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This isn’t just abstract theory, either: research shows that supplementation with forskolin accelerates fat loss and increases testosterone levels.96
While a clinically effective range is not known and is likely vast, 25 to 50 milligrams forskolin taken once per day is known to be effective.
Fish oil is a great source of “omega-3 fatty acids” (eicosapentaenoic acid, or EPA, and docosahexaenoic acid, or DHA), which are an essential type of fat, meaning they can’t be synthesized by the body and must be obtained from the diet.
Research shows that supplementation with fish oil can… • increase muscle protein synthesis; • reduce muscle soreness, inflammation, and anxiety; • reduce blood pressure, depression, the negative effects of stress, and the risk of kidney and cardiovascular disease, stroke, and metabolic syndrome; • improve glucose uptake and insulin sensitivity in people with impaired insulin response and metabolism, and preserve it in the metabolically healthy; • improve memory and cognitive performance;
help prevent weight gain; and • speed up fat loss.101
Not all fish oils are the same, however. There are two important things to consider when choosing one: You want to know how the oil has been processed.
There are two forms of fish oil on the market today: triglyceride and ethyl ester. The triglyceride form is fish oil in its natural state and the ethyl ester form is a processed version of the triglyceride form that includes a molecule of ethanol (alcohol).
You want to know the EPA/DHA content of each serving.
Spirulina is a nontoxic, blue-green algae that is a rich in nutrients. Research shows that supplementation with spirulina can… • reduce muscle damage caused by exercise, • improve exercise performance, • increase strength, • improve cholesterol and triglyceride levels, • reduce blood pressure,
improve blood sugar control, • reduce systemic inflammation, • improve allergy symptoms, and • improve insulin sensitivity.107
As you can see, it confers similar benefits to fish oil but with a few additional goodies relating directly to exercise and weightlifting in particular.
The common dosage seen in studies is 1 to 3 grams per day, although you can find additional benefits up to 10 grams per day, which is the recommended high dosage for humans.
In case you don’t want to throw in for everything I recommend in this chapter (and I totally understand—it’s not cheap), here’s how I would rank them in overall importance and worthiness:
Vitamin D • Multivitamin • Fish oil • Protein powder (if necessary to hit your daily protein needs) • Spirulina
Creatine • Pre-workout or NO-booster • Glutamine And if you’re dieting to lose fat, here’s how I would rank the fat-loss supplements: • Caffeine • Fat burner (if it’s properly formulated, as it will contain much of the below) • Synephrine • Yohimbine and BCAAs (if you’re training fasted) • Green tea extract • Forskolin • 5-HTP
