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06.17.05

*** THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO HAS SUPPORTED OUR WEBSITE FOR THE PAST 2 YEARS! DeFrancosTraining.com received over 1.17 million hits in the month of May!! Thanks again for your interest and support! ***

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Q: Joe, First off, I wanna be like you when I grow up. Your training methods and website motivate me every day to be the best that I can be. I’m an exercise phys major in my soph year and hope to be as successful as you someday. Ok enough kissing up. My question is what do you think is the most underrated pre/during workout supplement on the market? Everyone knows about caffeine for energy, creatine for anaerobic power, etc. but are there any lesser-known supplements out there that you use to boost strength, power, energy, etc.

Thanks again for the great site.
Chris

A: Chris, you bring up a good question. I say this because a lot of times the most popular supplements on the market are not necessarily the best. In fact, I’m always a little more skeptical of the supplements with the multi-million dollar marketing campaigns. Many times this means that the company spent most of their money on marketing and little on research!

Two supplements that I feel don’t get the credit that they deserve are:

  1. Endura (an electrolyte drink high in magnesium) by Medogenics
  2. Stamin O2 (a citralline malate supplement) by Ergopharm

These are two of the best-kept secrets (not anymore) that I’ve ever taken. I have used both of these products with many of my athletes, as well as myself, and the results have been incredible!

Give them a try and let me know what you think.
Joe D.   

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Q: Joe, I have been weight training for about six years now. Up till last month I have had no problems physically. About a month ago I started having discomfort in my backside and went to the doctor. It ends up that I have hemorrhoids and found out that they’re common in weightlifters. Now, I am not a bodybuilder or anything, but I am serious about lifting weights. I find that it gets better if I stop lifting, but if I start up, it can be very painful the next day. Do you see this a lot and if so, what are some remedies? Thank you and good job on your website.

Joe

A: Joe, sometimes lifting weights can be a real pain in the ass!! (Sorry, I couldn’t resist.)

Believe it or not, hemorrhoids are very common among people who strength train. Although they are hereditary, they are also caused by excessive straining. Basically, straining during a heavy lift can create varicose veins in the anus (hemorrhoids). Refraining from heavy lifting will ease the problem. But, if you don’t want to take time off, the most common remedy to help deal with the pain are over-the-counter creams that you can find at your local drug store, such as Preparation H. Also, try and avoid excessive sodium in your diet. Salt retains fluid in the circulatory system and can cause the varicose veins to bulge even more, causing greater discomfort.

I’m glad I’m a strength coach and not a proctologist!
Joe D.

Sorry for the short update this week, but we are moving into a new facility September 1st and, besides training our athletes, we have a boatload of work to get done before September. We are excited to announce that we will be hosting quarterly seminars at our new facility starting in September. Stay tuned for more info…

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