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Diet/Nutritional suppliments for training

Thread Status: Hello , There was no answer in this thread for more than 60 days.
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Cliff Etzel

PFI Freedive Instructor in training, Photographer
Jul 7, 2000
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I am doing some initial research on this topic.

What types of foods, suppliments, etc. are you using, if any?

Why?

I am looking for statistical/research type info as well as personal experiences.
 
Herbal suppliments

I am currently using the following suppliments:

Yohimbe
Maca Root
Ginko Biloba
L-Arginine
Full Mens vitamin suppliment

with these I have also removed all pasta from my diet and reduced my caloric intake to between 1800 - 2500 calories a day. I am eating high quality protein (organic beef and poultry, veges and fruit, and rice as my main source of carbs).

This, along with my training, as contributed greatly to my efforts - I have lost a lot of my table muscle (30 lbs) so far, and my workouts are more productive.

Any thoughts on this?
 
supplements

Cliff, I use the Ultimate Protein System when weight training and prior diving and when diving for long periods. It provides 40g of protein with zero fats in 200 total calories and clears to stomach within five minutes. I also use soy proteins supplements as they help keep the cardiovascular system more elastic. I would use garlic as well but my wife had traumatic experience with garlic bread and too much wine about 25 years ago and still gets ralphy we she smells garlic or wine. I have no idea if this helps other than keeping my personal fat stores down and energy up. The UPS does help with muscle density if use 15 minutes before and after you lift as well using it during duration exercises. And it tastes good too. Angus
 
Cliff,

I am using the Met-RX meal replacement supplement for breakfast. I find it helps to ensure that I consume a measured amount of calories,fats and protien. I also find that it adds additional energy throughout the day. So far I've lost about 10 pounds using the supplement and stepping up my level of excercise.
 
Diet

I'm training hard right now, so I've changed my intake a bit.
I am 6'1", 175 lbs, and could still lose 5 lbs of fat, which would get me below 10% bodyfat. I want to put on some muscle, and have had good results with the following combination of ingredients:
No red meat or birds, only fish, eggs, soy, milk, vegetables, fruit, and a little pasta (ItchyBum Noodles).
10000 mgs of pure creatine with a spoon of sugar per day
3 meals of whey protein shakes per day
Syntrabol ( Isoinokosterone-200 mg), which is an anti-catabolic: 2 tabs p day
Fuzu (Tribulus Terrestris-150 mg,Fenugreek Seed-150 mgs, Dioscorea Deltoidea-150 mgs), which is a testosterone booster, appetite stimulant, and immune system booster : 2 tabs per day
Quest Premium Multivitamin: 1 per day
Ginger Root 500 mgs: 2 per day

It is very difficult for me to put mass on, and I get run down very quickly with heavy weight training, so all the anti-catabolics and boosters are important for me. Also, in the past, with lots of experience with weight training, I found that Creatine would not do anything unless I doubled the amount suggested by the manufacturer. 2 years ago, I had been stuck at 170 lbs, having put on 10 lbs of muscle over 7 years. When I doubled the creatine, I put on 15 lbs within 40 days.
I haven't used creatine for over a year, and I wouldn't stay on it for more than a couple of months. Some pro bodybuilders use 5 to 10 times the amount recommended, plus all the nasty stuff too!
Any comments or suggestions to my diet would be welcomed, thanks,
Erik Young.
 
My dietary intake

I have gone a totally different route than you Erik -

I am eating a lot of red meat - but here's the catch - it is organic, non BGH, non steroid fed free range beef from the Painted Hills in South Eastern Oregon. Cots a little more, but the taste and quality of it is so noticable that it is unreal. I am also doing DHEA and Tribullus and I have literally watched fat disappear and be replaced by muscle. I also use Twinlabs non-mahuang formula Ripped Fuel, L-Arginine and L-Lysine. To cap it off I am taking a multi-vitamin suppliment designed specfically for men.

This course along with aerobic weight lifting 5 -6 days a week and alternating swimming with and witout gear has put me in the best shape I have been in since high school (20 years).

I have very little intake of carbs as I seem to find that I immediately gain weight the day after I consume even small amounts. The High protein and vegetables diet I have been on has really made a great difference in my energy level and overall physique.

I'll post more later - I need to scoot to run a few errands...
 
Carbs

That sounds like a good diet Cliff, my reason for not eating redmeat and birds is three-fold; 1, all the antibiotics and steroids that they are fed in captivity, and 2, the fact that they are captive, especially the birds, and 3, all the evidence about red meat being such a huge factor with cancer. Asians (in Asia) have an incredibly low rate of breast, colon, and prostate cancer compared to North Americans. They eat more vegetables, very little meat, and lots of soy products. As for captive animals, no animal will produce high quality food for humans if it lives in a cage, with very little natural variance in it's diet. I wont rant too much about that, it's my opinion based on tons of reading on the subject, and based on my desire for a more natural state of affairs in the world. It's not easy, living in Alberta, the beef capital of Canada, where everyone drives a pick up truck with a gun rack (ok I'm exaggerating).
The low carb thing is definitely the way to go for losing fat; I went on a low carb diet a year anda half ago, and lost 10 lbs in a month. I was ripped, but I lost muscle too, so now I try to keep the carbs moderate, the protien high, and I don't worry about fat too much.
It sounds as if you've found a good system,especially with the free-range beef, methinks you should stick with it.
The only catch with all the supplements is that they cost more than steroids. Seriously.
Cheers,
Erik Young
ps, DHEA is illegal in Canada!
 
DHEA Illegal in Canada???

Well - I at one time use to be a lacto-ovarian vegetarian, but found that no matter how hard I tried, I never had any energy and was always gaining weight.

I truly miss eating carbo's and broke down last night and had pizza... mmmm :D

But I think the issue of the asians having a lower rate of cancer doesn't take into account that their diet has never really had beef as a part of their culture. Although I don't totally agree with it, I have read "Eating for your blood type" and it did get me to thinking about how different blood types can utilize foods differently.

By my utilizing free range beef and poultry, and only eating fish that I have speared myself, and combining it with orgainc vege's and fruits and lots of water, I know that I am getting the highest quality nutrition that is available to me.

The Tribulus that I take cost me $20.00 for 100 capsules. The ripped fuel, about $15.00. The amino acid L-Arginine is like $5.99 and L-Lysine the same amount. The vitamins are by Trader Joes and cost me $7.99 a bottle.

This may seem like a lot of money, but a question needs to be asked: How much is your physical health worth?"

It costs me less to do this routine then to go to the doctor all the time. I also feel it is important to take personal responsibility for one's own health and well being.

And I feel the best I have felt in close to 20 years.

Anyways, my $0.02 worth.
 
of these methods, which one's are "legal" i.e. not banned for sport which ones are banned in competition?

I presume creatine is banned in competition, right?
 
Creatine is legal for IOC/WADA sports, however DHEA is banned under IOC/WADA (and thus AIDA) rules. I'm not exactly sure how they would test for DHEA though.

Yohimbe (in my experience), although good for fat burning, is the most anti-breathold substance ever discovered. A large dose of yohimbe will make apnea (for me) feel terrible, cutting my time in half! Not to mention extreme anxiety, tachycardia, strange BP fluctuations, etc...

Personally I would choose an arginine compound rather than pure L-arginine. For example, arginine alpha-ketoglutarate or similar compound. However, I'm uncertain of the usefulness of arginine compounds for diving; they have an obvious use in bodybuilding... chicken breast has lots of absorbable arginine.

Here in BC we can get wild caribou at Hillsfoods; $71/kg for short loin. 2g of fat per 100g of meat (essentially fat free), extremely good tasting and tender, but extremely expensive....
 
Creatine is legal?!? Damn. I will hesitate before taking it though, because I have heard some horror stories...

I am also trying to figure out the ideal freediving diet... and i am a vegetarian. I have heard that eggs are good, and perhaps also baking soda. I also heard that garlic and onions are good. Vitamin E is supposed to be good. Iron too of course.

I don't know what the proper PH is for dynamic. My PB w/o fins is still a mere 68 meters.

Anyway, anything to increase my apnea time.
 
taking creatine in excess amounts will damage your liver, although in limited amounts its pretty safe, dont follow the instructions on the packages though, they supposedly purposely overstate the dosage, which will result in quicker results, but liver damage
 
I have just discovered a carbohydrate/protein shake called Rego, and it is great! I have it after training, and it makes the difference between late-night misery and feeling great. My training sessions are all late in the evening, and I can't eat afterwards because I get heartburn if I eat in the evening.

Lucia
 
efattah said:
Creatine is legal for IOC/WADA sports, however DHEA is banned under IOC/WADA (and thus AIDA) rules. I'm not exactly sure how they would test for DHEA though.

Yohimbe (in my experience), although good for fat burning, is the most anti-breathold substance ever discovered. A large dose of yohimbe will make apnea (for me) feel terrible, cutting my time in half! Not to mention extreme anxiety, tachycardia, strange BP fluctuations, etc...
....

hi Eric

what is yohimbe made of?

I am battling a little to get back into routine after Xmas and my recent holiday. I have some fat burners which are all "herbal" and don't contain ephedrine. They contain also some appetite suppressant. I find that they total upset the balance of my bodily functions (is that too much information? :yack)

I take horsetail and fucus if i can find it. We don't have proper water here, only desalinated. Even our bottled water is desal water, mineralised, made in Maldives. I don't know whether it's related but I get problems with water retention often. Is that from too much salt? I don't add extra salt on my food.
 
Yohimbe is from the bark of the yohimbe tree. It contains a substance called yohimbine, which is an alpha-2 adrenergic agonist (i.e. stimulates alpha-2 adrenaline receptors).

The best fatburner combo I have used (without side effects) is:
MM4 (combo of 4 fatburning herbs)
Guggulbolic (contains guggulsterones)
Beta-3 (contains octopamine)

All from Syntrax. The combo makes you really sweaty & hot, because of the increased metabolic rate. However, even with the above products, I wouldn't take such fatburners for more than two weeks at a time, before taking a break from them.
 
BlueIcarus said:
Maybe we should compose our own DB's recovery drink :)
That could be an idea - we combine the best of everything!
I don't know how it would taste, but if it improves our performance...
 
It must taste like deep blue :D (that can sound silly.. but hey aren't deodorants called 'ice blue' or even
'polar freshness' around?)
Lucia, I searched the internet about Rego drink and seems like perfect for me... is it too expensive?
I don't know where to get it, maybe at 'muscle shops' ? Looks like very natural and endurance-friendly
By the way... I use to gulp lots of this red-'black-animal-with-horns' energy drink. Its like a huge load of caffeine.. but has anyone idea about its side effects (short or long term?). B/C I feel like it gives you energy, but can drive you into overloading your body without feeling it and later you can feel (a few hours later) all of a sudden very very tired...
 
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BlueIcarus said:
By the way... I use to gulp lots of this red-'black-animal-with-horns' energy drink. Its like a huge load of caffeine.. but has anyone idea about its side effects (short or long term?). B/C I feel like it gives you energy, but can drive you into overloading your body without feeling it and later you can feel (a few hours later) all of a sudden very very tired...


i've mixed that with vodka... i was going all night!! (dancing) :ban
 
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