Let me tell you with complete honesty exactly what supplements you need to get in shape. NONE! That’s right, none!
The very first thing and most popular question i get asked by people is this ‘‘i want to start going to the gym, what Protein powder should i take?”
By merely formatting your question like this it already suggests to me that subconsciously you believe that you need a protein powder to build muscle or be in shape, and without even having a basic understanding of the fundamentals of training and dieting which will make up 95% of the progress (if not more) that your going to make in your entire life, or that different types of protein powders are going to get you ‘massive’. And if you don’t get these basics right first then no amount of supplements in the world is going to give you results (well, except maybe the naughty ones obviously, but i’m assuming your natural of course).
am i against supplements?
Yes and no. I’m against the way some supplement companies market themselves to people, this is just wrong, even a good product should not be Mis-marketed to anybody in my opinion. If you sell the best car in the world to somebody just don’t tell them it might make them fly, sure its a Lamborghini, its fucking awesome, looks amazing and is super fast! But its not going to fly.
And then there are the supplements that are just absolute bullshit, that don’t do a damn thing for you, like those spammy emails you get trying to sell you a dick pill that’s going to add another 12 inches!
And then there is secret option number 3, the supplements on the market that are unregulated, untested or just illegal and therefore dangerous! They don’t stick around long once they start gaining some attention, but they are out there none the less.
Saying this though some supplements are pretty good, BUT, even the best ones that are affordable and actually work are still not necessary, and if you don’t already know how to diet and train then you are not going to get results from these either.
So do i take any supplements?
Yes there are some that i do like and what i take, i will explain what they are and why i choose to take them;
Protein powders
To be honest i very rarely take this, i just have it in the house just in case. i get all my protein from food, especially when i’m dieting down as there is no way i’m wasting calories on a drink and then being hungry when i could just eat another meal. but there are time when maybe i get in from work late after a long day and i’m no where near my protein target, i’m not going to cram in 2 big meals late at night, so i might have one meal then a protein shake. or if i have to travel, its just sometimes easier having powder to hand than worrying about food, but this is very rare if i’m honest i cant even remember the last time i had a protein shake.
Glucosamine Sulphate
Because of the past injuries i have had (not from training, but playing sport and life in general) i take this as a precaution for good joint health
Creatine
one of the most studied supplement out there and extremely affordable. not the all singing all dancing Creapure bullshit, just the standard monohydrate. again, definitely not necessary, and there are time when i even wonder if its actually going to even yield any more results or progress? maybe not, i will be honest, but i do take it because it makes you stronger and perform better in the gym which in itself is just good and fun for me, and considering it costs around £10 for a bag that will last me over 3 months! i’m ok with that.
Pre-workout
This is the controversial one, a stimulant to make you train harder, whilst people will say this is not going to actually help you make any more progress over a long period of time (because as i have mentioned before sometimes training harder doesn’t always mean more gains) and this may actually be true in all fairness, i still really like them. And its very simply just a personnel preference, that all comes down to the fact that i actually love training, i love lifting weights, i’m not only there as a means to an end i’m there for an activity within itself, and lifting weights on Pre-workout leads to more focus, more intensity and i just enjoy the session so much more, that all it is. i’m not saying you should go and do it, its just what i like to do. Because i’m not a robot and i don’t just do things because its ‘optimal’, i do it because i enjoy it and i want to.
So lets sum this up
I don’t hate all supplements as you can see, however 99% of the market is bullshit or lies or both, so my initial response to this subject for people is always ‘fuck supplements’, just to break people from the spell that you actually need them to achieve your goals. however as you can see there is more to it, and once you gain some experience and actually know how to diet and train then some supplements do have there value, and i even thought about selling some supplements that i believe in, but i’m still not sure if it would be a good fit for my brand. but we will see.
Just remember, even the very best all singing all dancing supplement in the world that is actually proven to work, isn’t going to achieve your goals for you. Only you can do that for yourself. So if you want that Herobody, you gotta earn it!
