The Adler Blog

Ah, supplements, a lean and strong body in a bottle for only 69.99$! Gain 10 lbs of muscle, while losing 20 lbs of fat and your IQ will also rise. Supplement companies have excellent marketing departments, powerful graphics and extremely convincing before-after pictures.

So what are supplements REALLY and who needs them?

Supplements are additions to your diet, which can be macro or micronutrients. They are your protein and carbohydrate powders, essential fatty acids, such as fish oil, as well as minerals, or vitamins, or derivatives thereof.

Protein powders, essential fatty acids and multi vitamins can come in handy since the modern life style doesn’t always allow for 5 quality meals a day. A protein shake with oats and peanut butter is a good and quick alternative since it can be prepared and consumed in less than 5 minutes.

As for the rest, however, keep in mind that they are called supplements for a reason. They are supposed to supplement an already solid training and diet regime. You need to have your training, food intake and the rest in check before even considering supplements. In short, if you workout haphazardly, sleep less than 8 hours a night and have no clue how much protein you ate yesterday, no supplement and no drug can help you to achieve a better body.
Also, read the label: often that new super fat burner is nothing more than an over-priced caffeine pill.

In my opinion, the 2 best supplements you can buy are a food log such as SUC and a workout log where you record your sessions. Ask yourself every 6 weeks: Am I leaner? Am I stronger? If not, go back to the basics. Maybe you need a new routine, rest more or change your diet up a bit.

Till next time
Maik and Scott