Coach’s Corner — Informative Responses — Food, Vitamins, and Supplements

Posted at 6:00am — 6/18/2008

Coach’s Corner — Informative Responses — Food, Vitamins, and Supplements

Informative Responses:
Recently, several questions have been posed from readers regarding, “The Other 90%,” the place of nutrition in a strength and conditioning program, the status of Barwis, and what “The Other 90%” will mean to U of M football players. Keep the good work up readers and send forward your inquiries. All responses that follow are educated inferences and are not based on direct conversation from anyone within the S and C program.

Regarding Cherries:
Readers ponder: what is the big deal with cherries? Cherries are the jackpot of foods that could be classified as natural supplements. There may be no food on earth that provides as much potential benefit as cherries. For starters, cherries likely provide at least a dozen antioxidants, yes the same antioxidants that have been regularly pushed on TV. Antioxidants from supplements out of a bottle are fine in theory, but the physiological fact is that antioxidants from real food are much better than substitutes from a pill boasting antioxidants. Next, cherries and other fruits, like strawberries, serve as anti-inflammatory agents, perhaps better than some prescribed medicines. If you are an athlete in the new S & C program, your body craves anti-inflammatory benefits. Lastly, antioxidants are strongly suspected to be cancer inhibitors. All of this without supplement concerns.

The antioxidants are referred to as flavonoids. Anthocyanins are the type of flavonoid thought to deactivate those nasty radicals (floating broken chemical bonds) that collect in the body. You know, red wine, amber beer, and cherries. Antioxidants prevent harm by combining with any “free floating” radical bond by joining and completing a healthy substance. Eat cherries, all of you.

Regarding B Vitamins:
B vitamins have always been suspected of pure performance enhancement. They make the ATP cycle (energy cycle) more efficient, and breakdown carbs and protein to the energy needed in the ATP cycle. B vitamins help heal muscle tissue, make better muscle mass, and provide help for the nervous system. Take vitamin B, all of you.

Regarding Supplements:
After doping scandals, some thought the way to go for better athletic performance was from food supplements. This seemingly less harmless approach has not been as simple as first thought. As always variables rear up, these include the type of supplement and the type of physical activity. Simply put, some substances work (according to some conflicting evidence) only for certain, specific types of physical endeavors. The author infers that Coach Barwis has fallen squarely into the camp of purist. Further it is inferred, based on research, that Coach Barwis is correct. Maybe the question of cherries vs. supplements might best be described as city water versus pure water. One can easily live on both, but few would argue that city water is better for your body over decades.

Read this: Maximum chemistry equals maximum performance. Remember, in the series “The Other 90%,” the point was frequently hammered home that big programs always sought any edge, regardless of how small. Literature supports what Coach Barwis is doing, this is not just his personal preference. The edge is getting the body’s natural ATP energy cycle to work with maximum efficiency.

And now on to the supplement discussion. It should be mentioned that Europe and the US have held different stances on added supplements for athletic performance. Europe is more purist. USA programs investigated the use of supplements as an alternative to drugs enhancing athletic performance, now called banned substances. European studies posit the view that those taking many supplements are more likely to use banned substances.

Creatine is a substance produced in the human body from certain amino acids. By increasing the amount of creatine, some benefits have been demonstrated, including better resistive exercise performance and short anaerobic exercise improvements.

But creatine has come under fire recently, some even calling for banning supplements that increase the natural level of creatine. There are concerns about long-term health risks and an actual loss of performance because of the production of non-lean muscle (Coach Barwis wants lean muscle) and water retention. In short, the jury is out on risks and benefits of creatine.

HMB is a supplement that stops muscle loss. Some see this as a way to get extra human growth hormone. Well, in today’s climate that may not be a good idea, especially for a noted trainer. Read this: a great S and C program (nutrition included) and a butt-kicking running component are sufficient to create the necessary level of growth hormone to maximize performance. Now you see why these guys are running more.

Whey is a protein supplement and at first glance one would wonder what the commotion is about. Athletes, it is agreed, need more protein than the rest of the population, for both performance and muscle tissue maintenance. For a long time, whey (named milk protein) has been thought to be an easy and quick way to build muscle. Like the other supplements there are some concerns, namely the long-term effect on the immune system.

Concerning nationally ranking Coach Barwis as an S&C coordinator:
There is no need for such a ranking. Coach Barwis is in a select elite group in the athletic community. Add to this his passion and mental intensity, his knowledge base, and loyalty, and it becomes most obvious that the University of Michigan is sitting very pretty, thank you very much. Coach is very intelligent and the author believes he has not yet reached the pinnacle of his career. His purist approach will be supported by the passing of time.

Concerning what this means for U of M football players:
Their life will change; their habits will change, their thought processes will change, their body structure has already changed and their philosophy of life will change. When the author gathered advice with the famous Gus Hoefling, a commitment was forthcoming before anything else happened. Clearly Coach Rod and Coach Barwis want such a commitment. Hoefling approached this journey the Michigan players are now taking as three doors. The first was difficult but doable. The second door needed a large commitment of time, energy, and talent: months or years, but the rewards were profound. Door three was a drastic life changer and only the best of the best need apply. Coach Barwis has introduced door one and the future holds door two, perhaps even as early as next year.

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Written by GBMWolverine Staff — Doc4Blu

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