Supplements

Ah, supplements.  Let’s clear the air about this stuff.  First, there are no “magic pills” or “witchcraft potions” from powders that will magically transform your physique into perfection.  There is the needle, but “gear” is not a topic of importance on this blog. Supplements are just supplemental.  Nothing can replace the benefits of wholesome, healthy, natural food sources.  The great benefit of supplements, like protein powders, for example, is that it is a cheaper alternative to increase your protein intake.  In addition, if your appetite isn’t trained to handle large amounts of food, a protein shake is easier to consume than a 6 oz. portion of oven roasted chicken. 

There are so many options to choose from within every supplement category, from multivitamins to protein powders, pre-workout boosters to post-workout recovery, creatine to BCAAs… I swear you can spend more money on this stuff than your car payment.  I believe you can waste a lot of money by taking nonessential supplements.  What are the essentials?  Do they even work?

I think all you need is a good multivitamin and omega-3 fish oil supplement for overall health and wellness.  The brand does not really matter.  I currently use a Kirkland branded multivitamin and NOW Omega-3.  You can get real au naturale with it and just have a cup of black coffee for your pre-workout booster if you need a little pick-me-up before training.  Honestly, this is all you need in a bare bones approach in supplementation.  Every few weeks or months, I cycle off all the other supplements and I only take a multi, omega-3s, and a cup of joe for my pre-workout.

I usually wake up at 5:00am every day to begin training by 6:00am.  As much as I have become more of a morning person, it’s never easy trying to perform your best so early in the day.  This is why I take a pre-workout booster that has more than just caffeine.  I also take creatine as there is strong scientific evidence that it promotes strength, endurance, and recovery.  If you eat a large amount of beef in your diet, creatine may be unnecessary to supplement, but you have to eat a LOT of beef.  You can get about 5g of creatine for every 2 lbs. of beef consumed or so.  This can get expensive, and I’d get pretty sick of beef at such a large quantity.  Supplementing with creatine is cheaper and easier on my gut.  I also take glucosamine for my joints as a preventative measure.  Then during workouts, I like to supplement with branch chained amino acids.  There has been strong scientific evidence that proves that providing nutrients to fuel your body during your workout will decrease fatigue and increase recovery times between sets

Here is a list of supplements I currently take:

-Multivitamin (any brand)
-NOW Omega-3 Fish Oils
-Glucosamine (any brand)
-Optimum Nutrition Creatine Monohydrate
-MTS Nutrition Machine Whey Protein
-Driven Sports CRAZE Pre-Workout
-USPLabs Jack3d Micro Pre-Workout (I switch off between this and Craze)
-Scivation XTend BCAAs Intra-Workout
-USPLabs Versa-1 Mind-To-Muscle Connection