Why I'm strongly against Supplements.

[melvinsito]

I know some people are gonna be pissed about this, but hear me out.

First, let me give you a couple details about myself and where I'm coming from. I just graduated from college; majored in Culinary Management. During my college career I learnt about proper (or healthy) ways to enjoy food and the way that the body reacts to what you feed it. I live for cooking; it is one of my passions. I think gastronomy is one of life's greatest gifts. Gastronomy is a type of art that you can experience with all of your senses and it nourishes the body. Therefore, I will always defend keeping a healthy diet and enjoying food products as less processed as you may find them - this against any type of supplement and plenty of pharmaceuticals out there.

So, going back to the supplements. As many of my peers, I used to spend $120+ monthly at Fitness Products Stores in Powder protein, Water-Soluble Creatine (whatever that is), Glucosamine, Aminoacids, Multivitamins and all the little gadgets to consume them.

I have been training on and off for about 6 years now; never with any substantial improvement. Just plain old, do what everyone else at the gym does. About 3 months ago I decided to take a more serious approach to training and started researching online about best routines and ways to maximize strength and size gains. Along with this information, I researched what was the best approach regarding diet for bodybuilding. I came upon the FACT that most people who train for bodybuilding need about 1 gram of protein per pound, on weightlifting days, and the amount of carbs, fats and calories are related to the person's goals and body type. In order to have MORE THAN ENOUGH protein for both Myofibrillar Hypertrophy training and Sarcoplasmic Hypertrophy training, it is suggested that you consume 1.5 grams of protein per pound. This would mean that an ideal diet for a person who weighs 180lbs could be as follows:

Breakfast: 3 eggs, 3 slices of bacon, 2oz of cheese and 2 cups of cereal with 8oz milk - 52 grams of protein.
Snacks: 2 yogurts, 1 peanut butter sandwich, 1/4cup of almonds and 16oz of chocolate milk - 61 grams of protein.
Lunch: 10oz of chicken of breast, 2oz black beans - 102 grams of protein.
Dinner: 8oz of fish and 1 oz of cheese - 64 grams of protein.

Some of you may think this is a big or hassling diet, especially because I haven't even mentioned the carbs and fats yet, but, let's be honest, most people that are SERIOUS about their gains eat a truckload of food and take this very seriously. This adds up to 279 grams of protein for about 1.55 grams of protein per pound. Like I said before, this is well above the amount you actually need and it has been proven that you can make decent gains with 0.75 grams per pound. Additionally, it has also been proven that, while the body will store some the protein that it does not use, this is only short-lived. That stored protein is eventually filtered out of the system. It has also been suggested that too much protein promotes overweight, kidney failure, cancer, osteoporosis and nutritional deficiencies. So, therefore my question: why would anybody, in their right minds want to consume any more protein?

I think the answer lies in the hands of dozens of huge profitable companies that sell instant cure-for-all alternatives to anyone that will buy them and their nonsense. That is another topic altogether.

The point is you don't really need any of these things to get stronger or bigger. What you feed yourself is more than enough. If you think about it, all these supplements have been around for around 30 years, while bodybuilding has been around for generations. Former bodybuilders didn't drink powdered protein shakes or any of the other "scientific" named-and-claimed supplements. I encourage you to look at pictures of bodybuilders from before any of those supplements were around. Even Arnold Schwarzenegger had a very healthy diet and he made his own protein shake, The Arnold Shake: milk, ice cream, egg and milk solids. That sure didn't stop him from becoming the best.

The problem goes back to all the marketing the companies that sell these products do, where you are constantly being reminded that "To get as strong as this guy, you need to take this or go home." Whereas none of these products really have any research. One thing I have noticed among people that consume supplements is that they truly believe there is research behind all of these products and their claims. That is when I encourage them to google it. To make the matters worse, all products categorized as "supplements" under FDA regulations are nothing more than that, supplements. They have not publicly proven to do any of the things they claim. This also means that there is no entity that regulates the safety of these products. You may be eating dehydrated bird poo for all you know.

The only supplements that have any substance regarding strength and size are Anabolic Steroids (of which I hope everyone reading this is also against) and Creatine in its simplest form. There is research for both of these that shows you WILL get stronger and you WILL get bigger. Steroids literally create new splits of fiber in the muscle, reduces muscle repair time and it blocks cortisol, which means your muscles get less worn down. It also produces psychological disorders, cardiovascular diseases, weakened immune system, reproduction problems, high blood pressure, testicular atrophy and infertility. Creatine has shown to be the kinder, safer and legal way to promote strength and size gains. There is research that supports that it keeps muscle fibers full of liquids and this makes transportation of nutrients effective. It is actually created naturally in the body in a small amount. You may choose to take it to stock your amount of it: 5 grams of Creatine daily for 2 months. After those two months the body stocks up on it for a while, which is why professional athletes stop taking it for a month or two and start again.

Recently I read a research from some university that said: several random gyms had been chosen and in each, 50 individuals were surveyed regarding their supplementation and nutrition, in relationship with their workout routines. Out of all the people surveyed it was concluded that none of them needed supplementation.

[ChrisLS8]

Why I'm strongly against reading your wall of text and/or giving a single ****.

Congrats on your kindergarten level knowledge of supplementation, basic rules of stuff most members know, and not citing a single source for any of your studies.

[ChrisG12]

These are one of the posts where I wish I tl;dr it, but sadly, I forced myself to read that pile of garbage.

The only supplements that have any substance regarding strength and size are Anabolic Steroids (of which I hope everyone reading this is also against) and Creatine in its simplest form.

Strength and size are promoted by many supplements, whether indirectly, or directly. Just because you're unaware of any studies regarding them doesn't mean they don't exist.

[qksc2]

Why I'm strongly against reading your wall of text and/or giving a single ****.

Congrats on your kindergarten level knowledge of supplementation, basic rules of stuff most members know, and not citing a single source for any of your studies.

This.

[rhadam]

Sorry OP, don't speak red.

[ViperMike]

notasungle****wasgiven

[DJBeanPole]

Well ****, guess I should stop repping for my company then.

[nyyankees0191]

Glad I wasted my time reading your worthless rant. I think I hear the neg train coming

[Khwaj]

i did not read
but regarding supplements
if i cant get it in my diet, ill get it from supplements
only exception is my pre which gives me a boost in working out

[cheatham128]

OP I think you got this forum mixed up with your personal online diary.

[BigBoLuke93]

Sorry OP, don't speak red.

And it's not even an option for Google Translate either...

Damn, guess we're SOL. Bet he had some good information in there to share with us.

[justfive]

negged by memcop

[coachstitchhy]

Wow, I need some supps to go through all that. Realistically, that research covered several gyms... That's pretty vague. I can tell you none of those gyms were on Naval ships- portion control is a pain in the glutes. No joke. Some people need them more than others.

[ja3r3dr]

text walls create unaesthetic eyeballs. :|

[Valhallabound86]

Lol

1. Against supplements.
2. Mentions Arnold Schwarzenegger eating healthy diet with good protein shakes.
3. Comes out against AAS.
4. Mentions creatine as viable alternative.

Nice work attempting to troll though, should have pick a less-treaded path.

[PaintPir]

Glad that I read through that so I could get to that last paragraph and lol. Would love to see the full text of that study.

[jay8899]

To the OP more often than not supplements are ****. There are some very proven ones out there,but uts far n wide to an extent.

Do your research and ofcourse trial and error is key. What works for one doesnt for another.It also depends on diet and training etc,how effective supps can be.

Creatine is really the only scientifically proven supplement along with whey.

But stuff like ara, DAA,Erase and Erase Pro,bcaas,Creatine,certain natural herbs etc.... Among other things have there benefits. Do you need supps absolutly not if your diet is on point. Supps can aid in helping you break through plateaus body recomp etc...among other things.

I was just like u for many years.Over the last few months opened my mind to supps.Well have tried quiet a few and well as of now im stacking DAA,Erase Pro,Creatine and Horny Goat Weed..My libido is up,energy up,strength gains minimal,but i am cutting hard and hardly losing any strength.

I say open your mind a bit,u may not be dissapointed.Most forums swear by supps especially here at bb.com,everyone swears by a supp as at times u can be harrased by reps if u get me. Trust me,i am still very picky with what i buy. Very picky. Ara,daa,creatine and erase along with a good libido booster,carnitine a multi and fishoil can make for a good set of results with proper diet..

Like i have said,i get u exactly,but around here ppl are scared to agree with a minotiry opinion,worried about ditting in..Well **** everyvody here and what they think,ill say what i like and u do the same.Its funny,i dont try to and dont wanna fit in round here.I just come here when other forums are slow and im bored or for entertainment purposes,lol...

[soopamyko]

Why I'm strongly against reading your wall of text and/or giving a single ****.

Congrats on your kindergarten level knowledge of supplementation, basic rules of stuff most members know, and not citing a single source for any of your studies.

took the words out of my mouth

[wisdommaster1]

read OPs stats and then stopped reading

[eatyourspinach]

OP must have had some time waiting for his souffle to rise.

[thirtyreasons]

1.5g protein per lb. jeez i guess the thousands and thousands doing 1g just dont get any gains

[Universal Rep]

To the OP, I think I understand where ur comin from. Do we absolutely needs supplements? Nope. Will a solid whole food diet be enough? Absolutely. But can supps help? Sure. Just gotta be smart about it. The prob I see is the over-reliance on supps by many... An over-reliance that comes at the expense of a solid diet plan and eatin enough good, whole foods. An over-reliance that is partly shaped by how sum supps are marketed combined with a lack of good knowledge about supps in general...

About having a culinary background, congrats brotha. One of the reps here, treetrunklegs, went to culinary school too and he's also a nationally ranked BBer, so it's possible to do both... Prepare healthy meals and still use protein shakes. As I always say, to each his own... Good luck.

[bmontgomery87]

Stats: 5'4", 157 lbs

not gonna get far w/ those numbers.


Anyway. I can agree to an extent. Most supps are overpriced and pretty useless, and I think people who spend money on 400 dollar stacks are pretty much retarded.
But I think the staples are great to have around. The key is to use them as supplements and not a bulk of your nutrition.
Whey, Creatine mono, fish oils, and a few other things are pretty much essential.

[poison]

It's not either or. He is correct: no one NEEDS supps. No one needs Viagra either, or a Veyron. But when you combine good supps with a good diet and good training, or the Viagra and Veyron, I'm pretty sure the physique (and sex life, haha) improve overall.

I went on a vacation with my family last year, our first real one: 8 days at an exclusive all inclusive resort in Cancun. Literally no worries, eat, drink, and do what we liked. I took 1 supp with me (creatine nitrate). I worked out twice, limited by the crappy gym there. I slept 8 hours a night, and ate 3 squares a day, good fresh food with lots of fresh fruit and veggies, and drank modest levels of booze. I expected to come back to judo with my timing off, and feeling crappy.

I came back ON FIRE. People asked if I was at a 1 week judo clinic. I was actually better after 10 days of no judo. Why? Good sleep, and LOTS of good fresh food, both of which are lacking in my normal work-overloaded life.

So yeah, obviously diet, sleep, and proper training are key, but when you add proven supps to those>>>you'll do even better.

[melvinsito]

1.5g protein per lb. jeez i guess the thousands and thousands doing 1g just dont get any gains

1 gram of protein per pound is indeed plenty for gains. I even mentioned in the post that you can get away with only 0.75 grams per pound and have decent gains.

[melvinsito]

Stats: 5'4", 157 lbs

not gonna get far w/ those numbers.


Anyway. I can agree to an extent. Most supps are overpriced and pretty useless, and I think people who spend money on 400 dollar stacks are pretty much retarded.
But I think the staples are great to have around. The key is to use them as supplements and not a bulk of your nutrition.
Whey, Creatine mono, fish oils, and a few other things are pretty much essential.

I agree with your point regarding stats. I have only been making gains since about 3 months ago. It may not be much, but I've gone from 138lbs to 157lbs. Personally, I've noticed a huge difference in that short amount of time just by dieting and weightlifting.

[poison]

I agree with your point regarding stats. I have only been making gains since about 3 months ago. It may not be much, but I've gone from 138lbs to 157lbs. Personally, I've noticed a huge difference in that short amount of time just by dieting and weightlifting.

That means nothing. Noob gains come easy; when you're that under-developed, you'll put on mass just driving by a gym, let alone stopping in and lifting something heavy.

[diguincoutoreis]

Should i waste my time using my English-Portuguese knowledge to read all the post or i can skip 'cause is a bullsh*t?

[Universal Rep]

That means nothing. Noob gains come easy; when you're that under-developed, you'll put on mass just driving by a gym, let alone stopping in and lifting something heavy.

The important point here is that he's puttin in the work and practicing wut he preaches. None of us were born 250 pounds with 4% bodyfat... Give the kid sum credit and the fact that he's doing good things despite his genetics/height...

[melvinsito]

These are one of the posts where I wish I tl;dr it, but sadly, I forced myself to read that pile of garbage.



Strength and size are promoted by many supplements, whether indirectly, or directly. Just because you're unaware of any studies regarding them doesn't mean they don't exist.

I would gladly read on any of them and reconsider my position, if you have sources.