Have you ever taken supplements to help your martial arts training?

Question

Have you tried creatine, glutamine, or any of the other (legal!) products out there? If so, what has been your experience with them? Benefits? Side effects?

If you have never tried them, why not?

I am particularly interested in hearing from older martial artists who, like me, might be slowing down and taking longer to recover after an intense workout.

Answer 1

I've had protein shakes to aide in muscle training.

and I've tried testo boosters to help me up my game at the time of a big event.  both were definately beneficial to my training routine, specially the testo boosters worked really good, they truly make you feel at 200% of your game, but I don't recommend doing something like that 365 days a year.  Your body is not meant to work at accelerated levels of  functioning all the time.  

I do however stick with the rule to only use strictly biological products.  I am that lucky to have a sports food store nearby that specialises in this sort of stuff.

Answer 2

I drink protein shakes before every session. High calorie, high protein intake will give you some energy boost before a hard workout. With the proper diet and condtioning, it will also increase your body mass and add muscle too.

However, if you stop drinking it thus effectively cutting down your intake, you will quickly lose that mass. Whatever you do, just be consistent.

Also, slower recovery time with age is a natural thing, but you can also take a multivitamin every morning after breakfast to help strengthen your body's healing process. Also, letting your body rest in between workouts is recommended. At least a day or two between training.

Eat healthy, too.

Hope this helps.

Answer 3

Have you ever deliberately shot yourself in the foot with a pistol?

If not, WHY NOT???

Justification for not doing something that you have never contemplated is unnecessary (closer to bizarre.)

Answer 4

In a little over 20 years of competition I used very little in the way of supplements, mostly just watched my diet and took like a general muli vitamin. As i have gotten older I have started taking glucosamin/chondrotin to help with joint damage I have accumulated over the years.

I did do the protein shake there for a while when I was actively competing. That was primarily just to try to gain some weight I was fairly undersized throughout a good portion of the years that I competed. I also did quite a lot of ginseng, just as an energy boost. Quick little pick me up and no crash afterward.

As to why I didn't do more, just honestly never really felt the need to go that far with it.

Check with your doctor, he should be able to tell you what may help you as you get older and want to stay active.

Answer 5

I would ask your doctor for the most credible answers. I have used suppliments (mostly protein) but only for lifting weights and I did not see many results. My biggest results have come from a good diet, and plenty of rest.

Answer 6

Get used to slowing down and taking longer to recover.  It's called age.  I just eat good foods.  There is no regulation in the supplement industry so I don't trust them any more than I would have trusted "Doc Spangler's Wonder Tonic and Hair Restoring Solution" what cures what ails you back in the day.