Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA),  Linoleic acid is a naturally occurring fatty acid found predominantly in beef and dairy products. CLA is a popular supplement amongst people who are trying to lose weight, scientific research has been conducted on animals and CLA has proven to be a great fat loss supplement for mice over the years but not so great for humans, however recently this theory is changing in the light of modern research and its fat loss benefits for humans are being highlighted.  CLA is a safe supplement to take, with very few side effects ever being reported and the worst being gastrointestinal symptoms but thats all.  Like with allot of supplements some work for you some don’t, if you are trying to lose weight why not give this a try, many of my clients swear by this stuff and have taken it on and off for years.

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Allot of people talk about drinking green tea these days due to it being a very healthy form of tea, but why is it actually good for us?

Green tea is rich in catechin polyphenois, particularly EGCG.  EGCG is a powerful antioxidant which kills cancer cells without harming healthy tissue.  EGCG is also very good at reducing LDL cholesterol levels and preventing blood clots.  The benefits of green tea can therefore be experienced at its best by those with cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, high cholesterol levels, cardiovascular disease and impaired immune function.  EGCG is what scientists say helps Japanese men live so long despite the amount they smoke.  Green tea is also of great benefit to people trying to lose weight as it is believed to help the body burn calories allot faster when combined with caffeine.  Green tea is also good at preventing tooth decay due to its bacteria destroying ability that helps to break down dental plaque.  With all these positives you are now wondering what are the negatives, the main negative is insomnia and that tends to be it.  So if you are drinking green tea and you have problems usually sleeping after a coffee then don’t have it before bed, even though green tea contains much less caffeine than coffee.

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Some people don’t agree with sports supplements as they believe they can get everything their body needs from normal food, is this true?  Yes, most of the ingredients from supplements we recommend you can get from normal food, however, consuming the amount of what you need may be difficult, supplements make it a lot easier to consume this amount.  Protein shakes for example, a large protein shake tends to have the same amount of protein in as a steak, but if you tried to digest a steak as often as people trying to gain muscle often need you would probably find it very time consuming and make you feel pretty bloated.  Strong multi vitamins give you the necessary vitamins in one pill, getting this from fruit and veg would require you to eat allot of different fruit and veg.  Supplements should be combined with a healthy diet for optimum results, it’s certainly not healthy to rely solely on sports supplements as your daily nutritional intake.  Supplements are not essential to losing weight or building muscle but they sure do help.  Supplements should do exactly what the name intends not the rubbish Fitness magazines and Bodybuilding magazines imply they do, they should go along side your workout and diet to give you improved results.

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ZMA is a supplement commonly taken by bodybuilders and weight lifters.  Victor Conte developed this sports supplement which is a combination of Zinc, Magnesium and Vitamin B6.  ZMA is claimed to raise strength levels but scientific studies don’t eactly suggest this to be true.

When we exercise we lose vitamins and minerals, although we often drink water when training it is important to drink fruit juice and sports drinks as they replenish water soluble nutrients.  ZMA supplement is important for this reason as it makes sure we are getting the right essential vitamins also studies show that 50% of Americans don’t get enough magnesium.

The proportion of ingredients in ZMA supplement tends to be 20-30mg Zinc, 400-500 magnesium and 10mg B6.  ZMA should be taken before bed on an empty stomach and certainly not with cheese or milk as Calcium blocks the absorption of zinc.

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Tribulus Terrestris

Why you should take zinc supplements

Tribulus is a vine that has been used as a general energy tonic and herbal treatment for impotence, it is found primarily in sports supplements for bodybuilders and weight lifters looking to increase testosterone.

Tribulus is known to raise blood levels of the Luteinizing hormone which indirectly results in an increase in testosterone.  LH is produced by the pituitary gland and one of its roles in the body is to balance testosterone.

Scientific studies- The main active ingredient in Tribulus is not known, but is thought to be a component called furostanol saponins.  There hasn’t been much research done on Tribulus suggesting that it causes a rise in testosterone like many Bodybuilding magazines and websites suggest.  Some european studies suggest that Tribulus can cause a raise in testosterone by 30-50%.

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Creatine powder can be absorbed by the bloodstream much faster in powder form as the coating on a pill must be digested first. The main problem with the capsules is the amount you need to take to complete the creatine loading phase, you would probably need to take around 40 tablets per day to load properly.  Capsules are nothing but hard work, they are designed to be a more easy way to take creatine but actually work out to be a much harder way of taking creatine.

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Next month we are launching our sports supplements and gym accessories store here on this site.  We will be stocking hundreds of different sports supplements, al your vitamins, whey protein, fat burners, testosterone boosters etc.  We will also be stocking gym accessories such as gym gloves, weight belts, knee gaskets etc.  For a 5% discount on all our products we will be stocking please become a fan of our facebook page.

There is a large difference between Whey protein isolate and Whey protein concentrate.  Whey protein isolate is the most pure concentrated from of Whey protein available.  Whey protein isolate contains 90% protein and very little lactose and fat.  Whey protein concentrate has between 30% and 90% protein depending on the product you are taking.  Lower the protein in the Whey protein concentrate the highest the fat and lactose.  Although Whey protein isolate instantly seems the only one to take, this is not the case, some people like the extra calories from the concentrate and find that the isolate is so concentrated it goes through the body too quickly and is therefore excreted.  Whey protein isolate vs Whey protein concentrate is personal choice hence both of them being available for sale, yet today, most supplement companies are concentrating on higher and higher quality Whey protein isolate.

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What is Whey protein?

Whey protein is a high quality protein powder  from cow’s milk.  In milk there are two different types of proteins, Casein, which is approximately 80% of the milk protein and Whey protein the other 20%.  Whey protein is much more soluble than Casein and is much better quality.

How is Whey protein made?

• Fresh milk is tested and approved
• The Casein and part of the milk fat are separated out to make Cheese
• The left over Whey goes through filters to separate Whey from Lactose and other left over ingredients.
• Liquid Whey enters an ion exchange tower to concentrate and purify the Whey protein, this is done carefully and gently so as not to break down and damage the Whey protein.
• The Whey enters a drying tower to remove water from it
• The Whey protein is then packaged up for delivery to the consumers

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Supplements vs normal food

Whey protein isolate vs whey protein concentrate

Amino acids are the main constituents of proteins.  12 different types of amino acids (nonessential) exist that the body can make it’s self however there are another 8 amino acids (essential) that must be supplied by your diet.  An amino acid supplement can help keep the body in a muscle building state, helping you to build muscle mass and recover quicker from workouts.  Amino acids are essential for bodybuilders and athletes training to be strong and pack on muscle.

Essential amino acids – Histidine, Isoleucine, Leucine, Lysine, Methionine, Phenylananine, Tryptophan, Valine, Threonine

Nonessential amino acids - Alanine, Arginine, Aspartic acid, Cysteine, Cystine, Glutamic acid, Glutamine, Glycine, Proline, Serine, Tyrosine

Best selling Amino acid supplements- Muscletech Leukic Hardcore (Expensive but very potent strong formula), Maximuscle Promax Amino (Great priced, best all rounder, what I personally take.)

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