You work out and eat properly because you know that the foods you eat play a critical role in helping you build a strong, muscular, hard physique. But are you overlooking a critical piece of the bodybuilding puzzle—a multivitamin? If you do take a multi, it’s more important than ever to arm yourself with the right one to support your weight-training goals. Though the rest of America can take a basic multivitamin-and-mineral for general health, you need more than that.
New Designer Enzymes—the Future of Bodybuilding Nutrition
You’ve probably heard of enzymes, but you may not know why they’re so important for you, the bodybuilder, or what they have to do with multivitamins. New research suggests that bioengineered enzymes can allow your body to use more protein to stimulate muscle growth, get more energy from carbs and convert more fat into energy. That’s right, enzymes are no longer just for people with digestion issues.
A newly discovered enzyme blend has found its way into a progressive bodybuilder-focused multivitamin formula, Anabolase, an enzyme blend protected by two U.S. patents and backed by scientific studies from major universities. Here’s how it works: Your goals of building lean muscle, reducing bodyfat, increasing energy and endurance and maximizing performance depend on the proper intake and percentages of the macronutrients—protein, carbohydrate and fat. Anabolase is an interactive food optimizer that’s been shown to actually improve the absorption and utilization of the proteins, carbohydrates and fats you eat, so you can make better and faster use of your meals. In effect, it makes your body more efficient at breaking down nutrients to build muscle. The anabolic enzyme system comprises three advanced enzyme components: aminogen, carbogen and lipolase. Taken before meals, each of the three enzymes provides a specific function to help your body make better use of the food you eat.
Aminogen. As a bodybuilder you have a greater need for protein than a sedentary person. While you may be eating enough protein, your body may not be using it efficiently. If you aren’t using it, you aren’t going to gain the muscle and strength you’re looking for. Luckily, scientists have discovered a new protein enzyme that makes better use of your proteins. Aminogen improves the use of protein from meals and increases the amount of amino acids delivered to your muscle tissue for stimulating growth and recovery.
Carbogen. Carbohydrates are highly anticatabolic—they prevent the use of dietary protein and muscle tissue for energy. That’s why research suggests that athletes and physically active people get at least 40 percent of their calories from carbs. In the absence of carbs your body will begin feeding on protein and muscle tissue through a process called gluconeogenesis. That will have a negative impact on your energy, endurance and ability to build lean muscle. Carbogen increases the conversion of carbs to muscle glycogen so your body doesn’t have to tap into its protein stores for energy. Carbogen also decreases lactic acid by 275 percent, enabling you to work out harder and longer. It helps athletes perform at their peak longer during competition.
Lipolase. This enzyme enables your body to use dietary fat as an efficient energy source rather than storing it. Lipolase is a proprietary pH-resistant bioactive enzyme with a unique ability to break triglycerides into fatty acids to be utilized by the Krebs cycle for energy in both low- and high-pH environments. Lipolase’s full-range pH action allows for the breakdown of fats throughout the entire digestive system, maximizing energy and minimizing bodyfat storage.
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Multivitamins
Regular multivitamins are deficient in many areas. In choosing a multi, you should be aware of these seven multivitamin credibility tests.
1) Maximum nutrient amounts.
Multivitamins should have at least 100 percent of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s established daily value for vitamins A, C and E and the B-vitamins, most notable of which include thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B6, folic acid, vitamin B12 and biotin. Minerals like magnesium, zinc and chromium should also be at 100 percent because they all play a role in muscle metabolism.
2) Maximum absorption/utilization.
Did you know that the typical multi gives you forms of vitamins and minerals that your body is not ready to use? Instead, your body has to convert them through a series of metabolic processes before they become active or usable. That means usability, absorption and potency are ultimately compromised.
3) Exponential synergies.
Biochemists and nutritionists use this term to describe the high impact of certain vitamins and minerals when they’re combined in precise amounts. Here’s how it works: Certain vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and phytochemicals have the unique ability to work together, or synergistically, to produce a greater effect than if taken alone. If proper nutrients are combined in the proper ratios, they can reenergize and recycle one another—they’re replenished and utilized over and over, creating exponential synergies. Examples of this include vitamins C and E in the correct ratios to give greater antioxidant power. Another example: Different forms of vitamin A work better in your body than just one form alone.
4) Fully reactive vitamin C mineral ascorbates.
Most multivitamins include inferior forms of vitamin C (such as ascorbic acid) that don’t circulate in the body that well. To circulate properly, the intermediate forms need to react with minerals present in the liver to form mineral ascorbates of potassium, calcium, magnesium, manganese, copper, zinc and other trace elements. Unfortunately, that minimizes absorption and robs your body of the precious minerals you need for such functions as electrolyte balance and enzymatic reactions. The best form of C is the kind that’s already reactive with all of those minerals so that your body doesn’t have to pull them from other places.
ALL5) Neutrally charged amino acid–chelated minerals.
A chelated mineral is one that bonds to an amino acid. Chelation is the body’s natural means of transporting minerals across the intestinal wall to maximize absorption. Amino acid chelates are superior to other kinds because other forms of minerals lose integrity during digestion, become unstable and therefore lose their bioavailability. Also, the body can’t use mineral compounds in their natural state. Any mineral sulfate, oxide or carbonate must be broken apart and restructured for it to be transported through the intestinal wall. In addition, the mineral compounds have an electrical charge and can deactivate other important nutrient factors, such as vitamin E, ascorbic acid and various B-vitamins, as well as important medications. Chelation solves that problem. The body is very efficient at absorbing amino acids, and by chelating minerals to amino acids, it enables the aminos to cross the intestinal wall and bring the minerals with them. The transport system allows the minerals to be protected and carried across the intestinal lining into circulation for use.
6) Activated B-complex coenzymes.
The body must process B-vitamins and turn them into their coenzyme form before using them. Once they’re in coenzyme form, they’re easily absorbed and readily enter cells. The problem is, the B-vitamins in most multis require a process to activate them. Make sure your multi has activated forms of all B-vitamins.
7) Free-radical-scavenging antioxidant blend.
During exercise, oxygen consumption greatly increases, leading to increased free-radical production. If that’s not controlled, a substantial amount of muscle can be damaged, and that can hinder performance, muscle growth and recovery. The good news is, antioxidants work to protect cells from free-radical damage. They scavenge, or round up, the free radicals and kill them off. The power of an antioxidant is determined by its oxygen radical absorbance capacity, which measures its effectiveness at quenching free radicals. Make sure your multi is armed with a potent free-radical-scavenging blend with a high ORAC rating.
A Multi With More Muscle
Although a lot of multis on the shelves of vitamin stores are deficient in one or more important areas, there’s one multi that’s flexing big muscle in the circles of some big bodybuilding names. It’s called Activite, and it’s made by MHP, one of the biggest pioneers in sports nutrition today. Pro bodybuilder and top-five Mr. Olympia contender Victor Martinez swears by it: “I’ve been taking this multi for about six months now, and it’s the only multi I’ve ever taken that I actually feel. My meals go down smoother—no stomach upset—my muscles feel fuller, and I feel more energy than ever before, so I know I’m getting better utilization of my protein and carbs.”
Activite is the world’s first anabolic-enzyme-activated multivitamin-and-mineral complex designed exclusively for bodybuilders and fitness enthusiasts who train hard and demand more from their multi. After all, when you’re in pursuit of the Mr. Olympia title, like Victor Martinez, you can’t rely on a weak or one-dimensional multi to fuel muscle growth.
The real muscle behind Activite is Anabolase, the patented anabolic enzyme system and interactive food optimizer with designer enzymes aminogen, carbogen and lipolase. Remember, those enzymes are critical to the bodybuilder because they maximize protein, carbohydrate and fat utilization. Activite is the only multi to date to contain this breakthrough anabolic enzyme blend.
Activite is also precisely formulated to deliver a properly balanced full spectrum of vitamins and minerals. It combines a hand-selected blend of the world’s most powerful and precise micronutrients—vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and phytochemicals—in the exact ratios for maximizing their synergistic effect and creating exponential synergies.
Activite provides a full-spectrum infusion of activated vitamins, amino acid–chelated minerals and high-ORAC antioxidants for improved muscle recovery and immune support. That means that the vitamin B and C and mineral complexes in Activite are already in their fully active states, making for full usability, absorption and potency. The “fully reacted” vitamin C complex includes mineral ascorbates of potassium, calcium, magnesium, manganese, copper, zinc and chromium, which provide the ultimate transport system for vitamin C.
The coenzyme B-vitamins used in Activite are in a form identical to what your body uses and are in many cases the only form of B-vitamins that will work. Activite’s entire complex of B-vitamins are already in their coenzyme form, eliminating the need for processing by the body.
Its mineral complex employs neutrally charged amino acid–chelated minerals, which are highly bioavailable and therefore more effective. To top off its multifaceted multi, MHP has included a blend of high-ORAC free-radical-scavenging antioxidants to maximize performance, trigger muscle growth and speed recovery.
If you’re looking to get the most out of your training and active lifestyle, choose Activite as your multi. It’s the only multi with muscle.
Editor’s note: Activite is available at www.Home-Gym.com or by calling (800) 447-0008. IM
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