Should I Take Supplements?

The short answer, YES. 

I’m going to do my best to simplify things, help navigate the world of supplements, and share my own regimen. Keep in mind, the supplement industry is not regulated by the FDA, which allows companies to put (or not put) about anything they want into a pill/powder/drink/etc. Therefore, it’s important to do a little research, stay away from proprietary blends, and don’t buy a product based on it’s claims of “magical results.”  

Supplement Your Diet

First off, let’s define what supplements are, and I bet you can guess based on the name that they are meant to “supplement” your diet. Mind blowing, right? They should not replace a well rounded diet, but can help if you fail to consume the necessary nutrients, and also provide other types of benefits when it comes to athletic performance/lifting/etc.

Define Your Goals/How Supplements Can Help

When deciding whether or not you should be taking any kind of supplement, you need to establish what you’re looking to accomplish. Do you need to fill gaps in your nutrition? Increase performance in the gym? Build more muscle? Sleep better? Once you know what you’re looking for, then you can begin the search through thousands (literally) of different brands and options out there. 

My Own Supplement Regimen

Before we go on, I’ll give you an idea of the kind of supplements I use daily, and then we can discuss what to look for and things to avoid on your supplement journey. Currently, I take a multivitamin, fish oil, turmeric, and apple cider vinegar, which are geared toward filling nutrient gaps, heart health, and joint health. I use a pre-workout that has creatine included (currently PMD Pump Fuel Insanity, but most often Pre-Jym), post workout (Post-Jym), and protein shakes (Aldi Elevation whey blend). If you’re like me, I don’t want 20 different supplements, which is why I take a pre and post workout drink. The brands I use (typically pre and post jym) include all the ingredients I want to fuel my workouts so I don’t have to buy them all separately. I am not affiliated with any of the supplements I have listed, just simply giving you ideas of what I use personally. 

Purpose of Different Types of Supplements

Vitamins - I typically advise everyone take a multivitamin of some sort to help fill nutrient gaps. They’re generally safe, and if you get too much of anything the worst that will happen is your pee becomes a little more expensive. There are many out there, but many times a cheaper product is going to be just as good as the more expensive ones. 

Joint support (glucosomine, chondroitin, turmeric, apple cider vinegar, and more) - Scientifically there isn’t a lot of hard evidence for these types of products (especially glucosome, chondroitin), but if you are training hard and have the extra money it most certainly isn’t a bad idea to have the extra boost. 

Pre Workout - If you are serious about fueling your workouts a pre-workout is a must. Most will contain caffeine, which has a significant amount of research on enhancing your performance. Make sure to assess your caffeine tolerance as the amount varies from 100-500 mg (approximately 1-5 cups of coffee). BE ADVISED, do not buy a proprietary blend. A proprietary blend means they put something on the label like “Pump matrix - 4,000 mg” followed by a list of ingredients with no specific portions. To me there is already enough unknown in the supplement industry so why take the chance of them adding 20 ingredients and not listing specifics. 

Creatine - Is not a steroid and has a substantial amount of positive research on gaining muscle. Simply put, taking creatine is going to help you get those last 2 reps that you normally wouldn’t be able to if you weren’t taking it, which = more gains. 

Protein - Another must, especially if you are training on a consistent basis. Contrary to popular belief, most active people are NOT getting the amount of protein they need to build muscle. 20 extra grams of protein from a shake can go a long way on top of your normal diet. In a perfect world you’d buy a protein blend, but they are fairly expensive so a standard whey will do the job.

Weight Loss Pills - Just don’t. There’s very little research and a ton of variability in results. Spend your money on better quality foods, or a nutritionist if you need personalized help.  

This is not an exhaustive list, as there are many other supplements (both legal and illegal) out there that claim to help you build muscle or lose fat. 

Bottom line, supplement based on your own needs. I workout 6 days/week with 3 or more of them being high intensity which requires fueling my body before and after workouts, plus throughout the day. This, and hours of recovery work each week, is how I make sure my body can perform at high levels day in and day out. Do what’s best for you, but remember supplements DO NOT REPLACE HARD WORK!

Let’s Get Stronger!