15 Mar Why Fish Oil Is Essential For Strength Training

When you’re training at a high level, there are a few supplements I would definitely recommend for optimal health and recovery.

Fish Oil is one of them.

Not just any fish oil, but a high quality fish oil, as all fish oils are NOT created the same.

To be honest, there’s a lot of crap out there that you don’t want to put in your body.

Fish Oil is not a supplement to skimp on because the quality can vary.

You want a fish oil that has been thoroughly tested by reputable organizations and has been through a quality purification process.

Why is fish oil so important for training purposes?

Omega 3 fatty acids are important for immune function and for decreasing inflammation.

There’s a large body of research on the web you can find with a quick google search.

The EPA and DHA fatty acids found in fish oils are famous for promoting numerous health benefits to aid in preventing many major life-threatening diseases.

In regards to the benefits with training, your immune system becomes suppressed and systemic inflammation occurs, especially with high intensity resistance training.

To help counteract this immune system stress and inflammation, quality fish oil that contains healthy omega 3’s with generous doses of EPA and DHA can do an incredible amount of good for your body, in terms of health and recovery.

Again, quality is a key.

Most fish oils (especially the cheap stuff) simply don’t have quality standards in place to ensure you are getting a good, quality grade fish oil.

As a result, you aren’t getting the benefits you should and you could potentially be putting toxins in your body.  This can happen with a poor grade fish oil.

There are a few brands of fish oil that are high quality, high grade products.

With that said, my current preferred brand, the brand I now use is PurePharma.

I really like this product for a few reasons.

1. PurePharma only makes 3 products, Fish Oil, Vitamin D, and a Magnesium product.  This company is only focused on creating a few high quality products. Companies that make multiple supplements usually aren’t very focused on making quality grade fish oil.  This is not the case with PurePharma.
2. The fish oil is specifically designed for athletes with reported, tested research to support health, wellness, and recovery benefits for the athletic population.  Each serving is 2 grams of quality fish oil.  General recommendations are 2 to 6 grams per day.
3. I like that this fish oil product is certified for purification by FOS (Friend of Sea) and is made only from small fish. It is molecularly distilled twice to reduce toxin levels and is considered a “pharmaceutical grade” fish oil.  It is also certified and tested for purity and freshness by an independent lab (IFOS-International Fish Oil Standards) and has been awarded 5 out of 5 stars for quality of product.  This is a “clean” product.
4. And, my personal experience, I feel I am able to recover faster and I feel “healthier” when taking this supplement.  Yes, this is subjective, but fish oil is an interesting supplement. It’s not something you significantly “feel” when you are taking it, but you feel it enough and it’s hard to argue with the wealth of data supporting the health benefits of taking fish oil.  It’s a supplement that “makes sense,” knowing that we simply don’t get enough Omega 3 fatty acids in our day to day diet.  That’s good enough for me and when you understand how it works to reduce inflammation, it’s really a no-brainer.

Again, PurePharma Fish Oil is a fantastic product and the product I use, for the reasons mentioned.

It’s also encased on a dark gel coating which helps to ensure losing freshness due to light sensitivity.

Are there other high quality brands? Yes, just make sure you find one of them.

A word of caution.

If you have any blood clotting issues, are on anticoagulants, or are about to undergo any type of surgery, be sure to speak to your health care provider, as fish oil can potentially effect blood clotting.

If you’re unsure, check with your health care provider first.

To optimize recovery, decrease inflammation, and support the immune system, fish oil is highly beneficial.

This is why quality fish oil is essential in strength training.

If you benefited from this, please share it.