Nootropics: Supercharge Your Brain

Visit any supplement store and you’ll quickly get lost amongst endless rows of various pills, powders and drinks promising to do everything from burn fat faster than ever to give you endless energy and endurance. Despite the size and popularity of the supplement industry, there’s one area of supplementation that’s rarely discussed despite the fact that it has as much potential to improve performance as anything else out there…

Even more surprisingly, despite the fact that they are completely legal and largely free of any real side effects or danger, many of the most effective supplements in this area are often extremely difficult, or impossible, to find at your local supplement store.

What are Nootropics?

This category of supplementation is commonly referred to as nootropics and in short, it’s a group of supplements that can literally crank up your cognitive function.

Although many of the supplements in this area are effective at improving cognition, memory and learning, what’s more intriguing for athletes is that they also hold the potential to decrease reaction rate and improve power output, endurance and ultimately performance.

Not only that, but many of them have been shown to help protect the brain against trauma, something most athletes in contact sports often know far too much about.

Although a quick online search for “nootropics” will literally turn up dozens of different compounds that most people are not familiar with, getting started with supplementing your brain doesn’t have to be confusing.

It’s best to start by creating a simple brain performance cocktail with just two or three supplements before refining and adding to your own personal formula.

Keep in mind that one of the most important things about nootropic supplementation is that you start with low dosages and slowly increase until you feel the effects. More is often not better and it usually takes a few weeks to really dial things in and get your brain supercharged.

After experimenting with various nootropic combinations for the last 15+ years, I’ve put together a very simple brain stack designed for people who are new to this category of supplementation.

I’ll say it again because it’s important: start with the lowest dosages and gradually increase until the desired effects are seen. From there, various other brain superchargers can be added to the mix.

Supercharge Your Brain Stack

Aniracetam

A member of a group of nootropic supplements known as “racetams”, Aniracetam is widely considered to have mild stimulatory effects while also helping to increase blood flow to an area of the brain known to be related to creativity, learning and memory.

It’s also been shown to help improve the formation of new synapses, something vital to acquiring new motor programs.

For an athlete, this means aniracetam could potentially be beneficial for learning and retaining different skill sets important to sports performance.

Even better, aniracetam likely has some protective effects against memory loss and cognitive decline due to trauma.

In other words, it may help prevent damage done to the brain as a result of getting hit in the head over and over again. This is obviously important for combat athletes, football players, hockey players, etc.

One study even demonstrated better recovery from traumatic brain injury in rats with the use of aniracetam –

See Study Here

Typical dosages for aniracetam range from 500-750mg, with two doses daily being the most common.

Given the mild stimulatory effects, best effects are often seen when aniracetam is taken in the morning and 30-60 minutes before training. This twice-daily dose can help get you going in the morning and help dial in your brain before training and improve skill acquisition and perfection.

It’s very important to choose a reputable source for anirecatem, as well as for all other nootropics. Smart Drugs for Thought is a good supplier of the racetam group of nootropics and a reliable source for aniracetam in particular

See Smart Drugs for Thought Aniracetam Here

Acetyl L-Carnitine (ALCAR)

Although Acetyl L-Carnitine is closely related to L-Carnitine, a widely-used supplement purported to play a role in helping the body burn fat more effectively, ALCAR is known for having more significant effects on a wide range of cognitive performance.

Many users report a noticeable increase in energy and concentration and research has even shown ALCAR to be neuroprotective – i.e. it helps keep the nervous system tissue in your brain healthy as you age and has even been shown to improve insulin sensitivity.

ALCAR can be used daily, with a typical dosage ranging from 500mg – 2,000mg.

To help with sports performance, your best bet is to take ALCAR once in the morning and once before training, or in the mid-afternoon on days when you do not train. It’s best to start out with just 500mg twice per day and increase from there as necessary.

One of the best and most reliable sources for ALCAR is Thorne Research. Their quality is second to none in the industry and there is doubt that what is on the label is what’s in the bottle. They make a great ALCAR product that I highly recommend called Carnityl –

See Thorne Research Carnityl Here

Alpha-GPC

Alpha-Glycerophosphocholine, most often referred to as Alpha-GPC, is a nootropic and well-known cholinergic compound – a collective group of compounds that increase the amount of acetylcholine or choline in the brain.

Although physique athletes often use Alpha-GPC because it’s been shown to have a mild beneficial effect on growth hormone output, there is also some newer researching showing up to a 14% improvement in power output following a dosage of Alpha-GPC.

Aside from this, choline has been closely linked to improved memory, protection against age related declines in brain function and many people report an increase in energy and focus as well.

Because the use of nootropic supplements can often increase the need for choline in the brain, the use of Alpha-GPC is highly recommended within every nootropic stack – particularly those using Aniracetam, Piracetam, or any of the other related compounds.

The most common dosage of Alpha-GPC ranges from 500mg-750mg, with most studies showing 600mg to be an effective dose. Alpha-GPC can be taken two to three times per day and can be taken at the same time as ALCAR and Aniracetam to keep things easy.

Although bulk Alpha GPC powder is available, weighing out relatively small dosages is time consuming and inaccurate at best.

I prefer to stick with one of the best brands out there, Douglas Labs, for Alpha GPC because just like with Thorne Research, I know their products contain exactly what they say they do.

See Douglas Labs Alpha GPC Here

Athlete Brain Supercharge Beginner Stack

What Should I Feel?

Nootropics generally produce effects that are most notable during periods of intense concentration, i.e. when you’re tapping into higher cognitive centers in the brain where learning and more complex decisions are made.

They do not produce a stimulant-type effect when compared to supplements like caffeine and related compounds, but instead lead to a heightened ability to quickly take in and process information.

For an athlete, this means it’s unlikely you’ll notice a sudden burst of energy or greater endurance, but rather you should notice a subtle ability to learn and perfect new skills, movements, techniques, etc. Again, the more you’re using your brain in the training and competitive environment, the more noticeable the effects will likely be.

Also, keep in mind that it’s important to start with the lowest recommended dosage and increase over time until you notice the effects.

More is not always better and over time, you’ll be able to fine-tune your dosage and overall use to whatever works for your individual brain chemistry.

After many years of using them myself and through extensively examining the research, I can safely say that nootropics are a powerful way to help supercharge your brain and get more out of your training and performance.

The best results rarely come from training harder, but often do come from training smarter.