I want to get to the next level of hyoooogeness. I am pretty hyoooge as it is, but I want to be even hyooooger. I've decided that the solution is supplements. Pills, powders, whatever it takes. So give me some advice, Mr. Fitness Man.
- Bouncing Amateur Boxing Meatheaded Georgetown Student with the same last name as the author.
When buying supplements, there is a lot of hype. In face, the supplement industry is almost all hype. Giant ads in magazines touting obscene muscle-building effects are the norm, with glossy photos of gorgeous, near-naked women adorning the arms of supposed users of these products. Let me break it down for you: those ads are full of stinky poohtwa. Below, I've included some guidelines that I feel any intelligent athlete (or whatever you call yourself) should take into consideration before taking the plunge and buy "supps."
The first thing to understand is that not many other people will understand. To a great number of idiots out there (many who are in our very own University!) protein powder, creatine, fish oil caps, etc., are all lumped in the same category under the heading "steroids." So my first bit of advice is to discuss supplement purchases only with those people who have similar interests. In other words, refrain from telling your girlfriend about the "nice 10 lb bag of whey" you picked up the other day. Otherwise, it will make for an excruciatingly frustrating argument in which you try to enlighten her and she tries to convince you that your testicles are going to shrink - "And you can't afford that, can you?" she may ask in an extremely low blow.
Do research before making any purchase. From the most basic (protein powder, creatine) to the more exotic (tribulus, L-arginine-alpha-ketoglutarate), each supplement is manufactured by lots of different companies. Different products have different strengths and weaknesses. Maybe protein A tastes better than protein B, but it takes much longer to mix. Or, maybe protein C beats both A and B. The point is, some supplements are better than others, and it pays to find out which ones those are. A good way to research supplements is by reading online message boards where people often post reviews. A terrible way to research is to ask the guy at GNC. He is clueless. Trust me.
Shop around. Online supplement sites are popping up all over the internet. Bad for GNC and Vitamin Shoppe, good for the consumer. At these one-stop supplement shops, you can read reviews, buy cheap supplements, and read articles on effective training and supplementation. If you take an extra few minutes to compare prices, you will almost always get a better deal.
If something claims to be miles above the competition, it is probably level or below them. There is no magic pill. In fact, supplementation is probably the fourth most important part of the equation. Training, nutrition and recovery all rank above supplementation. Remember that, and refrain from going nuts and gorging yourself on pills and powders everyday.
Supplementation is an important part of training, but it certainly isn't the "be all, end all." Remember that there is no magic pill, no matter what the MuscleTech ad claims.
