Bodybuilding Supplements: What ones you should take and which ones you should avoid.

So you’re interested in building some muscle, you’ve seen the ads in the magazines (you know, the ones with the dudes who look like they could lift a school bus) and now you’re a little confused as to what supplements you should take, and rightly so. The supplement industry is gigantic! Seriously! The majority of all these muscle mags you find on bookshelves are actually owned by supplement companies with the sole intention of selling you their ‘latest and greatest’ products. The truth is a lot of these products aren’t worth your money, and some may even be harmful. You see, these companies hire scientists to perform studies on certain chemicals and compounds. These scientists will set up their experiments to intentionally produce favourable results. The supplement companies then publish their findings to create posture and prove to you that their products are the best and produce incredible results. Now you’re probably thinking “How can these companies make claims like this and get away with it?” The truth is very simple, dietary supplements are not regulated by the FDA or any similar associations, so everything is pretty much fair game, provided they are not steroid based. There are literally hundreds of supplement companies and they all produce similar products. Some of these products will be more expensive than others depending on the manufacturer. Please remember, just because a product from one company costs more than the same product from another company does not necessarily mean it is better. With hundreds of different companies manufacturing hundreds of different products you will literally be faced with thousands of choices. I am going to provide you with a simple explanation of supplements that have been proven over time to be effective. From there I would recommend you take some time and do some research on which brands offer the best bang for your buck.

So, here we go...

Whey Protein

Whey protein is the staple of every bodybuilder’s supplement program. It can be difficult to consume enough protein during the day so taking a protein powder is pretty much mandatory. Whey protein is a diary based protein that, in its purest form, contains little to no fat, lactose, or cholesterol. This makes whey an ideal product for virtually everyone. Whey protein contains the highest amount of essential amino acids out of any proteins. Essential amino acids are the building blocks for muscle, so the more the merrier. Whey is easily digested by most people, but the first few times you ingest it you may experience an upset stomach. Whey comes in various formats. Concentrate and isolate being the two most common. Whey concentrate will contain higher levels of fat, lactose and cholesterol. Whey isolate is whey in its purest form and therefore will contain very little fat, lactose and cholesterol, but you will also pay a little extra for this. I’ve used both and haven’t noticed much difference between the two, but if you have problem digesting lactose I would imagine whey isolate would be the better choice. Whey protein is absorbed very quickly by the body which makes it ideal to consume immediately after your workout. If you were to chose only one supplement, chose whey protein. It has been tried and tested over decades and never fails.

Creatine

Creatine is an excellent strength product that has really improved over the last decade or so and proven itself to be quintessential to any weight training program. Creatine is naturally found in the body and is a critical part of one of your body’s main energy system (I’ll discuss the science of this in a future article). Taking creatine has been proven to increase a person’s maximal strength output and therefore indirectly increases your body’s ability to build muscle. The more you lift, the more you grow. There is a lot of debate regarding the best way to take creatine. There are theories on loading and maintenance phases, where you consume a large amount of creatine everyday for 1 week to ‘load’ the muscles then continue on a lower dose for several weeks afterwards. There are also theories that say consuming a small amount daily is all you need. Personally, I only consume creatine on days I workout. I consume 5g about 45mins before the workout and again immediately after I workout with my protein shake. There are many different brands and formats of creatine and some are considerably more expensive than others because the make exaggerated claims to be more effective, but it has yet to be proven. Regular Creatine Monohydrate is an inexpensive white powder and works extremely well. Some people, including myself and found this to be a little harsh on the stomach, if you are one of these people you can try Creatine Ethyl Ester. Try to take your creatine with juice or dextrose. Simple sugars help shuttle the creatine into your muscles more efficiently.

Glutamine

Glutamine is a non-essential amino acid that is one of the most abundant amino acids found in the skeletal muscles. Supplementing with glutamine before and after working out with help prevent catabolism (muscle breakdown) caused exercise. The more muscle you can prevent from being broken down, the more extra muscle your body will be able to build. There really isn’t too much to say about glutamine. There have been many studies supporting the claims; the only negative is that at large doses some people have reported upset stomachs. Glutamine is a nice addition to a supplement stack; people who are very serious about building muscle are most likely taking this product. I wouldn’t deem is an absolutely critical supplement and if you’re on a tight budget I wouldn’t worry about it. Feel free to give it a try and see how it works for you. Just remember, a higher price tag doesn’t mean it’s a better product.

Weight Gainer

Weight gainer is a great supplement for people who have a hard time putting on weight and/or have a hard time getting their calories in throughout the day. Weight gainers are basically a combination of carbs, protein and fat. A single serving of weight gainer usually contains about 1000 calories. So as you can see, a weight gainer will make it much easier to get your calories in. Like everything else, there are a lot of weight gainers on the market, some are good and some are....well, not so good. Look for something that mixes well and doesn’t taste completely horrible. It may take a couple tries to find one that you like.

Multi Vitamin/Multi Mineral

Last but certainly not least are multi vitamins/minerals. Proper nutrition is essential when undertaking any sort of athletic endeavour but it’s not always easy, especially if you have a busy work or home life. A multi vitamin and mineral will ensure you’re getting all the goodies your body needs to grow and stay strong and healthy, just beware of the overpriced ones that claim to be ‘just for men’ or ‘sports packages or anything like that. All of those specially packaged vitamins pretty much contain the same ingredients only they charge double the price.

I would like to wish you the best of luck with your search of supplements. It can be a very overwhelming task choosing the right one. I hope I was able to offer some insight. If you have any questions or would like a recommendation, please feel free to contact me.