Supplements are a multi-billion dollar industry and yet many people don’t know much about them.

Today I would like to introduce a good friend who also happens to be one of the world’s greatest minds in the sports nutrition and supplementation world.

No one knows supplementation better than Dr. Jose Antonio.

In fact, he literally wrote the book on it. Actually he has written numerous books.

He even founded the world’s most respected sports nutrition and supplementation certification -Certified International Society of Sports Nutrition CISSN

Read on to learn from the master!

Billy: Dr. Antonio, you are the founder of the International Society of Sports Nutrition (ISSN) which features the world’s foremost credential in Sports Nutrition and Supplementation. What inspired you start the ISSN?

Dr. Antonio: Great question! Put it this way. I never planned on starting ISSN (nor did my colleagues). It really evolved from the fact that other organizations did such a poor job at promoting the scientific aspects of the sports nutrition/supplement category. In fact, I remember giving a talk with Dr. Jeff Stout at an ACSM conference many years ago and the bizarre and unexpected response we received from the audience.  Half of them loved the talk, the other half hated it. The implication being (from the half that hated it) that all supplements are ‘snake oil’ and that there’s no science behind any of it. To that I say, bullsh@#. The fact of the matter is that there will always be folks against the use of dietary supplements. These are folks who have no business calling themselves scientists (applied or otherwise). Their dogmatic approach to sports nutrition is nothing short of idiotic. It’s funny. If you consume omega-3 fatty acids added to foods (such as milk) it’s considered ok. But the minute it appears in a gel cap, oh my god, it now falls under the evil category of supplements. When you eat fish, you are consuming creatine. But god-frickin’-forbid you put creatine powder in a glass of grape juice and give it to a teenage wrestler. Egads!  Call your local Congressman. We need to keep kids away from this stuff.

LOL. You can tell I have no patience for idiots. I think I got that from my Dad 🙂

Anyhow, the primary goal of ISSN is to promote the SCIENCE and application of the sports nutrition and supplement category. We now have top-notch scientific journal (JISSN – Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition), the best sports nutrition conference in the world, and some of the best and brightest minds on our Advisory Board. We are OPEN to all ideas and we do not reject anyone who wants to be a member. Unless of course they’re dogmatic fools who drink too much Kool-Aid (jk).

Billy: What mistakes do you see people make when taking nutritional supplements?

Dr. Antonio: The primary mistake is that they have no f’in clue why they are taking it!  They take it because their buddy at the gym is taking it. WTF? Read a little won’t you? Educate yourself. Remember:GOALS DETERMINE STRATEGIES. If your goal is running a 5K faster, then your supplement strategy is different than someone who just wants to be as big as a house.

Billy: There is a lot of research on pre and post workout nutrition. What is the best strategy to build muscle in regards to pre and post workout nutrition?

Dr. Antonio: Ok. Here’s what I think. To gain skeletal muscle mass, you need to consume a combination of essential amino acids (at least 6 grams) with whey protein (perhaps another 20-30 grams) with a modicum of sugar (20 grams) pre-exercise. Sip on this same cocktail while you train. And then immediately post-workout, consume a big ole bolus of PROTEIN! You can’t consume too much. I’d suggest at least 20 grams of whey/20 grams of casein post-exercise. They whey will flood the system fast while the casein will provide a slow anti-catabolic trickle. Yeah. A trickleJ

Billy: Let’s stay on the Pre and Post Workout nutrition.  What is the best strategy if the main goal is to burn fat?

Dr. Antonio: Consume ZERO carbs pre, during or post. I’d suggest to consume caffeine (5 mg caffeine per kg b.w.) pre workout with about 10-20 grams of whey protein (or 5-10 grams of EAA). Sip on water during training and consume protein ONLY post-exercise. At least 40 grams total (mixture of whey and casein).

Billy: Last question, If you were to recommend 3-5 supplements that most people should take what would they be?

Dr. Antonio: My fab five are:

1. Creatine
2. Whey protein (nutrient timing)
3. Vitamin D
4. Fish Oil
5. Beta-Alanine

Billy: Thanks Dr. Antonio! Great information and highly entertaining! You are the man!

BIO

Jose Antonio, Ph.D., FACSM, FNSCA, FISSN is the CEO and co-founder of the International Society of Sports Nutrition (ISSN). Dr. Antonio earned his Ph.D. from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSWMC) in the area of skeletal muscle plasticity. He also completed a post-doctoral fellowship in endocrinology and metabolism at the UTSWMC. He is the Editor-in-Chief of Sports Nutrition Insider, the first sports nutrition trade magazine and the Co-Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition. Currently he is an Assistant Professor of Exercise Science and Biology at Nova Southeastern University in Davie FL and is a sports science advisor for VPX/Redline. In addition to speaking his mind, poking fun at those who deserve it, and reading Vince Flynn novels, he likes to outrigger paddle in South Florida.

“I highly recommend the CISSN certification to anyone who works with clients, athletes or patients. it is by far the most valuable sports nutrition and supplementation certification in the world.”
~ Billy Beck III