Why THIS is the Most Important Supplement for Building Muscle
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Everybody is all about the supplements. Whey protein, creatine, pre-workout - the list goes on, but do you know what the most important supplement is?
It’s not whey protein, and it’s not creatine. Both of those are useful (which is a profound rarity in the world of supplements), but neither one tops the list.
The most important supplement is magnesium carbonate. Use it immediately before training and during training, but there’s no point in using it after training.
What is magnesium carbonate and why use it?
Magnesium carbonate - also known as chalk - typically comes in block form and is specifically used for increased friction between your hands and the bar. It absorbs the natural oil and moisture (e.g., sweat) in your hands so that you have a more secure grip. As an added bonus, it helps in case the Neanderthal who used the barbell before you didn’t use chalk and thus left his sweat and oil on the bar.
Figure 1: Look close and you’ll see that dave intelligently uses chalk to pull this 237 kg (522.5 lb) deadlift.
You use it for the same reason that rock climbers and gymnasts use it - to hang onto things. Your deadlift is (or will be in time) heavier than a rock climber or gymnast, so you have even more reason to use chalk than those folks do.
What lifts does it help?
It’s most useful for pulling movements such as cleans, snatches, deadlifts, and rows (even chins-ups), but it’s also useful for other lifts such as the squat and pressing movements. If you’ve ever had your hands start to slide a bit on a heavy squat or bench press, you know that it’s a very disconcerting experience and not one that you’d like to repeat.
When do you apply chalk?
Here’s a simple approach - apply chalk at the following times:
At the start of your training session (you probably won’t need much at this point)
When you start to warm-up your deadlifts (or cleans or snatches)
Before your last deadlift warm-up set
Before your deadlift work set (or before each work set if you have multiple work sets)
figure 2: correctly chalked hands
How do you apply chalk?
Again, let’s keep it simple:
Rub the block onto each hand.
Set the block down.
Rub your hands together. At this point, your hands should be white and chalky (Figure 2).
If you don’t use chalk, you’re making things more difficult than they need to be, and you’re not even aware of it. When your grip is compromised (and it is), other factors become compromised as well.
The weight feels heavier, your back starts to round, and you can’t completely lock out your deadlift at the top. It’s terrible, and it’s easily preventable by using chalk (in addition to using a modified grip such as the hook grip, mixed grip, or straps).
Don’t like the feel of chalk on your hands? Remind yourself that you’re not a baby and that you don’t care about your feelings. After all, you don’t like the feel of a heavy barbell on your back in the squat, and you still do that.
figure 3: geneva uses chalk to successfully complete her sets of pause deadlift.
You can Pinnochio up for a few minutes and use chalk like a real boy (or girl).
Don’t use chalk for the feel. Use it for the friction, and use it for the increased strength that comes with successfully completing your deadlift work sets.
(If you still won’t use regular chalk, at least use some version of liquid chalk.)
As always, we hope this helps you get stronger and live better.
-Phil
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