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I rarely ever go on a rant, and while this may not be a true rant, I need to get a few things off of my chest and help those of you new to the weightlifting and supplement game. As the traffic to our blog continues to grow and our fan-base on Facebook continues to climb, we see more and more questions come in through our contact form and Facebook inbox. We answer each and every one of these questions personally and try to help out as much as we can. In the past few months we have been seeing a common trend. It is people who have certain goals (losing weight, gaining muscle, etc) and are asking what supplement to take to reach those goals. A few direct quotes from some of these messages are as follows:
“I want to get ripped, what pre workout supplement should I take”
“I need to lose some body fat, can you recommend me a good fat burner”
“I need to get big for football, should I take creatine”
The common theme of these questions is looking to supplements for the answer – which is the totally wrong mindset. Supplements are not magic and you can’t just purchase a fat burner or a tub of creatine and expect a miracle. Instead of first thinking about your supplement stack, you need to first look at the following 4 facets of your life:
Sleep
Water Intake
Nutrition
Training
If you lack in any one of those areas, you should not even be asking about supplements. Drinking a protein shake is not going to turn you into the Incredible Hulk. Downing a little creatine will not make you HUGE. Taking a fat burner will not magically melt away fat. However, combined with adequate rest, water consumption, a solid nutrition plan and a sound training program, the supplements can aid you in achieving your goals.
Back in college (12 years ago) I had never even heard about supplements yet I was one of the strongest people that went to the NDSU weightroom. I actually could bench press more than all but 4 people who played college football at the time. There were people drinking “Ulitmate Orange”, downing protein shakes and doing the whole supplement thing, yet I managed to turn into a beast by lifting heavy weights and eating a whole bunch of food at the dining center. Why is this? Well, because I was eating in a caloric surplus and lifting heavy and getting plenty of sleep and water. I do admit that I did not have a six pack and could have eaten a big cleaner, but the point is that I managed to eclipse nearly a 400lb bench press and 500lb squat while working out 4x a week and eating nothing but what they served at the college dining center.
The main point here is not to say that supplements are bad or a waste of money. I spend my own money on supplements and find them healthy and beneficial. The point I am trying to make is that when you have a goal for your body, which supplements you should be taking should not be the first thing that comes to your mind. Rest, Water, Nutrition, Training and then Supplementation.