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Supplement companies exist for one thing and one thing only – to sell supplements.
Open any fitness magazine and you’ll find advertisement after advertisement promoting supplements, diet pills, protein shakes…
With every product claiming itself to be the next best thing since sliced bread…
…and the one thing you need to put on the muscle you’ve always wanted…
…how do you actually decide what kind of supplement to take or not to take?
In this article, we’ll take a good hard objective look at supplements in the health & fitness industry.
We will look at who should (yes – I am saying that word)…
…and who shouldn’t take supplements…
…as well as what kinds of supplements you could take if you do choose to supplement.
The magic pill mentality
One of the biggest drivers of the supplement industry is the magic pill mentality.
Customers who aren’t willing to put in the work to actually lose weight and gain muscle instead turn to supplements and diet pills.
They see the advertisements, get excited and make a purchase on impulse.
More often than not this mentality won’t produce actual results.
The customer then either gets disillusioned and quits, or they go back to buy a different supplement pill.
If you want to build muscles, this kind of mentality just won’t work.
Supplements can only support a strong foundation
Your supplements can only support your exercise routine if you already have a strong bodybuilding foundation.
If you are
- eating right and eating enough,
- drinking enough water,
- doing the right workouts,
- working out consistently,
- working out intensely enough,
- alternating muscle groups and
- doing all the other things you need to do for that 80%…
…then supplements can help give you that 20% edge to take you to the next level.
However, if you don’t have the fundamentals down, supplements just won’t help.
Supplements…
…cannot be…
…have never been and…
…never will be a magic pill that can replace good nutrition and working out.
More is not always better
Many supplements are based on the premise that more is better.
In reality, more protein or more vitamins may not be what your body needs at all.
If you structure your nutrition correctly, you can get the vast majority of all the nutrients you need in the food you eat.
Artificially adding more protein or vitamins through supplements can often be ineffective, expensive and potentially even harmful if your body doesn’t actually need it.
Who should use supplements?
Who should actually use supplements, then?
Supplements can be used if there are nutrients in your diet that you are not getting enough of.
Only use supplements if you already have your fundamentals in place and want to get an extra boost to reach your goals faster.
If you already have all your nutritional needs handled, you might also want to consider an energy-boosting supplement like creatine.
Unlike other supplements that focus on nutrition replacement, these supplements actually make it so you can push harder during your workouts.
In general, bodybuilders would be better off ignoring the majority of supplement advertising and focusing on building a solid workout routine.
That said, if you have the fundamentals handled, supplements can give you a nice progress boost.
You might also take supplements if you have underlying conditions and/or are on medications.
In which case you are strongly advised to discuss these with your nutritionist.
Image by Lucio Alfonsi from Pixabay
This site contains affiliate links to products sold by selected self improvement partners. We may receive a commission for purchases made through these links.