The Athlete Development Journal🥇

Train your mind. Build your body. Fuel your soul.

Listen to this episode in the car with your athlete. ⬇️

You can also listen on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.

Mind. Does the world happen to you?

Do you happen to the world or does the world happen to you?

My favorite type of people are high-agency. They take control of their situation.

They don’t wait for specific instructions. They don’t wait for the stars to line up.

They write the instruction manual. They push the stars together.

If you want a great read on high agency, I recommend heading over to www.highagency.com.

Body. Should I take this supplement?

Supplements get a lot of buzz. One of the most common questions I get is “should I take ____ supplement?”

So, today I want to break down some of the most common supplements I get asked about into 3 categories: ones that almost everyone should take, ones that can be helpful in specific situations, and ones that are probably a waste or outright dangerous.

Before we get into it, I have three quick caveats for you:

All of this only applies to athletes who are at least 16 years old and physically mature. If that’s not you, stick to steak and broccoli. (Well, even if that is you, still stick to steak and broccoli, but maybe consider some of these.)
Everything in these newsletters, podcasts, social media, and on our website is for educational purposes only and should not be taken as medical advice for you or your athlete. Consult directly with a healthcare professional.
With ANY supplement you ever take, make sure it is NSF Certified for Sport (or certified by an equivalent governing body).
- This means that a third party company tests them to make sure that the ingredients label matches what’s actually in the packaging. The FDA doesn’t regulate supplements, so it’s very common to have janky supplements on the shelves that have trace amounts of dangerous substances in them.

Now, let’s break down the categories.

The ones that almost everyone should take:

Creatine: I wrote about this extensively here.
Protein powder (usually 100% whey isolate): If you’re trying to add muscle or perform at a high athletic level, you need a ton of protein. It’s really hard to get your protein needs met through food alone when you’re busy, so protein shakes are essentially an athlete’s version of fast food.
Vitamin D: Most of you who read this are living in a northern climate. The odds of you getting enough sunlight for sufficient vitamin D formation are slim. Get your bloodwork checked and see what your doctor says about supplementation.

The ones that can be helpful in specific situations:

Caffeine: There’s no debating that caffeine directly leads to better performance in a number of physical performance metrics. But, we don’t want you to become reliant on it. I think, for a physically mature athlete, using caffeine on days where it’s important to perform at a high level can be helpful.
Multivitamins: It would be awesome if you could get your daily intake of fruits and vegetables to hit your micronutrient numbers, but that’s much easier said than done. A good multivitamin can be a way to bridge the gap.
Omega 3s (Fish Oil): These are essential fats with strong anti-inflammatory properties that may help reduce muscle soreness and aid recovery. It’s a useful supplement if you don’t eat fatty fish (like salmon) a couple of times per week.
Collagen: I went back and forth on whether to put this in the “helpful in specific situations” section or the “wasteful” one. There’s some preliminary evidence to suggest it can help with body comp and tendon morphology, but it is very weak right now. However, if you’ve ever been around a basketball or volleyball player dealing with tendon pain, they’ll try anything to get better. So, there’s a chance you’re wasting your money, but I do recommend it in certain situations.
Magnesium: People propose magnesium supplementation for a number of reasons. For cramping, it doesn’t appear to have any benefit (but I couldn’t find anything on athletic cramping, just pregnancy and older adults). For sleep quality, it probably doesn’t do that much, but the jury is still out. For reducing muscle soreness, however, it might be helpful.
Iron: Iron is critical for carrying oxygen to your muscles. Female athletes are at a high risk for deficiency due to menstruation, which leads to fatigue and poor endurance. This is a crucial supplement if a doctor confirms you are deficient via a blood test (don’t just randomly start supplementing with iron on your own, though).

The ones that are probably a waste or outright dangerous:

Pre-workout: Most of the ingredients in most pre-workout supplements are at best a waste of your money. Caffeine and creatine are the two supplements included in pre-workouts that actually can be useful, but they usually include an absurd amount of caffeine. Plus, caffeine and creatine are dirt cheap when bought separately.
Individual amino acid supplements (BCAAs, EAAs, etc.): If you’re eating enough protein (which are made up of amino acids), there doesn’t seem to be a good reason to supplement with specific amino acids. You’ll probably just pee them out, which makes this just expensive urine.
Green superfoods: Despite almost every podcast I ever turn on selling out for some greens company, I remain firmly of the stance that they’re a waste of money. Your intestines have finite absorption capacities, so to take in that much of each micronutrient once likely results in an absurdly small percentage of it actually getting into your system. They’re way too expensive to take a chance on.

Soul. If your brain is a bit too busy…

I have a chaotic brain. So much so that I was sent to be evaluated for OCD after going in for my first ever counseling appointment years ago. (In case you’re wondering, no, I don’t have OCD).

As a result, I have difficulty being present in the moment.

We have, however, found one trick that really helps. It’s now a game called 54321 that my 3-year-old likes to play with me.

It’s simple and you can do it anywhere. Just pay attention to your environment and say out loud:

5 things that you can see (the more specific the better)
4 things you can hear
3 things you can feel
2 things you can smell
and 1 thing you can taste.

So, if your brain’s a little too busy today, why don’t you slow down and give it a shot?

Last week’s podcast AMA ⬇️

Why do athletes get hurt more on turf vs natural grass?

You can also listen on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.

IN THIS EPISODE:

01:21 – The Unbelievable Physical Feat of Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour

04:34 – Main Question: Are Artificial Turf Fields More Dangerous Than Grass?

05:51 – Analyzing the Research: Do More Injuries Actually Happen on Turf?

08:31 – Bias in Research (The Turf Industry Funding)

09:09 – The Key Difference: Catastrophic vs. Minor Injuries

12:21 – The “Traction Theory”: Why Turf Causes More ACL Injuries

13:21 – The Performance vs. Safety Trade-Off

17:42 – The Financial Reason for Turf (Cost vs. Maintenance)

19:47 – The Big Exception: Concussion Risk is Lower on Turf

22:03 – Final Summary: Turf, Traction, and Trade-Offs

We’re recording another “Ask Me Anything” episode this week. If you have any athlete development, sports performance, rehab, or life questions for me, send them here! (Or just email me back if you find that easier.)

A couple important things…

This newsletter and podcast is completely free. I spend many hours each week researching, writing, illustrating, recording, editing, and uploading. The best way you can support it and allow it to continue is to share it with people you know. You can just send them to gtperformance.co/newsletter and they can subscribe there!
Everything in these newsletters, podcasts, social media, and on our website is for educational purposes only and should not be taken as medical advice for you or your athlete. Consult directly with a healthcare professional.

Thanks so much for your help in spreading the word about athlete development!

Be >,

Zach

Dr. Zach Guiser, PT, DPT, CSCS