Dear ElasticSteel practitioners,

Over the years I have been asked over and over again what food supplementation I personally use. The truth is I use many supplements to help me with my training.  Very often the topics of the emails I get focus on nutrition.  Today I decided to go over some of the more common supplements that I use and why I use them. Once you have this information, you can go to your local pharmacy, order them online, get them from ElasticSteel website or somewhere else. The bottom line, treat this article as a bit of an educational issue.

Regardless of what type of stress you are under negative (such as work related) or positive (such as going out with friends late at night) depletes your body of Vatamin B. Exercise is another example of positive stress, however  when you exercise, your body requires a lot of energy, which depletes B-vitamins. Often enough adding B-vitamins to your diet, through B-rich foods or supplementations, brings quick energy boosts. And since everything in your body is co-related; once your energy goes, so does your good mood.

When I workout or train other people, I know that my mood can have a huge effect on the productivity of the workout. To stay in a good mood and supply my body with a constant flow of energy I supplement with B-Vitamins.

You can get any B Vitamins you like. The B-Vitamin Complex that I use is called Max Stress B-Vitamins. The advantage of this particular supplement is that it comes from natural sources, no additives, or artificial ingredients are added and they are presented in easy to absorb and assimilate form. Usually, I take ½ - 1 full tea spoon a day of this supplement, depending on the level of stress I predict in the day.

Gall Bladder and Liver Support.

Many years ago, in conversation with a doctor of Chinese Medicine I learned that gall bladder, is responsible for psychological and physical flexibility of a person. I was also advised to take herbs to help my liver and gall bladder function. This is especially important in the spring. This can also be done in the fall. I only began to believe in it, when I tried it. The two supplements that I use for liver and gall bladder are Gold Coin Grass and Glutathione. Gold Coin Grass is an excellent gall bladder supplement. You can probably get it in different forms, but the product I use is called Gallballder Nano. I take up to 2 tea spoons a day. As for Glutathione, which is one of the strongest known antioxidants, I take 6 capsules a day.

Green Tea

I started using Green Tea a few years ago, when one of my friends, who is also very much into flexibility training research, told me about green tea being very useful for tendon and connective tissue flexibility. I take 1-2 tea spoons a day. Green tea has many other benefits that I’m sure you are all familiar with; I take it for my tendons and joints.

Muscle power requirements.

Some products I only take on certain occasions, and this is one of them. When I work on power, I take natural form of creatine, which helps me to “survive” intense training. Once again, I only take this product when I train extra hard. This product is called Muscle Power Boost and I take .1-.3 gm per kg of my bodyweight, depending on the expected intensity.

Extra Energy

I use these two products in combination with B-Vitamins, only when I feel like I am going to need all the energy I can get. The products are called CoQ-Quinol and Core Gingko.  I take ½ -1 full tea spoon a day of CoQ-Quinol, broken up into 2 doses. Core Gingko, which contains ginseng and other adaptogen and energy herbs, I take 30 drops, 3 times a day.

Joint Support.

I only take the following supplement, when the movements take my joints into extreme range of motion or place my joints under new stress. Supplementing just gives me an extra caution to avoid injury and develop new skills more smoothly:

Bone and Joint Complex. I take 12 caps a day, broken up into 3 doses (Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner).

Vitamin C Complex. I take 1-2 capsules, with Breakfast and Lunch.

EFA Oil Blend. I take 2-3 Caps with Each Meal. I can increase it up to 5-6 Caps 3 times a day, if I get inflammation.

Vitamin E. The few times that I got tested, the results showed vitamin E deficiency. This is common in most athletic individuals. I take ½ tea spoon with Breakfast and sometimes with Lunch.

Zinc. This is also a commonly deficient nutrient. I take Zinc Assay 1 tea spoon a day with Breakfast and Lunch.

As far as food supplements, I take Enzymes to help digest food. I like Catalyst 7, been using it for many years. I take 2 caps with every meal.

I also use Greening Powder because of its PH balancing capability and nutritional benefits. I take 3-4 caps with each meal.

Finally two supplements are reserved for the cases of stubborn inflammation. When the pain and stiffness in the joints takes a little bit too long to leave, I take Protein digestive enzymes and a product called Inflammacidin, which contains herbs that get rid of inflammation. I take Inflamacidin ¼ tea spoon 3 times a day.

As for Proteases I take those 2-4 capsules 3 times a day. 90 minutes after food and 30 minutes before food. Note on Proteases. If you have Gastritis or Ulcers, you should not use this product.

There you have it. 80% of the time, I use the above supplements. If you decide to try them for your specific need, let it be of help with your flexibility, to reduce pain and inflammation or for more energy, I recommend starting slow. Take ¼ of the dose and see how you feel.

The above supplements are very powerful and you want to introduce them gradually into your body. Even if I have taken a break from any specific supplement; I would still take a few days and reintroduce it into my system. 

As always please consult your physician, before taking any supplements. If you feel like your doctor doesn’t know much about supplements, consult someone who is licensed and trained in the field.

Stay strong and flexible.

Warm Regards,

Paul