Supplements and their place in a training programme.
Whenever i get asked about supplements my answer has always been get your diet in order first. If your nutrition is poor then why waste money on supplements? Get your paleo/zone diet in order and max out your training benefits over a year or two. If or when you stop making gains then maybe it’s the time to start thinking about supplementation.
I have been taking Progenex the last 5/6 weeks. I take the recovery shake within a half hour of finishing a workout and a protein shake before going to bed to aid muscle building and recovery. Whenever I used supplements in the past I always found them of little benefit and a waste of money. I think this was because my diet was quite different to what it is now and my training wasn’t anywhere near the quality it is now. The reason I decided to start taking supplements is because I have made very little progress in strength gains over the past 6 months. My nutrition has been excellent and high in protein, clean carbs and healthy fats. In order to get to the next level as a competitive CrossFitter I want to get stronger so I decided to try supplementation and where better to look than at what other CrossFitters use. For a CrossFittter the reasons for using a particular product are pretty clearcut, am I getting faster stronger, more powerful? It it works we continue to use it if it doesn’t we try something else. The CrossFit World is one huge athletic experiment as to what’s effective and what isn’t.
Since starting using Progenex I feel I am recovering better and more quickly than before. I feel like I can increase my training load but I’m being careful not to do too much. I’m taking a holistic approach to my training recently and making sure I do all the right things. Alcohol is out, nutrition is spot on. I’ve reduced coffee to one or none a day. I’m getting regular sports massage and I’ve recently started Chiropractic treatment with our own Maria Blumental. I’m taking Progenex supplements and fish oil and Vitamin D3. I warm up before a workout with foam rolling and mobilizing and do a 15-20 min cool down and stretch after a workout (An area most of you could improve on. Even 5 mins of a gentle row followed by a few stretches will help recovery and set you up for your next workout)
I’ve set a few PR recently in strength on the Deadlift and Bench Press, I haven’t tested any others but I feel like I can set PR’s on all strength movements at the moment so after 6 months of no major progress my numbers are on the up again. Is this because of Progenex or another reason? It’s hard to know for sure but I think the fact that I’m taking a holistic approach to training, recovery and optimum health is showing results. It’s not one but all of the factors I’ve mentioned above. When you start CrosfFit you make progress every single day you train. After 3 or 4 years you need to really work hard to make progress and be as professional as you can be in your approach.
As you’ll see the next time you enter CrossFit Mallow there is a big Progenex banner high on the wall now. I’ve also added a link on the new website for Progenex Europe. They have sent me a number of ‘Discount Membership Cards’ for anyone that would like to purchase their products and try them out. You’ll receive a 20% discount on the prices quoted. Even with the discount their products still are not cheap so ask yourself do you really need it, as I state above if can you make improvements in your nutrition do that first. If you would like a discount card please ask me the next time you are in the gym.
The flavour I use is Belgian chocolate and it’s actually very nice so I’d recommend that one.
