WB Archives 20180108: The Most Important Supplement

Plenty of Creatine and Aminos on this table

People often ask me about which supplements they should use. The truth is, I don’t know much about supplementation and generally avoid it. My routine is simple. I use a multi vitamin made for bodybuilders (Animal Packs), I take a Fish Oil Supplement and for preworkout I just use a high caffeine and B-12 drink like Redline or 5 Hour Energy.

I do use protein while I am on program but that is only because getting the 1.8g of protein per pound of body weight is something just a daunting feat and an extra 60g of protein I can drink really helps me hit my macros.

However, there is one “supplement” that I believe is more important than all the rest and which nearly everyone fails at getting enough of: Water. My guess is that everyone reading this, or at least as close to everyone as possible, is at some level of dehydration. So when people ask me about supplements my first reaction is always to ask “how much water do you drink?”

So before you start researching if you need creatine and if you should use HCL or MONO or whether you want to use a fat burner or some other supplement, make sure your water is on point. If you are in the gym pushing an intense program you should be drinking a minimum of 1 gallon of water a day. Water. Not coffee. Not tea.

Why is water so important? There are loads of reasons.  In no particular order I will mention several of them here. First off, water helps flush out toxins. One way to get a lot of toxins is to eat a high protein diet. We are all looking for gains and as such we are all eating a lot of protein so we will have toxins like nitrogen in our system. By properly hydrating we make it easier for our kidneys to do the job of  flushing out those toxins.

Do you use a fat burner? If you aren’t getting enough water it doesn’t matter. When the body is dehydrated the liver picks up some of the slack of the kidneys. Because of this the liver has less ability to burn fat. Also, maintaining proper hydration reduces feelings of hunger.

Water helps reduce fluid retention. Sounds odd right? But it is true. If the body is dehydrated it begins to hoard water. That water stays in the cells and that makes us look soft and puffy, covering those muscles we are working so hard to build.

Acknowledged First Philosopher and Scientist Thales of Miletus Believed Water was the fundamental principle in the universe.

While water is number one in my book it is also good for number two. If you do not have enough water in your body other organs donate water. One of those organs is the colon. When your colon dries out it leads to constipation. Further, water helps with the digestion of food. For those of you guys who are seriously looking to pack on muscle and are eating, like I am, in the ballpark of 4000 calories this is even more important.

Going back to the issue of water retention, water flushes sodium out of the body. There are two effective ways to reduce the amount of sodium in the body: less salt intake and more water intake. You should be doing them both if you want that dried out look that allows muscles to show through the skin.

For those of you taking supplements you should know that water actually makes them work better. Whether it is a water-soluble multi vitamin or something like creatine, which needs water to pull into the muscle cells to create an anabolic environment, the more water you take in the better your supplements, will work for you.

If possible use BPA free stainless steel water bottles.

If you are in the gym and you are trying to get the most out of your body one of the best places to start is proper hydration. I carry around a 72 ounce jug. It goes everywhere with me. I know that once I finish it twice I am in the happy spot for water. Sometimes this is difficult. I find the best thing to do is to chug as much water as possible right when you wake up. I go to the gym in the morning so I am drinking water all during my workout. My goal is to have 72 ounces down by the time I get to work in the morning. After that, it is easier to get the second jug down.

If you have any doubts about just how important water is to the body today’s challenge will really open your eyes. I challenge each and every one of you to get one full gallon of water daily for 7 days. I promise, you will be shocked by how your see your body, energy, mood, muscle and general health change in just 7 days. It is simple and it is free, there is no reason not to try and once you do you will be hooked. Comment below how the water challenge is going!