A question that everyone asks when they begin their fitness journey, whether it is to build muscle or lose fat, is “What supplements do I need to take?”. Truthfully, the answer is “None”. No one needs to take supplements. When most people hear this they are confused. They see the fitness models and athletes who use them and correlate their physique to the supplements that they use.
Supplements: Supplements are not necessary to see gain strength or put on muscle. I will breakdown some common supplements below in order of importance. For specific product recommendations, feel free to ask and I will give you my recommendation.
Multivitamin – A Daily multivitamin helps your body get micronutrients that it may not be getting from the food you eat. Multivitamins do not replace micronutrient dense foods.
Protein Supplements – Protein supplements are used to help you reach your protein targets if you are short of doing so through food, or if you just prefer having a protein shake instead of eating protein. There is no magical benefit of a protein shake over protein from food sources. There are two main kinds of protein supplements, whey and casein. Most protein supplements are sourced from cow’s milk, where 20% of the protein in the milk is whey while the other 80% is casein. Whey protein is the more common type that is seen on the market. Whey protein is a faster digesting protein while casein is a slower digesting protein. Protein supplements can be taken as a shake mixed with water or milk.
Preworkout Supplements – Preworkout supplements give the user increased alertness and energy, as well as a “pump”. A pump is increased blood flow which results in the user’s muscles being filled with blood and giving that bigger, fuller effect as well as increased vascularity. Main preworkout ingredients include caffeine, L-Citrulline, Creatine, beta-alanine, and Arginine.
Caffeine – Caffeine, as I am sure you are familiar with, is a stimulant. Caffeine has scientific evidence to increase power output and training volume while reducing fatigue. Caffeine usage can result in the body building up a tolerance. As a recommendation, cycling off of caffeine for 3 – 7 days every few months can lead to your body lowering its tolerance and resensitizing itself to caffeine. Recommendation is 2mg/lb of body weight
Beta-alanine – Beta-alanine is a modified amino acid that is shown to increase muscular endurance for sets that involve 8 – 15 repetitions. Beta-alanine is usually found in preworkout supplements and when taken in large doses causes the “tingling” feeling that people experience when they take some preworkouts.
L-Citrulline – Supplement that results in the body producing Nitric Oxide. Nitric oxide results in better blood flow, leading to a “pump”. May also assist in fatigue management and muscle soreness based on some scientific evidence.
Arginine – Supplement that also results in the body producing Nitric oxide. May lead to diarrhea
Creatine – Produced in small amounts naturally in the body and found in meat and fish. Creatine is shown to increase strength and power, which leads to more weight being lifted. Creatine supplementation does result in the muscle water retention. This gives the muscle a fuller and tighter appearance. Recommended amount is 3-5g/day every day. Creatine is very affordable.
Vitamin D – Vitamin D is important for hormone production and is acquired from sunlight.
Fat Burners – “Fat burners” do not necessarily burn fat. They are supplements that contain a high level of stimulants (such as caffeine) and other ingredients such as green tea extract and cayenne pepper. These ingredients increase energy and decrease hunger which results in the user moving more and burning more calories.
Mass Gainers – Mass gainers are just powdered calories. If you are having trouble reaching your calorie goals, mass gainers are an expensive way to get a lot of protein, carbs, and fats in a shake.
Fish Oil – Fish oils contain Omega-3 and Omega-6 fats. There are many benefits for a diet with a good balance of Omega-3 and Omega-6 fats, such as increased joint health and increased brain activity. If supplementing fish oil, take 2 – 3 grams with food daily.
BCAAs (Branched Chain Amino Acids) – BCAAs are the small molecules that build protein. There are many scientific studies on BCAAs but none are conclusive to show that they have any benefit in muscular development or muscular retention if dieting. Recently, Alan Aragon posted about BCAA supplementation explaining why he thinks they are a waste of money and calories. That post can be located here: https://www.instagram.com/p/BgSLYGUHQRX/
And that’s the low down on supplements. Did I go into extreme detail or dive into the science behind each? No. For more information on certain supplements I recommend resources such as Examine.com and Labdoor.com. Examine.com provides details about the supplements themselves and provides links to the scientific studies to back up the evidence. Labdoor performs testing on supplements for purity and gives supplements a rating based on purity, effectiveness, quality, price, and other factors.
One thing I want to leave off with is that supplements are not necessary. They will only help a small amount. To see progress you do not need them, and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.
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