How to Increase Strength and Performance
My full stack of supplements goes like this.
B is for Beauty
Vitamin B is helpful for energy, but also helps skin, eyes and hair. Taking vitamin B in the morning can help boost your mood and make you look and feel better. It can also help relieve stress by helping to maintain a healthy nervous system.
Super Foods
Eat your vegetables! It’s sometimes a challenge getting that dose of real whole food greens in, particularly on a busy morning. Kicking the day off with the before mentioned vitamin B, plus super greens, can really help create a positive, nutrient dense start to the day. This can go in a drink on it’s own or often I use it in the protein shake.
Roar of The Jungle
Unchained Energy isn’t just about getting super strong and ripped, it’s also about nurturing the mind and creating enhanced performance in all areas of life. Using lion’s mane can help improve focus and cognitive function, and often I have some in my coffee before I head to gym. This helps me to stay sharp and focused for the day.
Fired Up?
Ok, I’ve got my nutrients, and I’m about to hit gym. Now what?
If you’re not feeling like you can tear apart colosseum doors, a pre-workout may be able to change the tone. Using pre-workout is a way of building energy and hype to bring you into that gym mindset that you can do anything. There are studies that suggest caffeine can improve physical performance, and the shift of mindset from the boost doesn’t hurt either.
Transport the Water
Water is a core requirement of life. Staying hydrated is one thing but remember to take that water to your muscles. Creatine monohydrate helps transport water to your muscles, hydrating them and making them look bigger. The cellular hydration allows for improved recovery. Creatine also acts as an energy source to allow you to continue working at your peak for longer. There’s also studies suggesting that creatine monohydrate can provide improved cognitive function, so great for anyone looking for a brain boost.
Bricks and Mortar
Protein is an essential building block for muscle cells. Protein or Whey Protein Isolate (WPI) is an essential part of training with heavy resistance. Without the right amount of protein (at the right times), you may become tired and unable to utilise the full effects of your training. Giving your body periodic bursts of protein can assist with Muscle Protein Synthesis (MPS) which allows muscle growth to occur. This is part of the reason bodybuilders eat around 6 times a day.
Quick Hits
This one is a new one for me, since learning about MPS and how much protein can be synthesized in a period of time. Eating a protein bar allows ingestion of protein (without taking in more liquids after training), it’s easy to store for a post workout snack and gives you the right amount of protein needed to start the MPS process, at least until you can get to your next meal.
Fish Food
Fish oils offer some excellent benefits. It effects the heart, brain, inflammation, eyes, skin, mood and mental health along with immune system support. While it doesn’t excite me all that much, it does seem to help with keeping weight away and feeling generally good.
Time for Rest
Relax your muscles and bring on immune strength. A good night’s sleep is essential preparation for a strong day tomorrow. Zinc Magnesium Aspartate is a combination of zinc, which supports healthy immune function, and magnesium which gives the muscles what they need to rest and repair.
What’s In Between?
Whole foods, or foods that are real and mostly unprocessed products are an essential part of any diet. While these supplements are supporting a 5 day resistance training program with 3 cardio sessions plus sauna sessions, the whole foods create the macro element to the diet. A few meals a day, plus 2 protein shakes and a snack, and you have yourself a fortified load of nutrients for your body to work with.
Hydration
Water is a critical requirement of life, even more so when it comes to recovering from intensive exercise. This article goes more into how water may have more of an impact than many people originally consider.