When you start hitting the gym consistently, it’s inevitable you’ll start wondering what supplements you should be taking to help you towards your goals. Before even considering supplements, you have to make sure your diet is healthy and balanced. If your diet is shit, no supplements will fix that. My approach to supplements factors in not only the effectiveness of the supplement, but also the price per serving (aka don't waste all your money on something that doesn't help you). The 3 supplements I recommend are Creatine Monohydrate, a protein powder, and caffeine. Lets take a look at each one individually.
Creatine Monohydrate: This is my favorite supplement hands down. Not only is it effective but the price per serving can't be beat. Creatine helps with high intensity workouts like weightlifting and helps build muscle. It is not a steroid and is completely safe. All you need to do is take 5g a day. No need to do any fancy loading and timing doesn't matter.
Protein powder: This one barely makes the list mainly because you should be able to get most of your protein through your regular diet. That being said there are times where a protein shake is just easier than real food. For example post workout is about the only time I would recommend having a protein shake. Price per serving isn't great but if you are smart about when you use it you can make it last a little longer.
Caffeine: I am not a huge fan of pre workout supplements but caffeine is a great alternative. The main type of exercise that caffeine would help would be endurance type sports like running. That being said it can also help weightlifting and high intensity exercise but the effects are not as great. The price per serving here can vary by whether you buy your coffee out or brew it at home.
The main thing you should really take away from this is to make sure your diet is dialed in first. Supplements are supposed to be just that, a supplement to your diet. Your diet is your foundation, and supplements should complete or enhance it, not be prioritized over your diet. If your day-to-day diet isn't dialed in and you’re using supplements, then you are throwing money down the drain. Focus on healthy and sustainable eating habits, and then you can add in supplements to round out your regimen. Whatever you decide to do, make sure that you always do your research before trying a new supplement.
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