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Put yourself back together using these supplements for critical connective tissue - by Jim Wright,PhD
If you train hard and heavy, you're exposing your joints and connective tissue to considerable repetitive wear and tear.It may not be enough to sideline you - at least for a few years -
but it'll catch up to you.Over time, many hardcore bodybuilders end up with serious if not chronic joint aches that
cut into their ability to train with gusto.What fun is that ?
For years, bodybuilders and other athletes looked to aspirinand other anti-inflammatories to relieve sore and abused joints.
Fortunately for us gym rats - especially the often injured and older ones, the times are changing for the better, thanks to a true success story of modern supplementation.Researchers have discovered that glucosamine, chondroitin and a few other substances can actually help rebuild connective tissue and reduce the raveges of doing tens of thousands of muscle building reps.
Wear and tear are unavoidable
The aspirin takers mentioned above are not just squirrelly trainers using sloppy form.
Many are masters of bimehanics, ultimate technicians who view each exercise as an art form and strive to perform every rep flawlesly according to their individual capacity and body structure.If you're ambitious and regulary use heavy weights in your major exercises, you damn well better be doing more than counting reps.
Think of heavy training as a repetitive stress injury.Ponder the effects of serious training loads and stresses; the friction,the usual left-right and front-back asymmetrys in strength;how stabilizers fatigue before prime movers, potentially decreasing your stability and altering neuromuscular firing patterns; and think of all these things as having the potential to increase your risk of injury.It's amazing that bodybuilders don't have more debilitating injuries than they do.
Injuries and the physical stress associated with heavy resistance exercise take their toll on joint structures.
Consider cartilage, for example, which you might know as the glistening white coating at the ends of the boans in chicken drumsticks.Wear and tear of cartilage leads to osteoarthritis, a potentially painful and even incapitating medical condition that affects as many as 20 million Americans and more than half of people over the age of 60.Age is a risk factor, even without injury, as the balance in the enzymes that regulate the production of collagen - the toughest of the connective tissue proteins and the most prominent in cartilage - shifts to favor breakdown rather than synthesis.Once an injury or repetitive stress damages the cartilage surface, osteoarthritis can result and lead to the destruction of the cartilage structure itself.
Any serious bodybuilder knows you can tear yourself down at any age.Even if you have your training act together, you can't help but literally wear down some tissues, such as those between joints, doing rep after rep.Unless you suffer acute trauma or develop an inflammation from severe overuse of poor form ,though,you may not know you're developing a joint problem.By the time you do notice a long-term overuse injury, you'll be facedwith a long road back.
Help has arrived
How do you protect against this potentially harsh training setback? Modern sports science has come to the rescue by developing supplements for cruical connective tissuethat should be part of every serious bodybuilder's arsanal.Let's look at three of most important of these supplements: glucosamine, chondroitin sulfate(CS), and hydrolyzed collagen.
Glucosamine
Like chondroitin sulfate and collagen, glucosamine is produced naturally in the body.It is the most fundamental building block for many critical compounds that make up connective tissues.It's an essential component of cell membranes and cell surface proteins , as well as molecules that hold our cells together.Arthritic and damaged tissues show a much higher than normal demand for glucosamine.
Directly or indirectly, glucosamine plays a part in the formation of cartilage,tendons,ligaments,synovialfluid,skin,bone,nails,heart valves,blood vessels and mucus secretions of the digestive, respiratory and urinary tracts.Glucosamine also has a role in rhe sysnthesis of transport molecules, immunological proteins (interferon,immunoglobulins),hormones(gonadotropins, thyroid stimulating hormone), enzymes and other important substances.
Although tested extensiveley in cases of osteoarthritis, and prescribed as a drug in some European countries, glucosamine has been studied only once in athletes, in which case it helped heal "jumper's knee".
However, other data and our own experiences suggest that it should be very helpful for sore shoulder joints and any other joint degeneration or "creakiness".
All human studies of glucosamine sulfate have used 1,500 milligrams per day(3*500).
It is best to take glucosamine in the morning and before bedtime, since it has a long half-lifr in serum.If faster results are desired, increase the dose by taking 1000mg twice daily, although joint repair will still be a slow process.
Glucosamine hydrocloride, also on the market, has the same effects as glucosamine sulfate at a lower cost.Glucosamine sulfate turns into glucosamine hydrochloride in the stomach.
Since glucosamine has a different mechanism of action than nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories(aspirin and ibuprofen),it's possible that the two may have a synergistic effect in alleviating some types of inflammations.So,you may be able to significantly reduce the amount of NSAIDs you take(pehaps as much as two or three times less), with no loss of effect , if it's necessary to take them at all.
Chondroitin sulfate
CS is one of today's most misunderstood supplements.Extracted from bovine and pork tracheas, as well as shark cartilage,CS, like glucosamine, serves as both a building block and a direct stimulus to the synthetic process for new cartilage.In addition to stimulating repair in cartilage cells, CS can block the enzymes that damage joints, doing double duty for joint health.
There have been more and better - designed human studies with CS on arthritis than there have been with glucosamine sulfate.Some of that research has lasted one to two years and has involved more than a thousand subjects.Like glucosamine, CS is used as a drug in some European countries for osteoarthritis(and for clogged arteries).
Purified CS is well absorbed in humans, as demonstrated by numerous sophisticated investigations.Many studies of people taking CS have shown slow-acting but long-lasting reductions in pain and improvements in joint function.
Slow-acting means you may not realy notice much change for several weeks(most of the research shows significant benefits after four to eight weeks ,and definitely after three months of administration).
However slowly, the benefits will accumulate.
Take anywhere from 800 to 1200 mg of CS ED, in 2 divided dosages(it has a 12 hour half-life).This regimen matches what's been effective in extensive human studies on arthritis, although once a day dosing also may be effective for you.
Scientists have emphasized that the CS used in clinical studies has been extracted and purified to contain a high percentage of the supplement(up to 97%).It's likely that the processing and purity of the CS could significantly alter the metabolic rate and therapeutic results.
Bottom line:some available products may have a lower percentage of actual CS, which in turn could dramatically influence the dosage required for therapeutic efficacy.Thus, if you use one brand as directed for a prolonged period and get no results , try another.Don't assume that CS has no efficacy for you; it may be the specific product that's at fault.
Hydrolyzed Collagen
Collagen is the major protein in the body - it makes up approximately six percent of total bodyweight.It is found in all tissues and is our main structural protein, giving our bodies their shape.It literally holds us together.
Collagen is the primary onwater component of all connective tissues, including cartilage.Cartilage contains type type II collagen (which you might see listed on supplement labels), plus smaller amounts of other collagen types.Other connective tissues contain mostly types I and III collagen.Collagen may be more familiar to you as gelatin(found in gellatin desserts); it's also used as thickening agent in many foods.
This supplement was once sold in a liquid form and promoted as pre-digested protein.
A muscle-building protein supplement it's not, however, because though it's obtained from animals, its amino acid profile leaves much to be desired.However, it is a great supplement for your joints.
Hydrolyzed collagen is a patented collagen that has been predigested by enzymes.Its use is supported by human studies that show significant relief on arthritic symptoms, although its effects are slower than those generated by glucosamine or CS.
Why take it then?Hydrolyzed collagen supplies collagen - specific peptides and amino acids that may stimulate repair differently from glucosamine or CS, and perhaps may inhibit some degradative enzymes.The only catch is the dose : 10 grams per day.To prepare it, mix a powdered form of the supplement into a liquid.
Actually,l hydrolyzed collagen should work especially well when combined with glucosamine and CS.There are no studies to confirm this, though.
However, since each of these supplements has unique effects on cartilage, and since all overlap in their stimulatory effects on synthesis of joint components, it makes sense that a combination of the three would result in greater, faster and longer - lasting effects than any one or even two of these ingredients.
There are other joint supplements available , but glucosamine,chondroitin and collagen should be your starting point.
They offer real help for sore joints , as millions of users can readilly attest.And they're all normally produced by and found in human body in large amounts plus they're present in many foods.
They're virtually free of side efects, well tested in humans , and are what the body uses to heal its own joints.They do work gradually - so you have to take them for a while - anywhere from 6 - 8 weeks -before results are noticable.
Most bbers will benefit from repeated use of these supplements.Improvements obtained via glucosamine appear to be retained only for an average of 6 - 12 weeks following cessation of a 6 week period of treatment.The situation with CS is similar.There is no evidence whatsoever of toxicity and there appear to be no contraindications to use of these in patients with circulatory disease, liver disorders, diabetes or depression.
if you train to hard and heavy, and plan on doing it for a while , then these supplements should become a mainstay in your program sooner rather than later.Even if you've never had any connective tissue problems , we feel strongly that it would be in your best interest to begin using joint aids, if not year round, then at least periodically say for 6 - 10 weeks at a time, several times a year.
The shorthand guide to joint support
First of all, train correctly!
ake glucosamine sulfate in dosages of 1500 mg per day (3 500mg doses, two of these in the morning,1 before bedtime).
For faster results, take 1000mg twice daily
Take chondroitin sulfate in total daily amounts of 800 - 1200 mg divided over 2 doses.
Take hydrolyzed collagen in doses of 10 grams per day in powder mixed with any liquid
A combo of the above three supplements should work synergistically.Try taking all three together.
Give yourself at least 8 weeks to feel benefits from these supplements.
Use them for 6 to 10 weeks at a time , several times a year,or,preferably, year-round.
Make sure your essential mineral and antioxidant intake is up to snuff.
Give some of other supplements a try for extrea relief.
Make sure you are giving yourself enough recovery time between workouts.
Other joint helpers:
S-adenosylmethionine(SAMe) - 1500mg ED
Essential Fatty Acids (fatty fish like salmon or sardines or 10-12 fish oil capsules ED)
Bromelain(4-6 pills for times ED)
Curcumin(2000mg ED)
Vitamin C(4000 - 5000mg ED)
Cetyl Myristoleate(CMO)
Methylsulfonomethane(MSM 500mgs to 10g)
If you train hard and heavy, you're exposing your joints and connective tissue to considerable repetitive wear and tear.It may not be enough to sideline you - at least for a few years -
but it'll catch up to you.Over time, many hardcore bodybuilders end up with serious if not chronic joint aches that
cut into their ability to train with gusto.What fun is that ?
For years, bodybuilders and other athletes looked to aspirinand other anti-inflammatories to relieve sore and abused joints.
Fortunately for us gym rats - especially the often injured and older ones, the times are changing for the better, thanks to a true success story of modern supplementation.Researchers have discovered that glucosamine, chondroitin and a few other substances can actually help rebuild connective tissue and reduce the raveges of doing tens of thousands of muscle building reps.
Wear and tear are unavoidable
The aspirin takers mentioned above are not just squirrelly trainers using sloppy form.
Many are masters of bimehanics, ultimate technicians who view each exercise as an art form and strive to perform every rep flawlesly according to their individual capacity and body structure.If you're ambitious and regulary use heavy weights in your major exercises, you damn well better be doing more than counting reps.
Think of heavy training as a repetitive stress injury.Ponder the effects of serious training loads and stresses; the friction,the usual left-right and front-back asymmetrys in strength;how stabilizers fatigue before prime movers, potentially decreasing your stability and altering neuromuscular firing patterns; and think of all these things as having the potential to increase your risk of injury.It's amazing that bodybuilders don't have more debilitating injuries than they do.
Injuries and the physical stress associated with heavy resistance exercise take their toll on joint structures.
Consider cartilage, for example, which you might know as the glistening white coating at the ends of the boans in chicken drumsticks.Wear and tear of cartilage leads to osteoarthritis, a potentially painful and even incapitating medical condition that affects as many as 20 million Americans and more than half of people over the age of 60.Age is a risk factor, even without injury, as the balance in the enzymes that regulate the production of collagen - the toughest of the connective tissue proteins and the most prominent in cartilage - shifts to favor breakdown rather than synthesis.Once an injury or repetitive stress damages the cartilage surface, osteoarthritis can result and lead to the destruction of the cartilage structure itself.
Any serious bodybuilder knows you can tear yourself down at any age.Even if you have your training act together, you can't help but literally wear down some tissues, such as those between joints, doing rep after rep.Unless you suffer acute trauma or develop an inflammation from severe overuse of poor form ,though,you may not know you're developing a joint problem.By the time you do notice a long-term overuse injury, you'll be facedwith a long road back.
Help has arrived
How do you protect against this potentially harsh training setback? Modern sports science has come to the rescue by developing supplements for cruical connective tissuethat should be part of every serious bodybuilder's arsanal.Let's look at three of most important of these supplements: glucosamine, chondroitin sulfate(CS), and hydrolyzed collagen.
Glucosamine
Like chondroitin sulfate and collagen, glucosamine is produced naturally in the body.It is the most fundamental building block for many critical compounds that make up connective tissues.It's an essential component of cell membranes and cell surface proteins , as well as molecules that hold our cells together.Arthritic and damaged tissues show a much higher than normal demand for glucosamine.
Directly or indirectly, glucosamine plays a part in the formation of cartilage,tendons,ligaments,synovialfluid,skin,bone,nails,heart valves,blood vessels and mucus secretions of the digestive, respiratory and urinary tracts.Glucosamine also has a role in rhe sysnthesis of transport molecules, immunological proteins (interferon,immunoglobulins),hormones(gonadotropins, thyroid stimulating hormone), enzymes and other important substances.
Although tested extensiveley in cases of osteoarthritis, and prescribed as a drug in some European countries, glucosamine has been studied only once in athletes, in which case it helped heal "jumper's knee".
However, other data and our own experiences suggest that it should be very helpful for sore shoulder joints and any other joint degeneration or "creakiness".
All human studies of glucosamine sulfate have used 1,500 milligrams per day(3*500).
It is best to take glucosamine in the morning and before bedtime, since it has a long half-lifr in serum.If faster results are desired, increase the dose by taking 1000mg twice daily, although joint repair will still be a slow process.
Glucosamine hydrocloride, also on the market, has the same effects as glucosamine sulfate at a lower cost.Glucosamine sulfate turns into glucosamine hydrochloride in the stomach.
Since glucosamine has a different mechanism of action than nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories(aspirin and ibuprofen),it's possible that the two may have a synergistic effect in alleviating some types of inflammations.So,you may be able to significantly reduce the amount of NSAIDs you take(pehaps as much as two or three times less), with no loss of effect , if it's necessary to take them at all.
Chondroitin sulfate
CS is one of today's most misunderstood supplements.Extracted from bovine and pork tracheas, as well as shark cartilage,CS, like glucosamine, serves as both a building block and a direct stimulus to the synthetic process for new cartilage.In addition to stimulating repair in cartilage cells, CS can block the enzymes that damage joints, doing double duty for joint health.
There have been more and better - designed human studies with CS on arthritis than there have been with glucosamine sulfate.Some of that research has lasted one to two years and has involved more than a thousand subjects.Like glucosamine, CS is used as a drug in some European countries for osteoarthritis(and for clogged arteries).
Purified CS is well absorbed in humans, as demonstrated by numerous sophisticated investigations.Many studies of people taking CS have shown slow-acting but long-lasting reductions in pain and improvements in joint function.
Slow-acting means you may not realy notice much change for several weeks(most of the research shows significant benefits after four to eight weeks ,and definitely after three months of administration).
However slowly, the benefits will accumulate.
Take anywhere from 800 to 1200 mg of CS ED, in 2 divided dosages(it has a 12 hour half-life).This regimen matches what's been effective in extensive human studies on arthritis, although once a day dosing also may be effective for you.
Scientists have emphasized that the CS used in clinical studies has been extracted and purified to contain a high percentage of the supplement(up to 97%).It's likely that the processing and purity of the CS could significantly alter the metabolic rate and therapeutic results.
Bottom line:some available products may have a lower percentage of actual CS, which in turn could dramatically influence the dosage required for therapeutic efficacy.Thus, if you use one brand as directed for a prolonged period and get no results , try another.Don't assume that CS has no efficacy for you; it may be the specific product that's at fault.
Hydrolyzed Collagen
Collagen is the major protein in the body - it makes up approximately six percent of total bodyweight.It is found in all tissues and is our main structural protein, giving our bodies their shape.It literally holds us together.
Collagen is the primary onwater component of all connective tissues, including cartilage.Cartilage contains type type II collagen (which you might see listed on supplement labels), plus smaller amounts of other collagen types.Other connective tissues contain mostly types I and III collagen.Collagen may be more familiar to you as gelatin(found in gellatin desserts); it's also used as thickening agent in many foods.
This supplement was once sold in a liquid form and promoted as pre-digested protein.
A muscle-building protein supplement it's not, however, because though it's obtained from animals, its amino acid profile leaves much to be desired.However, it is a great supplement for your joints.
Hydrolyzed collagen is a patented collagen that has been predigested by enzymes.Its use is supported by human studies that show significant relief on arthritic symptoms, although its effects are slower than those generated by glucosamine or CS.
Why take it then?Hydrolyzed collagen supplies collagen - specific peptides and amino acids that may stimulate repair differently from glucosamine or CS, and perhaps may inhibit some degradative enzymes.The only catch is the dose : 10 grams per day.To prepare it, mix a powdered form of the supplement into a liquid.
Actually,l hydrolyzed collagen should work especially well when combined with glucosamine and CS.There are no studies to confirm this, though.
However, since each of these supplements has unique effects on cartilage, and since all overlap in their stimulatory effects on synthesis of joint components, it makes sense that a combination of the three would result in greater, faster and longer - lasting effects than any one or even two of these ingredients.
There are other joint supplements available , but glucosamine,chondroitin and collagen should be your starting point.
They offer real help for sore joints , as millions of users can readilly attest.And they're all normally produced by and found in human body in large amounts plus they're present in many foods.
They're virtually free of side efects, well tested in humans , and are what the body uses to heal its own joints.They do work gradually - so you have to take them for a while - anywhere from 6 - 8 weeks -before results are noticable.
Most bbers will benefit from repeated use of these supplements.Improvements obtained via glucosamine appear to be retained only for an average of 6 - 12 weeks following cessation of a 6 week period of treatment.The situation with CS is similar.There is no evidence whatsoever of toxicity and there appear to be no contraindications to use of these in patients with circulatory disease, liver disorders, diabetes or depression.
if you train to hard and heavy, and plan on doing it for a while , then these supplements should become a mainstay in your program sooner rather than later.Even if you've never had any connective tissue problems , we feel strongly that it would be in your best interest to begin using joint aids, if not year round, then at least periodically say for 6 - 10 weeks at a time, several times a year.
The shorthand guide to joint support
First of all, train correctly!
ake glucosamine sulfate in dosages of 1500 mg per day (3 500mg doses, two of these in the morning,1 before bedtime).
For faster results, take 1000mg twice daily
Take chondroitin sulfate in total daily amounts of 800 - 1200 mg divided over 2 doses.
Take hydrolyzed collagen in doses of 10 grams per day in powder mixed with any liquid
A combo of the above three supplements should work synergistically.Try taking all three together.
Give yourself at least 8 weeks to feel benefits from these supplements.
Use them for 6 to 10 weeks at a time , several times a year,or,preferably, year-round.
Make sure your essential mineral and antioxidant intake is up to snuff.
Give some of other supplements a try for extrea relief.
Make sure you are giving yourself enough recovery time between workouts.
Other joint helpers:
S-adenosylmethionine(SAMe) - 1500mg ED
Essential Fatty Acids (fatty fish like salmon or sardines or 10-12 fish oil capsules ED)
Bromelain(4-6 pills for times ED)
Curcumin(2000mg ED)
Vitamin C(4000 - 5000mg ED)
Cetyl Myristoleate(CMO)
Methylsulfonomethane(MSM 500mgs to 10g)
