NutraBio Supplement Protocol for Never Ending Strength by Brandon Smitley

We’re all striving to improve our health, strength, stamina, and body composition. What isn’t talked about it how some of the elite athletes here at NutraBio use these supplements to maximize our performance in our given endeavors. Being an elite level competitive raw powerlifter in the 132 pound weight class, I can tell you that my supplement protocol is one of the most important things that has helped me reach my world-class level of strength. I’m certainly not dismissing my diet, intelligent training, sleep and recovery, but many times the supplements we take can give us that extra edge, especially at high level athletics. I was inspired to write this article because I just recently came off my best powerlifting meet to date, and one of the key things I did was be religious with my supplement protocol and diet. When training for a meet, it’s vital that I am recovering from some of my hardest training sessions, and NutraBio supplements have let me do just that. Below is a brief description of how I use certain supplements from NutraBio that gave me my 525 pound squat (4^th all-time), 315 pound bench press, 480 pound deadlift, and 1320 pound total (4^th all-time). Fish Oil – I take five grams, three times per day dosed pretty evenly across the day for a total of 15 grams. This equates out to five grams of EPA/DHA per day. I do this to help improve my insulin sensitivity, keep my joints healthy, and for other numerous health benefits. CLA – I take three pills per day, dosed evenly with my fish oil. This is to help make up for the lack of food quality in today’s world and help with proper body composition. Vitamin D3 – I take one pill per day, usually midday with lunch. With vitamin D being a fat soluble vitamin, I ensure I have ample healthy fats at this meal. I take this to help assist with immune support and bone density. With the hard training we place ourselves under, the last thing we want to do is become ill (especially leading up to a contest). Bone density is also very critical so the attachment sites of tendons are strong and built up properly. Vitamin B Complex – I also only take one pill per day here with lunch. This ensures that I have plenty of energy to get me through the rest of the day and leading into my training sessions, which are late afternoon to early evening. Pre Workout – This is where things begin to get more complicated. I will eat a solid meal about 90-120 minutes before I expect to train. Then again about 30 minutes before I expect to warm up I have half a scoop of whey protein isolate and half a scoop of CGT-Max. This is to keep amino acids and creatine flowing through my bloodstream so once the training session begins, my body immediately has these vital resources ready to start helping with recovery and to power me through my workout. Intra Workout – While I’m training I have one scoop of POST mixed with about 32 ounces of water and a few squirts of Mio (to help make the serving last considerably longer throughout the training session). I think POST is one of the best supplements on the market right now, with a huge eight grams of BCAA’s, four of which are leucine. Leucine is the number one amino acid associated with protein synthesis, so I want this (and the other amazing ingredients in POST) to continue to fuel me and my training. I’ve discovered this has decreased my soreness ten-fold and lets me train longer and harder. Post Workout – Immediately following training, I have one scoop of whey protein isolate, half a scoop of micellar casein, half a scoop of whey hydrolysate, a scoop of leucine, and a scoop of CGT-Max all mixed into one big shake. This packs nearly 50 grams of protein, and over eight grams of leucine! With this much leucine, a carb source is not needed to spike insulin, so I get all the benefits with minimal carbs. This lets me keep my weight in check but also helps with recovery and protein synthesis. After this post workout shake, I will usually have dinner focused on lean protein, high glycemic carbs, and minimal vegetable intake. This allows for rapid absorption and a greater insulin spike when the carbs are introduced. I’ve found this lets me enjoy ice cream and sweets (in moderation) but help fuel me for the next training session while shuttling more amino acids into the muscles that were just damaged. Bed – I will take three capsules of ZMA immediately before bed to help with sleep quality and to optimize my hormones. On days that I don’t train, I will have the following: Half a scoop of whey protein isolate, one and a half scoops of micellar casein, half a scoop of Metamucil, and a little bit of peanut butter. This lets me make up for the post workout shake that I didn’t have after training but with the slow releasing casein I am able to “feed” my muscles all night long to optimize recovery for the next days training, while also getting in some quality fiber and fats. As you’ll notice, I take a great deal of consideration around the peri-workout nutrition window. This is the best spot to load up on supplements as they can help with recovery and energy, but are also very easy to plan for. I can have all my shakers made before hand and drink them as I need and only need water. Now on some days I will drink a protein shake made up of a mix of whey protein isolate and micellar casein, but this is mainly for when I know it will be hard to get a meal in. Otherwise, I save most of my protein supplementation for around the peri-workout window or right before bed. At the end of the day there are dozens of different ways in which you can use the NutraBio supplement line. This is just what has worked extremely well for me and let me get the most out of the high quality products that NutraBio has to offer. I’ve made steady improvements and have had little issues with recovering from some of the hardest and heaviest training sessions of my life. If you’re looking for a way to get the most out of your training, I highly suggest my peri-workout regime more than anything else. You’ll find that you can work harder and longer (and still recover) thanks to all the leucine, high quality protein, and other amino acids that NutraBio has placed in its stellar products. In Strength, Brandon Smitley, MS, CSCS, USAW, CPT