Supplement (In)Sanity
A few days ago I responded to an email where I was asked my general thoughts on supplements: do I find them useful?, which ones do I take?, which ones do I feel are useless?, so on and so forth.
Now, I’ve written similar posts in the past – HERE and HERE – but since I ended up writing more than I thought I would, I figured I might as well use my response as its own impromptu blog post.
It’s my blog, I can do what I want!
Compared to many, I take more of a simpleton approach to supplementation. For me, and I’m completely stealing a line from Alwyn Cosgrove here – “supplements are progress enhancers, not progress starters.”
More often that not, if someone’s not making any progress – whether it’s strength related, fat loss, or performance based – you can usually chalk it up to sub-optimal training, nutrition, or both.
I’m sorry, maybe it’s the cynic in me (although I like to think it’s common sense) but taking some super-duper-crystallized-dragon’s breath-protein-synthesizer-mass-bulking formula supplement which promises things like packing on 30 lbs of muscle AND increasing your bench press by 100 lbs (while instantaneously turning your abs into a bulletproof vest) – all by next Wednesday – is utter nonsense.
I had an athlete of mine ask me the other day what supplements he should be taking to add a little weight.
I said, “calories.”
After a few awkward seconds of starring at one another, he realized I was serious and then we had an awesome ten minute conversation on how he could go about including more quality calories into his daily repertoire.
This isn’t to say that I don’t think supplementation isn’t efficacious or worthwhile for some – it absolutely is!
I just feel that far too often people resort to some mythical “magic pill” that’s going to get them results, when in fact, it’s nothing more than putting in their time under the bar (and doing so consistently) and actually giving a shit what they put into their bodies in the form of REAL, natural, minimally processed, nutrient-dense food.
Bringing this full circle, I feel supplementation is highly overemphasized by some. But I can also appreciate that certain supplements are invaluable in what they have to offer as far as general health benefits are concerned.
Moreover, I’d be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge those supplements that undoubtedly help people take their training to the next level.
Which Leads Us To This
Pigging back off my comments above, and despite the contrary, I actually do personally take (and advocate that others do as well) some supplements.
For their health benefits alone, I take: fish oil (heart health, reducing inflammation, and a encyclopedia’s worth of other benefits), Vitamin D (deficiency in this vitamin is almost universal), a powdered Green’s product (I think of it as mineral/vitamin safety net), and dandelion root and ginger (both for their role in reducing inflammation and promoting liver health).
On the performance side of things, I think anyone who lifts weights on a consistent basis (and not the pink dumbbells) should include two supplements: protein powder and creatine.
Granted protein powder may be a moot concept assuming someone ingests ample protein in their diet (grass fed beef, chicken, eggs, fish, yogurt, cottage cheese, Bambi’s mom, etc), but you can’t argue with the research which routinely demonstrates that downing a protein drink shortly after – or even better, before – training helps to promote protein synthesis and recovery.
Likewise, creatine is the most researched supplement in the history of the world, and I’m always amused at those people (sadly, even physicians at times) who claim that taking it is going to make your kidneys explode or give you a third nipple.
While there’s a small portion of the population who are “non-responders,” I think it behooves anyone who weight trains not to consider including creatine into their daily mix, as it’s been routinely shown to increase strength, performance, and recovery.
And sometimes increases your chances of seeing someone of the opposite sex naked. It’s a win-win.
Supplement Hijinks
Embarrassingly, I don’t keep up with the latest supplement superstars. Every now and then I’ll notice one of our athletes walk in with some flashy container with the typical flashy words on the label and roll my eyes.
I’m sure if I walked into my local GNC store I’d find a plethora of related supplements that will just as equally make a small piece of my soul die.
I especially love those souped up creatine formulas that promise all the bells and whistles and end up costing what mounts to a student loan payment for a month’s supply.
Fun fact: just stick with plain ol’ creatine monohydrate which costs like $15 for a three month supply. It’s just as “effective” as the more expensive brands, and you’ll save yourself a bit of money in the long run.
Having said all that, there have been several times where I used myself as a
guinea pig and tried a few supplements – some of which I KNOW have some solid research behind them – that I never really got much out of.
The one that comes to mind the most is beta alanine.
I realize there are a lot of people who swear by it – particularly endurance based athletes or even the CrossFit diehards out there (and like said, there is plenty of research out there that backs it up) – but for me it was sorta like “eh.”
At the end of the day, I try to stick with the mantra that supplements are exactly that……supplements.
Far too often I feel many people are under the assumption that the missing link as to why they’re not getting results is because of some hidden supplement they’re not taking. The truth of the matter is: 1) they don’t train nearly as “hard” as they think they do and 2) their diet doesn’t reflect their goals. Think of that last point the next time you chug an energy drink (which typically contains a boat load of sugar) just to go for a walk.
Comments for This Entry
Chris
I am also a fan of glucosamine chondroitin. Good for joint healthAugust 21, 2012 at 2:45 pm |
TonyGentilcore
Agreed, Chris. I think that's a good call on your end. Although I do know some people who tend to be "non-responders" to that as well (myself included).August 21, 2012 at 2:55 pm |
Kellie Davis
Great points and I agree 100%. I've had the same convos/recommendations with my clients as well. Often they find when I take them off things like Jack3d and whatever other crazy legal meth they are on, they lose weight-- okay, it's also my magical programming. Weird, I know!August 21, 2012 at 4:35 pm |
TonyGentilcore
It's definitely the programming......;o)August 22, 2012 at 6:53 am |
Mike A
Beta-Alanine makes my face itch like a mofoAugust 21, 2012 at 7:46 pm |
TonyGentilcore
Yeah, really? I've heard of the tingling in the fingers, but never in the face. Outside of that, did you notice any improvements in performance, etc?August 22, 2012 at 6:54 am |
Hunter
Great Post Tony!! One quick question: Is there any really any difference between taking a powdered supplement versus a supplement like Eas myoplex or Musclemilk which is packaged as a liquid? Any help would be great ! ThanksAugust 21, 2012 at 10:05 pm |
TonyGentilcore
You just need to look at the ingredients. Musclemilk is more of a meal replacement (protein, fat, carbs) whereas protein powder is just protein powder (and a boatload of artificial sweeteners depending on the brand). When it come to shakes, I'd much rather make my own - that way I KNOW for sure what's going in there.August 22, 2012 at 6:56 am |
James Alfonso
I believe I am one of the athletes with the flashy bottles at timesAugust 21, 2012 at 10:19 pm |
TonyGentilcore
Indeed, you are.August 22, 2012 at 6:57 am |
Scott Lueders
hahahahha fonzyAugust 22, 2012 at 8:26 am |
Brian St. Pierre
James I would have thought you would know better by now!August 23, 2012 at 2:18 pm |
TonyGentilcore
hahahahahahahaahahahahahaha. James got busted.August 24, 2012 at 6:09 am
James Alfonso
Long time no see Brian, long timeAugust 25, 2012 at 4:18 pm
Sammy
I keep it simple, too, but add glucosamine to the mix (and my knees now almost never hurt after years of pain - although, it took about three months to kick in) plus saw palmetto since my dad had prostate cancer.August 21, 2012 at 11:08 pm |
Josh
I'm one of those beta alanine guys once or twice a week; mostly because I don't get enough sleep and I walk about 4 miles in short bursts during my work shift before I get to the workout floor. In other words, I'm just tired by the time I get to my workout. The product I use is one of those drinks that's beta alanine with caffeine -- it really just works as a substitute for the rest I don't get. I'd definitely recommend sleep and rest instead.August 22, 2012 at 4:52 am |
TonyGentilcore
"I'd definitely recommend sleep and rest instead." Classic......;o)August 22, 2012 at 6:59 am |
Paul Schmid
Tony, another splendid article. I actually passed it on to my clients(90% women) since they are always asking me about supplements that will get them kardashianesk buns and abs by next thursday. I started using assault by muscle pharm last year when I was cutting down. Although I am sure that diet had mostly to do with it, I actually saw gains in my lifts while dropping 5% body fat. It has all the fancy bells and whistles that claim to increase your bench by 300 pounds and what not, but it really worked for me. Gave me more energy during sessions and aided in recovery. Maybe it was all mental, but the stuff sure seemed to help.August 22, 2012 at 7:36 am |
TonyGentilcore
Paul - placebo effect comes into play more than we think, but this isn't to say that what you took didn't help. I mean, once you get to a certain (advanced) level you CAN make a case for why using "x" supplement will help get you over that hump to the next level. Nevertheless, thanks for the kind words and for passing it along to your clients!August 22, 2012 at 7:24 pm |
Jay
How do you feel about the much hyped Andaconda/Indigo protocols from Biotest?August 22, 2012 at 9:49 am |
TonyGentilcore
Honestly, I've never tried them so I can't really pass judgement on them one way or the other.August 22, 2012 at 7:25 pm |
Jay
Do you take the dandelion and ginger in pill form? I have tried dandelion in shakes and it dominates the flavor of the shake.August 22, 2012 at 10:10 am |
TonyGentilcore
Yep, both in pill form. Although my girlfriend uses ginger in a lot of her cooking.August 22, 2012 at 7:26 pm |
KT
TG do you use creatine only on training days or everyday? Do you ever cycle off of it for a few weeks? Thank you in advance!August 22, 2012 at 12:03 pm |
TonyGentilcore
I generally take it everyday. There might be a few days here and there that I miss, but all in all, I take it everyday in a shake or sometimes even in my oatmeal. Yep, oatmeal.August 22, 2012 at 7:29 pm |
PJ Striet
Americans probably have the most expensive urine in the world from all the worthless supplements they ingest.August 23, 2012 at 10:21 am |
TonyGentilcore
HA! You get a gold star for that comment, sir!August 24, 2012 at 6:03 am |
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