VitaVol

Bee Pollen has a little bit of naturally occuring stimulant in it (caffiene) and acts on the nervous system similar to Ginseng and Royal Jelly. It's basically just caffeine

Clinton started 2 seniors, 4 jr's, 11 soph and 5 freshman...

Look for Clinton to be much improved....

The FDA doesn't "approve" any supplement. The FDA only bans or regulates as it sees fit. It does not endorse one particular product or product line. Please don't give out false info on here. Advocare's products don't test out any better than anyone else's in independent studies. Just another company's version of protein, creatine, mutli's, etc, marketed effectively.

WIth the tradition, talent base and community support Alcoa has, they should NEVER, EVER, under ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, lose to teams like Wartburg and Oliver Springs. That's embarassing.

Wartburg? Oliver Springs? Losing to teams like those isn't embarassing? LOL!! A bunch of slow mountain boys? Come on now, get real. Alcoa has too much talent in that community to EVER lose to teams like that. The fact that Alcoa is even in the same district with teams like that is embarassing. I'd compare them to Greenback. It's just backwoods slow football..a lot of guys giving their all that don't have a lot of athleticism to give. It's an honorable effort on their parts but don't confuse effort with quality football.

Medium Chain Trglycerides are easily taped into by your body, as they are long strand fatty acids that are tapped into for energy as easily as carbs (in some studies). Not a bad product but not overly productive.

Define "Healthy" for us? Is it the FDA's "Healthy Diet", where they've told people for almost 30 years that all fat is bad and that people should overload on carbs? America is now as fat as it's EVER BEEN. Diabetes rates among 8-13 year olds have DOUBLED since 1990. The FDA's version of a "Healthy Diet" is what is neccessary to keep a SEDENTARY 50 year old ALIVE. Think a hard training teenager needs to follow the FDA's "healthy diet" guidelines? Very few teens know how to eat right for TRAINING purposes...and won't take the time to do so, not realizing the importance.

Advocare is basically a multi-level marketing company that deals in sports supplements. You can save yourself a lot of money going other directions, I'll put it that way. What all do they have you taking?

Assuming your training and nutrition are on par (at least 3 carbs and .8 grams of protein per pound of bodyweight daily is a good guideline, with 80 grams of simple carbs post workout), I would rate the following in terms of important: 1. Protein. Most people don't get enough through their food to provide positive nitrogen retention. Idealy a hard training athlete would take in 30-40 grams of protein once every 3 hours every single day, with 40 grams of whey post workout. Tuna has 32 grams in a can. A large chicken breast has about 40. Milk has 8 grams per cup. No matter what the source is, however, GET ENOUGH PROTEIN EVERYDAY!! 2. Creatine. There have now been over 300 studies (independent and paid, University, etc.) on the effectiveness and safety of Creatine. FOr over 80% of the people that use creatine, greatly enhanced levels of ATP are present in their skeletal muscle after only 1 week of supplementation. Creatine supports power during short, explosive movements (bench press, squat, vertical jump, sprint, etc.) and does so very well. The ideal way to take creatine is post workout (your muscles are saturated with it...or 'store' it...over a period of time...it doesn't work at the time of use like a stimulant) with at least 80 grams of carbs in a liquid form (if possible...fat free frozen yogurt will work, believe it or not). An insulin spike along with creatine intake is STILL the most EFFECTIVE way to take it in. Liquid creatine, by any company, is GARBAGE. The bottle contains creatinine, a byproduct of creatine which does NOTHING (creatine degrades into this byproduct in about 15 minutes once liquified...that's why if you are taking it with you to the gym, leave it in the powder form in your shaker and mix it up afterwards). Creatine DOES NOT cause cancer (this ridiculous statement made by a german research group was later retracted...which, of course, wasn't printed). It can cause cramping in people with bodyfat under 7%, which, contrary to what a lot of athletes think, usually doesn't include most players. Simply drink about a gallon of water a day, total, and you should do fine (you should be doing this already for proper hydration regardless of using creatine). 3. Glutamine. The most abudant amino acid in the human body, glutamine comprises about 60% of all skeletal muscle. When your body enters a catabolic state, glutamine is the first free amino that is taped into. It is not an "essential" amino, but it's "conditionally essential", meaning that your body needs extra amounts depending on your activity levels. It greatly enhances workout recovery and reduces muscle soreness. Around 10 grams a day will suffice, 5 grams post workout and 5 grams before bed. There are a BUNCH of other things you can take (ZMA, Flax Oil and Fish oil, for instance), but these are the 3 "safest" and most neccessary supplements. There is a BUNCH of garbage out there...a WHOLE BUNCH. Supplements are not regulated by the FDA, obviously, so you have to trust the company you are buying a product from and do your own research into the effectiveness of a particular substance before buying it. Myostat, CellTech, NO2 and 1-AD are some of the bigger ripoffs out there right now (Myostat does NOTHING, Celltech is way overpriced, as the company that makes it feeds off idiots who are suckers for ads, NO2 is arginine...don't be fooled, and 1-AD isn't realistic for anyone under 25 in terms of safety and effectiveness). I deal with UT athletes every single day who are totally clueless about proper nutrition for making the gains they want, or what supplements do and which one's are needed and not needed. They have one nutritionist for their entire men's athletic department.... In short, do your research, don't believe what you read in magazines and don't listen to your "buddy". And if you're under 18, don't be an idiot and take a "testosterone boosting" supplement. You're getting your wallet cleaned and you don't need it at your age.

You do realize that Alpha Lipoic Acid degrades into NOTHING in light in about 10 seconds in a powder form? Muscle-Tech would make whole BATCHES of Cell-Tech and not even include it! Someone does independent testing...."Hey, that's not in there but you list it on the label!!". MuscleTech's response, "Well, it degrades in light, that's why you didn't detect it. Companies FEED off the UNEDUCATED CONSUMER. You can buy 10 POUNDS of Dextrose on the internet for about $15 and 400 grams of Creatine for about $11. That would make about 7 containers or Middle sized Cell-Tech. There's a sucker born EVERY MINUTE. 926, if you are actually spending MONEY on Myostat then you have no business entering into a thread discussing supplements. Insulin is the most anabolic hormone in the body. Period. Spike it post workout and you drive glycogen back into the cells along with promoting anabolism. Whey protein is good to use post workout and in the morning because of it's 45 minute digestion range. Throughout the rest of the day one would be better off using caseine or meat. If you want to know what is JUNK (like Myostat...LOL!) and what isn't, ask away.

Creatine - Dehydration occurs in people with under 7% bodyfat in extreme conditions if they do not have ample amounts of sodium present (obviously). It's benefits are unequaled throughout the supplement industry, and in correlation with a spike in insulin levels, it is a safe, effective way to make gains in strength and ATP production. Ephedra - Never liked it, but the rate of serious side effects per year is HIGHER for people who take ASPIRIN that Ephedra. Steroids - Will shrink your testicles, give some zits and make you stronger...while stunting your growth immediately. The harmful, lazy man's way to go. Too much to talk about with them to go into detail. Sodium Bicarbonate is a very useful supplement if taken right, as is glutamine without question. Almost ALL "prohormones" are ripoffs, as is anything made by Biotest, KleinBecker, MuscleTech and a host of other companies. There are people who work "in the industry" who will be honest with you. Bottom line - Most high school athletes, along with middle aged gym schleps, think supplements are something you use that get you to your desired destination. A supplement is just that...a SUPPLEMENT, something taken in correlation with proper nutrition and EATING EFFECIENTLY to provide an environment for positive nitrogen retention and glycogen replacement. People use the wrong attitude when approaching supplementation.

Protein, Creatine and Gluatmine, in that order, are the most important and effective supplements for any athlete. I can go VERY into detail on insulin manipulation, BV values, etc. if anyone wants to know, along with which products/companies to avoid.

You all are out of yoru MINDS picking Alcoa to do ANYTHING this year. Last year's Alcoa squad was their worst in 20 years, and they finished spring practice with about 20 players TOTAL on the entire field! They had Lindsey, who is lazy and can't stay healthy, a decent QB and a few fast guys. No size on either line or depth. Unless Wartburg, Sweetwater, etc. are just LOUSY, Alcoa is no better than 5-5. As an Alcoa Alum, it's unreal to me that Alcoa is looking up to teams like Wartburg. That's downright embarassing. I can't believe how far they've fallen. Drugs and crime have really ruined that community in many ways, on and off the athletic field.

Booker from Oak Ridge, Barber from Cleveland and Doss from Melrose. The rest are 2nd tier.

It's Alcoa-Maryville. About 10 state titles between them, an absolute county war, has been for decades. It's got to be #1 just because of the length of the rivalry and the amount of tradition that each school has...

The ONLY benefit to comsuming sports drinks over water would be added "electrolytes" (i.e. Potassium and Sodium) that are depleted through sweat and the added energy from straight sugar, which is NOT an ideal way to fuel your body. Before an athletic endeavor, it would be wise to eat yams, brown rice and oatmeal starting 3 days out for glycogen loading. 3.5 carbs per pound of bodyweight, mostly from a low-glycemic source, will do the trick. On top of that, as always, .8 grams of protein per pound of bodyweight (and all the way up to 1 gram for athletes who are TRUELY training HARD) is needed for positive nitrogen retention, giving a positive environment for growth and recovery and preventing catabolism. I could go on and on on this subject regarding supplementation and nutritional requirements for those with questions. High school coaches are not exactly nutritional gurus, and you'd be shocked how many big time COLLEGE coaches and PLAYERS don't know how to eat right and/or use supplements in order to help with strength gains and recovery. People rely on what they read in magazines WAY too much and don't deal with science enough....and good old common sense.