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When working with personal training or diabetes coaching clients, one of the questions I get asked most is, “Should I make up for XYZ?” To fully answer some of these questions, I would like to use this series of posts to go through all the major types of supplements and provide recommendations.
For each type of supplement, I’ll give a brief explanation of my opinions on what it is, what it is doing, whether it has proven to work, whether it has any common side effects, and whether it is worth using.
I’m not a bodybuilder, so my recommendations are based on what I think “normal” people need to train healthy, gain muscle, lose fat. It’s basically a guide to what I use (and do) myself.
For BodyBuilders who want to work out and push their body to their absolute limits, we recommend reading some of the supplement guides at BodyBuilding.com.
No matter what supplement you take, always follow the instructions on the product label. Just because something is sold as “safe” and “natural” doesn’t mean you can’t take too much and overdose.
Protein powder
Proteins are a component of muscles and ligaments and are essential for muscle growth. Exercise (lifts weight) actually damages the muscle fibers slightly. After training, your body will begin repairing damaged muscle fibers by fusing them. This process makes your muscles bigger and stronger.
Your body needs protein to complete this process. This is what anyone who lifts weights as part of their workout routine should make sure they eat enough protein (you can learn how much protein you eat in this post).
Optimally, you can get all the protein you need from whole foods like egg whites, chicken, lean beef, and fish, but protein powder is a great supplement as it is often hard (and expensive) to get enough protein without fats or carbohydrates.
Sometimes it’s easier to rock plenty of protein right after a workout than to eat an actual meal when you need it most.
The most common protein powder is based on whey (milk protein). This is a very fast digestive protein that is best right after training. Whey protein tends to taste better than soy, casein, or egg protein.
Whey protein can be used in people with lactose intolerance, as all lactose has been removed. Plant-based proteins are also available, but I have never tried them.
People who can benefit from protein supplements: Everyone who works out and lifts weights.
Are there any side effects?: Not for normal use. Eating very large amounts of protein can cause kidney damage, but that should not be a concern for others than bodybuilders.
Which brand do you recommend?: Use Met-RX or Isopure for training shakes, and Met-RX for Baking.
Fat burner
If you are trying to lose weight, the idea of taking a pill that accelerates your weight loss is of course fascinating.
Fat burners generally work by increasing metabolism or suppressing appetite (or both). They usually contain active ingredients such as ephedrine, caffeine, capsaicin (which burns chili peppers), or another organic compound that raises body temperature and increases energy quickly.
Research shows that most fat burners are effective, but very limited. By temporarily increasing your metabolism, fat burners can help you burn 1-2 hours of calories, but the effect disappears quickly as they do not affect your basic metabolism.
The problem with fat burners is that they can have many unwanted side effects. Even relatively safe chemicals like caffeine can increase heart rate and blood pressure to potentially unsafe levels when consumed in large quantities, and many other ingredients can have serious allergic effects on some people.
Fat burners have a nasty reputation for including ingredients that are not listed in the package, like mild steroids (which act as fat burners, but are banned by the FDA as they are known to be harmful to long-term health).
Those who can benefit from fat burners: I don’t recommend a fat burner to anyone. Small fat burning effects are not worth the potential side effects
Are there any side effects?: yes. Quite a lot depending on the contents of the fat burner.
Which brand do you recommend?: none
Creatine
Creatine is a nitrogenous organic acid produced in the liver and helps to supply energy to cells in the body. Athletes often take creatine to increase the body’s ability to produce energy quickly, thereby improving athleticism.
Creatine itself does not lose weight or gain muscle, but it is effective as a muscle building supplement because it allows you to work harder (run another person or make it a little heavier). Also, some studies have shown that creatine has a positive effect on memory and can even help with depression.
Creatine is one of the few supplements that have been around for a long time and have been thoroughly studied. It is generally considered safe and effective and is not prohibited by any of the major sports associations.
Who can benefit from creatine: You’re trying to gain athletes and muscles and improve your sports performance.
Are there any side effects?: Very few. The only known side effect is that some people can get mild stomach problems from creatine.
Which brand do you recommend?: I sometimes use Body Tech’s flavorless creatine powder in my training protein shake.
BCAAS (branched chain amino acids)
Amino acids are components of proteins and are essential for muscle growth and maintenance (branched chains refer to chemical structures).
Your body does not produce BCAAs by itself, so you need to get them from your diet. The main source of BCAA is high protein foods that are part of a healthy fitness diet anyway (such as chicken, lean beef, eggs, legumes, protein powders, etc.).
BCAAs are used to treat many medical conditions associated with protein deficiency or muscle failure, as they are effective in stimulating muscle protein synthesis and preventing muscle collapse. They are also given to people who have been locked in beds for a long period of time to prevent muscle wear.
Athletes usually use BCAA supplements to increase muscle growth or maintain muscle mass to lose weight when dieting.
BCAA is one of the most popular fitness supplements, but there is no scientific consensus that it actually affects healthy people who eat normal or high protein diets. In general, supplements seem to get sufficient BCAA through your diet, as they have very limited effects at best.
The strongest (but inconclusive) evidence of positive effects from BCAA supplements is for those who want to have a very low body fat percentage while retaining a large amount of muscle. Replenishing BCAA appears to be likely to help prevent muscle loss during diets.
Who can benefit from BCAAS: The effectiveness of the supplementary BCAAS has not been proven in the end, but it is generally safe and may have a positive effect. If you are trying to gain or retain muscle mass while on a diet, supplementing your diet with BCAAS is your option. If you have a budget, skip the BCAAS and buy protein powder and possibly creatine instead.
Are there any side effects?: The only knowledge (rare) side effect is a small loss of adjustment. If they make you dizzy, don’t take BCAA.
Which brand do you recommend?: I’m not using BCAA, but if so, I’d choose BodyTech.
glutamine
Glutamine is another amino acid (like BCAA) involved in the regulation of protein synthesis and degradation. It affects a variety of functions within the body, including the immune system, metabolism, and water transport.
Your body naturally produces ample glutamine, but combining high-intensity workouts with weightlifting and a high protein diet can help lower glutamine levels. This is why many athletes and bodybuilders take glutamine supplements.
Based on research, there is little suggestion that taking glutamine affects muscle gain or weight loss in normal and healthy people. However, there is an indicator that athletes and others with very intense training routines may benefit from replenishing glutamine simply because their body cannot produce glutamine as quickly as it uses it.
You can benefit from glutamine: Most people don’t benefit from taking glutamine, but if you’re a bodybuilder, athlete, or hardcore fitness freak, it may be worth considering.
Are there any side effects?: No known side effects.
Which brand do you recommend?: I don’t use glutamine, but if so I’ll get BodyTech.
Pre-Workout
“Before training” is a general term for boosting energy and stimulating muscle growth just before training.
There are a variety of pre-workouts on the market with hundreds of different active ingredients, but they are all designed to wake up and be full of energy, allowing you to exercise more vigorously.
If it sounds familiar, it’s because the most common ingredients before a workout are very large amounts of caffeine or similar stimulants. Some workouts include one or several other supplements mentioned in this series (such as BCAAS, creatine).
Many pre-workouts also include beta-alanine. Contains beta-alanine and amino acids. Amino acids have side effects of creating skin tingling, so you can actually “feel like its pre-workout function.”
There cannot be denied that pre-workouts are effective in providing energy boosts and improving workout performance. In fact, the recommended doses of many products make many people so twitching that just sitting or having a conversation can be a challenge.
The downside is that high amounts of caffeine or other stimulants can have serious side effects.
The most common side effects are hypertension (both immediate and long term), dangerously high heart rate, and insomnia. It is also not uncommon to develop mild addiction before your workout. There, exercise becomes more difficult and you feel better without using it.
If you decide to use a pre-workout, you should first see a doctor. Check your heart first as there are well documented cases where people have died of heart failure after a prior exercise.
Also, start with a very small dose (less than half the recommended dose) to see what happens for the first time.
Those who can benefit from pre-workout: Anyone who wants more energy to workouts, and I don’t recommend pre-workouts to anyone due to side effects. If you need an energy boost, drink strong coffee before training.
Are there any side effects?: yes. See above.
Which brand do you recommend?: Not recommended before workout.
There are many other supplements on the market, but the supplements I’ve featured here are the ones I most often ask.
It’s a good bet to not recommend using it if you don’t include supplements.
