Today we’re going to be talking about one of the biggest issues concerning gym goers, and in fact, all people concerned with their physical fitness in general: Muscle Building Supplements.
We’ve all been there. We step into our local GNC or Vitamin Shoppe and we’re bewildered by the enormous variety of different supplements that we’re immediately bombarded with.
As if that wasn’t enough, an employee usually comes over and tries to explain what EACH AND EVERY supplement on the shelf does.
Whey protein, soy protein, casein protein, glutamine, glucosamine, arginine, creatine, NO-Xplode… the list goes on and on. Well, I’m here to set the record straight once and for all and tell you what you need and what you don’t need.
Chances are, if you’re reading this article right now, you’ve been going to the gym and trying to pack on some muscle for quite a bit of time now to little or no avail… and you’re desperate. Desperate to try anything to get bigger.
If that’s the case, then the fact is that...
"99% of the supplements that GNC and Vitamin Shoppe carries is UNNECESSARY FOR YOU. And don’t let anyone tell you any different"
(A quick aside: has anyone ever noticed that a lot of employees at GNC are completely out of shape and look like they’ve never lifted a weight their entire life? Why would I want to take supplement advice from someone like that?)
For most people, the reason that you’re not putting on any muscle and not gaining any weight is simple. YOU ARE NOT EATING ENOUGH FOOD! Let me say it again… YOU ARE NOT EATING ENOUGH FOOD. That’s it. That’s the reason.
So with that in mind, there are only 2 Muscle Building Supplements that you should even consider spending your hard earned money on: Whey protein and weight gainer.
Whey Protein:
When most people talk about “protein”, they’re talking about whey protein. This is the type of protein that is fast acting due to the fact that its specific make-up makes it easily absorbed by the muscles. It’s most effective immediately after you wake up and right after a workout.
You need this because if you’re trying to build muscle, the #2 most important thing in your diet is protein.
And unless you plan on eating 4 steaks and 2 dozen eggs a day, you need a way to get your protein that doesn’t involve directly consuming food that your body needs time to break down.
(Aside #2: My parents once told me that I should stop taking whey protein because they thought it was steroids…)
Weight Gainer:
While protein is the #2 most important thing you need to build muscle, #1 is most assuredly calories.
This goes with my whole point of IF YOU’RE NOT GETTING BIGGER, THERE’S A 99% CHANCE ITS BECAUSE YOU’RE NOT EATING ENOUGH.
When I mean eat “enough”, I mean you should be consuming upwards of AT LEAST 3300 calories per day and probably closer to 3800 calories.
If you want to do a specific breakdown of how much food that actually is, trust me, if you’ve never done it, you will be shocked. Part of the way to ease that pain is to take weight gainers.
If you take weight gainers that comprise 1600 of your needed calories per day, then you won’t have to spend hour upon hour eating. It’s simple math.
(Aside #3: Multi-vitamins. I don’t personally take them. But I probably should because it’s hard to get a balanced diet when your life is busy and you can’t spend every waking minute thinking about what you need to eat in order to meet certain vitamin necessities.
So while you probably don’t need them to build more muscle and “get big” per se, they’re good for you so you should take them.)
A Quick Word on What You Don’t Need:
"You don’t need creatine"
Creatine helps your body retain water weight, making to gain more weight and experience a bigger pump while in the gym.
It also drives more oxygen into your muscles so that you can lift harder… It also destroys your liver if you’re not careful and the moment you go off it… guess what? That water weight is all coming off.
"You don’t need NO-Xplode, N-large, or Animal Stak"
These are all workout supplements that help you go harder in the gym for longer so that you can get a more effective and intense workout.
However, if you’re just starting out, there’s no need for these… and unless you plan on become an amateur bodybuilder, you will never need them.
So the next time you get into a supplement store, put your head down and head straight for the whey and weight gainer… and if someone asks you if you need help, tell them “No, I know what I’m looking for already”.
Til next time,
Jim