I’m new here, so maybe this has already been discussed, but I’m curious to know what the general consensus is regarding common athletic supplements (protein and creatine) and Martial Arts training. Has anyone out there had any experiences - either success or failure - in the use of these supplements? I have used these in the past while training for various activities, however, as a new student to Kung Fu, I’m not sure if they would have a good or bad effect on my progress.
Depends on your goals. If you are going to be weight training (for strength or mass), you definitely should have a good amount of protein. As for general health, I personally take Nature’s Plus Ultra One daily vitamin, Folic Acid, and EPA/DHA Omega 3’s. I notice that I don’t catch colds or get sick nearly as often as opposed to when I don’t take them (mainly the MV), and Folic Acid is good on the ole ticker.
Check with your teacher as well, especially about his views on weight training. We could catch and correct a problem early on this one. 
A martial artist should have a balanced and healthy diet but he or she should start using any supplements.
Here are some supplements that should be used by martial artists intelligently:
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Multi-Vit
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Joint supplements
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Whey Protein
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Water
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Emergen’c supplement.
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Creatine
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Fat Burners (use moderately)
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Anti-oxident supplements
Thx
Thanks for the suggestions, I’ll keep them in mind. The emergen-c sounds like a good idea. I think I’ll start with some protein and creatine and see how it goes. Thx again guys.
I would’nt really call protein powders supplements - good as food for the most part, and usually cheaper.
Creatine, well, same deal as protein, though I’m hesitant to come out and call it food, as it is only a part.
For me, here’s my list:
multivitamin
glucosamine
calcium
protein powder
powerdrive
surge
hot-rox (will start on alpha male a week after this bottle of HR is out, have used Tribex before to great effect)
gatorade
Mmmmm… Especially when put into the blender with 1 cup of yogurt, a whole orange, and a whole banana…
So, we’re getting married, right?
Thanx, but I prefer to leave the red-skinned nightmeres alone… 
I taken Creatine and Whey protein I found them useless and a waste of money.
I taken massgainers stopped taking them for a year went back to my normal size.
If you want to get “big"be prepared to spend big.You do not need to take protein shake ala Whey or anything like that.Your body needs very little protein to function which is easily obtainable thru food.Now if you want to use Protein to increase your muscle size guess what you still do not need a protein shake.
Average Protein shake yields 20-30g per serving of course you can double it.
But you can easily get your protein body weight thru food.And how do I know this because I do it.As a stomach doctor said to me when I asked him how do I gain weight he said one simple thing"eat” I noticed alot of people mentioned other supplements such as Antioxiants and fat burners and so on.Heres what I love to say about this fact:Japanese live in a fairly polluted state (Tokyo is similar to Newyork)work harder than most Americans(Japanese works7-9)smokes,drinks yet still have the second longest life exp.then Americans.Japanese do not have Vitamin shops like we have in America and Japanese do not take any supplements like we do as far as antioxiants,fatburners and multi.Their great health is followed by their incredible diet.So yes taking supplements has their benefits but its do much easier to just eat a healthy diet cheaper too I bet.
. . . That was a bad picture.
Roids
Speed
Protein
Water
Crack
Pot
mikkyou, I’ll address one of your points - the price of protein. You said it’s cheaper to get your macronutrient and micronutrient supplies from a regular diet. It’s certainly not in Oz, and I highly doubt it is in Japan given the urban legends about the price of meat in Tokyo. I would love to get all my protein intake from meat, but it’s not realistic. E.g. if I could get good steak for AUD$10/kg I’d be pretty lucky. Beef is around 22% protein. So I’d be paying ~$45/kg for the protein content. Decent fish I’d be happy to pay $20/kg, and the protein content is the same, so about ~$90/kg of protein. Protein powder I pay $26/kg for one and $33/kg for the other, so it just works out much cheaper for me to boost my protein intake from powder. I’d much prefer to eat fish and red meat all day long, but I just can’t afford it.
There are some other points of yours that I’d like to address, but I can’t be bothered right now.
IMO if you have a good balanced diet (3 main meals, 2 secondary meals, plenty of lean proteins, carbs, vegetables and fruit) you should not need ANY supplements. Supplements (and more …) are needed only to … supplement … a lacking diet, or in extreme cases of depletive sports (eg ironman competitors) or mass “sports” (eg pro bodybuilders).
Wall
I highly doubt it is in Japan given the urban legends about the price of meat in Tokyo
American steak in Japan is not to expensive.Most Japanese eat fish which is not to expensive as well.You do not have to get all your protein from meat I do not see Japanese eating as much meat as Americans lol.Lets see milk and yogurt have great amounts of protein.Soy products have excellent source of protein.Nuts another good source,beans another source.Lets see a can of tuna cost 0.50cents to $1.00 equals about 33g of protein so it would cost about $14.00 for a month supply if eaten everyday.Beans are about 0.59cents a can thats 28gram of protein the same amount as a protein shake.Yogurt has 10grams of protein add 3servings of soynuts you got 40grams of protein for about a $1.00.add to servings off oatmeal with the yogurt shake you got yourself easily 50grams protein.Lets talk about pasta.The average
person does not eat 2oz of pasta the average person for a plate of pasta is a cup or 2 another 28grams of protein.I use this as examples that you can get all your protein from food.By the way God only knows what crap is in those protein shake
some of it has drugs equilvent to Speed :)Heres a question how much do you weigh? And I can show you in dietary plan you can get the body weight of protein in food.
Is ~4-5% protein. Milk’s a pretty cheap source of protein actually, which is why I drink around 2L a day. More on weekends when I’m close to the fridge.
I’m not a fan of soy. I’ll eat soy beans in a tuna casserole or stew or soup or salad or whatever, but soy isn’t something I like eating too much of. Reasons have been discussed here many times.
Yeah, I eat a bit of them.
I eat a can a day. Our cans in Oz only have about 16g protein and even 1 can/day is too much according to some sources - the whole mercury thing. IIRC the recommendation is more like 2-3 cans a week.
Love it.
Yeah, I don’t mind pasta, although I try to avoid it. If I’m going to eat it, I prefer to have some exercise planned for afterwards to burn off.
Really? I’m surprised it’s not more expensive or more popular. Got any evidence to back up that statement? Anyway, my protein’s pure. The chemical composition is listed on the packet and website I buy it from. I don’t buy premixed shakes, I buy pure protein and make my own shakes. In fact I’m gunna have one now - whey protein concentrate, calcium caseinate, milo, nutmeg, cinnamon and milk, then I’m going to bed :).
I weigh 86kg currently, and I like to get around 200g of protein a day. I prefer minimal carbs, although I like to eat a lot of fibre and leafy greens.
Snap, if Speed-equivalent compounds are in protein mixes, then why do I not feel the Speed-equivalent effects? Maybe I’m too saturated with creatine from all the meat I eat.
I think this should be a part of the Worst of the Worst: Training Myths Debunked thread.
If you would, please cite some sources for your (mis)information with regards to diet and training.
Oh, just a little afterthought: we here are not training to be healthy as the Average Joe. We are training to be healthier. Much healthier. If you hadn’t noticed, the world is getting fatter, more depressed, and is going to start living shorter lives. We don’t want to be that. We want to be extraordinary.
Supplements: they can be used to supplement a lacking diet, but they can also be used to facilitate nutritional intake beyond what we can generally eat at a meal, allowing more effective training.
It’s a preferance thing for me. I don’t like to eat a heavy breakfast. A fruit smoothy with 2/3 scoop of protein shake tasts good, fills me up and never gets boreing… I also just don’t like meat much. It’s not that I’m a vegitarian or anything. I just don’t eat much meat… Not enough to maintain a health muscle mass, anywho. I don’t supliment, I start loosing some of my strength and endurence. I’m one of the smallest adults in my kwoon, so loosing endurance isn’t much fun when Sifu is on one of his sparring kicks. :o
if Speed-equivalent compounds are in protein mixes, then why do I not feel the Speed-equivalent effects
Maybe your protein shake does not have it which is why you don’t feel it duh sound logical?Speed like substances as in increased heart rate,“jitters” and so on.
If you would, please cite some sources for your (mis)information with regards to diet and training.
On which subject on diet and training be more specific please.
Average Joe. We are training to be healthier. Much healthier. If you hadn’t noticed, the world is getting fatter, more depressed, and is going to start living shorter lives. We don’t want to be that. We want to be extraordinary.
Which is why I stated the fact about the Japanese and Okinawans who have the longest life would that not be the healthiest and living pass 100 be extra-ordinary?
they can be used to supplement a lacking diet, but they can also be used to facilitate nutritional intake beyond what we can generally eat at a meal, allowing more effective training.
Sure if you eating cookies and cakes lol.Do you really need to take Lycopene pills or can you get it from eating a tomoto.Do you need garlic pills or can you add the garlic to the tomato sauce?Point is the healthiest longest living people do not supplement with pills and so on they get it all from diet they get plenty of exercise and are still able to function like a 60yr old at 100yrs of age.
Some people have digestive issues with sertain types of food. Acid reflux makes eating garlic and tomatos he!!. Much better to find alternative nutrient sources, yes? And saying the asians (I’m assuming this one) don’t supliment is BS. They don’t usually pop pills, no, but they do suppliment. They usually use potiens, teas, and other holistic treatments… :rolleyes:
God only knows what’s in them, though.
On which subject on diet and training be more specific please.
Diet. I’ve had my fill of training fallacies.
Which is why I stated the fact about the Japanese and Okinawans who have the longest life would that not be the healthiest and living pass 100 be extra-ordinary?
Specifics - names, dates of birth and death, would be great. I’m rather familiar with the long lives of Okinawa, but can’t pull off the top of my head names of those who exceeded 100years.
Sure if you eating cookies and cakes lol
?
Do you really need to take Lycopene pills or can you get it from eating a tomoto.Do you need garlic pills or can you add the garlic to the tomato sauce?
Of course not. We’re not talking lycopene and garlic. I’m not sure what you’re on about, really. Aside from protein and soy being good.
Point is the healthiest longest living people do not supplement with pills and so on they get it all from diet they get plenty of exercise and are still able to function like a 60yr old at 100yrs of age.
Really. Again, I’d love to see specific incidencies of this in the MODERN ERA in INDUSTRIALIZED NATIONS.