Best Overtraining Supplements

[Neill Smith]

My wife is training for a fitness competition. She has a coach who prescribes workouts and diet; so I have almost no input there. They've gotten great results before, but I'm sure she's over-training. Most days are doubles with one conditioning session (either intervals or steady-state), and one weight training session that reads like it's out of Muscle & Fitness twenty years ago: one or two body parts, six exercises, three sets of each, eight to twelve reps, thirty to sixty seconds rest.

My question is: In addition to encouraging her to sleep as much as possible, what supplements should we have her on? Liquids and powders are preferred; she doesn't do well with pills.

Right now I'm going with fish oil, vitamin D, and looking for a good liquid multivitamin (recommendations welcome).

Thanks in advance for the help.

[Steven Low]

Phosphatidylserine:

http://www.performancemenu.com/forum...ead.php?t=4431

A good Zinc, Magnsium, and Calcium supplement (separate or together... ZMA+cal or cal,mg,zn or whatever else) as well as getting enough fat soluble vitamins is good as well...

[Mike ODonnell]

ZMA? May help her sleep to recover...or just magnesium. B12 for energy.

Most fitness/BB competitors will go 2x/day closer to a show....but the intensity way is lower and used for that final fat burning and muscle pumps.

[Steven Low]

Oh yeah, BCAAs should help as well.

Sleep is paramount though.

[Greg Davis]

Originally Posted by Steven Low

Oh yeah, BCAAs should help as well.

Sleep is paramount though.

I know BCAAs also aren't the cheapest supplement and are probably best used around workouts as far as bang for buck is concerned.. but re: overtraining / keeping stress down I wonder if they can play a role.

My new job sometimes has me so busy during the day that I find myself at times having to push back meals a bit further than I'd like, given that I'm trying to recover from overtraining symptoms.

Would taking in some BCAAs when feeling particularly stressed/underfed have value in controlling cortisol/stress?

[Mike ODonnell]

J Strength Cond Res. 2010 Apr;24(4):1125-30.
Amino acid supplements and recovery from high-intensity resistance training.

Sharp CP, Pearson DR.

Department of Health and Human Performance, College of Charleston, Charleston, South Carolina, USA.
Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether short-term amino acid supplementation could maintain a short-term net anabolic hormonal profile and decrease muscle cell damage during a period of high-intensity resistance training (overreaching), thereby enhancing recovery and decreasing the risk of injury and illness. Eight previously resistance trained males were randomly assigned to either a high branched chain amino acids (BCAA) or placebo group. Subjects consumed the supplement for 3 weeks before commencing a fourth week of supplementation with concomitant high-intensity total-body resistance training (overreaching) (3 x 6-8 repetitions maximum, 8 exercises). Blood was drawn prior to and after supplementation, then again after 2 and 4 days of training. Serum was analyzed for testosterone, cortisol, and creatine kinase. Serum testosterone levels were significantly higher (p < 0.001), and cortisol and creatine kinase levels were significantly lower (p < 0.001, and p = 0.004, respectively) in the BCAA group during and following resistance training. These findings suggest that short-term amino acid supplementation, which is high in BCAA, may produce a net anabolic hormonal profile while attenuating training-induced increases in muscle tissue damage. Athletes' nutrient intake, which periodically increases amino acid intake to reflect the increased need for recovery during periods of overreaching, may increase subsequent competitive performance while decreasing the risk of injury or illness.

[Greg Davis]

MOD are you suggesting that even just periods of high stress/fasting could be comparable to the "overreaching" associated with workouts (as in this study)?

[Steven Low]

Originally Posted by Greg Davis

MOD are you suggesting that even just periods of high stress/fasting could be comparable to the "overreaching" associated with workouts (as in this study)?

Yes, they can be.

[Gant Grimes]

Anavar. If the coach has had a lot of success before, most of his girls have probably used drugs in final prep. Not casting stones; it (using or no) just makes a huge difference in the run-up to the show.

[Steve Shafley]

Some will also go with low dose stanzolol. You should be unsurprised to see some of the mild injectibles (or not so mild, depending on the coach) in use either.