Gym Supplements A Simple Guide

A simple guide to buying sports nutrition

So having been a regular and dedicated gym user for over 5 years, I feel I am qualified to make a modest and simple contribution and plant my opinion on protein supplements in the fitness industry. And more particularly, what and who I think can provide adequate supplements for your workouts. I'm not ashamed to admit that in my time of weight training, I've been suckered into buying fantastically titled, fantastically marketed and fantastically improbable supplements with words and phrases such as 'multi-platform growth event' and 'anabolic muscle cell volumisation' sprayed liberally over the summery. However, it was a learning curve, which as a gullible 17/18year old was rather fun, albeit expensive and has left me as a more informed and sensible purchaser.

Where to start?- The supplement industry is huge and with literally thousands of products out there it can be very difficult to know where to begin. Based on my experience there are 4 main simple steps to lower your expenses and maximize gains regarding the use of supplements.

1. Avoid buying direct from the company website- these can be around 25% more expensive than an internet wholesaler. TRUSTED companies that sell supplements at much lower prices are for example 'thesupplementstore.co.uk' and 'affordablesupplements.co.uk'. Personally I use the former website and have never had a problem.

2. Avoid flashy and complicated supplements- any beginner or intermediate level gym user can get excellent gains with a simple, good quality whey protein powder, a *pure, good quality creatine monohydrate and a good multi-vit and fish oil supplement. The last 2 can be bought much cheaper from your local Holland and Barratt than a supplement company. ZMA supplements can be effective but they shouldn't be an essential while you're in your 20s.

Pre and Post workout supplements are, in my experience and to be blunt, BS. A good carb/protein meal 90mins before, a small amount of whey protein 20mins before and a few jelly babys mid workout are all you need. SHOCKINGLY that 'critical multi-platform cryogenic pro anabolic/catabolic crushing muscle growth supporting event cycle' is not a pre-requisite to muscle gain.

3. Supplements are SUPPLEMENTS. They are an addition to the healthy and balanced diet that of course, as a bodybuilder, you already follow :). Taking supplements should be based around your regular diet, not the other way round, which can be highly expensive to say nothing of the lack of balance. (I'm speaking from direct experience there). My most regular sources of protein are eggs and tinned fish (mackerel) both of which provide excellent quality protein at affordable prices.

4. If it sounds too good to be true, it almost certainly is. Supplement companies are excellent at playing on the wishes of people. The desire to change your body can be extremely strong. A company may well divert $1 out of every $10 made to research and development, but you can bet the other $9 goes into marketing...ahhhhhhhhhhheeeeeeemmmmm *cough* muscletech *cough*. A claim such as 4lb of lean muscle in 7 days is simply staggeringly laughable. AVOID.

In conclusion and in MY OPINION, companies that can provide simple and trustworthy nutrition at reasonable prices are myprotein, nutrisport, PhD and USN. Although not every single supplement sold by these companies will fall into the simple and reasonably priced bracket, they each provide products that do the basics well and leave the hype and marketing to other companies. In the meantime you can ponder the phrase "gene-activating compounds that trigger a cascade of events that strengthen the signals inside your muscle fibres to rapidly accelerate muscle growth". My first thought is- What on Earth does that even mean?!