Supplements – Are they worth the $$$$$

In this article, we will save you a lot of money and time by breaking down the benefits of supplements in the fitness industry today.

What you'll realise is that a lot of products out there are not worth the cost - essentially all you need is a good balanced diet.

My recommendations:

Whey Protein

Whey is the by-product of cheese making. This is taken and turned into powder form and is then really convenient as it doesn't require any special storage and is easily to transport around in shaker. Easy to have in the office when at your desk as a quick snack. Whey protein is fast adsorbed by the body when consumed and contains a great range of amino acids.

Creatine Monohydrate

This is one of the most tested supplement to date. The benefits when combined with training are as followed;

• Increase strength and muscle growth
• Improved anaerobic capacity
• Helps with recovery
• Enhanced brain function

Our bodies do produce creatine but on a very small level (about 1gram a day). It also comes from our diet (another 1gram a day). Vegans and vegetarians tend to have less creatine from the diet due to lack of meat. Supplementing creatine is very cost effective and only 5g is needed every day to see the benefits.

Now we will look at some that are not worth the cost with some brief reasons why.

BCAA - Branched Chain Amino Acids

For those that don't know when you break protein down into its simplest form you have amino acids. They are the bricks that build everything. If you eat your required amount of protein during the day consistently (which for most should be 1.6-2g per body weight) you do not need to supplement BCAA's as you should get them from your diet (as long as you are focusing on hitting your protein target).

Apple cider Vinegar, Leucine, Glutamine and L- Carnitine

Whilst these have been shown to have some effects on our bodies, for most individuals the effect is not worth the cost.

If you are a pro athlete looking for the extra edge then go for it. But for us general public the effect isn't enough for me to say go out and buy it. A good analogy would be buying the best oil to put in your 20year old second hand car. It would run better but would the other stuff be any different?

So, save some money and just go for Whey protein and Creatine Monohydrate. The others are not worth it. Just eat a good balanced diet and you will get all the other benefits from that.