This is something i get asked a lot - what are the best MMA Supplements to take.
Supplements can be broken down into a few categories
Sport supplements
Vitamin Supplements
Food Supplements
I have chosen 3 supplements from each category which i use myself and which i would recommend if you are serious about your training, health and nutrition.
Sports supplements
1. BCAA's - you may be surprised by this as my top choice was not protein powder - i think we all know by now protein powder assists in muscle repair and recovery, but taking things one step further i have decided to opt for BCAA's.
BCAA's are Branched chain amino acids, they come in tablet or liquid form (Tablet is better as im yet to find a liquid that tastes anything remotely close to nice)
The Tablets are taken at a dose of 2 capsules twice a day preferably on an empty stomach - if your training uber hard then the dose can be upped to 2 three times per day split throughout the day
BCAA's are fantastic for recovery of sore muscles, no matter what your doing really, MMA, muay thai, BJJ, Luta Livre, Krav maga, Austrian bear wrestling...your working your muscles hard and tearing down muscle fibres, without adequate intake of amino acids (which are the building blocks of protein) you will not be recovering as quick as you could be.
BCAA's Can be purchased here
2. NO2 Supplements - these are primarily pre workout drinks, taken to give you a boost of energy and help you train harder.
Most of them contain Caffeine and Arginine - Caffeine wakes you up and gives you the pre workout buzz, Arginine Converts into Nitric oxide (NO2) which causes Vasodlation (widening of blood vessels) this allows more blood to be carried to the muscles giving them the 'pumped' feeling.
Ive tried a lot of NO2 supplements but have found 2 in particular to be very impressive
No xplode and
Garnell Enrage Both Very similar i find Garnell Enrage gives me a quicker 'buzz' but no-xplode lasts longer - off the two products i prefer No-xplode.
BSN No-xplode
3. Creatine - Creatine has been around since the early 80's. It has always been used for any sport that involves explosive movements, over the past few years Creatine has evolved quite a bit sporning different variations such as Creatine Ethyl Ester, Creatine Gluconate, and more recently
Kre alkalyn
Kre Alkalyn is touted as the 'Next generation' of Creatine, mainly because it gives all the effects of regular creatine, without the side effects of water retention and muscle cramps which is a common side effect of regular creatine monohydrate.
That being said if adequate water is taken (2 - 3 litres per day) the side effects are minimal.
Creatines benefits are
Increased Power
Delayed Lactic Acid build up
Muscle Cell Volumization (bigger muscles)
Increased ATP (muscle Energy)
from all the ones ive tried i would recommend
Kre Alkalyn at a dose of 3 tablets twice per day. The main thing i like about
Vyomax Kre Alkalyn is that i get very good strength gains with it but i dont gain weight, due to it not causing water retention.
If you are looking for a creatine and dont mind the added weight factor i would recommend
Reflex Creapure which is availbale in both
Capsules and
Powder
Vitamin Supplements
We are all told to eat our greens and take our Vitamins but there are thousands of vitamins which ones should be take and for what purpose?
Again ive rounded it down to the top 3 i think are a must if you are training regularly, these along with everything else ive mentioned in this post are fine to take no matter what sport you are doing.
1. Vitamin C - Good old vitamin C gets rid of colds (apparently) heals wounds, gets rid of Scurvy...but the main reason an athlete would take it would be for its antioxidant properties. Vitamin C is a fantastic Antioxidat which means it helps to get rid of free radicals that build up in the body ( Free radicals are nasty little things that weaken are immune system and attack us from the inside) everybody gets them.
A prime culprit for the build up of free radicals is overtraining - overtraining muscles puts a lot of stress on your body causing a build up of Free radicals - this leads to a weakend immune system making it easier to pic up illnesses/infections/diseases etc..
Vitamin C at a dose of 1000mg per day should be sufficient some people like to break the tablets in half and split the dose, personally i take 1 tablet of 1000mg Time release Vitamin C which breaks down slowly through out the day.
Vitamin C
2. Zinc - Zinc taken anywhere between 15mg - 30mg is an excellent mineral to take.
Similar to Vitamin C in that it boosts the immune system and helps with wound healing, it also good for the male hormone Testosterone - zinc can be taken in both Chelate form and picolonate form which both have good absorption rates
Zinc
3. B Vitamin Complex - B vitamins can be taken individually, but i prefer to take a complex tablet which gives either 50mg or 100mg of each B vitamin (depending on which strength you buy).
B vitamins are fantastic for the bodys nervous system. A lot of people take a high dose B vitamin in times of stress or anxiety, They are also a very good immune booster.
B vitamins taken in a high dose are good for energy production, they help the body get the best from the foods we eat helping to metabolise proteins and carbohydrates.
Vitamin B6 & B12 are esceially useful. B6 is good if you ahve a high protein diet as it helps the body breaks down the proteins and B12 is very improtant for energy production as it helps to increase red blood cells, red blood cells carry oxygen around the body - more oxygen = more energy.
Solgar B complex High Strength B Vitamins
Food supplements
1. CoQ10 - may not strictly be a food supplement but it is definetly a staple part of my supplement intake.
This may start to sound like a cheesy commercial but bare with me - Have you ever felt tired during the day, get a 3pm slump like you cant be bothered doing anything...we try CoQ10.
I started taking this about 3 months ago and love it, it is mainly taken for Energy purposes
CoQ10 is made in every cell of your body and is the 'spark plug' of your cells providing a sustained release of energy throughout the day, rather than a caffeine type immediate hit of energy followed by a slump in energy.
I would recommend 100mg of CoQ10 per day - avoid the 10mg ones for £1.50 i have seen in supermarkets that would not be enough Q10 to power my cat for the day.
CoQ10
2.Cherry Active - Cherry Active has been around for a few years now but only recently has it gained significant press from the MMA world, given the buzz around it i decided to give it ago and must say im very impressed.
i have been on Cherry Active consistantly for over 2 months now my recovery time from aches and pains is much improved, i used to get quite a bit of pain in my left knee and left hamstring which have both cleared up since using Cherry active.
A good recommend dose is 30ml in the morning with your breakfast, once bottle of cherry active juice will last for 1 month
Buy Cherry Active here
3. Spiulina - Spirulina another very powerful antioxidant, comes in Tablets or powder form.
It has more health properties than i care to mention but briefly it is a very good source of protein, it helps to strengthen and boost the immune system, Improves you Gut health (digestive tract) Aids fat loss (not in a conventional Fat loss tablet way but it definetly cleans you out)
I would highly recommend anyone who does a lot of cardiovascular work to try spirulina, i have used it before thai boxing and before running - my aerobic capacity is defnietly improved with taking spirulina
If im using the Powder i will have about 5g in a smoothie mixed with berries and yoghurt if im taking the tablets i'll take 3 in the morning or before a workout.
Buy Spirulina here