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This article is part of the supplement: Proceedings of the Fifth International Society of Sports Nutrition (ISSN) Conference and Expo

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Four weeks of supplementation with a multi-nutrient product increases lean mass and muscular performance in resistance trained men

Jennifer Hofheins*, Robert Lemieux and Jamie Landis

Author Affiliations

The Center for Applied Health Science Research, Division of Sports Nutrition and Exercise Science, Fairlawn, OH 44333, USA

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Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition 2008, 5(Suppl 1):P17 doi:10.1186/1550-2783-5-S1-P17


The electronic version of this article is the complete one and can be found online at: http://www.jissn.com/content/5/S1/P17


Published:17 September 2008

© 2008 Hofheins et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

Background

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of a multi-nutrient supplement (SuperPump 250™ [SP250]) on muscular strength, muscular endurance, and body composition during four weeks of intense resistance training.

Methods

Using a randomized, double-blind design, 30 healthy men (mean ± SD age, height, weight, % body fat: 25.7 ± 6.7 y, 178.0 ± 6.4 cm, 84.4 ± 10.7 kg, 18.9 ± 7.0%) were matched for age, resistance training history, daily caffeine intake, weekly meat consumption, bench press strength, bench press endurance, and percent body fat and then randomly assigned to ingest 2–3 scoops per day of SP250 or placebo for one month. Body composition (DEXA), muscular performance (1-RM bench press and repetitions to failure [RTF: 3 sets × baseline body weight, 60-sec rest between sets]), and clinical blood chemistries were measured at baseline and after four weeks of supplementation and training. Subjects were required to maintain their normal dietary habits and follow a specific, progressive overload resistance training program (4-d/wk, upper body/lower body split) during the study. Data were analyzed via repeated-measures ANOVA and (where necessary) Fisher LSD post-hoc tests. Statistical significance was set a priori at p ≤ 0.05.

Results

Significant between group differences over time were noted in: RTF (SP250: +28.2%; 29.1 ± 15.8 [wk 0] to 37.3.0 ± 20.0 reps [wk 4] vs. placebo: +12.0%; 29.1 ± 12.1 [wk 0] to 32.6 ± 12.1 reps [wk 4], P < 0.04), lean mass (SP250: +2.1%; 66.58 ± 8.57 [wk 0] to 68.00 ± 9.16 kg [wk 4] vs. placebo: +0.3%; 59.93 ± 3.62 [wk 0] to 60.08 ± 3.94 kg [wk 4], P < 0.01), upper extremity lean mass (SP250: +5.5%; 9.27 ± 2.34 [wk 0] to 9.78 ± 2.62 kg [wk 4] vs. placebo: +0.3%; 7.88 ± 1.27 [wk 0] to 7.90 ± 1.51 kg [wk 4], P < 0.03), and % body fat (SP250: -0.9%; 22.8 ± 8.2 [wk 0] to 21.9 ± 8.4% [wk 4] vs. placebo: +0.9%; 20.0 ± 6.6 [wk 0] to 20.9 ± 7.7% [wk 4], P < 0.04) (Figure 1). Both groups had significant (~6%) increases in 1-RM bench press from wk 0 to wk 4, however, no between-group differences were noted (P < 0.30). No changes in systemic hemodynamics (heart rate, systolic and diastolic blood pressures) or clinical blood chemistries (glucose, blood urea nitrogen, creatinine, sodium, potassium, serum protein, albumin, globulin, A:G ratio, bilirubin, alkaline phosphatase, alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, total cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, triacylglycerol, VLDL-cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol) were noted between groups over time.

Conclusion

These preliminary data indicate that SP250 administration enhances gains in muscular performance and lean mass, and also leads to a small, but statistically significant reduction in body fat during four weeks of intense resistance training. Future studies should confirm these results and clarify the molecular mechanisms by which SP250 exerts the observed salutary effects.

Acknowledgements

Supported in part by a research grant from Gaspari Nutrition (Neptune, NJ). None of the authors has any conflict of interest.