This was a post I did on My Yahoo Health Group.
The question regarding Supplements came from one of the members.
"How do you tell what is good and what is crap?"
My Long but informative response:
I would say the best way is to stick to the basic supplements such as:
Fish Oil, Amino Acids, basic creatine, CLA, Whey and Casein Protein(Brands such as
Optimum Nutrition or GNC)
And the BIG one is to try and stay away from any supplement that says... "proprietary blend"
This term is basically used to hide the fact the formula contains very little of the active ingredients listed on the bottle in an attempt to fool consumers.
These companies can have the smallest amount of that ingredient in the product but advertise and sell it as that product! Remember there is NO regulation!
Lets use Creatine for an example. The Label Will say something like:
"Propriety Blend" it will list a bunch of words and stuff that you cant even pronounce and then it will say "Creatine" but you have no idea how much creatine is in it! Um Scary!
Well for me personally I like to take about 5 Grams of creatine after a workout. (On Leg and Back day I take creatine before and after.)
So what I do is instead of buying a product such as "Super Pump" or "Cell Mass" im not trying to single anyone out there just the ones that pop into my head.(Good work marketing team!) I just buy the generic stuff.
Example: All That PUMP you up stuff can be bought at a fraction of the cost. Its Called L-Arginine and it works and I take it everyday.
To Sum this up as I need to get to the gym... DON'T LET the companies mix the stuff for you! Unless you want to spend a TON of extra cash because your favorite body builder or athlete is on the label quoted saying something ridiculous like....
"I take this super amazing product and in 2 weeks I look Like this!!!"
- #1 Lean Dude in the world (AKA Marketing Team of that particular product.)
NEWS Flash: He has most likely NEVER even tried the stuff and he is on another type supplement...And Barry Bonds,Mark McGuire and José Canseco are the poster children for it!
Now im not here to knock ALL of the supplement companies as there are many that want to provide their customers with a reliable product that will help them achieve their goals. All I am saying is DON'T Believe the hype and when it comes to supplements watch out for those two words "Proprietary Blend"
Ok well im off to the gym but before I go its time for some black coffee (my pump up drink!) and a little whey protein, L-Arginine, and Beta Alanine. I know exactly whats in it at a fraction at the cost.
A final thought... A "Supplement" is just that! It is to Supplement good training, Eating and Sleep. There is no magic pill out there as if there were I would be on it and I would tell of my followers about it.
The road to a healthy mind, body and soul is a long one. It takes years of hard work and practice. Trial and error. ups and downs. Progression and even some regression.
But in the end it is all worth it! This I can promise you!
Happy Supplementing!
Bryan Thomas
Photo Credit:
Impact Photography
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