Supplement Reviews - Health and Fitness Articles

The Five Hottest Supplements Right Now.

Posted by Administrator - 03/01/07 at 06:01:18 pm

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Are you looking to give your workouts a boost? Hard to tell what supplements are the real deal and which ones are bullshit? I know where you’re coming from. Every fitness and bodybuilding magazine is filled with ads for supplements that all claim what they’re selling is the best. Is it possible that every single supplement manufacturer has found the miracle ingredients to bring on instant fitness success? Is it possible that all these advertisements are being honest and can back up their claims with facts? The answer is no. No No No.

Most of the ads for supplements, if not all, are hyped up bullshit. Remember, supplements are not FDA regulated (not that the FDA has protected the public in the past, uh-hem, Vioxx) thus virtually anything can be claimed and nothing needs to be proven. For all you know, the capsules your new wonder supplements is encased in could be filled with nothing more than cocoa powder. Probably the best way to research any supplement is to scour the internet for REAL reviews from REAL people. There are next to no scientific studies or tests for specific designer supplements. Sure, there have been many scientific studies on creatine, ephedra, etc, but no on the designer supplements manufactured by Joe Supplement Company’s version of it with the bright red and yellow label.

I have gone through the mess and put many supplements to the test over the past 10 years. Many supplements have come and gone. Few supplements have hung around and become legit staples in the gymbags and stomachs of the fitness community. These few are being brought to light here. These are the 5 hottest supplements on the market today. These are considered the hottest here not because their the most purchased, but because review after review on legit fitness websites and forums bring positive reviews.

Optimum Nutrition - 100% Whey Protein

This protein powder has been around for a long time now. It’s one of the most affordable proteins and is one of the best values on the market today. Available in several flavors, this whey protein delivers 77 single scoop servings. Each serving delivers 24 grams of 100% whey protein and less than 1 gram of sugar.  It’s damn near impossible to lobby for a supplement that offers better quality, taste, or price that can beat or even match this protein.

BSN NO-Xplode
Pump Boosting "NO" products became all the rage in bodybuilding just a few years ago.  Creating a supplement around the main indgredient, nitric oxide, is supposed to bring pumps to muscles (swelling, feeling of tightness)
 and increased energy. While the reaction your body has to nitric oxide supplements may only be temporary, it’s a great confidence booster to help people have a great workout.  It’s my opinion that if you feel great, you’ll be more productive in life. This nitric oxide supplements does make you feel pretty darn good. Nitric Oxide has also appeared in many supplements marketed as sexual enhancers because the nitric oxide in these supplements can increase blood flow to the genetalia in both men and women.

Univeral Animal Pak
This cardboard jug of individually wrapped vitamins has been on the market for a long time, and with good reason. "If you work out, you MUST take a
multi-vitamin product. You simply can not be sure that you are getting
all of the nutrients you need just from your diet. Also, you can’t just
depend on a normal grocery store multi since those were created for the
average couch potato. Luckily, Universal Animal Pak was formulated to
be EXACTLY what you need. Don’t limit your results!"
The list of vitamins in these individually packed supplement is long, but you can list of vitamins here. Given that Universal is not skimping on quality, these are the best multivitamins to take not only because it’s such a complete spectrum of vitamins, but because they’re packaged in individual servings. Just rip a pack open everyday and swallow them down.

EAS Phosphagen
EAS, with their mass marketing (a first in the supplement world), brought creatine to the forefront of fitness supplementation with their then small line of creatine products. what was true in 1995 still holds true today. Cratine, when used properly, is safe and effective. EAS has been know for two things: high quality and overpriced supplements. While the former still holds true today, the latter is not so true. With all the competition out there in the supplement market, EAS’s supplements are much more affordable.

Fitness newbies are much more heavily influenced by flashy advertising. EAS generally doesn’t advertise like some other supplement companies. Take a look at a few MuscleTech ads and compare them to EAS supplement ads. Big difference right? EAS supplements don’t have the stronghold on the market they once had, but they still produce high-quality supplements. EAS Phosphagen not only deliver creatine of the highest quality, but also taste great. There are several variations of this creatine transport supplement including those combined with dextrose and the low-carb, sugar free variety.

Biotest Hot-Rox
While no fat burner / energy booster on the market today has the raw power of pre-ephedra ban products, there are still several caffeine based diet and energy supplements on the market today that can pack a punch. Hot-Rox is one of them. Yeah, it has the fancy label and ridiculous magazine advertisements but, it also has many positive reviews by average joes like you and I.

An example of the positive feedback this supplement has received is: "i started taking these alongside my
weights routine and with an hour of
cardio 5 times a week. ive dropped 11lbs
in a month. But i have been strict on
what ive been eating. its got my my mid
section ripped. the problem is youll be
hot all the time so drink as much water
as you can and watch out because you
might get aggressive."

Main Ingredients:
 

1) Acetyl-l-tyrosine and 5-HTP: (acetyl-l-tyrosine is the more easily assimilated version of the amino acid l-tyrosine ).
5-HTP and acetyl-l-tyrosine may have the ability to help maintain
levels of the neurotransmitters serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine
– helpful in maintaining positive mood while dieting.

2)
Caffeine: a moderately effective thermogenic common in most fat
burners, but most effective when stacked with ephedra and caffeine. In
the Hot rox formula, however, caffeine may help to improve the
performance of one other ingredient in this formulation — sclaremax.

3) MDX Complex: Comprised of A7-E, sclaremax, and guggulsterone — here lies the backbone of the Hot Rox formulation.

Are Liquid Amino Acids Good For Me? What’s the best?

Posted by Administrator - 10/10/06 at 07:10:52 am

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Amino Acids have long been used by people in the health, fitness, and bodybuilding world. The questino many people have regarding amino acids are:

What are Amino Acids?
Are Aminos Acids Safe?
What’s the best brand of Amino Acids to take?
How much Amino Acids should I take per serving?
Are liquid Amino Acids better to take as opposed to powder, gelcap, and tablet form?

Summing up the answers to most of these questions on Amino Acids is an informative article on Amino Acids below.

Amino Acids Article:
I’m fairly sure that many bodybuilders and athletes understand the importance of protein in the building of muscles. Yet many are unaware of the other essential roles this complicated nutrient plays in sustaining health and well-being. The amino acids that make up various types of protein do much, much more than just build muscle. They maintain life.
Many people assume that protein and amino acids are synonymous. But while all proteins are formed from amino acids, they contain different combinations. The amino acids found in milk, for example, are quite different from those in meat, eggs, or nuts.
Adelle Davis, the nutritionist who made the world aware of the value of eating wholesome foods and supplements, compared the amino acids to the letters of the alphabet. “Just as the 26 letters are mixed and matched to create thousands of words, so do the various amino acids combine to make a wide variety of animal and plant proteins.”
Protein is the most plentiful substance in the body next to water. About half our dry weight would be protein. Roughly a third is concentrated in your muscles, a fifth in your cartilage and bones, a tenth in your skin, and the remainder in tissues and body fluids.
The Greeks gave protein its lofty name, which means “of first importance,” for good reason. Your blood is made of several kinds of proteins. Hemoglobin is 94-percent protein. Hemoglobin is responsible for transporting oxygen from the lungs to the tissues and then delivering carbon dioxide back to be expelled by the lungs. Blood protein, gamma globulin, aids in forming antibodies that neutralize bacteria, viruses, and other microorganisms. Gamma globulin also assists phagocytes, often called scavenger cells, destroy disease microbes.
When you eat protein, your stomach breaks it down into amino acids. These simpler compounds are then utilized as building blocks for every part of your body. Intestinal hormones combine with digestive enzymes and direct the amino acids to wherever they are needed. Some are sent to fortify your red blood cells, others go to strengthen your fingernails, others may be sent to rebuild your muscles after your workout.
While amino acids are classified as either essential or nonessential, those terms are misleading. All of the 22 amino acids are essential. The reason for these terms is that you are capable of creating the non-essential amino acids within your body. You must consume the essential amino acids in your food. No amino acid is interchangeable with any other, but they are all linked together to perform in a synergistic manner. That is, they work in concert with one another.

Amino Acids Links:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amino_acid
An amino acid residue is what is left of an amino acid once a molecule of water has been lost (an H+ from the nitrogenous side and an OH- from the carboxylic side) in the formation of a peptide bond, the chemical bond that links the amino acid monomers in a protein chain.

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&rls=GGGL,GGGL:2006-11,GGGL:en&defl=en&q=define:Amino+Acids&sa=X&oi=glossary_definition&ct=title
The basic building blocks of proteins. There are 20 different amino acid types. Each protein consists of a different sequence of amino acids linked together according to the genetic information encoded in DNA.
www.med.nyu.edu/rcr/rcr/glossary.html

http://www.realtime.net/anr/aminoacd.html

AMINO CIDS are the “building Blocks” of the body. Besides building cells and repairing tissue, they form antibodies to combat invading bacteria & viruses; they are part of the enzyme & hormonal system; they build nucleoproteins (RNA & DNA); they carry oxygen throughout the body and participate in muscle activity. When protein is broken down by digestion the result is 22 known amino acids. Eight are essential (cannot be manufactured by the body) the rest are non-essential ( can be manufactured by the body with proper nutrition).

Universal Super Whey Pro Protein

Posted by Administrator - 29/06/06 at 10:06:03 pm

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Universal Super Whey Pro, 1.5 Lbs., Orange Whey Peptide Protein Plus Glutamine!

It contains Whey Peptide Protein PLUS Glutamine...in two great lactose-free flavors! Super Whey Pro from Universal is simply the finest quality whey protein concentrate derived from the freshest ion-exchange whey. For maximum BV, Super Whey Pro has been ultra-filtered and processed at the lowest temperature to prevent the denaturing of this invaluable protein source.

Super Whey Pro easily mixes with any to give you a super nutritious, high-protein supplement. Each serving provides 17.5 grams of pure whey and whey peptides that is more potent, more readily absorbed and more easily digested than any other brand. No added salt, artificial colors, preservatives or artificial flavors. Low in fat and lactose. Vitamin, mineral and Glutamine enriched.

* Muscle Growth
* Protein Synthesis
* Low-Fat, Low Lactose
* High in Glutamine, BCAA1s
* Positive Nitrogen Balance
* Increases Glutathione Levels
* Cold-Processed Ion-Exchange, Micro-filtered

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