Bodybuilding Supplements: A Primer
What is a supplement?
A supplement is any dietary item used to improve performance beyond what is available in normal food. Basically, if it’s eaten specifically to improve physical performance, it’s a supplement. Some items like creatine powder and protein shakes are obviously supplements, but green tea and coffee can fall into this category because some bodybuilders drink them specifically for their caffeine and antioxidants.
What types of supplements do bodybuilders use?
There are thousands of supplements on the market, but they can be divided into a few categories:
Protein: Building large muscles requires a lot of protein. Getting this protein in natural foods without also getting large amounts of fat and cholesterol is difficult, so bodybuilders turn to these powders. They provide fat free protein that can be used in shakes or added to some foods. Some companies have gone a step further by offering individual amino acids while the supplement HMB is a metabolite of an amino acid.
Meal replacement bars and shakes: Like diet-oriented meal replacement foods, these aim at giving the user to get the nutrition they need with ease. Most bodybuilders eat small meals throughout the day to maintain blood sugar levels, but it may not be possible to cook for each of these.
Multivitamins: There are many multivitamins targeted at specific users and bodybuilders are no exception. One of the most popular bodybuilder multivitamins is ZMA, a combination of Zinc, Magnesium, and B6 that has been shown to testosterone levels.
Creatine and Glutamine: Creatine and glutamine are naturally occurring chemicals in our bodies. Creatine increases the availability of ATP, the basic fuel for cells. Glutamine increases muscle repair rates. Both chemicals share the same cell receptors, so they should be used separately.
Nitric Oxide: This gas acts as a vacillator, increasing blood flow in the body. While it would seem like this would improve muscle repair, recent research suggests it doesn’t have much benefit in real world application. Nitric oxide use can cause nausea and diarrhea.
Thermogenics: These supplements increase metabolism. Ephedra was once a commonly used thermogenic, but it could cause heart failure when the body was under physical stress. The FDA banned the drug in 2004 citing health concerns.
Caffeine is the most commonly used thermogenic because its effects are well known and it is generally considered safe. Athletes are tested for caffeine doping, but bodybuilders rarely consume enough to be blocked from competition.
Human Growth Hormone: HGH is the hormone secreted by the pituitary gland during childhood that causes most growth. Gigantism is caused by a malfunctioning pituitary gland which does not reduce HGH production after childhood. Yao Ming has this disease as did Andre the Giant, making the prospect of growth from this hormone enticing to bodybuilders. HGH is naturally occurring, so doping with this product is hard to detect.
Surprisingly, its availably over the counter despite numerous side effects including liver damage, thyroid damage, heart enlargement, and acromegaly. This last side effect causes abnormal growth of the hands, feet, and face, cutting the sufferers life expectancy dramatically.
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