Know What Supp

Fitness supplements (particularly those geared around fat loss) can be very confusing.

For many, what begins as an innocent quest to melt a few lbs from their midsection soon descends into absolute chaos, as the internet hype machine convinces them to buy a whole bunch of stuff they just don’t need.

Before you know it, you’re popping so many pills you rattle when you walk.

But fear not! Uncle Russ is here, and I’m going to show you how to separate the fact from the fiction, plus give you the simple list of products which all of my male and female PT clients use… and it’s a much shorter list than most people expect!

Cellucor C4 Whey Protein Powder

This is the one I use.

I tell my clients that whey protein is “the ultimate convenience food”, because it helps you hit your protein target without any prep time.

Plus, the flavours have been significantly improved in recent years.

Honestly, all those days in the early 2000s where I chugged back wallpaper-paste-tasting yuckiness seem worth it now that I know it led to an era where we can have literal Hersheys chocolate flavour whey protein (WHAT?!).

Anyway, a good whey protein supplement will provide you with around 20-30 grams of protein per serving, and it’ll keep carbohydrates and fat below 5 grams each. The protein-per-serving ratio (that’s protein versus total serving size) should be about 70%, as this ensures that the majority of your scoop is pure protein and not “filler”.

Most people should be using a traditional whey protein concentrate formula, as this is the most proven and most affordable kind, but if you’ve had a history of stomach issues with protein shakes then I recommend grabbing an isolate formula instead. They’re a more expensive option, but it’ll solve that issue for you.

Cellucor C4 Creatine Monohydrate Powder

This is the one I use.

This is the world’s best (legal) muscle building supplement.

It’s such an important supplement and it can do so much for your results that every time I meet someone who lifts weights but doesn’t use creatine, I die a little inside because it’s like leaving results on the table.

If you regularly supplement with creatine you can expect impressive gains in muscle size, explosive strength, the number of reps you are able to perform, and brain function. As an extra bonus, your muscle cells will look fucking rock, because creatine drags water into the cell. (1)

The vast majority of people should be using standard creatine monohydrate, because (once again) it’s the most proven and most affordable kind, but if you’ve had a history of experiencing stomach issues with creatine then I recommend grabbing creatine hydrochloride instead. It’s more expensive, and it’ll just do the exact same job, but the dose is around half the size and therefore easier for some people to handle. (2)

Cellucor C4 Ulimate Shred Pre-Workout Powder

This is the one I use.

A high quality pre-workout can take your workouts to a whole new level.

Most people make the mistake of thinking these products are purely about boosting your energy (e.g. just lots of caffeine), but a good pre will provide your body with several other components which can actually help you build more muscle.

For example, if your pre-workout is fully dosed with citrulline malate (6-10g) you will notice faster recovery between sets, the ability to perform more reps before failure, and a lower perception of pain. Ingredients like betaine (1-2g) will improve your explosive strength output, and beta-alanine (3.2g) will have a dramatic impact on your level of training endurance. (3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)

When we put these muscle building components alongside caffeine’s ability to boost our energy we unlock a higher tier of both performance and results. (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)

Cellucor C4 Post-Workout BCAA Powder

This is the one I use.

I generally don’t bother with BCAA supplements, because if you eat enough protein per day you will already be getting enough amino acids.

However, if we consume 5 grams of the branched chain amino acid leucine immediately after training it can help us build more muscle. It does this by interacting with the body’s m-TOR pathway (the “switch” which turns on the muscle recovery process). Therefore, a leucine supplement or a couple of scoops of a well-dosed BCAA supplement will do this for you. (16)

MyProtein Daily Essentials Capsules

I call these “daily essentials” because these low cost extras are not really geared around building muscle, but can improve several other aspects of your everyday life.

(And if we do that, you’ll perform better in the gym!)

• Multivitamins & Minerals

This is the one I use. Most people tend to stick to the same list of foods, so these little bad boys plug the gaps in your diet by making sure you never miss any micronutrients (vitamins and minerals). Micronutrients offer a range of benefits including higher energy levels, stronger hair, better skin, etc.

• Vitamin D3

This is the one I use. Here’s the only vitamin your multivitamin supplement won’t give you enough of (because it’s sunlight, and if products want to be sold worldwide they need to accommodate for different levels of sunlight). A daily dose of 5000iU will improve your mood and energy levels.

• Omega-3

This is the one I use. Barely anyone eats white fatty fish on a frequent enough basis to unlock the heath benefits hidden within EPA and DHA it contains. A solid supplement Omega-3 supplement can provide you with these nutrients very easily.

Summary

There you go!

You’ve got a complete armoury of supplements to help you unlock maximum results both inside and outside of the gym, and anything which I’ve left off the list (e.g. fat burners) is because there isn’t enough evidence to suggest it makes any difference to your bottom line.

Should any new supplements come to light I will update this page, so consider this your “go to” whenever you need to top up your supplement cupboard.

Now go lift something heavy!

Further Reading:

If you enjoyed this blog, then you’ll probably also like reading these.

>> Creatine: Your Best Pal For Building Muscle!
>> The Rules To Ripped
>> Workout Programs Now Available On RussHowePTI.com!

References:

1. Rawson E.S., et al. Effects of creatine supplementation and resistance training on muscle strength and weightlifting performance. J Strength Cond Res (2003).
2. Miller D. et al. Oral bioavailability of creatine supplements: Is there room for improvement? Annual Meeting of the International Society of Sports Nutrition (2009).
3. Pérez-Guisado J., et al. Citrulline malate enhances athletic anaerobic performance and relieves muscle soreness. J Strength Cond Res (2010).
4. Alvares T. S., et al. Acute l-arginine supplementation increases muscle blood volume but not strength performance. Appl Physiol Nutr Metab (2012).
5. Hoffman J.R., et al. Effect of betaine supplementation on power performance and fatigue. J Int Soc Sports Nutr (2009).
6. Lee E. C., et al. Ergogenic effects of betaine supplementation on strength and power performance. J Int Soc Sports Nutr (2010).
7. Holewa J., et al. Effects of betaine on body composition, performance, and homocysteine thiolactone. Department of Kinesiology, Recreation, and Sport Studies, Coastal Carolina University (2013).
8. Pryor J. L., et al. Effect of betaine supplementation on cycling sprint performance. J Int Soc Sports Nutr (2012).
9. Hoffman J., et al. Beta-alanine and the hormonal response to exercise. Int J Sports Med (2008).
10. Duncan M. J., et al. The effect of caffeine ingestion on mood state and bench press performance to failure. J Strength Cond Res (2011).
11. Childs E., et al. Subjective, behavioral, and physiological effects of acute caffeine in light, nondependent caffeine users. Psychopharmacology (2006).
12. Kim T. W., et al. Caffeine increases sweating sensitivity via changes in sudomotor activity during physical loading. J Med Food (2011).
13. Cook C., et al. Acute caffeine ingestion increases voluntarily chosen resistance training load following limited sleep. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab (2012).
14. Del Coso J., et al. Dose response effects of a caffeine-containing energy drink on muscle performance: a repeated measures design. J Int Soc Sports Nutr (2012).
15. Mora-Rodríguez R., et al. Caffeine ingestion reverses the circadian rhythm effects on neuromuscular performance in highly resistance-trained men. PLoS One (2012).
16. Walker D. K., et al. Exercise, amino acids, and aging in the control of human muscle protein synthesis. Med Sci Sports Exerc (2011).