The skinny on bulking up with fitness supplements - Off Duty, Military Health and Fitness - Air Force Times

The skinny on bulking up with fitness supplements

Army Reserve Cpl. Carl Matthews knows a thing or two about bulking up.

A former active-duty tanker, Matthews started hitting the weights at Fort Irwin, Calif., in 1999 and was soon winning awards in powerlifting competitions. When he transferred to the Reserve in 2002, he set his sights on professional bodybuilding and finished fifth in a national qualifier on his first try last year.

The high finish disqualified Matthews from amateur competitions, despite the fact it was his first time out. Now, at 38, he's looking toward his professional qualifier in May, trying to line up sponsors and hitting the national circuit.

And he's doing it without many of the supplements that muscle magazines and slick marketing campaigns promote.

He's all about being drug-free and, generally, all-natural.

"Everybody wants to look like the guy in the magazines," said Matthews, who lives in Las Vegas. "But I'm really against steroids and stuff. And so far, I'm proving them wrong. You don't need that."

But within the military, the use of legal dietary and fitness supplements is hitting record highs, as more and more people look for ways to gain an edge in the battle for the perfect body.

Big money, but big muscles?

In military exchanges, fiscal 2005 sales of vitamins, weight-loss products and sports nutrition supplements are up 37 percent over the same period in 2004, exchange officials said. And fiscal 2004 was a banner year for such items, with total exchange sales increasing 31 percent from the previous year to more than $49.5 million.

But have buyers been duped by marketing campaigns into thinking supplements are the only way to get the fitness results they crave?

"Unfortunately, yes," said Chris Halagarda, 30, a civilian health and fitness expert who monitors and trains Marines at Camp Lejeune, N.C. "I think they're misled that you need supplements to increase performance. Generally, you don't."

You have to hit the gym hard and often if you want big results, he said.

He's not alone in his opinion. Until recently, Matthews didn't use performance supplements.

Now, he tries them sometimes, just to be aware of the market.

"You can diet and lift and get there," Matthews said. "I'm just now trying some things, because people ask me about them. People I train ask me about them, and I can't really talk about them unless I've tried them."

So he added a performance supplement to his diet, a fitness drink loaded with nitric oxide and creatine, an amino acid mixture designed to increase strength, muscle size and energy.

But the effectiveness of such mixtures varies greatly among athletes, depending on individual body type. Matthews -- all 5 feet, 11 inches and 225 pounds of him -- saw a quick spurt of weight gain, followed by nothing.

"Some people, they get nothing out of it at all," he said.

And Matthews hits the gym like a monster, six days a week in workouts that last at least three hours each, "not including cardio," he said.

Monday and Thursday, he works on his chest and triceps. Tuesday and Friday, he targets his back and biceps. Wednesday and Saturday are for legs, and Sunday is for resting.

"One of the first things I ask people is how often do they go to the gym, what's their routine," Matthews said. "You can tell a lot about their dedication from how often they work out."

Many people try to take the fast route, turning to supplements as a replacement for hard work. But sculpting a perfect body is all about exercise and nutrition, he said.

When he uses supplements, it's only to balance his diet.

"I take a multivitamin, and I add protein," Matthews said. "You might miss a meal sometimes, and meal replacements are a good way to get what you need."

His recommendation for troops who want to add bulk and definition? Lift weights at least 45 minutes a day four days a week, working all the major muscle groups. Vary the routine if it gets boring, but put in the time.

Don't forget the cardio, he said, in addition to the weight room time.

"You can look good, be all big," Matthews said. "But your wind is short."

That'll be a problem when it's time to take your fitness test.

So along with cardio training, he recommends a balanced diet high in protein, including protein powders and meal-replacement packs if you miss meals or need a boost. Take a multivitamin, and drink plenty of water.

Mostly, he said, set realistic goals and work toward them. Don't spend money on expensive supplements and gym memberships you won't use.

"[People] don't always want to put in the effort," Matthews said. "You'd just be wasting your money then."

'It has to become your life'

Former Marine Cpl. Lisa Marie Bickels, 26, an amateur bodybuilder and fitness model with a popular Web site, hits the gym for two or three hours nearly every day. Her routines include plenty of weights, as well as 90 minutes of cardio each day to help fight off the higher level of body fat women have.

"It has to become your life," said Bickels, a former maintenance management specialist who left the Corps in 2000 and lives in Newport Beach, Calif. "It takes a lot of time."

She usually does two workout sessions a day, starting the morning off with an hour of cardio after breakfast. Later, it's back to the gym for 45 minutes of weight training -- focused on one body part each day -- followed by 45 minutes of cardio.

In between, she eats a balanced diet of six meals a day. Because of her rigorous schedule, she takes up to 30 grams a day of glutamine, an amino acid found naturally in beans and meat.

When she's not competing, Bickels also supplements with a protein powder. But when she's preparing to compete, she goes back to an all-natural diet.

Sometimes, Bickels will add a creatine drink. But the certified nutritionist isn't stressing it either way.

"Do I rely on them to do anything great? No," she said. "It all comes down to a certain way of training."

She's seen a lot of weightlifters trying to bulk up and define at the same time, hard to do for most body types. The results are often frustrating.

"You have to build the foundation before you can dial it down to anything," she said. "You need to build that muscle before you can shred it down."

For women, she encourages vigorous exercise, "if we're talking someone who wants to get in amazing shape" and cut body fat. That means four to six days a week on weights, plus five days of additional cardio, Bickels said. She recommends eating six small meals a day. Plus, Bickels drinks a gallon of water a day.

"It's tough, but you'd be amazed at how your body will respond" to the water intake, she said.

And be realistic, she said. Don't try to look like her, because she credits amazing genetics for her success.

"I get that a lot," Bickels said. "And my answer to them is that they need to look the best they can for their body type. Just shoot to be the best you've ever looked. Not too many women can look like me."

Looking good vs. being good

Others take the advice a step further, urging similar gym discipline but advising against even protein powders and meal replacements.

Doug Briggs, Ph.D., a competitive Olympic weightlifter and university nutrition and fitness professor, has spent more than 25 years in the powerlifting world. Now, he trains soldiers as a fitness coordinator at Fort Bliss, Texas, often counseling them on the differences between bodybuilding and strength training.

For guys like Briggs, the argument is not which supplement to take or even whether you should take them at all. For him, it comes down to the difference between looking good and being good.

Bodybuilding is about making your muscles look a certain way, while strength training is about performance, Briggs said. Sure, the bodybuilder looks like he can lift a ton, but it's the powerlifter who actually gets the iron off the ground.

"You can get stronger without getting bigger," Briggs said. "A powerlifter or Olympic lifter is going to be stronger than a bodybuilder any day of the week."

Excelling in either area means a diet rich in protein, but not necessarily from a plastic jug. Briggs pushes his athletes to try the natural route first.

"There's a hundred ways to get protein," Briggs said. "If you're not working out really hard, there's really no reason for all of that stuff. ... They're better off, actually, getting it through food."

His advice is to try an inexpensive, nonfat dry milk mixed into a glass of regular low-fat milk to boost the protein level naturally. Or go with tuna packed in water.

"You can't beat a can of tuna," Briggs said. "It's pure protein, and it's very inexpensive. It's real easy to spend a lot of money on these things," referring to supplements. Even sports drinks such as Gatorade are unnecessary for most athletes who eat a balanced diet and take multivitamins, he said. He urges troops to drink lots of water, up to a gallon a day.

"Sports drinks, you really don't need those unless you go over an hour in endurance events," Briggs said. "Unless you're running a marathon."

He recommends a 45-minute workout one day for your upper body, the same the next day for your lower body, then a day off, followed by a day of upper and a day of lower. Another day for cardio, then a day off rounds out the week.

To get stronger, he recommends powerlifting or Olympic lifting, which concentrate on building strength, not bodybuilding routines, which concentrate on "ripping" -- weightlifter slang for toning and shaping -- muscles.

A balanced diet is key, including a multivitamin. And learn to read nutrition labels.

Finally, be sure of where your information is coming from. The more you study and understand nutrition and fitness, the more you'll be able to tailor your routine -- and supplements -- to specific goals.