Answering an "Age Old Question"

No it's not "how much do ya bench bro?"

It's the other fan favorite: "dude what do you take?"

I'll list my basics and give you the rundown on why the hell I consider these important.

1.) Chelated Multi-Vitamin
2.) Fish Oil, from a quality source
3.) Magnesium Glycinate Chelate
4.) Chelated Zinc

Anything else is just wasted money on quality food... Or not, but most people are buying bull shit like N O xplode or Ass Mass.

Why Chelated Vitamins & Minerals?: In the chelated version, they are at their purest form and it can be absorbed you're "getting what you paid for" so to speak.

Why Zinc?:

-Zinc is present in every part of the human body
-about 60% is found in muscle, 30% in bone, and the remaining found in our skin
-The body does not have zinc storage sites and it only contains about 2-3 grams on average at one time, hence a continual intake of foods containing zinc or a zinc supplement are of importance
-Zinc is especially important for males because: there is 100 times more zinc in the semen than in the blood in males. It is very important for male reproductive health and/or the weekend warrior looking to boost their test levels.
-Not much zinc is absorbed by the body with the modern human diet containing grain and processed products (see my old post on grains/ phytic acid) so again, supplementation is of importance
-Zinc plays a major role in protein and dna synthesis
-Improves liver function and insulin activity

How do you know if you're zinc deficient?

-duh duh diarrhoea, fatigue, delayed wound healing, under performing immune system, skin problems, sleep disturbances, etcetera

Magnesium, Why dude?:

-Helps make up our bones and is found in all body cells.
-On average humans contain about 25 grams of magnesium. Most of it is found in our bones and is essential for the normal metabolism of calcium AND potassium
-It is ANTAGONISTIC to calcium, even though these calcium commercials are probably government B.S. we can still improve our calcium levels by keeping magnesium levels sufficient.
-Magnesium activates a TON of enzymes in the body, helps with sugar metabolism
-Reduces catecholamines (calms us down by brining down stress hormones, this has helped my sleep quality tremendously)

CHELATED Multi Vitamin, why?

-For many of the same reasons as the last supplements.
-Chelated because you can ensure that you're using most of the vitamins that claim to be in the product
-with the modern day poor quality of food and high levels of toxins everywhere, this is a fair insurance plan.

Fish Oil, Why? Hasn't this been put to rest yet?

Here's what Strength Coach Charles Poliquin has to say about it:

1. Cell membrane health: EPA and DHA insure that cell membranes remain healthy. This means that the membranes are flexible and contain larger numbers of insulin receptors that are more receptive and responsive to circulating insulin. This results in decreased fat storage in the adipocytes (fat cells).

2. Fish oils turn on the lipolytic genes (fat burning genes).

3. Fish oils turn off the lipogenic genes (fat storage genes).

4. Fish oils diminish C-reactive proteins, a newly identified risk factor associated with various inflammatory diseases, including atherosclerosis, angina, coronary heart disease, heart attack, stroke, congestive heart failure, and diabetes. The DHA fraction of the fish oil seems to be one most responsible for that protective effect. DHA also has the best ability to reduce blood pressure.

5. Increase utilization of fat stores from the adipocytes.

6. Preferential utilization for energy production once stored in the adipocytes.

7. Reduced inflammation from physical training.

8. Pain management from the reduced inflammation.

9. EPA regulates blood supply to the brain which is essential in maintaining focus in weight training sessions. DHA is important in brain membranes, memory, and cognitive function.

10. Fish oils increase serotonin levels (the happy neurotransmitter). Therefore, fish oils will decrease incidence of depression, anxiety, panic attack, and reduce carbohydrate cravings.

11. Fish oils will improve your cardiovascular risk profile by lowering VLDL, triglycerides, homocysteine, fibrinogen, and increasing HDL levels. Combining fish oils with plant sterols will improve lipid levels even more than either alone.

12. Fish oils can also decrease blood pressure by several mechanisms. These include increases in the vasodilatory compound, nitric oxide, reducing vascular inflammation, blocking the constrictive elements in the vascular wall such as the calcium channels reducing blood viscosity, and inhibiting a blood vessel constrictor (thromboxane). Lipoprotein (a) is another CVD predictor that can be lowered by fish oils (a 19% reduction was seen with natural, stable fish oils and just 4% with a highly purified fish oil).

13. Fish oils are a great stress fighter. Supplementation with n-3 fatty acids inhibits the adrenal activation of steroids, aldosterone, epinephrine, and norepinephrine (catecholamines) elicited by a mental stress, apparently through effects exerted at the level of the central nervous system. Therefore, for the same amount of stress, one will produce fewer stress hormones if consuming fish oils on a regular basis.

12 grams or so a day should be a good start

Where can you find these products:

Jonny Bowden comes through once again:
http://www.jonnybowden.com/vitamins-supplements.html