Think about this before you buy
If the supplement being advertised really worked that well ... it would be illegal or banned
Here's my take on this...
Most supplements are aimed at young guys wanting to get bigger and companies prey on this fact, I know because in the 90's I was this guy.
Most supplements are normally advertised by jacked up photoshopped models.
Watch Bigger Faster Stronger for an eye opener.
The supplement industry is a multibillion dollar industry of course it all works ...
If the supplement being advertised really worked that well ...
it would be illegal or banned, you wouldn't be able to buy it, and sports would kick competitors out for using it.
Thus why steroids, growth hormone and EPO are banned from sports, they do give an unequivocal and unfair advantage to the user very simply they work very well!
Now does this mean protein powders don't work ?
No it doesn't - they do give you a dose of protein , which we know helps in building muscle.
What you don't probably know is they are generally just expensive milk powder
with flavouring - personally I just whip up a smoothie in a Nutri-bullet with milk, frozen berries spinach, banana and nuts.
People use creatine and this is probably the most studied of them all, it does seem to help with recovery between sets of exercise and allow you to train harder and there is even some suggestion it may have a role in the brain.
However it is not some amazing muscle growing supplement.
Although it may definitely be worth looking into if you are a vegetarian athlete.
Caffeine - yes coffee is considered a supplement when taken in high doses and can have an ergogenic effect on aerobic sports - question is how will your stomach feel.
Disclosure: I am a coffee nerd and am very happy with my coffee addiction.
There are many .. MANy more out there but just be buyer aware and remember to ask yourself that question when the next guy or girl jacked up on the cover of a magazine tries to sell you the next muscle building wonder supplement.
Avgerinos KI, Spyrou N, Bougioukas KI, Kapogiannis D. Effects of creatine supplementation on cognitive function of healthy individuals: A systematic review of randomized controlled trials. Exp Gerontol. 2018;108:166-173. doi:10.1016/j.exger.2018.04.013
Cooper R, Naclerio F, Allgrove J, Jimenez A. Creatine supplementation with specific view to exercise/sports performance: an update. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2012;9(1):33. Published 2012 Jul 20. doi:10.1186/1550-2783-9-33
Roschel H, Gualano B, Ostojic SM, Rawson ES. Creatine Supplementation and Brain Health. Nutrients. 2021;13(2):586. Published 2021 Feb 10. doi:10.3390/nu13020586
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