If you care about your health and performance enough to supplement with Vitamins and Minerals, then you should be paying attention to when and how to take them. Lets face it, Supplements are expensive and most of us take them without REALLY knowing the What, Why and How for each. Because the marketing machine behind supplement sales is strong, we just buy and consume. So lets put all of our bottles on the table and dive in on some important timing aspects to your daily SUPP game.
Health in Pill form. This is truly a 21st century invention. It all started with basement chemists, concocting mineral formulations and touting them as “the cure all elixir” or the “only Pill you’ll ever need”. Supplement makers used to be known as quack scientists who were selling placebos and pipe dreams. Today, although there is actual science in many supplements, the sales pitch is not far off what it once was 100 years ago. But… they got us. We are buying the products because we want to be healthy and strong. So it is on us now to understand when and how to take these supplements .
Here are some key Supps and the ‘How to’ so you can get the most out of them.
Fish Oil: Probably the most prolific supplement out there. Its high Omega-3 fats make it very popular with the heart conscious crowd. The right time to take Fish Oil is either mid day or just before bed. I prefer bed time because of the studies I have read regarding cardiac and nervous system benefits. As I will go into in a moment, Bed time is when you will also take other Fat Soluble supplements which need Fish Oil to help in absorption.
Magnesium: if you are someone who does not get enough legumes or dark leafy green veggies then you should be exploring magnesium. If you have issues sleeping and want to avoid taking medication, explore magnesium. This is one of the most common minerals in the body and is the counter point to calcium in the body. Magnesium should be taken at night because it binds to the the GABA receptors in your nervous system to calm you and help sleep happen. benefits also include GUT repair and lowering blood pressure when taken at night.
Vitamin D : For those folks who spend most of their day in front of a computer screen, in an office; there is a high likelihood that you are not getting enough Vitamin D. Few foods produce Vitamin D so we are literally at the mercy of the SUN interacting with our Skin to give us what we need. Vitamin D is more than a Vitamin it is a Hormone. It is responsible for everything from your mood to the structure of your bones. Vitamin D Supplements are all fat soluble so they are best taken with a meal that contains healthy fats. Morning supplementation with eggs, avocado, or bacon is a good option. I prefer taking Vitamin D at night with my Fish Oil because of what I have read about its effects on nervous system repair and athletic performance.
BCAA: Full disclosure here. I supplement with BCAA but I truly believe that the most QUACK science is involved in the production of this particular supplement. Leucine, Iso-Leucine and Valine are Cheap to buy and easy to formulate. There is NO oversight into production as the Amino Acids are as common as the foods you eat….. which begs the question about wether I should just save my money and double down on a whole food diet.!!! Butttt…. here we are. Take BCAA supplements Before and After training. Just hitting the body once with this cheap supplements is not going to get you the desired effect. Pre workout it is great for managing fatigue and muscle damage. Post workout it is essential to manage soreness and repair.
Zinc: Zinc is a fickle mineral and usually gets bullied off receptor cites by calcium and Iron. For this reason I Suggest taking it in the morning with a healthy fat to ensure optimal absorption. Optimizing Zinc absorption is important for athletes because of its effect on healing and inflammation control. There is also a very clear pathway for zinc to aid in hormone balancing through its effect on the thyroid.
Iron: Did you know that many of us ‘HARDCORE’ exercisers are borderline anemic? This is a condition where our Red Blood Cell count is depleted because our body cannot keep up with the turn over that is happening in the Bone marrow and the spleen. I take a Beef Liver pill by @vitalproteins which has shown to work on my blood panels. There are straight Iron pils you can take but no matter what type, you should be taking them during the middle of the day and without food. Competition in the GUT for absorption is high and supplemental Iron is quickly passed through the small intestine if there is a lot of food in with it.
So here is your supplement timing guide. I may not have hit them all but it is a good place to start.
I will leave you with an important point on supplements that I briefly hit above. I challenge you to question what you are supplementing with a comprehensive blood panel screening. You do not know what you need until you see inside your blood. I also challenge you to CLEAN UP YOUR DIET. Whole Foods are much cheaper and have a higher concentration of many (bioavailable) Vitamins and Minerals than Supplements. We live in a world of marketing and mis-education.
Think for yourself. Love Yourself and Ill be here to help you along the way.
Love,
Eric
Programming Notes 6/24-6/28 *** The Super Sets continue this week. Push/Pull Squat and just a little hinge…. Ok its a lot of going below parallel but that is what its all about. Enjoy the aerobic work towards the end of the week.
6/24
Baseline:
2X
500m Row
50 high Knee Rope Skips
10 banded Good Mornings
10 Lateral Banded Monster Walks (each way)
10 Banded Iron Cross
10 Banded Supine Pull Aparts
10 Prone Banded Pull Aparts
10 Banded Squats
Barbell Snatch Prep:
7@ Each:
-High Pull
-Muscle Snatch
-Back Rack Press
-Overhead Squat
-Snatch Balance
-Hang Power Clean
-Hang Squat Clean
Snatch Complex:
Every :90 for 7 Rounds
*** You choose the weight***
-Snatch High Pull
-Hang Power Snatch
-2X Full Snatch
-2X Overhead Squats
WOD;
10-1
Power Snatch 95/65 or 115/75??
*30 Double Unders After Each Round
6/25
Baseline;
Baseline:
500m Row
3X
10 Lateral Lunges
10 Single Leg Toe Touches
10 Deadbug Ipsa lateral Reaches
8 Burpee Tuck Jumps
Squat Flow: Squat Flow: Kang Squat, Internal Rotation, Ankle Roll Out, Bootstraps, PNF Stretch, Squat W/ T Spine Stretch
Strength Work;
Split Squat
5-5-5-5-5
*5 On each leg*
SUPERSET With,
3 Seated box Jumps to 30/24” Box
Strength Workout:
2 Rounds or Time,
50 Dumbbell Step Ups *you choose height/weight
200 M D Ball carry
50 Air Squats
200m D Ball Carry
6/26
Baseline:
4X :30 @ Each.
-Jumping Jacks
-Arm Circles
-Cherry Pickers
-Divebomber Push Ups
-Elbow To Instep Lunges
Strength Work:
Strict Ring Dips
10-10-10-10-10
Super Set With;
:20 L Hang On Pull Up Bar
**Active Shoulder not passive!!!**
Power Intervals:
5 X 5:00 intervals
*Goal is to match time within :10 each round
15 Toes To bar
30 Cal Row
15 Lateral Burpee Over Rower
6/27
Baseline:
500m Row
3X
12 Banded Pass Thru
10 Single Arm Banded Press
12 Dumbbell Windmills
10 Scapula Pull Ups
Strength:
Kneeling Landmine Press
10-10-10-10
*each arm
Super Set with;
8 Strict Pull Ups
WOD:
“Cindy”
20 Minute AMRAP
5 Pull Up
10 Push Up
15 Ari Squats
6/28
Baseline:
30 Cal on Air Runner
10 Box Pistol Squat (5 Each Leg)
12 Lateral KB Goblet Lunge
5 Inchworm Push Ups
20 Cal on Air Runner
10 Box Pistol Squat (5 Each Leg)
12 Lateral KB Goblet Lunge
5 Inchworm Push Ups
10 Cal on Air Runner
10 Box Pistol Squat (5 Each Leg)
12 Lateral KB Goblet Lunge
5 Inchworm Push Ups
Banded Mobility;
-Lat Band Stretch
-Bully Stretch
-Scapula Distraction Stretch
Aerobic Conditioning:
800m Run
50 Overhead Squats 45/35
800m Run
50 Thrusters 65/55
800m Run
50 Back Rack Lunges 95/65
240719 "Timing is Everything; Especially Supplements"
