frustrated or confused because over the last few branched chain amino acid powder many people have come to agree and disagree on many things when it comes to supplements and vitamins. Every person is different so you have to analyze your progress and your own physical make up to ensure you are maximizing your results.

The following information on certain necessary supplements is very standard information that most people in the fitness and bodybuilding world would agree on.

Glutamine

It has been argued that Glutamine is the most important supplement for an individual's fitness routine. Glutamine is the most abundant naturally occurring, non-essential amino acid in the human body. In the body it is found circulating in the blood as well as stored in the skeletal muscles. It becomes conditionally essential in states of illness or injury. While it is possible to ingest it directly from food sources like meat, milk and protein, the body primarily relies on ingesting glutamic acid (glutamate) and converting it to glutamine. Intense exercise can very quickly deplete the supply of glutamine in muscle cells.

Glutamine is in its initial research stages but should be considered effective in increasing your immune function and should be considered by bodybuilders as a significant way to help increase growth. When considering a purchase of glutamine consider the differences between "free form" or "peptide bonded". These are two important but very different phrases. Peptide-bonded glutamine is more stable than its free free-form counterpart. It is also more expensive. Peptide-bonded may be taken with food while free form is best taken on an empty stomach.

Protein

The best sources are beef, poultry, fish, eggs, dairy products, nuts, seeds, and legumes like black beans. Protein builds up, maintains, and replaces the tissues in your body. Obtaining enough protein in the diet alone is often difficult for people who wish to improve the definition of their muscles or those who want to gain muscle mass.

Protein from animal sources, such as meat and milk, is called complete, because it contains all nine of the essential amino acids. Most vegetable protein is considered incomplete because it lacks one or more of the essential amino acids. This can be a concern for someone who doesn't eat meat or milk products. But people who eat a vegetarian diet can still get all their essential amino acids by eating a wide variety of protein-rich vegetable foods.

There are several different types of protein including, Whey Whole egg, Casein, Soy, Beef, Wheat, and Gluten. Different proteins have differing levels of amino acids and as such stated earlier can be classed as complete if they contain all the essential amino acids or incomplete if the lack one or more amino acids.

Whey protein is the most easily absorbed, easy to utilize protein, with the most protein per serving. Whey protein is the most available protein on the market which is why athletes reach for it as their first choice.

Creatine

Creatine supplements are athletic aids used to increase high-intensity athletic performance. Some would argue that Creatine is an excellent supplement that when used as part of a strength program can produce great gains in lean muscle tissue for the user. Creatine is fairly cheap, and over the years its quality has improved considerably.

Once consumed, creatine travels to the muscles via the blood stream. Once inside the muscle cells, it is turned into a substance called creatine phosphate. Creatine phosphate is used for very short term energy bursts for such activities like strength training and other sports that require short, fast bursts of activity.

Many people have confirmed excellent results after using creatine, but it is important to consider doing more research on potential side effects, and your personal health.

Be warned that there are a lot of companies online that try to sell gimmick products that will never work! Do not become victim of buying some new and improved gimmick product that will never work. To minimize your chances of being scammed stick to the basic supplements that have proven to be effective.

Make sure if you are going to spend a lot of money on certain new and improved supplements, that you talk to someone at your local gym, or someone you know who has used the product and make sure it is not a scam.

You must consider how and where to spend your supplement dollars. Supplements can range anywhere from $20 to hundreds of dollars a month depending on what your goals and physical requirements are. Every person is different.

Not everyone is familiar with the scams and fads out there. For those new to bodybuilding it is important to find TRUSTED supplements and supplement companies. Shop around if you think you are getting scammed.

Author: Joey Babineau

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