THE SUPPLEMENTS YOU ACTUALLY NEED (and the ones you don’t)
The global supplement industry is poised to bring in an estimated 220 BILLION dollars by 2022. That’s BILLION, with a “B”.
If that many supplements are being sold around the world then that probably means that you should be taking some right?
Here’s the deal.
You don’t need supplements.
I mean, even the name tells you that. If you needed them they’d be called “necessaries” or “mandatories”.
So why are they so popular and obsessed over?
I’m not talking about supplementing for a vitamin or mineral deficiency that has been identified by a blood test through your doctor. I’m talking about the aisles and aisles of confusing products in store after store with fancy labels and claims that almost sound too good to be true.
When it comes to nutrition and performance in the gym there really isn’t anything you NEED that you cannot get from your overall diet that consists of amino acid rich protein, vegetables, fruits, grains and adequate hydration with water.
It’s just that simple.
You can grow muscle by eating enough calories through dietary protein, carbs and fat. You can absolutely get by without protein shakes, weight gainers or other pills and powders.
You can eat a variety of fruits, vegetables, nuts and legumes to get more than enough micronutrients to maintain optimal health.
You can eat foods like yogurt to feed the bacteria in your gut without taking supplements to do the job.
All that being said, we understand that life gets busy and that sometimes you don’t have time to cook enough food to meet your goals. We also understand that you may want to truly look for ways to optimize your performance in the gym.
So let’s talk today about the supplements that we actually do recommend because they have research to back up their claimed benefits.
Dietary Protein
Total calories is the most important factor when talking about your body weight and subsequent health markers that are affected by being overweight or obese, but dietary protein is a close second.
Everyone’s protein needs vary based on their current body composition, their age, their goals and their exercise, BUT if you had to pick a goal we would recommend aiming for around 1g of protein per day per lb that you weigh.
So if you’re a 135lb female, you’d try to reach 135g of protein per day. That’s not going to happen by accident and if for whatever reason you are struggling to get close, you might considering supplementing.
So first on the list of supplements that actually work is:
Protein powder: We wrote a long post about this subject, but here’s the skinny. Your protein powder needs to have the amino acids that actually build muscle. Look for a high quality whey protein isolate if you tolerate dairy. If you’re looking for a veggie based option like pea or soy, make sure it specifically says that it contains all of the 9 essential amino acids, the 3 Branch Chain Amino Acids (BCAA’s) and about 2.5-3g of leucine. We like the Barbell Medicine brand of protein supplements. Don’t stress too much about your protein timing unless you’re going to go for several hours without eating after training. If that’s the case, have a shake after you train.
Fruits & Veggies
Moving on from protein, the recommended number of servings of fruit and vegetables is 5 (2 fruit and 3 veggies) per day. How are you doing on that? If you’re like 99% of people out there, you’re probably falling short. Why do we care about fruits and veggies? They’re rich with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and fiber. All of these things help us stave off things like heart disease, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol and obesity. Pretty important huh? So much like hitting your protein goals, if you aren’t trying on purpose to get those 5 servings in, there are things you can do to help your efforts.
Greens powder: It’s just what it sounds like. Dried, distilled and then powdered fruits, vegetables, algae, grasses, legumes etc. Can it completely take the place of whole fruits and vegetables? Negative. But it can help fill in some of the holes that might be lacking in your diet. Here’s what to look for in your greens powder supplement. Watch out for added sweeteners and fillers. Also look at the specific ingredients to make sure that you actually ARE getting some of those things that you’re missing. Last but not least… some of these guys taste really nasty. See if you can try a sample before committing to a whole container. If you can’t stomach the taste, try mixing it into a fruit based drink to mask the flavor. Let us re-state though… try to get real fruits and vegetables. The fiber in them alone is worth the effort.
Omega 3 Fatty Acids
Ok, protein and greens have been addressed. Confession: I (Jonathan) don’t like to eat seafood. Never have, might never will. Never say never right? So what’s the big deal? Since I don’t like eating fish I’m missing out on some of the unique benefits of eating seafood. More specifically I’m talking about the Omega 3 fatty acids contained in seafood. There are other foods that contain Omega 3’s but seafood is at the top of the list. So why do we care about these fatty acids? Research has shown that the fatty acids DHA and EPA have been linked to decreased inflammation, improved insulin sensitivity, improved cardiovascular health, improved energy and many other positive things. SO… if you’re like me and are missing out on these benefits due to lack of variety in your diet, you can supplement by taking these Omega 3 fatty acids in supplement form. Often this is sold as fish oil. The thing to look for is that you’re getting at least the minimum effective dose. That MINIMUM dose is 500mg of DHA and EPA (combined) each day. Research has shown benefits above these levels, but if you’re just starting out, get the minimum.
So we’ve got you covered with some science backed supplements that you can use to fill in some potential holes in your nutrition game.
What about those thousands of supplements related to increased GAINS and performance in the gym?
There are way too many to discuss in this article but I want to mention a couple that you should not waste your money on before talking about a couple that are actually worthwhile.
DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY ON BCAA’S
Unless you have money to burn and just want to make your water taste better, don’t bother with BCAA’s. BCAA’s are the three branch chain amino acids contained in protein that are responsible for muscle growth and repair. They are Leucine, Isoleucine and Valine. This might sound counter intuitive since you already know that we recommend getting enough protein. The thing is that research has shown that simply consuming the 3 BCAAs on their own, not in the presence of the 6 other essential amino acids does not provide benefit (outside of possible decreased muscle soreness). Save your money and get some real quality whole food protein sources or a high quality whey protein if you need to supplement your dietary protein.
SKIP THE TRENDY INCOMPLETE PROTEIN SUPPLEMENTS
Similarly to what I just said about BCAA’s, there are lots of protein supplements out there that don’t actually provide you with the full spectrum of amino acids needed to build muscle. These are called “incomplete proteins”. We went pretty in depth into this in our article on collagen protein. Check it out.
Ok, enough of the negative stuff.
Let’s talk about some performance supplements that actually have some science behind them and CAN move the needle.
CREATINE
Few, if any supplements have been sold and researched more than creatine. Creatine is a natural compound made of up the amino acids L-arginine, glycine and methionine. Your body makes creatine and stores it in cells. As we've talked about before, our body produces energy by breaking down ATP (adenosine triphosphate). Creatine is an instrumental ingredient in the regeneration of ATP.
In short, creatine aids in ATP restoration so that our muscles can continue to do work. The problem is that our bodies don't naturally store much creatine and when we run out, our muscles turn to glycogen or fatty acids for ATP restoration.
The good news is that by supplementing with only 5 grams of creatine daily, we can store 10-20% more creatine in our muscles. That means you can do more work before reaching failure, which means better workouts and more gains! The even better news is that there are essentially no negative side effects to supplementing your bodies creatine levels.
When you shop for creatine supplements, look for creatine monoydrate. We buy ours from bulk supplements on Amazon. It's dirt cheap, and it just works.
CAFFEINE
Yep, that’s right! Our beloved coffee and the caffeine contained therein is a science backed performance enhancing supplement. Many studies have tested different dosages of caffeine and its performance benefits. Recent research shows that for most people the optimal caffeine dosage is in the 200mg area. Most people respond fairly quickly to caffeine so if you’re taking it for its performance benefits, take it within an hour of exercise. Here’s the kicker. As we consume caffeine, our sensitivity to it is diminished. That means it takes more of it to get the same effects, and there’s only so much you can take without staying up all night staring at the ceiling. If you are super serious about using caffeine to boost performance we would recommend NOT having caffeine outside of your training times. I don’t know about y’all but that is a deal killer for us!
Ok, let’s recap.
You don’t really need supplements.
You can get 99% of what you need through a varied diet high in protein (including seafood), vegetables, fruits and starches.
However, if you’re having trouble with that there is hope.
Here are things proven to be beneficial and the things guaranteed to waste your money.
Supplement your protein intake with a quality protein powder.
Supplement your micronutrients with a greens powder
Supplement your Omega 3’s with fish oil or an omega 3 supplement
Supplement your stored creatine levels with Creatine Monohydrate.
Boost your workouts with caffeine.
Don’t waste your money on BCAA’s.
Don’t waste your money on incomplete protein supplements.
Thanks for reading!
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