There is some truth to the assertion that supplementation has become necessary due to the fact modern agricultural practices don’t preserve the quality and nutrition of the soil, and hence, the abundance and diversity of nutrients in our food has declined since the introduction of synthetic fertilizers. This is bolstered by evidence that organically grown foods have been shown to have a greater density of nutrients. Thus, my recommendation is to choose organic foods, and create a diet that is naturally rich in nutrients, including fresh vegetables, grass-fed organic meats and organ meats, wild fish, sea vegetables and culinary herbs. Supplementation may be necessary however in a conventional diet, also known as the “Standard American Diet”, or SAD for short. For these people, taking a well-balanced multivitamin and mineral, along with essential fatty acids, seems like a good insurance policy – but in my estimation, still falls short of a healthy, sustainable approach. In my new book, Food As Medicine: The Theory and Practice of Food, I describe how to create an optimal diet based on the patterns described in traditional medicine. One key supplement that I frequently recommend however is vitamin D3, since it is very clear that we are not getting enough. Mostly this is because we spend less time outside, and when we do, we cover our bodies in sunscreen for fear of developing skin cancer. But it is also due to the fact that we don’t eat foods rich in vitamin D3 anymore, including oily fish and foods made with blood (e.g. blood sausage, black pudding). Such foods at one time formed an important part of the traditional diet.

I do use supplements in my practice, but I have become increasingly concerned about their quality, particularly because many of the starting ingredients are industrial chemicals (e.g. niacin).  Wherever possible, I recommend whole food supplements. The key thing to be aware of is that whole food supplements rarely contain the same strength as conventional vitamins. True – they might be absorbed better, but they might not have the same therapeutic potential unless they are taken in very high dosages, which makes the costs involved prohibitive. This is why a dietary-based approach makes the most sense.

- Multi-joint exercises (bench press, deadlifts, squats etc.)

- Heavy loads (85%-95% or six reps down to two reps)

- Multiple sets

- Short rest periods (under 60 seconds)

- Keep the workout under an hour to prevent a catabolic response.

- You would want to have at least two years of resistance training under your belt

Let’s assume that everything is healthy and in working order. When it comes to working out, one has several options. Without getting too fancy with exercises, here is a sample program if you like to do push/pull circuits:

1A) Bench Press

1B)  Deadlift

2A) BB Front Squat

2B) Lat-Pull Down with a pronated (overhand) grip

3A) Standing DB Shoulder Press

3B) Bent over DB Row

4A) DB Lunge

4B) Seated Cable Row with a pronated grip

Complete 1A then 1B, rest for up to 60 seconds and then repeat. Take at least 15-30 seconds to transition from A to B. You can also switch it around to keep it more as a superset circuit (Bench Press – Seated Cable Row with a pronated grip/Lat-Pull Down – Standing DB Shoulder Press etc.). When you finish 1A/B, move onto 2A/B.

Are you more of a straight set kind of person? Consider a program like this:

BB Deadlift

DB Alternating Bench Press

DB Step Up

Seated DB Shoulder Press

DB Lunge

Bent Over BB Row

DB Front Squat

Perform a set of deadlifts, rest for up to 60 seconds and then repeat. Once you finish your goal set range (4-6 sets), move onto the bench press. Even though it is a straight set workout, you can easily turn it into a circuit. If you decide to do this throughout the week, substitute the deadlift with a BB back squat towards the end of the week.

If you are like me and like compound sets, you can give this a whirl:

Chest

1) BB Bench Pres

2A) One arm DB chest press

2B) Push up with a clap

3A) Incline alternating chest press

3B) Incline push up release (perform a push up and on the way up, clear your hands off of the bench

4A) Standing cable chest press

4B) Medicine ball plyo push up (start in a push up position with the med ball underneath you and in line with your chest.  Perform a push up and as you explode on the way up, clear your hands off of the ground and have both hands land on the medicine ball.

Back/Shoulders

1) Slow pull up (slow your tempo on the way up, quicken the tempo on the way down

2A) Lat-Pull Down

2B) Seated cable row with a neutral grip

3A) BB Bent over row with an underhand grip

3B) Seated cable row with a pronated grip

4A) One arm DB Swing

4B) DB reverse fly

5) Standing DB Alternating Shoulder Press

Legs

1) BB Back Squat

2A) BB Romanian Deadlift

2B) DB Jump Squat

3A) DB Walking Lunge

3B) DB Single leg Romanian deadlift

4A) DB Step Up

4B) Split squat jumps

For all exercises, perform up to six sets up to eight reps. For the chest day, no more than eight reps per body weight exercise. For the lower body, no more than 6-8 reps for the jumps. The same concept of performance is the same as the superset routine previously explained. Don’t forget to stretch afterwards!p

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The point of all of this is that you can build muscle without the aid of supplements. The closest thing that I suggest to a client looking to build muscle is protein powder for the fast breakdown within the body. So how can you get bigger, faster and stronger without the aid of all of these supplements? The answer is simple, but the process may take a little longer than you want.

Let’s assume that everything is in working order. It has been theorized that the endocrine system can be manipulated naturally with resistance training to enhance the development of various target tissues, thereby improving performance.  If your goal is building muscle you want to take advantage of a few hormones. The primary ones to take advantage of are testosterone and growth hormone. When it comes to testosterone, both males and females release it. Males develop 10 times the amount than females though. Testosterone is the main hormone that interacts with skeletal tissue. It has direct and indirect affects on muscle growth.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Direct affect:

• Once secreted, testosterone will travel to the target tissues of your muscle cells. It will then go to the cell’s nucleus where it will cause an increase in protein synthesis. This means that once testosterone is released, it will go to the cells of your muscle all the way down to its nucleus. Once it’s there it will basically tell the body to increase protein buildup

Indirect affect:

• Testosterone will promote growth hormone responses in the pituitary gland (more on growth hormone later).
• Causes something called Insulin-like growth factor (IGF) to be released from the liver causing protein synthesis.
• Influence the central nervous system by increasing the amount of neurotransmitters and neuromuscular junctions which will enhance muscle size.
• May also have a role in central nervous system development in long-term training.

Other important roles of GH:

• Decrease of glucose utilization/synthesis
• Increases the availability of glucose and amino acids
• Increases the transportation of amino acids (protein) across cell membranes
• Increase protein synthesis
• Increase fat lipolysis (fat breakdown)
• Increase collagen synthesis
• Stimulate cartilage growth
• Control the effects of cortisol (your stress hormone)

Looking at these two particular hormones and their roles, it is no wonder people supplement themselves through outside sources. Like it was stated earlier, the answer to building muscle is easy but the process is more complicated. Now that the roles have been defined, how do you release the two hormones to its maximum potential? When it comes to designing your workout, consider the following:

For testosterone release:

• Keep the workout under 60 minutes to prevent the excessive release of cortisol and to prevent catabolic reactions.
• The majority of your workout should be multi-joint exercises. While everyone who wants to build muscle wants big biceps, concentrate on your larger muscles first. Rows, deadlifts, squats, bench presses, before biceps curls and triceps extensions.
• Exercise later in the day is more effective for increasing overall testosterone concentrations over an entire day.
• The intensity you are training at is anywhere between 85%-95% of your 1 Repetition Max. If you don’t know your 1RM, use a weight that you can lift between 2-6 repetitions.
• Multiple sets of multiple reps (6 sets of 6 reps or 4 sets of 3,3,3,3 for example).

This is important: Your rest periods should be less than 60 seconds. If you don’t have access to a clock, your rest should be just enough to where you can catch your breath.

For growth hormone release you can combine these two variables or choose one or the other:

• Workouts with higher lactate-concentrations and associated acid-base disruptions (i.e., high intensity, 10 RM or heavy resistance, with three sets of each exercise and short, 1-minute rest periods).
• Supplement your diet with carbohydrates and protein before and after your workouts.
• The rest of the guidelines are the same as testosterone in regards to time of day, exercise selection and duration of the workout.

I personally like a circuit training format to keep the heart rate up throughout. Straight sets can also be used, just keep in mind to keep your rest periods short. The type of workout is up to you. You can choose a variety of styles: Total body, upper body/lower body circuits, compound sets, supersets, split routines etc. Keep the weight heavy and keep it moving. You will be surprised how much you can get done in an hour. This first article was about understanding the roles of testosterone and growth hormone in the body as well as exercise variables to release it. The second half to this will be an actual sample exercise program over a few months.

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1. Vitamin B complex.

This water soluble vitamin plays a key role in cell metabolism, and is therefore critical to energy production in the body. Vitamin B12, like the other B vitamins, is essential for key metabolic processes. It helps in the development and maintenance of red blood cells, nerve cells, and the central nervous system. Vitamin B6, also called pyridoxine, is also a water-soluble nutrient that helps in the production of neurotransmitters, which are the chemicals that allow brain and nerve cells to communicate with one another. Pyridoxine also ensures that metabolic processes such as fat, carbohydrates and protein metabolism run smoothly.

2. African Mango (Irvingia Gabonesis)

Irvingia gabonensis is a tree, that is native to West Africa. Recent attention is now being focused on the seeds of this tree because of their high fiber content. The fiber increases removal of cholesterol from the body. Irvingia gabonensis seeds delay stomach emptying, leading to a more gradual absorption of dietary sugar. Like other soluble fibers, Irvingia gabonensis seed fibre can bind to bile acids in the gut and carry them out of the body in the faeces, which requires the body to convert more cholesterol into bile acids. This can result in the lowering of blood cholesterol as well as other blood lipids. In a study to evaluate the efficacy of Irvingia gabonensis seeds in the management of obesity performed at the Faculty of Science, University of Yaounde I, Cameroon, the following results were found.

This was carried out as a double blind randomised study involving 40 subjects (mean age 42.4 years). Twenty-eight subjects received Irvingia gabonensis (IG) (1.05 g three time a day for one month) while 12 were on placebo (P) and the same schedule. During the one-month study period all subjects were on a normocaloric diet evaluated every week by a dietetic record book. At the end, the mean body weight of the IG group was decreased by 5.26 ± 2.37% (p < 0.0001) and that of the placebo group by 1.32 ± 0.41% (p < 0.02). The difference observed between the IG and the placebo groups was significant (p < 0.01). The obese patients under Irvingia gabonensis treatment also had a significant decrease of total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, triglycerides, and an increase of HDL-cholesterol.”

3. Multivitamin

People who are dieting do not get enough essential vitamins and the body can become depleted of nutrients, which in turn can slow down your metabolism and can be extremely difficult to lose weight. A team of researchers for the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Centre in Seattle announced the results of a study involving nearly 15,000 subjects. After following the subjects’ medical histories, diets and supplement intakes for about ten years, the Hutchinson team found that multivitamins were associated with weight loss among subjects who were overweight or obese at the outset of the study. Undeniably, it makes sense to take a good multivitamin every day. It’s not heavy on the wallet and research is accumulating that long-term multivitamin use may provide a host of positive health benefits, besides weight loss.

As a general rule, supplements should be taken only after considering your own unique situation. Consult first with a knowledgeable health practitioner regarding safe doses, potential side effects, and interactions.  Here are four essential supplements to start off your day.

Calcium and Vitamin D

Calcium helps prevent osteoporosis (weak or brittle bones). Vitamin D helps your body use the calcium. Both of these minerals are necessary for your body to function properly. Vitamin D can be found in several food sources such as; fatty fish like salmon and mackerel, egg yolks, and foods fortified with the vitamin.  A sufficient dosage of vitamin D helps prevent osteoporosis, heart disease, and diabetes. Recent research findings are suggesting that vitamin D may even help prevent breast cancer.

Omega-3 fatty acids

Omega-3 fatty acids are considered essential fatty acids. They are essential to human health but cannot be manufactured by the human body. Therefore, omega-3 fatty acids must be obtained from food. Omega-3 fatty acids can be found in fish, such as salmon, tuna, and halibut, other marine life such as algae and krill, certain plants and nut oils.

Also known as polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), omega-3 fatty acids play a crucial role in brain function as well as normal growth and development. Some of the symptoms of omega-3 fatty acid deficiency include; fatigue, poor memory, dry skin, poor circulation, mood swings or depression, and heart problems.

It is important to maintain an appropriate balance of omega-3 and omega-6 (another essential fatty acid) in the diet, as these two substances work together to promote health. Omega-3 fatty acids help reduce inflammation, and most omega-6 fatty acids tend to promote inflammation. A healthy diet should consist of roughly 2 – 4 times more omega-6 fatty acids than omega-3 fatty acids.

Vitamin B12

Vitamin B12, also known as cyanocobalamin, is a water-soluble vitamin. After the body uses these vitamins, leftover amounts are discarded from the body through the urine. Typically, water-soluble vitamins can not be stored by the body. Vitamin B12 is unique, because the body can store it for years in the liver. Because of this, a vitamin B12 deficiency is very rare.

Vitamin B12, like the other B vitamins, is essential for key metabolic processes. It helps in the development and maintenance of red blood cells, nerve cells, and the central nervous system. Several good food sources can be found in eggs, meat, poultry, shellfish, milk, and milk products.

Probiotics

Probiotics are living organisms commonly found in dairy products and other foods that can provide potential health benefits. Basically, they are “good bacteria” used to increase the number of friendly bacteria in your stomach. Probiotics have been marketed for the treatment of many ailments including diarrhea, constipation, gas, irritable bowel syndrome, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and more generally inflammation.

Probiotics can be found in foods like yogurt bearing the live and active cultures label. When choosing a probiotics supplement it is important to read the label and make sure the supplement contains at least one billion organisms.

Do you use any of these supplements or have questions? Be the first to comment below:

1. Vitamin B complex. This water soluble vitamin plays a key role in cell metabolism, and is therefore critical to energy production in the body.
2. Cordyceps. A traditional Chinese medicinal fungus that grows on Tibetan caterpillars Proponents say cordyceps improves your energy level and endurance and reduces fatigue.
3. Magnesium and calcium. Magnesium is a mineral that is involved in over 300 reactions in the body. Most importantly, it activates enzymes, contributes to energy production, and helps regulate calcium levels as well as copper, zinc, potassium, vitamin D, and other important nutrients in the body. Higher-calcium diets favor burning rather than storing fat and that makes this nutritional supplement a great choice to help increase energy.
4. Eleuthero (Eleutherococcus senticosus). A woody shrub from northeastern Asia with properties similar to those of ginseng, Eleuthero is one of the most popular herbs in Chinese medicine and can normalize body functions and invigorate vital energy.
5. Coenzyme Q10. Also referred to as Co Q₁₀ or ubiquinone, this nutrient is a vitamin-like compound that can increase cell energy levels and strengthen the body’s antioxidant defense network.
6. D-Ribose. This naturally occurring organic compound is a carbohydrate and is therefore a good source of energy for the body. This nutritional supplements can be used for dealing with chronic fatigue.
7. Ginseng (American or Asian). This herb helps increase energy by improving cell’s production of ATP and CP. Both are defined in the West as adaptogens as well as immune modulators, cardiac tonics and antioxidants.  In other words, this equates with enhanced energy production and utilization resulting in increased physical performance.
8. Rhodiola rosea. An adaptogenic herb used for centuries in traditional medicine. It boosts the breakdown of fat cells and that in turn can actually assist the body to burn fat better and help with weight reduction and improved metabolism.

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Micronutrients are vitamins, minerals, and other compounds that your body needs in small amounts in order to accomplish certain functions such as regulating your metabolism or detoxification.  Micronutrients also talk to our genes, signaling them to turn on or off, which can mean all the difference between our chances of developing a chronic disease like diabetes or not.  Micro nutrition works system-wide at a cellular level, generally upstream of the pathways targeted by pharmaceutical drugs.

In other words, you might be able to get by without micronutritional supplements, but when they’re missing, the mechanisms for developing disease can be set in motion. The emerging study of how nutrients talk to our genes to prevent or induce these diseases is known as nutrigenomics. This is the underlying concept for why it’s so important for us to get the vitamins and minerals our bodies need every day!

When it comes to vitamins and supplements, however, it is best to speak with a clinician who understands nutrition and who can make the appropriate recommendations based on your healthcare needs, helping you to design and implement a dietary and supplementation regime that speaks best to your own health goals, medical history, lifestyle, and genetic make-up.

As always, a healthy diet with plenty water, rest and moderate exercise should be maintained along with nutritional supplementation.  If you would like support in assessing your health status, please consult with your healthcare provider to ensure that your healthcare goals are addressed or call us for further information.

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