Ive trained top MMA talent, Ive trained adult rec athletes. Ive also trained some pro football and hockey players. The thing that is the same in all cases is that everyone wants to maximize their effort. Nothing replaces a good diet. The supplement industry is a billion dollar industry, even the biggest giants in this will not suggest they replace a solid diet. Quality supplements are there to enhance and improve every session you have. My goal this week is to open up the discussion on supplements. The training schedule I have is intense, and its being done in a gym with all kinds of athletes. I sat down with Cellucor brand ambassador, registered massage therapist, published Bikini Model and amazing clean eating cook Crissy Zachanowich. Figure athletes, body builders, and bikini models take lean muscle mass preservation, and the scientific use of supplements to the next level. We discussed three key supplements. Easy to use, and definite must haves when the training gets intense. Simply called a “pre-workout”, athletes and people hitting the gym have turned these supplements into the largest portion of most companies profits. Youll see most of them are stimulant based. Often caffeine and synephrine are used to energize an athlete before the workout. In addition, youll see creatine in the hopes of capturing its potential power and strength boosting. Beta-Alanine will often be present to buffer against lactic acid (Huge for me when my Coach Jeff Fisher puts me on the Jacobs Ladder) and finally, Arginine for blood circulation. Everything in the pre-workout is naturally available, its just concentrated. For the arginine, youd have to eat about a pound of almonds before your workout. During the workout, branch chain amino acids are key. When your body starts to hit the wall, and you have pushed your limits, protein is broken down to be a fuel. Thats right, precious muscle tissue is broken down to fuel your fight. Its broken down into branch chain amino acids. Those are converted to sugar, and you get more energy to work harder. Drinking BCAAs tricks the body into sparing muscle, and athletes everywhere rejoice. Post workout protein, or simply a protein shake to ensure the body is in a positive nitrogen balance. Meaning, your body has enough protein that it is creating muscle, boosting immunity, and creating all the cells and hormones you need to be in that “beast mode”. You can get all the protein you need from meals and real food. However, its a lot easier to drink a shake. Ive been drinking some amazing treats lately thanks to Crissy. Protein powder has come a long way. Red Velvet Cake? Cookies and Cream? Cinnamon Swirl? These all exist and taste as good as they sound. It makes the hour in the gym worth the reward of the post workout shake. Two things to remember after reading this. First, if you are not working out to your max, you dont need to supplement. Go online, or pop over to my youtube channel and watch some pro athletes train. There is sweat on the floor, and exercises to failure. Again, its the reason Im at Elite Performance in Winnipeg. That atmosphere, and the push to be your absolute best. If you arent doing that, then supplements are not critical. Second, your diet needs to be perfected and cared for. If its not, what are you “supplementing”? Try some new workouts and put all your effort into them. Then try some of the amazing science thats out there. Trust me when I tell you, they make that difference in recovery that gets you through the week and ready for your rest days. Get in the gym, get training, and get an appreciation for what it takes to perform at a pro level. Do it to appreciate every sport a little more, especially the most demanding sport out there, MMA. Stephon Gilmore Youth Jersey .Y. -- Major League Soccer has agreed to new measures to protect gay players from discrimination and harassment as a result of meetings with New Yorks attorney general. Tom Brady Womens Jersey . 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The Bruins won the Stanley Cup in 2010-11, reached the Cup finals in 2012-13, led the NHL in regular-season points in 2013-14 then eliminated the Detroit Red Wings in a five-game series. But they lost the next round to the Montreal Canadiens in seven games after going up 3-2. Chiarellis big task now is to re-sign Jarome Iginla after he tied for the team lead with 30 goals in his first season with Boston. "Im not going to comment specifically on negotiations," Chiarelli said in a conference call. "Wed like to sign Jarome and thats what I can say. I mean, he has been a valuable player for us. I think there is a good fit." Iginla is one of five Bruins who can become unrestricted free agents when the signing period begins July 1. The others are backup goalie Chad Johnson, defencemen Andrej Meszaros and Corey Potter, both late-season acquisitions, and forward Shawn Thornton, who has been told by Chiarelli he wont be re-signed. "There may be one or two more" among those free agents who he wont re-sign, Chiarelli said. Forward Reilly Smith and defenceman Torey Krug can become restricted free agents. Top free agents from other teams include forwards Marian Gaborik, Thomas Vanek and Paul Stastny. "There are good players available," Chiarelli said. "Were not going to go full force into the free agency. Were probably going to take a step back and look at what may be lesser deals, meaning not high-profile deals, might be available, parrtially due to (salary) cap reasons, partially due to chemistry reasons.dddddddddddd" A few hours later, Chiarelli announced that the Bruins had signed goalie Niklas Svedberg to a one-year contract. He played the only NHL game of his career in a 3-2 overtime win over the Nashville Predators on Jan. 2. With the Bruins AHL team in Providence last season, he was 25-15-4 with a 2.63 goals-against average. He had 37 wins for Providence the previous season. The Bruins have the 25th pick in the two-day draft starting Friday in Philadelphia. With four solid lines, a capable defence and young players bidding for playing time, any players drafted arent likely to help the Bruins next season. The draft "is generally considered, and I would agree, a thinner draft," Chiarelli said. "So there is not as much value, relatively speaking, placed in these picks. So teams will probably be more apt to move those picks around" through trades. Thornton spent seven seasons with the Bruins, providing toughness and leadership. He might not be the only player to leave who is part of the teams successful veteran core. "The decision on Shawn was a very hard one. Hes been here and part of this group for a long time and that would apply to all these guys who have been here and who have given us good service and that have been part of winning teams and Cup-winning teams," Chiarelli said. "So there will be hard choices, but it may be that we dont make hard choices and we keep as many people as we can and we go into the year and maybe we do make those hard choices as the year progresses." For now, Chiarelli is focusing on the draft. "I read about a bunch of (solid) centermen and were not in the market for any centerman," he said. Defencemen also "are becoming a major topic of conversation." He might even trade his first-round pick. "Everything is always available," Chiarelli said. ' ' '