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The Top 5 Supplements to Take (Updated 2012 Version)

Jimson Lee — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 13:42:00 +0000

One of my very first Blog posts written 5 years ago was titled The Top 5 Supplements to Take (or top 3 if you are on a budget).

OTC (over-the-counter) supplements for athletes come in 3 different categories: (1) for health reasons, (2) for recovery, and (3) performance. There’s a 4th category, and that’s for weight loss, but most Track athletes don’t have to worry about this.

In a perfect world, everything you need for your body is at the grocery store. Jeremy Wariner doesn’t take supplements, and neither does Usain Bolt with the exception of Vitamin C.

I have since changed the order of priority. For those on a limited budget and can only afford one item, then take the first one on the list. If you can afford 3, take the fist 3 on the list:

Photo credits: Getty Images

1. Fish Oils

There’s enough research out there that proves fish oils, or omega-3 fatty acids, are beneficial for overall cardiac health benefits, and well as reducing inflammation. It also keeps your omega-6 : omega-3 ratios in balance since we eat too much of the omega-6 variety in processed and fast foods.

Omega-6 is normally very high in North American diets, and I believe ratios are important, thus supplementing with Omega 3 makes a lot of sense. The ideal ratio of Omega-6 : Omega-3 is a probably around 2:1 or 3:1, but the average North American diet with fast food and restaurants is probably about 20:1 .

There are some major differences in flax oil (primarily alpha-linolenic acid) and Omega 3. Flax seed or oil is not enough. Flax is mainly alpha-linolenic acid, and he conversion of alpha-linolenic acid to linoleic acid (or EPA/DHA to be exact) is marginal.

So I believe healthy average people who eat crushed flax seed and plenty of fish are probably getting enough Omega 3, but athletes may want to supplement with fish oils.

2. Post Recovery workout drink

This doesn’t have to be a supplement, as I prefer real food any day. But sometimes a liquid snack is more portable and convenient. The question is, what ratio of carbs : protein should you consume? 1:1? 2:1? 4:1? And there’s the chocolate milk theory too (my McGill alumni teammates will understand this).

For further reading, see the Post Workout Drink Controversy.

3. Protein shake

We all agree protein powders have an edge for convenience. Some are RTD (ready to drink), and some require cold water and a shaker. But natural wholesome food sources have extra benefits beyond powders. Beef has iron. Fish has Taurine, Omega 3 oils, and B12. Dairy products have calcium.

Again, I prefer real food, and if you have access to chicken breast and broccoli, great. Or beef jerky. But sometimes when hunger strikes, you are better off with a protein shake than a carbohydrate loaded pastry and a coffee at the office.

There are many factors you should consider when choosing protein. Read Why Food can be Better than Protein Powders.

4. ZMA

Your recovery is as important as the training. This means rest days and proper sleep. The amount of hours is important, but the quality of sleep is equally as important. There’s a new and improved ZMA-5, which is simply ZMA + 5HTP + B9.

As far as sleep strategies, try to sleep in multiples of 90 min REM cycles such as such as 6, 7.5 or 9 hours of sleep to avoid waking up groggy. Here are 4 different sleep strategies.

5. Ergogenic Performance Aids

There are 4 types of supplements in this category, which would make this list 9 items long, but luckily there is a single product that has all 4, and that is SNAC’s latest supplement called PED. (Yes, you read that right, but it stands for Performance Enhancement Drink)

Here is a short list of legal supplements you can take on race day to improve your 400 meter times.

Stimulants: coffee & caffeine
Nootropics: Redbull, 5 Hour shots and Vitalyze
Lactic Acid buffers: Beta Alanine and baking soda
Nitric Oxide: L-Arginine, Viagra and vasodilators

6. Honorable mention: Powered Greens

Nothing can replace the macronutrients in real food. But for those who feel you must eat your veggies, then powdered greens may be your answer. If you plan to travel, and you know you’ll be eating out at restaurants, then carrying a small tub of powdered greens might be helpful.

Most Popular articles for 2011:

400 meter Training and Racing:

800 meter Training: Training 800 meter runners

Sprint Starts: Usain Bolt training regimen video: The Start

Football 40 Yard Dash: 40 yard dash times for Usain Bolt & Ben Johnson

Baseball 60 Yard Dash: Baseball 60 yard dash: What’s a good time?

Recovery: Ice Baths for Workout Recovery

Supplements: Nutrition for recovery: The Post-workout drink controversy

Analysis: Usain Bolt’s 100m 10-meter splits and speed endurance

Strength Endurance: Matt’s 60-second pull up World Record Video

DMAA, Methylhexaneamine and Death?

Jimson Lee — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 13:00:00 +0000

When I wrote about Methylhexaneamine and Supplement Contamination last fall, I didn’t expect death.

Getting banned from your sport is one thing… dying trying is another!

In a recent article from the NY Times (if it’s the in the NY Times, it must be true, right? heh heh), they reported the United States Army is investigating whether certain “dietary supplements” for athletes may have played a role in the deaths of two soldiers.

Methylhexaneamine (also known as DMAA or 1,3-Dimethylamylamine) was available over the counter until recently at stores on military bases across the United States.

But is DMAA really a “dietary supplement”? Some medical experts said it should be classified as a “drug”, which would require approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) before it can be sold in the marketplace.

“Dietary supplements” are defined as products containing only supplemental dietary ingredients, like vitamins or minerals.

Here is a snippet from the NY Times.

“How is this possibly being legally sold under the current rules for dietary supplements?” said Travis Tygart, the chief executive of the United States Anti-Doping Agency and an advocate for tighter regulation of supplements.

Last summer, a 22-year-old soldier collapsed at an Army base in the Southwest during a training run with his unit. Last fall, a 32-year-old soldier at the same base also collapsed after taking a physical fitness test. DMAA was identified in both soldiers’ toxicology reports, the Army spokesman said, but he declined to identify them.

Mr. Tygart said the issues raised by DMAA reminded him of the case of ephedra, another stimulant. The F.D.A. banned ephedra as a dietary supplement in 2004 after the deaths of several prominent athletes, including Steven S. Bechler, a pitcher for the Baltimore Orioles, who had used the substance.

Many fitness enthusiasts remain devoted to Jack3d, which, according to a widely disseminated online product description, “gives you the mad aggressive desire and ability to lift more weight, pump out more reps and have crazy lasting energy.”

Some of its users raved about the product last week on Twitter. “Jack3d got me feeling beastly! Gym time!! #beastmode,” Luis Vasquez wrote.

Most Popular articles for 2011:

400 meter Training and Racing:

800 meter Training: Training 800 meter runners

Sprint Starts: Usain Bolt training regimen video: The Start

Football 40 Yard Dash: 40 yard dash times for Usain Bolt & Ben Johnson

Baseball 60 Yard Dash: Baseball 60 yard dash: What’s a good time?

Recovery: Ice Baths for Workout Recovery

Supplements: Nutrition for recovery: The Post-workout drink controversy

Analysis: Usain Bolt’s 100m 10-meter splits and speed endurance

Strength Endurance: Matt’s 60-second pull up World Record Video

Do L-Arginine Supplements (Nitric Oxide) Work?

Jimson Lee — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 10:10:00 +0000

Last fall, I started a series on erogenic aids after being a guest on ESPN The Ticket radio show.

The big question is how do you define “cheating” vs. “performance enhancement”?

I define “performance enhancement” if it’s BOTH safe and legal.

If it’s illegal, then it’s called “cheating”.

If it’s not safe, well, what can I say? It’s your choice, and see your ~~doctor~~ psychiatrist first!

The Top 4 Supplements

This was the short list of legal supplements you can take on race day to improve your 400 meter times.

Stimulants: coffee & caffeine
Nootropics: Redbull, 5 Hour shots and Vitalyze
Lactic Acid buffers: Beta Alanine and baking soda
Nitric Oxide: L-Arginine, Viagra and vasodilators

Recent research as shown otherwise on the last item, nitric oxide.

In the paper Acute l-arginine supplementation increases muscle blood volume but not strength performance, the abstract reported:

We found that acute L-arg supplementation increases Mbv during recovery from sets of resistance exercise with no increase in strength performance.

It is still premature to recommend nutritional supplements containing L-arg as an ergogenic aid to increase muscle strength during resistance training in healthy subjects.

Funnily enough, supplements in the Nitric Oxide and Lactic Acid Buffers group are on the upper end of the price tags!

The conclusion?

Do your research, and ask lots of questions.

If you want to try it, always try it on a time trial or training run. Never try a new supplement on race day! (You’d be amazed how many people still try it)

Most Popular articles for 2011:

400 meter Training and Racing:

800 meter Training: Training 800 meter runners

Sprint Starts: Usain Bolt training regimen video: The Start

Football 40 Yard Dash: 40 yard dash times for Usain Bolt & Ben Johnson

Baseball 60 Yard Dash: Baseball 60 yard dash: What’s a good time?

Recovery: Ice Baths for Workout Recovery

Supplements: Nutrition for recovery: The Post-workout drink controversy

Analysis: Usain Bolt’s 100m 10-meter splits and speed endurance

Strength Endurance: Matt’s 60-second pull up World Record Video

The Importance of PH Balance in the Athletic Body

Jimson Lee — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 09:00:00 +0000

This article is guest blogged by Brett Warren, a Biochemical Engineer from Force Factor.

The Importance of PH Balance in the Athletic Body

With all the talk you hear these days about physical fitness, proper nutrition, balanced diet, good body maintenance, energy sustenance, strength, stamina, and staying in shape, how much do you hear about your pH level? Do you even know what it is? If not, maybe you should. The pH level is one of the most important balance systems of the human body. It affects the body’s entire metabolic process. In fact, next to breathing and sustaining a heartbeat, the most important metabolic function our body performs is maintaining a functional pH level.

OK, so what exactly is this pH level anyway? Well, the scientific explanation is pretty straightforward— the term pH stands for “potential of Hydrogen” and it describes the amount of hydrogen ions in a particular solution. The more ions present in a solution, the more acidic the solution is. A solution with fewer ions contains a higher concentration of alkaline. The pH level is a measure of acidity or alkalinity, and it slides on a scale of zero to fourteen, with zero representing the highest acidity, fourteen depicting the most alkaline and seven being mid-range. To give you a general idea of what these ratings represent, battery acid has a pH level of zero whereas bleach has a level approaching the maximum of 14. In terms of things you intake, acidy foods like grapefruit and tomato juice have very low pH levels, while baking soda and Milk of Magnesia have high levels. Water is right smack in the middle, with a pH level of 7.

OK, so how does all this relate to the human body? Well, like any liquid solution, blood has a pH level too. And in the same way that the body functions well only in a very narrow range of body temperature (98.6 degrees being normal), the pH level in the blood also needs to stay within a very narrow range. In fact, it is important that blood pH stays within the range of 7.35 and 7.45, which is slightly on the alkaline side of middle-of-the-road. When blood pH levels become too acidic, an environment is created for bacteria or viruses to enter and start to thrive, leading to illness, aches, and lack of energy, among other things. This is important for all of us to know, but if you are an athlete, it is doubly important.

The good news? Just being an athlete in itself helps mitigate the problem. Regular workouts with a good aerobic base help to flush the lactic acid out. A good blood circulation and oxygen uptake can do a lot to help maintain a proper level of pH balance in the body. The bad news? Well, diet plays a huge part too. Look at the average North American diet and what you see is a lot of coffee, protein, and dairy products, all of which can contribute to an overly acidic diet. Recent studies have shown a link between the typical modern diet and a condition known as low grade chronic metabolic acidosis, which can lead to a lot of things which affect athletic performance, none of them good. One of the big side effects, as described in this article, is bone weakening. As the article states, a growing body of literature has documented the association between low grade chronic metabolic acidosis and detrimental impacts on bone, including bone loss. Another potential side effect (proteolysis) can affect the muscles, and you don’t have to be an Olympic athlete to know that there are few things more important to top-notch athletic performance than strong muscles.

So what are some of the things that athletes can do to help keep their pH balance on the right track?

The Checklist

Here is a useful checklist:

1) First, see your doctor!

2) Start watching your intake more closely. A good rule of thumb is to make your diet consist of no more than 25% acid-producing foods and liquids; and at least 75% alkaline-producing foods and liquids.

3) Know which items (acid-producing) to avoid. Here are some:

Alcohol
Coffee
Soft drinks
Meats (especially red meat)
Cheese
White flour products
Sweeteners (except raw unpasteurized honey)

4) Know which items (alkaline-producing) to consume more of. Some of these are:

Fruits
Vegetables
Almonds
Yogurt
Soybeans
Extra virgin olive oil
Alkaline water

5) Educate yourself further. A good book on the subject of what to eat and what to stay away from is “The pH Miracle” by Dr. Robert O. Young.

PH balance may not be talked about a lot but that doesn’t mean it’s not important. The pH level in our bodies affects all of our cells, and a consistently imbalanced pH level won’t translate well when it comes to the proper functioning of the body system. When the pH is unbalanced, almost any area of the body can be affected. But the effects are even more noticeable for athletes, who can measure them very easily by tracking performance. If you are an athlete, then following the right steps can reap you rewards. Knowing the importance of pH balance is step one. Doing something about it is step two. And step three is seeing positive results in your athletic performance.

About the Author

Brett Warren is a biochemical engineer from Boston, Massachusetts who develops sports supplements for Force Factor. He has done extensive research on nutrition and is an expert on nutraceutical science. He also has a passion for fitness and health. Brett’s work at Force Factor is supplemented by an active family life with plenty of gym time and outdoor recreation.

Most Popular articles for 2011:

400 meter Training and Racing:

800 meter Training: Training 800 meter runners

Sprint Starts: Usain Bolt training regimen video: The Start

Football 40 Yard Dash: 40 yard dash times for Usain Bolt & Ben Johnson

Baseball 60 Yard Dash: Baseball 60 yard dash: What’s a good time?

Recovery: Ice Baths for Workout Recovery

Supplements: Nutrition for recovery: The Post-workout drink controversy

Analysis: Usain Bolt’s 100m 10-meter splits and speed endurance

Strength Endurance: Matt’s 60-second pull up World Record Video

Methylhexaneamine and Supplement Contamination

Jimson Lee — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 08:15:00 +0000

2011 will be remembered as the Year if the Methylhexaneamine positive tests coming directly from products containing Methylhexaneamine or resulting from supplement contamination.

I heeded a warning last year in my 4 part series on Sports Drinks.

Let’s recap the year in review… 2010 Commonwealth Games women’s 100m winner Damola Osayemi of Nigeria… India Women’s 4×400 meter team… Rugby’s Chiliboy Ralepelle and Bjorn Basson… Footballer Simon Mensing… the New Zealand swim team… I could go on forever.

Methylhexaneamine (also known as DMAA or 1,3-Dimethylamylamine) is a powerful CNS stimulant similar to a mild amphetamine and is banned by the IAAF.

This in not to be confused with Methylxathines which is a technically a brocholdilator and considered to be a “mild” stimulant, and NOT banned by the IAAF.

Caffeine is part of a group of compounds called methylxanthines, and so is Theobromine (chocolate) and Theophylline (Tea and chocolate)

Some clearly mark 1.3 dimethylamylamine on the label, others are hidden in their proprietary blends so you have no idea of the ratios…. but it’s still there!

On the left is the label for Jack3d. But note how it is labeled 1,3-Dimethylamylamine and not Methylhexaneamine?

Also, if "Geranium" is listed as an ingredient on the label of a supplement, be advised that the product may contain synthetic methylhexaneamine.

Everyone is in a race to build the next mind blowing energy drink, and one has to look into a bodybuilding magazine to prove my point.

Any product that contains any of the following ingredients on the label may be reported as an Adverse Analytical Finding for Methylhexaneamine:

Methylhexaneamine; Methylhexanamine; DMAA (dimethylamylamine); Geranamine; Forthane; Forthan; Floradrene; 2-hexanamine, 4-methyl-; 2-hexanamine, 4-methyl- (9CI); 4-methyl-2-hexanamine; 1,3-dimethylamylamine; 4-Methylhexan-2-amine; 1,3-dimethylpentylamine; 2-amino-4-methylhexane; Pentylamine,

Dimethylpentylamine was discovered originally in geranium flowers, so that is the connection.

So you have been warned! Be careful and ask lots of questions!

Most Popular articles for 2011:

400 meter Training and Racing:

800 meter Training: Training 800 meter runners

Sprint Starts: Usain Bolt training regimen video: The Start

Football 40 Yard Dash: 40 yard dash times for Usain Bolt & Ben Johnson

Baseball 60 Yard Dash: Baseball 60 yard dash: What’s a good time?

Recovery: Ice Baths for Workout Recovery

Supplements: Nutrition for recovery: The Post-workout drink controversy

Analysis: Usain Bolt’s 100m 10-meter splits and speed endurance

Strength Endurance: Matt’s 60-second pull up World Record Video

Viagra and Nitric Oxides (Ethical Cheating or Ergogenic Aids)

Jimson Lee — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 08:00:00 +0000

This is part 6 of a multi part series. Part 1 was the ESPN radio interview. Part 2 looked at the history of Ethical Cheating or Ergogenic Aids and some of the disgusting food choices. Part 3 discussed coffee and caffeine. Part 4 discussed Nootropics. Part 5 discussed baking soda and beta alanine.

Let’s go over some of the common products you can buy today over the counter and NOT test positive, and remember this is only a short list.

Here are some of the food groups, common sources, chemical names, and classification (in no particular order):

coffee, caffeine, stimulants
RedBull, 5 Hour, Vitalyze, phenylalanines including Tyrosine & Taurine, nootropics
baking soda, TUMS, sodium bicarbonate, beta alanine, lactic acid buffers
Viagra and other Nitric Oxide products including L-Citrulline Malate and L-Arginine, vasodilators
Quercetin (new product… discussed briefly here)
IHT or Intermittent Hypoxic Training methods (tents, chambers, masks, etc.) to increase erythropoietin (EPO) levels and therefore increase red blood cells.
Others?

Viagra and Nitric Oxides

Nitric Oxide products are extremely popular in the weight room for both weightlifters and bodybuilders.

The theory behind Nitric Oxide (and Viagra) is with increased vasodilation (increased blood flow), you get additional blood to the muscles carrying oxygen and glucose, and at the same time, the removal of waste products like lactic acid.

One way to increase Nictric Oxide is to consume more L-arginine, because L-arginine along with Nitric Oxide Synthase, you form L-citrulline and nitric oxide. (It also requires certain B complex vitamins, plus Iron and Calcium)

The biochemical pathway for the other direction, L-citrulline to L-arginine produces ornithine, and that is why you’ll see L-ornithine in “nitric oxide” and “mental alertness” products.

Arginine has a double benefit, as it can also stimulate the release of growth hormone from the brain’s pituitary gland.

To get Arginine through foods, you would have to eat 100 grams of chicken just to get 1.5 grams of arginine. And you need to get those arginine levels to 5 or 6 grams per day! Maybe that’s why Usain Bolt success is eating a diet high in chicken! (or else he’s superiorly gifted and trains hard… yeah, that’s it)

L-Citrulline also has a double benefit. As part of the urea cycle, L-citrulline plays a pivotal role in removing ammonia from your muscles.

The recommended dose for L-Citrulline is also around 4-6 grams per day.

There are tons of products in the supplement market, and funnily enough, they are all expensive! Here are are some examples in no particular order:

They have proven increasing arginine **will** increase nitric oxide levels in the blood. But like the beta alanine studies, they just haven’t proved it increases performances in sprinting or 400 meters.

In the above dosages, we are talking about grams, not milligrams, worth of supplements.

But the best advice is to eat more fruit and vegetables which are naturally high in nitrates and nitrites, and thus gets converted to nitric oxide. See, your mother was right all these years!

Most Popular articles for 2011:

400 meter Training and Racing:

800 meter Training: Training 800 meter runners

Sprint Starts: Usain Bolt training regimen video: The Start

Football 40 Yard Dash: 40 yard dash times for Usain Bolt & Ben Johnson

Baseball 60 Yard Dash: Baseball 60 yard dash: What’s a good time?

Recovery: Ice Baths for Workout Recovery

Supplements: Nutrition for recovery: The Post-workout drink controversy

Analysis: Usain Bolt’s 100m 10-meter splits and speed endurance

Strength Endurance: Matt’s 60-second pull up World Record Video

Baking Soda and Beta Alanine (Ethical Cheating or Ergogenic Aids)

Jimson Lee — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 08:00:00 +0000

This is part 5 of a multi part series. Part 1 was the ESPN radio interview. Part 2 looked at the history of Ethical Cheating or Ergogenic Aids and some of the disgusting food choices. Part 3 discussed coffee and caffeine. Part 4 discussed Nootropics.

Let’s go over some of the common products you can buy today over the counter and NOT test positive, and remember this is only a short list.

Here are some of the food groups, common sources, chemical names, and classification (in no particular order):

coffee, caffeine, stimulants
RedBull, 5 Hour, Vitalyze, phenylalanines including Tyrosine & Taurine, nootropics
baking soda, TUMS, sodium bicarbonate, beta alanine, lactic acid buffers
Viagra and other Nitric Oxide products including L-Citrulline Malate and L-Arginine, vasodilators
Quercetin (new product… discussed briefly here)
IHT or Intermittent Hypoxic Training methods (tents, chambers, masks, etc.) to increase erythropoietin (EPO) levels and therefore increase red blood cells.
Others?

Baking Soda, TUMS and Rolaids

Is popping a few Tums or Rolaids considered illegal before your 400 or 800 meters ? How about a mountain of baking soda in your morning pancakes? Isn’t that what makes McDonald’s and Denny’s pancakes so light and fluffy?

Baking soda loading has been used for decades. We were using it back when I was an open athlete, and that was a long time ago (about the same time as mullets, MTV and music videos)

For those who want to try it, the correct dose of baking soda (or sodium bicarbonate) is 0.3 grams per kilo bodyweight one hour before competition (good luck with your event being on time!). At 85 kg, that’s 25.5 grams or about 2.5 tablespoons of baking soda. (That’s over double a typical creatine serving)

That’s a lot of baking soda!

The side effect is, of course, diarrhea.

If you are going to try sodium bicarbonate and/or beta alanine, please use a Time Trial setting with a toilet nearby!

My personal stance on this: Baking soda loading has a better effectiveness when you have multiple races in a day, say a 200 and 400m one hour apart.

Beta Alanine

Another way of buffering lactic acid is consuming carnosine which plays a significant role in pH balance of muscle cells. Carnosine is synthesized from the amino acids L-histidine and beta-alanine.

So by taking beta-alanine, you increase carnosine, which buffers lactic acid better.

The suggested dose is 4-6 grams spread throughout the day for 4 weeks (each pill is about 800 mg, so that means 2 pills every 3-4 hours). Like Creatine, beta-alanine should be measured through your lean body mass, and not overall weight.

They have proved that carnosine levels do increase after beta-alanine supplementation… they just haven’t proved it really works in the 400 meters. It’s possible that in a 50 sec 400m, true lactic acid is produced over the last 20 seconds, which may be too short for beta alanine to work. Thus 800m (and 1500m) runners may truly benefit from beta-alanine supplementation.

The results are inconclusive, and beta-alanine is legal to take. I personally know athletes who take it and swear it works.

Again, if you are going to try sodium bicarbonate and/or beta alanine, please use a Time Trial setting!

Further studies and articles on Baking Soda on this Blog, read:

Most Popular articles for 2011:

400 meter Training and Racing:

800 meter Training: Training 800 meter runners

Sprint Starts: Usain Bolt training regimen video: The Start

Football 40 Yard Dash: 40 yard dash times for Usain Bolt & Ben Johnson

Baseball 60 Yard Dash: Baseball 60 yard dash: What’s a good time?

Recovery: Ice Baths for Workout Recovery

Supplements: Nutrition for recovery: The Post-workout drink controversy

Analysis: Usain Bolt’s 100m 10-meter splits and speed endurance

Strength Endurance: Matt’s 60-second pull up World Record Video

Ethical Cheating or Ergogenic Aids: Nootropics

Jimson Lee — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 08:15:00 +0000

This is part 4 of a multi part series. Part 1 was the ESPN radio interview. Part 2 looked at the history of Ethical Cheating or Ergogenic Aids and some of the disgusting food choices. Part 3 discussed coffee and caffeine.

Let’s go over some of the common products you can buy today over the counter and NOT test positive, and remember this is only a short list.

Here are some of the food groups, common sources, chemical names, and classification (in no particular order):

coffee, caffeine, stimulants
RedBull, 5 Hour, Vitalyze, phenylalanines including Tyrosine & Taurine, nootropics
baking soda, TUMS, sodium bicarbonate, beta alanine, lactic acid buffers
Viagra and other Nitric Oxide products including L-Citrulline Malate and L-Arginine, vasodilators
Quercetin (new product… discussed briefly here)
IHT or Intermittent Hypoxic Training methods (tents, chambers, masks, etc.) to increase erythropoietin (EPO) levels and therefore increase red blood cells.
Others?

Nootropics

I think it’s fair to say the market for Nootropics is a billion dollar industry and I’m just as guilty as the next consumer who buys them, and therefore endorsing them (the legal stuff, that is).

The term Nootropics was coined in 1972, and falls under the category of a large group of drugs and supplements known as “smart drugs”, cognitive enhancers, and stimulants. WARNING: Some Nootropics will test you positive. Some are masking agents for steroids too.

On the “effective end” of the scale, the most common Nootropic by prescription is Piracetam and Vinpocetine. Piracetam appears to be effective for improving cognition in Alzheimer’s disease and senile dementia patients, and is extremely popular in Europe and Asia.

There is also another class of Nootropics called Dopaminergics (more below), and these are substances that affect the neurotransmitter dopamine such as Tyrosine (see article here). You can call these “low end” or “mid range” as they are simply supplements you buy off the shelf (not behind the counter).

Modafinil

And finally, for stimulants acting as a Nootropic, common products are amphetamines, modafinil, and caffeine (click here for that article). Students are notorious for abusing these, and for good reason. How can you study when you are half asleep?

Modafinil was created by the French firm Lafon to fight narcolepsy and sold in the USA by Cephalon under the name Provigil. Modafinil is extremely popular for the treatment of ADHD (Attention-Deficit, Hyperactivity Disorder) in children and adolescents. It is also on the list of banned substances, which is why they use the ADHD (aka, the “get out of jail card”) excuse when caught with traces of modafinil. Names like Kelli White and Justin Gatlin probably come to mind.

Modafinil also reduces the perception of effort required to maintain a workload, and does NOT stimulate the entire Central Nervous System (CNS) unlike amphetamines. No wonder it’s the drug of choice, but it will test you positive.

A word on DHEA

Even DHEA, which is banned, is abused. Older people take DHEA as anti-aging and anti-cancer benefits, but primarily to help cognitive enhancement. We’ve heard enough of LaShawn Merritt by now.

DHEA has another double function: it has been claimed to block cortisol’s catabolic (i.e. breakdown) effects on lean muscle tissue. Cortisol is a catabolic induced stress hormone causing tissue breakdown. The bad news is exercise has been shown to significantly raise serum cortisol levels. Thus, DHEA has been shown to block some acute effects of stress induced cortisol release, hence the anti-aging properties.

So DHEA helps keep your lean muscle mass, as opposed to building mass like steroids.

Whether or not LaShawn Merrit took DHEA separately for these two benefits, or if he really used ExtenZe, no one knows for sure except LaShawn Merritt.

Back to the Legal Stuff

Let’s go back to the class of Nootropics called Dopaminergics (the legal stuff!)

Phenylalanines claims to promote energy, delay fatigue, increase mental alertness, elevates mood, and enhances concentration. Some even claim they give you wings, making references to RedBull.

Tryptophan (and serotonin) has a sedative effect, and this is released during a high exertion exercise, like 400 meter sprinting, as well as long runs. Moreover, high amounts of Tryptophan can be found in turkey and warm milk… the two foods that allegedly can make you sleepy (whether it crosses the blood-brain barrier remains controversial).

Phenylalanine uses the same active transport channel as tryptophan to cross the blood-brain barrier, and, in large quantities, interferes with the production of serotonin.

Thus Phenylalanine competes with tryptophan, and it explains why Tyrosine is one of the most popular ingredients in “mental alertness” supplements and drink and pills. I am sure there were military experiments where they tried to drip feed Tyrosine though an IV unit. Scary.

In the past, I’ve used SNAC’s Vitalyze (containing DL-phenylalanine, L-Tyrosine) and Biotest’s Powerdrive (containing L-Tyrosine). Vitalyze is in pill form, and Powerdrive is in powder form which I prefer as a drink.

I will rarely drink Red Bull (containing Taurine), because I find it way too sweet, but nowadays I take 5 Hour energy shots (containing Taurine, Tyrosine, L-Phenylalanine, and Caffeine) because of zero sugar and has only 4 calories. The tiny bottles are also very portable. At least I take only one shot, not two shots like David Oliver.

Some people “stack” nootropics, such as taking Vitalyze or Tyrosine WITH a 5 hour shots. Good luck sleeping that night. You can Google for different “stacks” to find a variety of cocktails.

Gatorade Tiger Focus, when it was available, contained Theanine, the same amino acid as in Green Tea in trace amounts.

If you are going to take this supplement, I recommend it on an empty stomach to help speed up the absorption into the bloodstream.

Acetyl-L-Carnitine

Acetyl-L-Carnitine deserves an honourable mention because it enhances memory and increase cellular energy in distance runners. I know several elite runners who supplement with Acetyl-L-Carnitine.

As I warned from day one, the list of supplements you can take is as big as the size in your wallet.

Further studies and articles on Nootropics:

Most Popular articles for 2011:

400 meter Training and Racing:

800 meter Training: Training 800 meter runners

Sprint Starts: Usain Bolt training regimen video: The Start

Football 40 Yard Dash: 40 yard dash times for Usain Bolt & Ben Johnson

Baseball 60 Yard Dash: Baseball 60 yard dash: What’s a good time?

Recovery: Ice Baths for Workout Recovery

Supplements: Nutrition for recovery: The Post-workout drink controversy

Analysis: Usain Bolt’s 100m 10-meter splits and speed endurance

Strength Endurance: Matt’s 60-second pull up World Record Video

Ethical Cheating or Ergogenic Aids: Coffee and Caffeine

Jimson Lee — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 08:00:00 +0000

This is part 3 of a multi part series. Part 1 was the ESPN radio interview. Part 2 looked at the history of Ethical Cheating or Ergogenic Aids and some of the disgusting food choices.

Let’s go over some of the common products you can buy today over the counter and NOT test positive, and remember this is only a short list. I could go on forever… that is, a list as big as your wallet!

Here are some of the food groups, common sources, chemical names, and classification (in no particular order):

coffee, caffeine, stimulants
RedBull, 5 Hour, Vitalyze, phenylalanines including Tyrosine & Taurine, nootropics
baking soda, TUMS, sodium bicarbonate, beta alanine, lactic acid buffers
Viagra and other Nitric Oxide products including L-Citrulline Malate and L-Arginine, vasodilators
Quercetin (new product… discussed briefly here)
IHT or Intermittent Hypoxic Training methods (tents, chambers, masks, etc.) to increase erythropoietin (EPO) levels and therefore increase red blood cells.
Others?

First, a preamble on DHEA and Sudafed

I’ll leave out DHEA (dehydroepiandrosterone) and Sudafed (pseudoephedrine hydrochloride) as these will test positive!

In April 2010, LaShawn Merritt was banned from competition for allegedly taking ExtenZe, which contains DHEA. You can buy DHEA supplements over the counter. The ExtenZe also contains a yohimbe extract which increases metabolism and body temperature as well as act as a stimulant. This must be the “bedtime rush” that men feel when taking this supplement (I would not know… honestly!)

So they do not test for Viagra, but taking ExtenZe will test positive because of DHEA.

You can buy the new formulation of Sudafed over the counter, but the older version with pseudoephedrine hydrochloride is available behind the counter requiring your ID and a maximum of one box per day. The reason for this to prevent homemade crystal meth made from the latter.

Professional Hockey players are notorious for taking a cocktail of Starbucks coffee and Sudafed 2 hours before a game. In fact, they were warned at the Olympics that they would test positive if they weren’t careful.

More information on ephedrine and yohimbe extract as stimulants and weight loss can be found in my 2007 article on 7 Types of “Fat Burning” Supplements.

Coffee: Why I like it, and why I drink it

Coffee, and caffeine, is a stimulant. Plain and simple.

And I’ll go on record that I do drink it every day in everyday life, as well as before track meets. Call me a cheater in my face, no problem, I’ll kick your butt in the 400m.

First reason: it helps me wake up, especially when I have a 9 or 10 am heat, I like to wake up 4 hours before. To understand why, read Sleep for Athletes

2nd reason: This is a real shitty topic to discuss, but coffee helps empty my bowels in the morning. Plain and simple.

3rd reason: I personally feel it helps with my reaction time. If Yohan Blake had a better reaction time on his 19.26 200m (it was 0.269 where his 100m reaction time was 0.174 in Daegu), he would have broken the world record with a 19.17 WR. Here is a detailed read on how to practice reaction times,

4th reason (but not the reason why I take it): it helps increase metabolism and burn fat. Even without working out, I can maintain a BF of less than 10% and I think that is attributed to my metabolism, with coffee being one of my reasons for staying lean.

5th reason (for long distance and marathon runners): it helps increases the blood level of free fatty acids available for metabolism, instead of using glycogen. This only works with slower running speeds. It also helps delay fatigue (or perceived fatigue) which is why you see caffeine in products like Goos, Gels, and Clif Shot Bloks.

Further studies and articles on coffee and caffeine on this Blog:

Most Popular articles for 2011:

400 meter Training and Racing:

800 meter Training: Training 800 meter runners

Sprint Starts: Usain Bolt training regimen video: The Start

Football 40 Yard Dash: 40 yard dash times for Usain Bolt & Ben Johnson

Baseball 60 Yard Dash: Baseball 60 yard dash: What’s a good time?

Recovery: Ice Baths for Workout Recovery

Supplements: Nutrition for recovery: The Post-workout drink controversy

Analysis: Usain Bolt’s 100m 10-meter splits and speed endurance

Strength Endurance: Matt’s 60-second pull up World Record Video

History of Ethical Cheating or Ergogenic Aids

Jimson Lee — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 09:02:00 +0000

Wow, did I ever get a lot of email from my ESPN Radio spot on Ethical cheating or Ergogenic aids. Thanks to everyone who emailed me. I apologize, I will not be able to answer everyone individually but I will cover all the topics I wanted to cover one by one here on this Blog.

So when do you think Ethical cheating or Ergogenic aids started?

I mentioned the 1904 Olympic marathon in the interview, but it goes way back.

Way back.

Would you believe the first Olympics in 776 BC?

The primary motivators were first strength based and (perceived) energy boosters, including stimulants.

Yes, the men (no women were allowed to compete) ate sheep’s testicles, and you thought reality TV was bad!. This, of course, was to believe the testicles would give them strength from the added testosterone!

By 1863, the Europeans, especially the French and the Dutch, were drinking Vin Mariani, which then contained 6 mg of cocaine per fluid ounce of wine! (1 fluid ounce = 28 mL) But the Americans were drinking similar drinks with 7.2 mg of cocaine per ounce! You guessed it, Coke!

By 1932, sprinters were experimenting with sublingual nitroglycerine to dilate their coronary arteries. This was the start of modern day nitric oxides products, including the use of Viagra in today’s athletes. And you can’t test positive for Viagra. At least not yet.

Another use of stimulants was with Benzedrine inhalers, which is primarily a bronchodilator, and later discovered to have an euphoric stimulant effect. If you’ve heard the term “bennies” in novels or TV, they are referring to the paper strips inside these inhalers which contained Benzedrine. They would roll up these strips of Benzedrine-laced paper, and swallow them with alcohol or coffee. Anything for a high. Idiots.

Back to Testosterone

The history of injectable Testosterone goes back to 1935, but it wasn’t until 1955 when John Ziegler (then the physician for the US weightlifting team), developed a modified synthetic Testosterone molecule with the chemical name methandrostenolone otherwise known as Dianabol.

Today, it is common for men of 50 years of age or older to visit their physician every 3 weeks for a testosterone injection to “correct their hormones levels”. (I won’t get into this argument with Masters Track and the use of TUE, or therapeutic use exemption). And you wonder how these 50 year old men have a body of a 30 year old? (cough cough… other than paying for her apartment and cell phone bill… inside joke, sorry guys, you know who you are!)

We’ve all heard the story of NFL locker rooms back in the 1960s where bowls of Dianabol were available for football players to sprinkle these little blue pills into their cereal bowl! (sorry, not that little blue pill)

By 1968, the use of steroids were rampant. I’m getting off topic here, because in 1968, there was no formal drug testing, so steroid use was allowed, making it an ergogenic aid. (Actually, there was drug testing, but the results were inconclusive)

Was it a level playing field? Possibly, if everyone was on it.

So until the IAAF catches up with research and drug testing, there are many ways to “legally” have an advantage in Track & Field and all sports in general.

Most Popular articles for 2011:

400 meter Training and Racing:

800 meter Training: Training 800 meter runners

Sprint Starts: Usain Bolt training regimen video: The Start

Football 40 Yard Dash: 40 yard dash times for Usain Bolt & Ben Johnson

Baseball 60 Yard Dash: Baseball 60 yard dash: What’s a good time?

Recovery: Ice Baths for Workout Recovery

Supplements: Nutrition for recovery: The Post-workout drink controversy

Analysis: Usain Bolt’s 100m 10-meter splits and speed endurance

Strength Endurance: Matt’s 60-second pull up World Record Video