What supplement, ingredient, workout, food, diet ect do you think is underrated?

Supplements
1

What fitness related thing do you feel is underrated?
Short explanations appreciated.

2

For me
Chia seeds
-Lots of ALA and fiber at 2$ a pound at winco.
Fiber
-Helps keep hormones and cholesterol regulated, better skin yay.
Yohimbe
-While its a tricky ingredient if its used properly(with mild caffeine or lots of adaptions) it’s very effective.
Actual fasting
-Provided the proper precautions are taken it provides many of the benefits of intermittent fasting and ketosis more effectively without a few of the major drawbacks.

3

Isn’t ALA not worth taking? The ala has to convert to EPA to even be used and only 10% of it gets absorbed?

4

No, it is absorbed by the body, it is a short chain fatty acid that can be converted into longer forms such as EPA and DHA.

The conversion into these forms is ~10% then ~3.5%, which is what you are thinking of. It has several roles in the body but I don’t think its a great source for EPA and DHA alone, as the amount you would need to consume potentially(There are no studies looking into this specifically) throws off the omega 3 to 6 balance.

In terms of benefits omega 3 to 6 balance is the primary one, as well as the extra epa/dha but it does help prevent acne by regulating the bacteria on the skin, through a kind of interesting process where the metabolite of the bacteria consuming it is toxic to said bacteria preventing them from overgrowing.

Edit: I am going to guess the claim originates from this examine article

which says “ALA has to be converted by the body into a usable form…” In reference to this study
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16825676
Which is looking at cardiovascular disease outcomes, and finds that ALA has no significant benefit in that context, which they misquote as it not being usable.

Ya I treat examine like I would Wikipedia, Its a good informational source but its not reliable, they get allot of things wrong and don’t have the level of vigorous fact checking they claim to have.

2 Likes
5

Easy one… Liver pills. I take them daily.

6

I’ll second chia seeds for much the same reasons. It’s an easy way to get extra fiber and I can just throw them into shakes, which also makes the shake more filling.

I’m also a fan of cayenne pepper pills. They seem to help with fat loss and I’ve seen studies suggesting capsaicin (sp?) has muscle growth benefits too. Do not recommend taking them with little water though, maybe once every week or 2 they don’t go down all the way and it is very unpleasant for 10-15 min.

7

A pressure cooker for food prep. Helps to tenderize, fast and better at preserving heat sensitive nutrients.

1 Like
8

I have a crock pot, mossy oak camo in color new still in the box I need to start using.

9

Bovine Colostrum. iSatori’s BioGro is a name-brand example of something close. (Which I also love dearly…)

Born and raised on a farm/ranch in MN, and still farming/ranching here; Obviously cattle and humans are different beings, but after witnessing the benefits calves receive via colostrum and the rate at which they grow, the potential could (is?) be there. I know there have been studies, with iSatori doing a few themselves, but I’ve personally seen gains and recovery galore with BioGro in conjunction with a general heavy lifting plan.

Anyone ever wonder why us farm kids are generally above average height/natural muscle mass?? In the famous words of Kenny Rogers: “I was raised on the dairy, b****.”

1 Like
10

I think supplements as a category are simultaneously broadly over and underrated.

People are promised the world by companies, then underwhelmed by real world results, then chase the next big thing on a regular basis anyway.

–

Very few supplements will do much of anything reaching statistical significance if you start taking them, and then literally continue on your exact same trek without deviation.

If you are taking a supplement that increases power output. You need to decide that you’re going to add 5…10…whatever…pounds to each heavy lift set, and then do it.

If you are taking a supplement that increases time to failure. You need to decide that you’re going to do more reps than you’re used to.

If you’re taking a supplement that increases recovery but don’t increase workload than whoop dee doo, you’re less sore the next day but you’re not actually taking advantage of that increased recovery to make more gains over time.

If you aren’t taking advantage of that extra capacity, you might be less sore afterwards, or feel like you’ve recovered faster, but you aren’t really going to see much difference in gains.

People take a new supplement, than go to the gym, and follow the same 3x12 at x/y/z weights trajectory they were already going to do, and then wonder why their gains are slow.

Get a spotter. Work to failure. Actually push your workload. And that is where the benefits of effective supplements are seen.

This impact is demonstrated very clearly in the (limited) number of well-controlled studies out there. Studies that use actual dietary control, studies that use actual workout control. The placebo groups and the supplement groups in those studies wildly outperform uncontrolled studies, and the difference between placebo and supplement groups is much more likely to reach statistical significance in those studies.

8 Likes
11

AMEN @De_eB!!!

Supplements might give an extra 5% (if that) if you’re really pushing yourself and tracking progression consistently.

12

I’d probably argue they give a fair bit more than 5%, but only if you’re actually pushing your training and nutrition.

Performance differences in well-controlled supplement vs. placebo studies for supplements we know work certainly show more than 5% differences.

13

10/10 post. Would read again. Way to lay it on the line! I wish I had a spotter. :frowning:

1 Like
14

This isn’t ‘underrated’, but just not yet fully understood:

Double energy "rocket fuel"

  1. Get into ketosis / become strongly fat-adapted for 3 months
  2. Take carbs before competition
  3. Use exogenous ketones as needed

The timing and dosing needs to be tinkered with and explored, but when you’re fat-adapted yet still using carbs well, you now have two energy sources. It’s kinda crazy time.

This may be best for endurance athletes. I expect records to be broken with this method.

2 Likes
15

Sleep supplements! Specifically phenibut. Yes you can become dependent on it but if you use it sparingly it’s so great for getting to sleep and sleeping soundly. I’ve also taken it after drinking (probably not recommended lol) and I wake up so refreshed the next day. Little to no hangover. Normally if I drink I get the worst quality sleep imaginable and wake up feeling like I haven’t slept at all.

16

Crock pot is a must for anyone that diets. Easy to use and simple to just throw in some meats and veggies, liquid and seasoning and let it work.

@Mike, thoughts on the two recent studies on exogenous ketones? Doesn’t look that promising. I have used them a few times and still have some. Can’t say there was much in regards to lifting, maybe cardio slightly but that’s purely anecdotal.

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17

I think D-Ribose works well. My endurance got better using this supplement

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18

Honestly haven’t followed. I’m all PricePlow right now, looking purely inward on things and our technology and this forum. So please link me up, I’m interested to hear.

19

My old hangover stack from when I was fun: NAC + Vitamin B + Vitamin C before and after drinking

NAC → Glutathione → More acetaldehyde disposal → less feeling like garbage from liver toxicity. Needs B vitamins and vitamin C to donate to the reaction!

Never tried phenibut for that purpose, probably not gonna start! LOL

1 Like
20

What dose do you start to feel it? I think Matt Porter likes 5g, which is a crazy amount it seems?!