Bulk up without getting kicked out: ‘Natural’ supplements can help you build muscle, stay clean - Off Duty, Military Health and Fitness - Air Force Times

Bulk up without getting kicked out: ‘Natural’ supplements can help you build muscle, stay clean

Whether just trying to bulk up or get into competition-shredding shape, military bodybuilders need to be careful when it comes to what kind of supplements they take. While some can help hone you to a chiseled edge, supplements also can be a minefield for body and career. Even some of the legal “all-natural” substances can mean popping positive on a drug test.

Few know that better than professional bodybuilder and recently retired Marine Master. Sgt. Philip Ricardo Jr.

“Rico,” as he’s known to friends and fans alike, has turned his body into a well-oiled machine, winning some of the top military, national and international bodybuilding championships over the past decade, including multiple Mr. Natural Universe and Mr. Natural Olympia titles.

“There is no one supplement that is going make you Superman or Mr. Olympia,” he says. “They will help you out a little bit — especially if you can’t lead an optimal lifestyle like getting nine hours of sleep every night — but they aren’t going to work any miracles for you.”

The “natural” part of his championship titles means he not only gets urinalysis testing for performance-enhancing drugs before every competition, but also has to pass polygraph tests confirming he’s clean. The International Natural Bodybuilding Association, for example, follows the same strict banned-substances list set by the World Anti-Doping Agency.

“I’ve never touched any illegal drugs in my life,” Ricardo says.

But he’s seen plenty of bodybuilders in the military get busted for steroids.

“It is very common in the military,” Ricardo says. “We only get tested once a year, so people think you can get away with it, but people get caught all the time.”

And it’s not just the illegal stuff that that can spell disaster on a urinalysis. Plenty of off-the-shelf herbal and micronutrient supplements boost muscle-building testosterone just like prescription-only anabolic steroids.

“The important thing to remember if you’re using those is to always save the bottles and always stay within the recommended dosages,” Ricardo says. “That way, if you do test positive on a urinalysis for elevated testosterone levels, you have something that proves you weren’t using anything illegal.”

But, he adds, if testosterone counts are really high, “there may be nothing you can do to get a waiver.”

These are Rico’s recommendations for buffing up with legal supplements while reducing the risk of popping positive:

Rule No. 1

“Whatever supplements you use, stick with a reputable brand that gets their products tested,” Ricardo says. Supplement manufacturing is not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration, so quality can vary. A lot of the cheaper products use cheap ingredients. That can mean getting ripped off instead of ripped. “The label may say 20 grams of whey protein per serving, for example, but there may only be 10 grams actually in there.” Ricardo endorses Utah-based Power Evolution but says brands such as GNC, Gaspari and Labrada are also good bets.

Protein shakes

Protein is the basic building block for building muscle. That means meals should be built around low-fat, protein-rich sources such as lean meat. But you can only eat so much chicken and fish, so protein drinks are usually a must for anyone looking to bulk up. Whey drinks, especially after workouts, are favorites because they’re digested rapidly and help speed up recovery.

Too much protein, however, can wreak havoc on your liver and kidneys. “If you’re trying to build muscle and you’re hitting the gym about four times a week and getting some cardio in there, you’ll want to go with 1 gram of protein for every pound of body weight. So if you weigh 180 pounds you should try to get 180 grams of protein through the whole day,” Ricardo says. Women should scale that down to about 0.8 grams per pound, he says.

Krill oil

“This is the new wonder supplement,” Ricardo says. A staple of blubbery whales, krill oil may be the last thing you’d think you’d want when trying to get lean and mean, but the small shrimplike creatures are a rich source of healthy omega-3 fats. A variety of recent studies have found that krill oil could help ease everything from arthritis and inflammation to premenstrual pain and obesity-related problems.

While usually wary of hype, Ricardo says he’s convinced krill oil “really is the next big thing.” It’s something he feels, literally, in his bones, which tend to get achy when he’s dieting down to competition weight. But not since he started taking krill every day about a year ago.

Creatine

A favorite pre-workout booster, numerous studies have proved that creatine helps build muscle mass, strength and speed. Ricardo recommends creatine cocktails that mix in other proven workout helpers including glutamine, caffeine, nitric oxide and arginine. His favorite is Body Evolution’s Boom because “I’ve found that it gives me a sustainable energy boost that lasts through the day” but says other products such as Gaspari’s Super Pump Max 250 are also good.

Glutamine

One of the most abundant sources of amino acids, Ricardo takes 5 grams of glutamine before bed every night to improve workout recovery. The extra dose also helps slow down digestion so his body doesn’t start tearing down muscle mass for fuel while he’s asleep.

Tribulus

Along with other herbal and micronutrient testosterone boosters including ZMA (a mix of zinc, magnesium asparate and vitamin B6), epimedium, Long Jack extract and mucuna pruriens, tribulus encourages testosterone production. “This can be helpful for some people, especially as they get older and their bodies produce less testosterone, but a 20-year-old kid has no business taking tribulus and the rest because their bodies are already making plenty.”