Supplements

Some supplements are useful, some are not. Some can be more damaging to your health than they are beneficial. A proper training program must consider the health implications involved with reaching your goals. Your first goal should always be to improve your health before your appearance; this is the cornerstone of a good fitness philosophy. You may have seen or heard of people who have lost dozens of pounds in a matter of weeks, however that does not necessarily mean that these people are following a healthy lifestyle that is sustainable in the long run. Quite often, such people lose weight at such a rapid pace because they have starved themselves and have lost significant muscle mass in the process, which is obviously not healthy. Same goes with gaining weight and building muscle mass. You may know of people who have managed to literally transform their physiques and build impressive strength and size in a seemingly short time frame, but again, these people may have done so in a very unhealthy fashion (i.e. steroids, prohormones, etc). With fitness, as with anything in life, moderation is always key. It also is important to remember that your unique body type will determine how you are able to gain muscle/lose fat. This is why there are people who are naturally lean and losing fat will never be a problem for them, just as there are those who are able to gain muscle quite easily based on their genetics. Of course, this does not mean that you are either born with the ability to do either of these or you are not- anyone can alter their physique with hard work- but you must understand that it may be easier or more difficult to do so based on your body type. For a review of the three main body types, see the page on bulking.

Understanding How to Use Supplements

Once you understand where you fit in on the scale of different body types, you will be in a better position to determine how long it will take to accomplish your goals. It is at this point that you may wish to explore different supplementation options that may exist to help you achieve your goals. Supplements currently make up a huge portion of the fitness industry; open any fitness or bodybuilding magazine and you will see advertisements on almost every second page. The most important thing to remember with nutritional aids though is to do your research and gain an understanding of which products would be best for you and why. Also remember that supplements should be used to support the intense training you do and to fill in the gaps of your nutrition. Obtaining most of your nutrients from whole foods is always best, but of course, it can be very difficult to obtain all of the nutrients you need throughout the day; this is where supplements should come in. No products, by themselves, will change your body without any effort on your part. The framework of consistent strength training, cardiovascular exercise, and a healthy diet of complex carbohydrates, protein, and dietary fat must be in place for supplements to work. Of equal importance is the fact that not all products are created equally. Some contain many preservatives or artificial flavors which can do more harm than good to the body, and you should always choose products that contain natural ingredients and have not undergone heavy processing. This way, you will be able to decide which products are safe to take and you will be much better off in the long run.

Common Supplements

Now that you understand that nutritional aids should not serve as the basis of your diet but rather, should be used to complement it, some of the most common supplements will be explored further.

Protein

The most basic product that almost any fitness-conscious person will use is whey protein. As explained on the nutrition plan page, the usual recommendation for protein for the average person is about 1 gram per pound of bodyweight. For those who workout intensely, 1.5-2 grams are normally recommended. If you weigh 200 pounds and lift weights regularly, you can see that you will about 300 or more grams of protein per day to make solid gains, which is quite a bit. It would be hard to take in all of this protein with regular food alone, which is why whey protein is very useful for accomplishing this. Whey protein powder is generally a better choice than protein bars, which are often high in preservatives and simple carbs. When choosing a protein powder, make sure it does not contain any artificial preservatives or flavoring. Also, there should be no added sugar, which will simply add more simple carbs to your protein shake. Of course when traveling, protein bars remain a good alternative seeing how it can be a little difficult to mix up protein shakes when you are in the car or on the plane. ;)



Creatine

Creatine has also been a long-time favorite of many strength training and fitness enthusiasts. Creatine is a naturally-occurring substance that is found in many sources of meat such as steak or fish. A person who regularly eats meat may consume 1 or 2 grams of creatine per day. By taking creatine supplements, a person will be able to take in much more creatine- usually about 5-10 grams per day. Considering it is a natural substance, creatine definitely appears to be safe when taken correctly and for most people, it is extremely effective. Many report significant improvements in strength and muscle size through creatine supplementation. There are a few concepts that you should be aware of before taking creatine which are discussed here however, such as cycling, loading, timing, specific requirements, and creatine monohydrate vs. creatine ethyl ester.

Protein and creatine are the most basic and overall most effective products on the market today for gaining muscle and strength. For beginners and the average person, these two supplements alone can help you make impressive gains, providing you are training intensely and eating enough healthy sources of food. If you want to get more specific and take your training and results to the next level, there are some advanced supplementation options which you can read about here.

Fat-Burners

These types of products can sometimes be controversial. The main thing you must remember is that fat-loss ultimately occurs as a result of your exercise and diet; supplements alone should not be used to lose weight as this is simply not safe or healthy. When combined with diet and exercise, some fat-burners can be effective but the key here is that you must have the proper training and nutrition in place first. It is after you begin to see good results with your weight loss efforts by concentrating on eating healthy and doing enough cardio and strength training exercise that it may beneficial to use a fat-burner for a while to support your efforts. Remember that weight loss must be sustainable- the process is not sustainable if you are relying solely on supplements to accomplish your goals. You simply cannot keep taking fat-burners year-round if you want to live a healthy lifestyle. Among other ingredients, many fat-burners contain caffeine, which is an effective fat-burning compound in itself. For this reason, it may be useful to start drinking a cup of coffee or tea in the morning (if you normally don’t) in order to promote fat loss, but of course caffeine, like any other substance, must always be used in moderation. Overall though, it is important to keep in mind that it is ultimately your efforts in the nutrition and exercise departments that will make the difference in the long run.

Steroids: Effective Yes, but Worth It?

Steroid usage is obviously a very controversial topic. The point is that they are banned for a reason; they are too dangerous and there are too many health risks associated with them. It seems many bodybuilders, both amateur and professional, would disagree. Steroids are definitely beneficial if you are trying to gain size and strength- this is an undeniable fact- but the problem is that the more effective they are, the more potentially dangerous side-effects they pose. The common misconception held by many people is that steroids alone will allow a person to magically become huge and muscular, which is not entirely true. Don’t expect that you would develop the physique of a professional bodybuilder just by taking steroids. Even if you took steroids and did everything else you possibly could to build a better body, including proper training techniques and nutrition, it is unlikely that you would ever build a physique that rivaled the top bodybuilders; a certain degree of genetics comes into play at such a level. Plus, even if you were to take steroids, you would have to really know what you are doing. To take steroids “safely” (if that is even possible), you would need to do extensive research on the subject- ensure you are getting the products from reliable sources, performing proper cycling techniques, taking even more potentially dangerous supplements to offset the negative effects, etc. Clearly, there are many negative issues associated with steroid use, not to mention the moral concern steroid use raises over the idea of breaking the law and contributing to criminal activity. Based on all of these negative consequences, both direct and indirect, steroid use is simply not worth the risk for myself as well as many others. For a more detailed look at both the positive and negative effects of anabolic steroids click here.



Bottom Line

It is important to remember that supplements alone will not allow you to reach your goals; they are simply a way of backing up the hard work you are completing in your workouts. The bottom line is that you cannot substitute eating clean, healthy foods for supplements; the two must complement one another. This way, you will be supplying your body with much needed nutrients on a regular basis and you will also be able to fill in the gaps of your diet through supplements. It is difficult to take in all of the required daily nutrients with limited time and resources in the kitchen- this is where supplements should come in.


Return from Supplements to Home Workout Routines