14 Jun Supplements I would recommend to my students for MMA Training
Let’s start with some disclaimers:
-Yes I should have titled this article 5 best supplements for MMA training to be more click worthy but I can’t bring myself to do it.
-Supplements are not the golden ticket to success, they are simply tools which can support training in some cases.
-Diet, exercise, sleep, hard work and discipline all come before some crazy supplement you think will fix everything. Check out this article for more on that.
-I’m writing this article from the perspective of what I would tell a student, double check with a Dr. before starting any program.
I do not use a lot of supplements but here is what I do take and where I have found the greatest success.
- Protein – Typically I only take this immediately post workout. I have tried a lot of different proteins. AMNutrition is my personal favorite. Recommended by my nutrition coach and now even sponsors the gym. Good guy behind the brand who is focused on making the best product possible.
- BCAAs – Love these pretty much anytime. For me I feel like they curb hunger, aid recovery, and generally keep me running on all cylinders. Especially when you go in to a caloric deficit during weight cuts these keep everything running. Nutrabolics Anabolic State are really tasty, but I have not seen any difference in brands.
- Greens Powder – Most of the “science” I have seen supporting taking these is pretty losses at best. That said I have always run best on these. 1st thing in the morning, sometimes 2X/day in hard training times. Great for the weight cut in getting in your vitamins despite taking in less food. Phresh Greens is the brand I would recommend to anyone. Same thing as Amnutrition
- Vitargo – This is basically a powdered carb you can keep in your shaker bottle. During long MMA workout 1.5-2hrs+ you will be in a glycolytic state and use all of your muscle glycogen. If you are training 2 times/day you need to get that refilling as soon as possible. Sippings on BCAAs and Vitargo during training can help that a lot.
D-Aspartic Acid One of the supplements I have taken with the most night and day difference during training and life in general. The one issue is if you take it year round you get no effect. I typically take it for 6-8 weeks (ideally during training camp) and then lay off for 6-8. This one is for males only as is significantly boosts your body’s natural testosterone production.I’ve found a better version for this and it can be taken by both males and females.- Gentech – HD This has replaced D-aspartic acid in my routine. It is marketed as a testosterone booster, but it actually functions as a cortisol reduction agent primarily. By limiting cortisol in the body other systems all run better. Not only will you get a noticeable increase in testosterone, but you will get a lot of other markers to increase and sleep will be better etc. Very impressed with this stuff.
- Dessicated Beef Liver – Was looking for a long time for a way to get Grassfed Beef Liver in my diet. Tough sell to get anyone to agree to sit down for a meal with me. I found Perfect Dessicated Liver through Tim Ferris’ new book and it was just what I was looking for. Just consider this a much better version of a multi vitamin.
- Caffeine – A true performance enhancing drug that most people overlook. Gentech has 150mg of caffeine which is roughly a cup of coffee. Caffeine can be a great pre workout addition and is also clutch during weight cutting. As you decrease calorie intake your energy output should decrease. Caffeine keeps metabolism revved up and allows athletes to better push through the last few sessions of the camp pre fight.
As always supplements are just that supplementary. That said taking these during my last fight camp had me feeling incredible. Gentech has been a game changer for me in terms of cortisol regulation. Play around with what works for you and keep training hard. Enjoy!