5 Best Supplements for MMA That You Must Know

Have you ever had that friend that began lifting weights religiously and when you saw them a few months later they're jacked?

Although they probably were very disciplined, and put in very hard work day in and day out, chances are they also sped up their progress by using supplements!

Table of Contents

• Benefits of Supplements
• What is Pre Workout
• Best Pre Workout
• Best Turmeric
• Best Protein
• Best Fish Oil
• Best Creatine
• Cons of Supplements

Benefits of Supplements

What Does Supplement Mean?

According to google: "Something that completes or enhances something else when added to it."

And that is exactly what it does, it completes or helps you before/after grueling workouts.

Whether that is getting your mind and body ready for a workout, or to aid in recovery.

You Can't Out Train a Bad Diet

It's important to note that supplements are not magical pills, powder or juice that will erase your bad habits & diet.

If you're eating fast food every day and not giving your body the proper nutrition, it does not matter if you're working out every single day.

The truth is you will not reach your full potential, and the supplements that you take will not have as great of an effect either.

Pre Workout

The main purpose of pre workout is to increase energy levels and alertness prior to your workout.

Common Pre Workout Ingredients

Caffeine

Similarly to coffee, pre workout contains caffeine to elevate your energy.

The difference is you don't have to drink an entire cup, 1 scoop mixed with some water will do.

Creatine

Creatine improves strength, increases lean muscle mass, and helps muscles recover quicker during exercise.

Nitric Oxide

Improves bloodflow for a maximum pump.

1. Best Pre Workout

This pre workout is our choice as the best one as it is made stricty for martial arts related exercise.

Most pre workouts are made for lifting weights, and the quantity of ingredients reflect that.

This pre workout contains much less caffeine which will prevent jitters. In fact, if you scroll through the amazon reviews you will see many people reporting this.

Jitters may be something that some weight lifters crave as they can lift heavy weights until its gone. However in martial arts, there's a warm up period, drills etc, prior to the super intensive exercise.

On top of all of this, it's only 5 calories per scoop!

2. Turmeric

Turmeric is a fantastic supplement for cardiovascular health, joint support, reduced inflammation, and it may even be useful for other major factors including benefits vs depression, arthritis, and treating Alzheimer's disease.

The use of turmeric has been around for over 4,000 years as it is derived from a plant. The earliest case was actually documented in India.

Naturewise is our choice for the best turmeric as this is something that I personally use every day. It is very easy on the stomach, and I feel a positive change in how my joints feel after grueling exercises.

One of the most noticeable aspects for me however is that I'm able to see reduced inflammation throughout my entire body!

A last important point is this specific brand contains black pepper extract.

This is extremely important to have in any turmeric related bottle as the curcumin in turmeric is poorly absorbed by our body. The black pepper with the curcumin in turmeric can help absorption by up to 2,000%.

Protein

Intaking more protein has many benefits including reducing appetite and hunger levels, promoting muscle mass, reducing recovery time and strength & boosting metabolism.

Protein can come from other various sources in your daily diet from sources such as chicken, eggs, and meat.

However, not consuming enough protein on a daily basis can hinder your performance and weaken your body.

Protein is taken by athletes from all over the world, and can directly impact performance.

Whether you're a serious athlete that needs to take extra protein to keep up with the grueling workouts, or are just looking to ensure you're getting the proper amounts of protein a day, having a high quality protein in your household can come in handy.

3. Best Protein Powder

Organic Protein

4. Fish Oil

Fish oil is one of the most commonly consumed supplements and for good reason. 

Here are some of the benefits

• Reduces inflammation
• Promotes heart health
• Lowers blood pressure

Fish oil is not only good for recovery, but it's something that can positively affect your daily life even when not working out like a maniac.

5. Best Creatine

As mentioned above, creatine is designed to improve strength, increase muscle mass, and recover quicker while exercising.

Cons of Supplements

Not Regulated

Due to supplements not being considered 'drugs, they are not put through the same rigorous safety and effectiveness requirements that drugs are subject to.

This means that the FDA isn't examining each product, and comparing the ingredients and amount of ingredients mentioned vs how many are actually in each product.

Dietary supplements are treated more like special foods.

Tainted Supplements

Another downside to the FDA not regulating this is that the companies who make these supplements do not have to be very strict on their procedures.

These supplement companies have been known to use the same batch for different products.

Why is This Important?

If a company is making protein, and then after making it they create a substance that is allowed for the regular person but not for a Professional MMA athlete under USADA.. It can lead to tainted supplements.

There have been many cases over the years of MMA fighters blaming tainted supplements for their failed drug test.

Most notably Yoel Romero was awarded $27.45 million in a lawsuit over tainted supplements.

USADA Statement

Even USADA is aware of this as it has been a big problem for them over the years. They've issued a statement on their stance of tainted/spiked supplements.