If you’re into fitness chances are at some point you’ve considered using supplements to help you reach your goals. The problem is there is so much hype, marketing, and misinformation about supplementation that it makes it really difficult to know which supplements are actually worth taking.
As a trainer I get a lot of questions about what supplements to take, and since I became sponsored (by SD Pharmaceuticals) I’ve done a lot of research into this topic. The fact is that there are some supplements that can have a very significant benefit to you, while others might be a waste of money.
First of all let me be honest by admitting that I am a bit of a supplement-junkie. I enjoy taking different supplements and experimenting on myself to discover what works (for me) and what doesn’t, and I’m fortunate to be in a position where it is easy for me to do this. But if I had to give a short answer to the question “what supplements are necessary for health, building muscle, or losing fat?”, my response would be: “NONE.”
The majority of people don’t really need to take supplements; unless you are suffering from a specific illness, have a nutritional deficiency, or a doctor prescribes certain supplements for you, none of them are actually necessary requirements.
So I could summarize this article in a few words by simply stating:
You Don’t Need Supplements
To achieve optimal health and fitness, lose fat, build muscle, or improve performance, your focus needs to be on your nutrition and training (as well as rest and recovery). Until you are following a solid nutrition and training plan, supplements probably won’t be of much benefit to you.
OK, so let’s assume your training and nutrition are on point, and you’ve been making some decent progress, but now you want to take things to that next level. This is where supplementation can really support you. Still, there are a LOT of supplements to choose from, and all of them promise to deliver amazing results. Where do you start?
Start with the Basics
If you’re considering taking supplements, there are a few basics that will benefit most people regardless of your goals. Here are some of my recommendations:
- Vitamin D3 – A vast amount of research has demonstrated the huge health benefits of taking vitamin D3, that reach for beyond just improving bone density. Vitamin D can boost immune function, prevent disease, support hormone production, and more! Check out my blog post on Vitamin D3 HERE.
- Whey Protein Isolate – This is a very bio-available source of complete protein. It’s just an easy and convenient way to help reach your protein requirements.
- Fish Oil – Many people do not get enough Essential Fatty Acids from their diet and supplementing with fish oil can help meet this nutritional shortfall. Fish oil is an excellent source of Omega 3 fats which have numerous health benefits.
- Greens Concentrate Product – In my experience many people do not get enough micronutrition and don’t eat enough vegetables. In that case a concentrated ‘greens’ supplement may be recommended.
- Caffeine – I wouldn’t necessarily recommend caffeine as a standard supplement for everyone to consume, but when used in moderation it can help improve performance (when used before exercise) and can support fat loss. However, if overused it can have a negative affect on one’s health.
- Creatine – Again, this isn’t really a “basic” recommendation for everybody, but if your goal is to get stronger or build muscle, creatine can help. Check out my blog post on Creatine HERE.
Of course there are so many more supplements to choose from, and I can’t possibly review all of them in one post. But what I can do is recommend some resources for you to use to do your OWN research. There are a few excellent websites where you can find legitimate scientific research on almost every supplement available. Here are my top 3 recommended sites for evaluating supplements:
PubMed –
PubMed.gov is a free search engine accessing primarily the MEDLINE database of references and abstracts on life sciences and biomedical topics. The United States National Library of Medicine (NLM) at the National Institutes of Health maintains the database as part of the Entrez system of information retrieval.
Ergo-Log –
Ergo-Log.com is a news site about legal and illegal ergogenic aids. Their aim is not to encourage or discourage the use of ergogenic aids. They simply share relevant news and research on supplements intended to improve performance or body composition.
Examine.com –
My top choice for supplement research is Examine.com. This is an independent and unbiased encyclopedia on supplementation and nutrition. They are not affiliated in any way with any supplement company, and have one goal – to be the unbiased source for supplements and nutrition. Definitely worth checking out!
By referring to the above resources to answer your supplement questions it should be clear what supplements are actually worth taking related to your specific goals.
Let the Gains Begin!
Iv come to the conclusion that Every one of you fitness coaches either know ordont know what we’! THe wanna be bodybuilders need to use as in supps; But instead of a direct answere ; Seem to be scraching each others backs ! Regarding selling supplements or other sorces of help to build muscle; If you do research that well’ Then you coaches should know exactly what a safe suppliment to take for the average person wanting to look good and build a great body; But instead’ there seems to be alot of REFFERALS ! or passing the buk; among you all; I hate Fish of any kind and fish oils; So pleas; a straight answere; Any alternatives; thats not overly expencive; And WHAT about creatine and which whey is best;? Iv tried both for a month; and REALLY GUYS!! personally iv found no difference at all Physically; only my wallet showed a difference; EMPTY!!
Thanks for the comment! Did you actually take the time to watch the video or checked out the research sites I included such as Examine.com? You think I should know “exactly” what supplements you need? I hope you can understand that each individual has different needs, and I did provide very clear explanations on some basic supplements that most trainees can benefit from.
Your comment is somewhat critical and negative, as if it’s the “coaches” fault that you aren’t getting the results you want; but as you can see I clearly stated that you DON’T NEED Supplements! The primary factors for getting results are your training plan, your nutrition, and your rest. You need progressive resistance training and a caloric surplus to gain weight, a caloric deficit to lose weight, and good quality food with the right macro ratios. If you don’t have that in place supps won’t help much.
Then I gave you very fair suggestions on basic supplements to consider, and why. As far as what brand you get, that’s up to you… but IMO you don’t need to spend a fortune on fancy whey or creatine… just regular isolate and monohydrate are fine. If you don’t “like” fish oil, that’s your preference. You can also try flax oil, hemp oil, Omega 3 blends, etc… or just eat more healthy fats. Also remember whey ‘protein’, fish oil, greens, etc, are simply concentrated food supplements (a convenient way to get certain nutrients), not drugs that deliver magic results. Either way, I wouldn’t expect huge results from any natural supplement within one month. Also, if taking creatine for a month ’emptied’ your wallet, you’re most likely paying too much for it.
Finally, I provided unbiased legit websites to do your OWN research into what the studies say actually works. That is more valuable than ANY coach’s “opinion”. Get your nutrition and training optimized before considering supplements, then do some reading into what supplements support your specific goals and choose wisely. I wish you success with your goals!
Excellent blog post regarding supplementation. I certainly agree with the start with basics section. I take fish oil daily, Vitamin D3 and I use caffeine to help me during both my early morning workout routine and mid day routine. Helps me to stay focused and energetic throughout. Plenty of studies on this. I also supplement with BCAAs each day…can go wrong there either.
One supplement I am not too familiar with using (actually I haven’t used it yet) is Creatine…I would like to start using it, can you give some pointers on it for me?
Thanks for the great info.
E
Thanks for the comment! Just regular creatine monohydrate, before or after training is fine. 5 grams daily should be good, although some people like to “load” for a week at 10 grams daily, it’s not really needed. Creatine HCL is a good option if regular creatine bothers your stomach. Give it a shot!
Thanks for the quick reply! I will start that up next week. I’ll get back to you with some results..
E