Weight Training Blog

I know for a lot of beginners this question comes up a lot: What exactly is a supplement?

So I figured I would go over to the FDA’s website real quick and do some reading to find out just what their definition of a supplement is. It turns out it’s not much different than what I understood it to be. The following is an excerpt from the FDA’s website explaining what a supplement is:

Congress defined the term “dietary supplement” in the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA) of 1994. A dietary supplement is a product taken by mouth that contains a “dietary ingredient” intended to supplement the diet. The “dietary ingredients” in these products may include: vitamins, minerals, herbs or other botanicals, amino acids, and substances such as enzymes, organ tissues, glandulars, and metabolites. Dietary supplements can also be extracts or concentrates, and may be found in many forms such as tablets, capsules, softgels, gelcaps, liquids, or powders. They can also be in other forms, such as a bar, but if they are, information on their label must not represent the product as a conventional food or a sole item of a meal or diet. Whatever their form may be, DSHEA places dietary supplements in a special category under the general umbrella of “foods,” not drugs, and requires that every supplement be labeled a dietary supplement.

Simply put, a supplement is used to add on to your normal diet, not as a replacement. Think of supplementary angles. Supplementary angles, when put together, combine to form one straight line. They complete the line, just as dietary supplements help balance your diet. 

So if you’re taking supplements are you cheating? I don’t think so. I think it’s a smart way to deliver your body the nutrients that it needs in order to grow without having to eat 8 meals a day. 

As for what types of supplements you should incorporate into your diet… that’s a question for another day and another article becuase the answer isn’t an easy one.

It’s been about five days since I last went into the gym, and another two more to go until an entire week has gone by since I was last in the gym. In my last post I decided it would be best if I were to take a week off from working out in order to allow my muscles to rest and repair themselves. I also wrote that I would write my experiences while I took time off from the gym.

While taking time off, I have noticed that I am more irritable that normal, and I find myself to be sleeping A LOT more than I usually do since I had more free time to myself than I did when I went to the gym. Further more, I have also found that my appetite for food isn’t what it used to be. These behaviors can all be easily linked back to a sudden change in my life style – going from a high level of activity in the gym, to a relatively low level of activity at home resting like I said I was going to do.

I can attribute my increased levels of irritability to not working out because previously I used to use weight lifting as a means to relieve stress. Without lifting there to allow me to get rid of stress, it simply stays in me until I can find another way to relieve it.

My excessive sleeping habits can be linked to not working out for an entire week because working out releases endorphins in high quantities. When released, these compounds allow us to feel better about ourselves, and allow us to be more alert as a result. Without them, it’s certain one would feel the need to sleep all day.

Finally, my decreased levels of food consumption can be linked to not lifting because when you lift, you burn calories, and when you burn calories, you become hungry. It’s that simple. 

I find it to be pretty mind boggling how I knew all of these things would occur, but when they did occur, I acted as if something were wrong. As if I had chronic depression or some other sickness. Taking a look at the big picture on the other hand shows that all of these signs can be linked to me taking a week off from the gym.

As for my muscles feeling rested, I can’t comment on that until it’s time to hit the gym again. I’ll be sure to post my outcome when I return to the gym in two days.

I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s probably best that I take an entire week off from lifting in order to give my body a break from constantly working out. I noticed that I wasn’t putting up the same numbers that I used to, and I hadn’t taken a week off from lifting in more than a year.

I’ve done some reading around online and it’s generally recommended that every 6 to 8 weeks of lifting a week off should be taken in order to stimulate muscle growth and allow your body to repair any minor injuries that it may have suffered without you even knowing it (Like microtears) . Those who have taken such time off have said that after returning from their week long break they feel stronger, more energetic, and more motivated to hit the iron than they were before. Whether or not I’d take a week off every 6 to 8 weeks is still something I’d have to think about. I’m personally a fan of listening to what my body is trying to tell me rather than trying to follow some sort of routine that my body can’t fit into. 

After a while of lifting you’ll learn to listen to your body. If it starts telling you “no more” by not allowing you to lift as heavy weight as before, then a break might be in order. Also, if you suddenly find yourself lacking the urge to go to the gym, then it might be your body’s subconscious telling you that it needs a little break. 

You’ll also begin to notice that a lot of what is behind building muscle varies from person to person; so learning to listen to what your body is telling you and then reacting in the right manner is an invaluable tool to have while in the gym.

I’ll be sure to post my outcome and thoughts on the break when it’s completed. And of course, I’ll be sure to keep the updates coming while I’m off. Who knows what I’ll do with all this spare time for the next 7 days…