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The market today is flooded with products, all of which claim to build muscle, lose fat, stop aging and turn you into Hercules. If you follow all the advice, you usually end up with an empty wallet and a closet full of bottles which you don’t use properly, mixing products that should not be mixed, or taking useless supplements that you simply excrete through urine, what a waste! For the most part I have always believed, and still believe, that you can make your gains naturally. Supplements just give you that extra edge. Through the last 6 years I have been trying out some of the most mainstream supplements that exist today and feel confident in speaking of their capabilities, uses and advantages ( I have yet to find a disadvantage!).

Some of the most talked about products on the market today will be reviewed here. Some of the most common questions asked of us trainers seems to be about supplementation and clarifying the usage of such products, so here we go!

Again to make myself absolutely clear, you can make gains without supplementation considering you eat a healthy and balanced diet in combination with some multi vitamin and minerals which can be lacking if you have the diet habits that most do in this millennium.

Protein is the first one to come to mind. Although most people are carnivorous there is swing of vegetarians that have been multiplying in high numbers throughout the last 10 years. Whether you find yourself in the first or second category you can almost guarantee you are not ingesting enough protein, even if you are the most passive exerciser around. Being a vegetarian, especially a strict vegan can leave you with a higher carb intake and not enough lean protein to maintain your muscle never mind increase it. Don’t get me wrong, if you know your stuff you can get by just fine, I know this from 14 years of practice. Unfortunately most people are not aware of the tips toward tweaking that veggie diet and end up in a deficit. A positive nitrogen balance in your system at a cellular level is needed in order for these positive gains and to keep that up you need an intake of protein every 3 hours on average.

Egg is the most complete protein there is but you can’t eat those all day either. Being a meat eater does not guarantee you the quality protein you need considering the cows spend all there short lives being pumped with enhancing drugs and are not healthy... when was the last time you saw a free range milk farm? Just like humans, in order for cows to be healthy they need exercise not drugs, so you can imagine how that affects your protein quality. The cooking process does not help, but you must cook the meat well to avoid ailment.

Presented with these facts you can see how supplemental protein can come in handy, not to mention the convenience of taking it with you to take any time as well as using it as a snack rather than some fattening sugar filled chocolate bar.

Usage can vary from 2 times per day to 6, depending on your goals. If you are looking for some help in the diet yet eat well, possibly organic, you could add 2 shakes to your day. For those on the muscle building train you can add 4 to 6 protein servings to your day. Using water is best for mixing if you use powder, as dairy is not the best food type for keeping trim nor is it a great protein (excluding dry cottage cheese). Protein powders can vary in amounts of protein in total, look for something in the high end, like 20 grams per serving. Having a shake a few hours before bed is a great bedtime snack, your body will use this to rebuild muscle, and again it’s better than a chocolate bar. Proteins come in many forms such as rice, vegetable, whey and soy.

The next product which I know you are familiar with is Creatine Monohydrate, “the wonder powder”. Some find it hard on the tummy or it causes a bit of bloat, most find it does blow out the muscles which was my finding as well. Within days your muscles will retain water in turn adding weight and showing it in the muscle size. The only thing is, that once you stop you lose 80% of that water gain, which comes off as weight and appears to come off the muscle although it is simply water. I like it anyway. It helps give you that extra energy to get one through their workout, lift a little longer or harder, do more cardio before muscle exhaustion.

This one is taken 3 times per day, 5 grams per shot, with grapefruit juice for 3 to 5 days then you drop to once per day. Personally, I like to cycle this product, not stay on it all year. Once you are on the maintenance phase of once per day, take it immediately after your workout so that the muscles will utilize it at that crucial point.

Another wonder supplement that is a must if you are very athletic is Glutamine. This product can be described as the ‘healer’. It helps to counter any natural muscle deterioration that occurs through daily activity and exercise. This is also good for injury prevention in my eyes, especially for the hard core weekend warrior. You don’t want to take this at the same time as Creatine as they both share the same delivery system, but a minimum of an hour in between is fine. Glutamine can come in powder form, capsules or mixed in the protein powder as an extra. The same rules apply here as did for the protein, 2 to 6 times per day. For those on protein powder and using glutamine powder you can mix them at the same time.

Glucosamine is another healing supplement used to rebuild cartilage and even now used for arthritis and similar disease. Anyone with bad joints can use this especially if they have had recent injury. Glucosamine is what happens when your body converts some of the glutamine, it is naturally occurring in our own lubrication called Synovial Fluid. This fluid is activated by movement but for many they have problems with this development or have had damages to the joint which leaves them lacking. This can lead to chronic joint pain.

It is best to take this 3 times per day usually, at time of injury or very intense training, to be taken on an empty stomach for best results.

Then there was HMB. Maybe the longest name in the supplement arena so it is kept short by HMB (Bet-Hydroxy Beta-Methylbutyrate Monohydrate). Now don’t let that name scare you. This one has to be my favorite of them all. This product has the ability to keep you from muscle losses which can occur through intense training, low immunity, frequent travel, or overtraining. All these elements can adversely affect your gains achieved and future gains, did I forget to mention STRESS? The rebuilding quality in this wonder supplement is amazing and taken 3 times per day during good diet and disciplined training can mean awesome results!

Whatever you decide, whether you be a user or not, nothing can beat a good old balanced meal of lean proteins every 3 hours, a mixed green salad 2 to 3 times per day with your 2 main protein meals, one side a potato or rice. Add 1 or 2 fruits per day and extra veggies and protein for those in between meals. Package and canned food retain too much salts in them and not enough nutrients, so stick to whole foods. Supplementation will add to your gains and goals but it is not necessary.

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