Since we’re all a bunch of active tankies over here, I wanted to discuss the usage of supplements.
In Belgium/The Netherlands the majority of the fitfluencers have convinced their young audience that you won’t be able to get ripped if you don’t take their 40 euro pre workout filled with near lethal amounts of caffeine.
Of course, you don’t need to take all these things in order to improve your physical health. I myself, for example, quit using supplements apart from some vitamin B and calcium supplements (mainly because I eat plant based food and you tend to get shortages of these two things faster). I used to take (vegan) protein shakes for a while but they always upset my stomach and I figured I might as well get my nutrients from food alone.
What kind of, if any, supplements do you take? And how does it benefit you?
I take a mixture of caffeine and L-theanine. The caffeine gives me a bit of mental energy to get me going and the L-theanine (green tea extract) keeps me from getting the kind of weakening jitters and anxiety.
I took some supposedly testosterone boosting supplement in the past that contained several things but I found after about 6 months I leveled and it wasn’t having much effect.
Creatine I found also helped significantly with my recovery time which is nice and compensates for my lack of knowledge of proper stretching techniques.
Back when I started I tried a few different supplements. Mostly I was driven away by the price. I could afford them, but then if you take your dose every day of the year, and calculate the price per dose, and then look at the yearly cost of taking your supplements… it adds up.
I still have some omega 3 pills and multivitamins with some mild stimulants. I have a supply of them and sometimes take them for a few days when I notice I’m feeling sluggish. Don’t know if they’re still good though lol, especially after going through early summer heatwaves.
Mostly I don’t remember to take them lol. And again you’d have to take them every day without fail, who has time for that. It’s the same reason I don’t try creatine, it might be cheap but paying to have just that small additional boost I’m not sure is worth it.
I still get magnesium when needed to help with migraines.
I tried BCAAs because they were cheap and some time later realised they were pretty much useless compared to complete protein like whey lol
I have whey but I barely drink shakes. I track my macros and I prefer to get my protein from food, especially on a diet, because whey still packs calories. To that end I reduce my intake from 1.6g to 1g during a cut. When I’m aiming for 160g of protein a day shakes are helpful. but in general I’m looking at so much protein that I simply don’t have much space in my diet to eat food that’s not heavy in protein, like cereal or avocados.
Supplements are a rabbit hole. You want to get, say, fiber because you’re not getting enough, then you’ll want vitamins to make sure you have enough, then you’ll want zinc, then you’ll want magnesium… at that point just eat food, it’s easier.
So many of the supplements are really situational. Like BCAAs I have found only really do anything for me when I’m working out while fasted which I prefer to do anyway. I feel like my general drive is way higher in fasted state. If I eat I get all sluggish but in fasted state my muscles take a little longer to “refuel” between sets. The BCAAs seem to help quicken that refueling. So I can have the benefits of the increased drive from the fasted state without sacrificing recovery between sets.
As far as recovery… Eh I haven’t noticed them helping with that. Recovery takes whole proteins. Shakes plus whole foods and stuff.
Electrolytes are another big issue. Probably the most important. I mix up tables salt, potassium citrate, and a little magnesium citrate as well. Usually mix those in with the BCAAs. The citrate is important. The CITRIC ACID CYCLE is important for unlocking and utilizing your stored fat and carbs. Seriously, if you want electrolytes try to get some am that are in the citrate form. Potassium chloride vs potassium citrate etc. We get enough chloride ions from table salt. The mix I have doesn’t have any caffeine or anything like that but when I drink that mix i feel like a god damn communist super soldier. Just be careful with the magnesium citrate… It’s a very fine line between supplement and laxative. Lmao
Caffeine is useful. There seems to be some good arguments for creatine, but I don’t remember to use it regularly.
I take a glucosamine/chondroitin supplement for joint health, idk that that’s really necessary for anyone else.
I like whey for extra protein, but that’s hardly necessary.
I helped a buddy get steroids for a bit, and I think it’s probably a bad idea for most people. Steroids don’t make you magically grow muscle, you still have to put in a shitload of work. The risk of ruining your natural production of testosterone/whatever seems pretty bad.
*Agreed that the preworkouts are mostly scams. I try to avoid caffeine for training now mostly, but there’s nothing wrong with black coffee.
glucosamine/chondroitin
Do you feel like this works for you? My gf has some joint issues so I might suggest taking this.
For me, it was much less effective than physical therapy and an IR heating pad.
I like to steal protein powder from Whole Foods. I just aim for 40-50g protein daily because I’m doing my funny lil manual labors every day.
Based
40-50g protein daily
As in, total daily intake? Or just from shakes?
I always work out before I break my fast for the day. If i am going for a heavy workout I will drink some BCAA drink with some extra electrolytes. I have noticed a difference in my energy levels. Not initially and not much for a shorter workout but on longer workouts it definitely helps my get in more reps at then end. I also noticed I have a hard time with energy levels of I eat beforehand or if I’m not fasted. Like my body is just way more sluggish. Being fasted plus the BCAAs and electrolytes seems to serve me best.
Post workout I will drink a protein shake or two over the course of several hours while eating my dinner. When I’m doing the intermittent fasting I will usually consume all my protein over the course of 2-4 hours in the evening.
