Supplements for a washboard stomach

Summer is the time to get hard and defined and show off the fruits of your labor. A washboard stomach is essential for this. This article describes 6 supplements that can help you achieve just that.

Protein powder

A protein powder is the supplement that should be in a serious bodybuilder's supplement arsenal all year round. Countless studies in the past have shown that protein powders have positive effects on athletic performance, muscle strength, muscle growth, muscle maintenance and even fat loss.

Performance

When performance increases, you can train harder. Harder training sessions build more muscle and burn more calories or fat both directly through the training itself and indirectly through the increased muscle mass.

Strength

Progressive strength gains allow the use of heavier weights. Training with heavy weights has a positive effect on both muscle mass and metabolic rate at rest and the higher the metabolic rate, the more calories you burn and the more fat you will lose.

Muscle growth and maintenance:Muscles need calories to function. The more muscle mass you have, the more calories you burn at rest. Protein helps to increase muscle mass and maintain existing muscle mass during a restrictive diet.

Fat loss:When protein powder is used in conjunction with a healthy diet and proper exercise plan, you will burn more fat than through diet and exercise alone. In addition, when protein is digested, about 20 to 25% of the calories supplied by the protein itself are used up again, which is also known as the thermic effect of protein.

There are different applications for different types of protein powder during the diet:

• The use of fast-digesting protein such as whey protein after training is essential for protein synthesis.
• Protein powders such as multi-component proteins and casein are good as snacks or meal replacements when you don't have time to prepare a meal.
• Slowly digestible protein such as casein, consumed before bed, provides the amino acids needed for regeneration and muscle maintenance during sleep.

Fat burner

The wide variety of fat burners available today can make it difficult to find the right fat burner for your specific needs. To make things a little easier, this section provides a rough overview of the different categories of fat burners. This categorization can help you find the fat burner that is best for you.

Thermogenic supplements

This type of fat burner increases the body temperature and usually also the heart rate at rest, which increases calorie consumption at rest. This can lead to a feeling of warmth and increased sweating. The most commonly used ingredients in this type of fat burner are caffeine, yohimbe/yohimbine and synephrine.

Appetite suppressants

Appetitesuppressants suppress hunger or appetite, making it easier for the user to adhere to a strict diet. These supplements usually contain various stimulants or hoodia extract.

Thyroid function regulators

Supplements in this category stimulate thyroid function, which burns more calories at rest and can counteract a diet-induced reduction in metabolic rate. Most products of this type contain guggulsterone or forskolin as active ingredients.

Carbohydrate blockers

Carbohydrate block ers prevent or reduce the body's utilization of starchy carbohydrates. The primary ingredient in supplements of this type is usually an extract from white kidney beans, which blocks an enzyme that breaks down larger starch molecules into sugar molecules that can be utilized by the body.

Fat blockers

Depending on the active ingredient, fat blockers bind dietary fats or inhibit the absorption of fatty acids in the intestine so that some of the dietary fats consumed are excreted undigested. The primary ingredient in supplements of this type is usually chitosan, an extract from crab shells that can bind large amounts of fat.

Cortisol blockers

A calorie deficit, heavy physical exertion and stress can significantly increase the body's cortisol levels. As cortisol is a catabolic hormone, this can lead to a loss of muscle mass due to the breakdown of muscle protein to provide energy for the body. Supplements from the cortisol blocker category can help to counteract an increase in cortisol levels and thus counteract the muscle loss feared during a diet. Most cortisol blockers contain phosphatidylserine as an active ingredient.

Carnitine

Carnitine is a naturally occurring amino acid that can promote fat loss during a diet. The body needs carnitine to release fatty acids from fat cells so that they can be transported into the cells of the body (including muscle cells) where they can be burned by the mitochondria for energy.

During a diet, there is no way around significantly reducing carbohydrate intake, which in many dieters reduces the ability to concentrate due to a lack of carbohydrates in the brain. Carnitine can help improve mental function and focus during a low-carb diet, which is beneficial during both exercise and mental exertion.

In addition, carnitine has been shown to remove toxic metabolites produced during exercise from the muscles, resulting in less fatigue during exercise and better recovery.

Recommended dosage: 1000-2000mg before and after training.

Green tea extract

Green tea has been used in Asia for over 1000 years as a stimulant and in traditional medicine to support the healing of wounds and the elimination of urine. Modern science has identified many other benefits of green tea, including the following:

Health benefits

• Green tea increases the levels of antioxidants in the body, which neutralize free radicals. Free radicals are naturally occurring compounds that are produced as part of metabolic processes or by environmental factors such as smoking or UV light and can damage the body's cells.
• Green tea helps to protect the cells of the skin from the damaging effects of ultraviolet radiation from the sun.

Benefits for diet and fat loss

• Green tea contains caffeine, which stimulates the body's metabolic rate so that it burns more calories and more body fat.
• Green tea contains catechin polyphenols, which can increase the metabolic rate by up to 4% and stimulate fat burning.
• Green tea helps to stabilize blood sugar levels after a meal, preventing high insulin levels and reducing fat storage.
• Green tea has a certain appetite-suppressing effect.
• Green tea has diuretic effects, which means that it promotes the excretion of fluids via the urine. This excretes excess water, which results in a more defined appearance of the muscles.

CLA (conjugated linoleic acid)

CLA is a naturally occurring fatty acid found in meat and dairy products that has numerous health benefits and supports the breakdown of body fat. Since natural sources only contain very small amounts of CLA, CLA must be taken in the form of supplements in order to fully benefit from its advantages.

CLA helps the body to burn body fat for energy and at the same time interferes with the storage of fat in the body's fat cells. In addition, CLA has positive effects on protein metabolism and thus promotes the build-up of muscle mass - and more muscle mass means higher calorie consumption at rest. CLA also increases the metabolic rate, which means more calories are burned.

The numerous health benefits of CLA include supporting immune system function (resulting in faster recovery after exercise, among other benefits), lowering cholesterol levels and antioxidant properties.

Recommended dosage: 3 to 6 grams evenly distributed throughout the day with meals.

Beta-alanine

Beta-alanine is a non-essential amino acid that helps with the body's production of carnosine. Carnosine is found in the cells of rapidly contracting muscle fibers, where it acts as a buffer for hydrogen ions.

Hydrogen ions are produced during intense exercise as part of lactate formation and too many hydrogen ions lower the pH value in the muscles, resulting in hyperacidity. This acidic environment is responsible for the muscle burn you feel at the end of a set during training. Acidification of the muscles results in muscle exhaustion and muscle failure. In addition, both ATP and calcium, which are essential for muscle performance, are less effective in an acidic environment.

Higher carnosine levels result in a higher pH value and less acidification of the muscles due to its effect as an acid buffer. As a result, you can perform more repetitions, train at a higher intensity and fatigue sets in later. Unfortunately, carnosine cannot be supplied directly in the form of supplements, as it is completely broken down during the digestive process. However, you can supplement beta-alanine, which is converted into carnosine in the body.

Beta-alanine allows for longer and harder workouts, resulting in more calories burned during exercise. In addition, more intense training leads to more muscle growth and more muscle means more calories burned at rest.

Recommended dosage: 2-3 grams before and after training.

Concluding remarks

As effective as the supplements presented will be in supporting fat loss, one should never forget that they can only be effective when combined with the right diet and training program. In other words, these products will absolutely not work if the diet and exercise program does not match the diet goals.

Source: http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/summer_abs_supplement_guide.htm