Mountain Bike Supplements
Mountain bikers live in a world full of spectacular claims. Every year we are told how
some new valving in a fork or tweak to a suspension system is going to change how we
ride and turn us into rock stars on the trail. After a few years in this sport you start to
realize that most of those claims are a bit overblown and becoming a better rider really
boils down to being consistent with the basics, like training and riding your bike.
The same can be said for the world of supplements. In fact, coming from the fitness
world I know how outrageous the supplement industry can get in its quest to lure your
dollars away from you. One of my all time favorites was when a study that dunked rats
into cold water was used to back up a supplement that was supposed to enhance
testosterone levels - reaches like that are more common than you'd think.
This puts supplements in a weird spot because they can greatly enhance your results but
most of the stuff out there is borderline worthless. You end up either buying $300 worth
of stuff every month from GNC (I know, I've been there) or you end up buying nothing
and trying to get it all from your diet (I've been there too). Neither approach is optimal
and over the years I've found a simple way to integrate supplements into your program
without blowing a lot of money of expensive pee.
The list of supplements I recommend is pretty short and broken down into two categories
- Foundational and Special Supplements. Foundational Supplements are those that you
want to use on a regular basis and help support your basic nutritional needs. Special
Supplements are those that you would consider using only after you are taking the
Foundational Supplements and even then you'd want to use them for short periods of time
and for specific purposes.
Here is my list for both categories along with an explanation of how and when to use
them:
Foundational Supplements
Protein Supplement - Protein can be a very confusing subject with some experts
claiming that you need a ton of it and others claiming that you need barely any at all.
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Here is what I know - you need protein and unless you eat a lot of fish, steak and chicken
you probably need to supplement with some.
You also need a protein source that contains all of the essential amino acids (the building
blocks of protein) which means that whey and/ or casein is best. This leaves a very
popular protein source, soy, on the outside looking in. Without getting into conspiracy
theories, the prevalence of soy protein has less to do with its effectiveness and more to do
with the surplus that farmers find themselves with and the soy industry's desire to cash in
on it.
In my opinion, the best source of supplemental protein remains whey protein. It has all of
the essential amino acids and a high concentration of branch chain amino acids - in other
words, all the stuff you want to take extra protein for. It is also relatively inexpensive and
can be easily mixed into a lot of stuff, including pancakes, muffins and smoothies. I
recommend using 1-2 scoops daily to help support your muscles recover from riding and
training.
Fish Oil - Essential fatty acids (EFAs) are building blocks of fat that our body can not
produce on its own but are required for a huge list of bodily functions. Hair, skin,
hormones (like testosterone) and joints all require these EFAs and if you don't eat a ton of
cold water fish then odds are you are not getting enough from your diet.
I recommend 5-10 grams of fish oil per day which means that the one or two pills you
might be taking are far from enough. Unless you want to start popping 5+ fish oil pills
per day (most pills contain 1000mg which equals only 1 gram) then lemon flavored liquid
fish oil is the ticket. I personally put 1 tablespoon of the stuff into my daily fruit protein
smoothie and find that it actually enhances the flavor a bit. You can also check out krill
oil, which has a higher potency and so requires less of a dose to get the benefits.
On a side note, the prevalence of farm raised fish is making it harder to get the essential
fatty acids you need from real fish anymore. Farm raised fish are fed corn which changes
the fatty acid profile in the flesh of fish. One of the reasons for the popularity of Talapia
is that it can actually eat and digest corn (they are working hard to genetically engineer
salmon that can do the same thing) so don't be fooled into thinking that it has the same
health benefits as other fish.
Greens Powder - This is basically powdered, freeze dried vegetables. While they can’t
replace a diet sufficient in vegetables, the truth is that few of us eat enough vegetables in
the first place and could greatly benefit from using this type of supplement. Further,
when on the road, a greens powder can really come in handy.
Besides providing the body with an array of antioxidants, enzymes, phytonutrients,
vitamins and minerals there is also some evidence that a greens powder can help with the
acidity levels of your blood. Without getting into the specific biochemistry, the typical
Western diet promotes a high acidity level in the blood which is not healthy. Vegetables,
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and the greens powder made from them, has a stabilizing effect and can help keep things
more neutral.
There are a lot of these types of products on the market and while some of them are
probably just fine I recommend Genesis by ProGrade, Greens+ by Genuine Health or
Veggie Greens by Progressive Nutritional Therapies if you're looking to order something
online.
Whole Food Based Vitamins - Taking vitamins is nothing new but something that a lot
of people don't realize is that most vitamins are made synthetically in a lab. This means
that they technically contain the vitamins and minerals needed by the body but not the
other stuff that comes in natures delivery form - fruits and veges. Without the enzymes
and phytonutrients that usually accompany the vitamins and minerals in fruits and
vegetables your body is unable to assimilate and use a large portion of those pills.
Whole food based vitamins are literally powdered fruits and veges, similar to the Greens
Powder mentioned previously. By using the whole food instead of just isolating specific
parts of it, your body receives everything it needs to actually use the vitamins and
minerals in the first place. Sure, the stuff at your supermarket might be cheaper but if
your body can't use it then it's not a very good value.
Like greens powders, there are a lot of choices in this category but to make it simple for
you I recommend VGF-25 by ProGrade, Juice Plus, Multi+ by Genuine Health or ActivX by Platinum Naturals if you're searching online.
Post Workout Drink - Nothing on this list comes as close to "drug like" as a good post
workout drink (PWD). While training and riding promote a host of physiological
benefits, they also stress the body. Fortunately, the body is designed to respond to this
stress by providing a short post exercise period designed for recovery. A well designed
post-exercise carbohydrate and protein supplements can help both support training as
well as accelerate this recovery process.
Like I mentioned, the studies on this type of supplement show that it can make an impact
on your results. You want to look for a PWD that has a 2:1 ratio of carbs to protein (2
grams of carbs for every 1 gram of protein) and uses a fast acting form of whey protein
like whey protein isolate. Simple sugars are also an important part of the mix and so don't
be afraid if you see sugar sources that you would usually want to avoid. While there are a
lot of good supplements that work well I personally use and recommend Workout by
ProGrade.
Special Supplements
Creatine - This is perhaps the most researched supplement in the world and it has been
shown to be most helpful with short bursts of high intensity work. While you can take it
daily without any ill effects, I recommend using it when you need it to help you get
through the last part of a hard training cycle. You can also avoid the associated weight
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gain seen by some by skipping the "loading phase" of taking 20-30 grams a day for the
first week and simply starting with 5 grams per day.
Beta Alanine - While more studies are needed, this supplement appears to support the
body's ability to handle higher acidity levels in the muscles brought on by lactic acid
production. This means that it can delay fatigue, increase anaerobic threshold and
increase power endurance.
Glutamine - This is the most abundant free form amino acid floating around in your
muscles and is used to maintain intestinal and immune system health. Long periods of
stressful exercise and/ or inadequate nutrition can deplete glutamine levels and make it
necessary to supplement. However, in healthy individuals who are not exercising at the
levels of an elite athlete glutamine supplementation is probably not necessary.
As you can see there are certainly some benefits from smart supplementation. You can
improve your energy levels, performance and endurance but you can also throw away a
lot of money. Being a smart consumer is the antidote to marketing hype and hopefully
this article has helped you become a bit smarter about what you invest your money in and
put in your body.
Why Choose ProGrade Supplments?
A lot of people think that I must be “sponsored” by ProGrade or get some sort of
compensation for endorsing them. The truth is, though, that I am not sponsored by
ProGrade nor receive any sort of compensation from them in any way for promoting
them. I am a dealer (meaning that I do make money selling their products) but I have to
buy my supplements just like everyone else.
So why would I promote a supplement line that doesn't even give me free product when I
could easily find one that would?
The truth is that most supplement companies have a “me too” mentality in that whatever
new supplement comes out they jump on and try to make money on. This leads to a huge
product lineup, most of which are worthless and just serves to confuse everyone.
In addition, most supplements are made with cheap ingredients in order to pad the profit
margins of the supplement companies. From cheap Chinese creatine to adding in fillers to
proteins, the level some people will stoop to make money on supplements is pretty low.
However, ProGrade does not play these games. For example, they own their own 2000
acre organic farm in Florida. They use that organic produce to make their multi- vitamin/
mineral/ whole food supplement VGF-25. That means that the vitamins and minerals
were taken from actual food products, not produced chemically in a lab like you find in
most other vitamin supplements.
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The essential fatty acid supplement, Icon, is made with krill oil instead of fish oil. Krill
oil has more anti-oxidant power and better bio-availability than regular fish oil. Yes, it
costs more to make than regular fish oil but in trying to supply the best supplements
available ProGrade does it anyways.
ProGrade Workout, their pre/ post workout drink, is made from high quality ingredients
and priced very reasonably. Again, they could add in some worthless substance (arganine
to increase your nitric oxide levels anyone?) and then charge more and make more but
they don’t. Add in the 100% money back guarantee on all of their products and you have
what I consider to be the one of the best supplement companies around.
All of this has led me to embrace ProGrade as my supplement line of choice. They are
what I use, what I sell at my facility and what I recommend to those that are looking to
add an edge to their overall program.
ProGrade Supplements
In order to get the best results possible from your training routine you should consider
using these supplements.
•
ProGrade Workout – a post workout supplement is a must in order to
maximize recovery and results. Without this important addition to your
overall strategy you will not be able to realize the full potential of your
strength and conditioning program. Based on the latest research on nutritional
needs after training, Workout is one of the best post workout supplements that
I have come across.
•
ProGrade VGF 25+ - using both a men’s and women’s specific formula, this
revolutionary supplement makes getting your vitamins and minerals plus your
fruit and vegetable phytonutrients easy and convenient. Before I found this
supplement I needed to take a vitamin/ mineral formula AND a fruit/
vegetable formula, adding up to 6 or more pills per day. This formula allows
you to get the same nutrients with only 3 pills. In addition, since it is
manufactured using fruits and vegetables grown on an organic farm, the
nutrients in it are the highest quality available.
How to Save Money on Your Order
Since most people end up selecting 2 or more supplements to meet their needs we
strongly recommend that you consider one of the convenient and money saving Combo
Packs. If you do decide that you only need 1 supplement you can still save money by
signing up for the Fit Club auto ship program.
You will save money on the supplement of your choice and get free shipping. In addition,
you will get the convenience of receiving a new shipment every 30 days without having
to bother with reordering. You can cancel your auto-ship supplements at any time via e-
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mail or phone and there is no minimum number of shipments needed to sign up for the
program.
Ordering Instructions
1. Go to www.dominateyoursport.getprograde.com
2. Click on the on the “Comb Packs" link in the left hand side of the page.
3. Select the Combo Pack the is best for you - I personally recommend the Platinum
Package.
4. Follow the instructions to check out.
Remember that all Prograde supplements come with a 30 day money back
guarantee.
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