To along with my Beginner Supplementation article, I wanted to cover three more of what I believe are popular supplements. Two of them are pretty commonly taken by gym goers and fitness enthusiasts of all levels, and the third is one I believe a lot of people have misconceptions about. Like I stated in my previous article, supplements are made to SUPPLEMENT an already established diet and training program. They aren't some quick fix and won’t provide crazy results in the gym. They add that little 1% for people who are really looking to take their fitness to the next level. And even then, there are tons of good and ethical fitness professionals that will agree they do have their benefits, but are not required to achieve some incredible results.
If you have no idea where to start with your nutrition, check out my other article: Diets 101.
Branched Chain Amino Acids - BCAA’s - Aminos
So for anyone that has walked into a gym for their first time, one of the things they may have noticed is a bunch of bright colored drinks everyone is carrying around. They are most likely some brand of branched chain amino acids commonly known as BCAA’s or Aminos. I’ve noticed it is one of the common supplements people tend to buy when they start working out, and continue to use it throughout their lifting career.
Most brands focus on including a particular set three essential amino acids, leucine, isoleucine, and valine. They are called essential amino acids because they are not created in the body and can only be obtained through food or supplements.
Need if taking protein?
One thing many people don’t realize is that they already get an adequate dosing of these three amino acids along with a plethora of others in their protein shakes. Because of this, the argument can be made that the additional servings provided from a BCAA specific drink is not needed.
Positive additives
On the flip side of the coin, BCAA supplements often contain other ingredients rather than just the three common ones that are beneficial as well. Depending on the brand these will be a little different, but common additions to BCAA supplements are caffeine, hydration blends, and various other amino acids.
When and if I drink them
So the real question, are they worth drinking. I believe it’s beneficial to still consume a BCAA supplement on top protein shakes at times. Even though I think it is beneficial, I personally don’t always consume them. Because of cost, I mainly rely on my protein shakes to provide me with an adequate amount of any essential amino acid. I usually will purchase a BCAA supplement when I am in a fat loss phase. Since I will be in a caloric deficit, and in turn be consume less overall micro nutrients, I will then utilize the BCAA supplements to get additional nutrients. They aren’t 100% needed, but they don’t hurt either.
Multi-vitamin/Fish Oil
What they are used for
Multivitamins and Fish Oil are used in ensuring people obtain a healthy dose of micronutrients that are used to help fuel our bodies and allow them to function at an optimal level. Micronutrients are going deeper than macronutrients which are carbohydrates, protein, and fats. They consist of the individual vitamins and minerals we consume through our food and supplementation. People usually choose between taking a full ranged multivitamin and fish oil or will take specific vitamins that they have been instructed to take via their physician. They are beneficial to people who don’t eat a wide range of food and probably have some micronutrient deficiencies. Others like to take them just to make sure all of their bases are covered.
I believe it is a good base supplement
I think they are really useful and believe most people that take them benefit from consuming them. I go back and forth often with taking one mostly because I will forget to take them and fall off track. I know that's just an excuse, but it's the truth. I will often also not take the full dose. Many of the ones I have had will have you taking a few capsules multiple times per day, or take a packet of highly dosed capsules every day. I eat a pretty wide variety of food and a large amount of fruits and vegetables, so even though I don’t take the full dose, I don’t feel like I am missing out on much. I know my diet isn’t perfect, and I may have some sort of deficiency, but I also am constantly changing up what fruits, veggies and meats that I eat almost daily which hopefully mitigates any micronutrients I may be lacking in.
Get what you pay for
Just like any other supplement, you get what you pay for with these. Between multivitamins/fish oil and protein, a lot of people tend to just buy based off of price. The quality difference between brands really affects not only how effective the supplements are, but also how they make you feel. I have tried cheap multivitamins because they were on sale or I got them free as a promotion, and these are the ones that usually made me feel sick after taking them. Then when I would research and find a better quality brand, that sick feeling would be non-existent.
Fat-Burners
No magic pill or powder
Fat burners are very deceptive just because of their name. Just from my experience of witnessing people buying them in retail supplement shops or hearing people talk about them at the gym, a lot of people treat them like a magic pill that's going to help them just melt fat off. It’s super easy to understand how people can instantly think like that. I even bought a few different ones in my early lifting career because I thought it was the answer to getting shredded. The name Fat Burner itself, which describes what type of supplement it is without any additional advertising is an enticing thought. The hard truth is true sustained fat loss isn’t going to happen without a proper diet and training. There’s nothing easy about going on a fat loss journey. Fat burners aren’t complete snake oil though. There are a few companies out there that put out fat burner supplements that do aid people in their fat loss journey. But like I stated before, it’s just a few percent bump in progress, it's not going to take someone from being overweight to shredded just by itself.
My Experience with Fat Burners
So the few that I took early on in my lifting career actually made me feel pretty terrible. I would sometimes feel very jittery, nauseous, and oftentimes just “not right” while I was taking them. These cheaper brands were underdosed of the ingredients that would actually help me with my fat loss and instead jacked sky high with caffeine. I believe one of the ones I tried had close to 500mg in it. Companies that put out a lower grade product pack their fat burners with ingredients such as caffeine because caffeine somewhate acts as an appetite suppressant as well as give you a feeling that it’s “working”. After I had taken the time to do the research it all made perfect sense to me. Then once I switched and tried one that was of high quality it was a night and day difference. I didn’t get the super sick or jittery feeling anymore, but instead the only thing I could feel while taking it was a slight reduction in hunger.
Is it worth it?
Honestly, even though there are a few companies that put out a safe and reputable product, for someone starting out I don’t think it's something necessary. There are a lot of other supplements I would consider taking before a fat burner. Not only are there a lot of other supplements that may better suit people's fitness journeys, they also tend to be pricey. So unless your training/nutrition are perfectly on point, you are already taking supplements that provide more benefit, and you have the additional income, I would advise passing on this one for the time being.
Quick tips to remember!
When it comes to buying supplements, you usually get what you pay for. People are so quick to buy the cheapest product when it comes to something they are ingesting. There are multiple tiers when it comes to supplements. Some companies focus on putting out a decent product at a decent price, while others cost a bit more but are of the highest quality. Then their are obviously some brands that are so low quality they can be considered snake oil, but people buy them because they are so cheap. I believe it is important to find a brand you can trust. There are multiple avenues to find reliable supplements. Aside from talking to people you know or follow what your favorite fitness influencer is taking, a good resource for people who have no clue is Labdoor.com. It is a third party testing site, that ranks different supplements on a variety of categories. Every supplement is not on there, and even some of the brands I use have not been covered by them, but it is a good place to start looking if you are totally lost.
Another great resource that doesn’t cover brands, but instead dives deeper into individual ingredients is examine.com. Whenever you start taking a new supplement it wouldn’t hurt to go on to Examin.com and check up on the ingredients of what you are taking. They cover research, effective dosing, how well an ingredient works, and safety concerns. It is a great tool to give yourself a quick breakdown that is easy to understand so you are not blindy taking something. You can also check to see if a supplement you are going to potentially takes contains enough of the main ingredient to be effective. Unfortunately there are some companies that put just a tiny bit of certain ingredients to be able to put them on the label and charge more, but in reality, the dosing is so low they might as well not put it in the supplement.
I am not opposed to either shopping online for supplements or going to a physical store to buy them. I actually do both. There are a few fitness influencers that I follow, and because I want to support them, I purchase some of my products through links on their Instagrams to help give them sale credits. Then I also get emails from a few supplement stores, and whenever I see a good sale I will go stop in, or sometimes I go to one when I need something quickly that I forgot to order. If you do choose to go to a store so you can ask questions, just make sure you pay attention to how the employees speak to you. I have had both very good interactions with supplement store employees where they took the time to educate me, and I’ve had some bad ones where all they were trying to do was sell me more product. I’m not saying go into the store with a chip on your shoulder and question everything they say, just be aware of the conversation.