Nutrition supplements are a multi-billion dollar industry. Let's be honest here, a lot of supplements are junk. The detox teas, shrink wraps, cleanses, fat burners, waist trainers are all hot garbage. They don't do anything that they claim to do and are a complete waste of money.
Now don’t get me wrong, I will never promote any of that stuff to my clients or friends. But what if wasting money on these supplements makes you perform better? Not by what they claim, but because of the placebo effect and the fact that you've invested into it.
By investing into it, it makes you train harder, nail your diet down and makes you more conscious about your whole lifestyle so you can maximize the supplement that you bought.
Financial accountability is still accountability, and the placebo effect is still an effect, no matter where the source is coming from. Maybe that’s why when people who’ve used certain supplements get good results, they promote it as their source of fat loss and muscle gain when in reality it’s the whole change in lifestyle.
With that being said, supplements are simply what they are, to supplement an already healthy diet. But if you don’t have your eating habits nailed down yet, that should be your main focus. Get lean protein and veggies with each meal, avoid processed junk, nail your calorie target depending on your goals, and drink at least half your bodyweight in ounces of water. Booya.
However, even though we do eat plenty of food in our society, we are still deficient in nutrients due to us losing minerals in our soil each year. Our food today actually contains 40-50% less nutrients than they did 50 years ago. If your diet is nailed down, then we still need to cover some bases and that’s where supplements come in, especially if you train hard.
These are the ones that I recommend which I personally use myself:
1. Zinc – An essential mineral needed for immune system and testosterone product that many of us are deficient in. A zinc deficiency can also lead to low testosterone, which is what we want to avoid. I recommend supplementing with 30mg in the glycinate form per day.
2. Magnesium – Just like zinc, we are deficient in magnesium as well. Magnesium is responsible for over 300 chemical reactions in the body and is important for insulin sensitivity, testosterone production. Not only that, there’s some new research stating that Vitamin D can’t be metabolized without enough magnesium levels.
A great benefit of taking magnesium is that it helps relax and calm your body. If you have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep, take some before bed and it’ll be lights out. One cool thing about it is I get vivid dreams too. The RDA for magnesium is 310-420mg. I personally use 400mg every night.
3. Vitamin D3 – Everyone needs more vitamin D3, especially if you work inside all day and don’t get much sunlight. Getting enough vitamin D3 ensures that our bones stay healthy, our immune system is strong, and reducing risk of diseases.
4. Whey Protein – Protein is used in the body in many different ways: repair and gain muscle, bone, skin, and hair. Protein also has the highest TEF (thermic effect of food) over carbs and fat. TEF is the extra energy your body needs to break it food during digestion. Not only that, protein aids in fat loss with helping us maintain our muscle and keeps us feeling full, which is why you want to have a high intake of it.
A good amount to shoot for per day is 0.7-1.0g per pound bodyweight. So for a 150lb man, you want to get 105-150 grams per day. For many people, it’s a hard target to reach without a protein supplement, which is I recommend a high quality protein powder because it’s a very convenient way of getting it in.
5. Athletic Greens - Everyone knows that eating fruits and vegetables is good for you, for long term health and lowering your risk of disease. But sometimes it’s hard to eat them throughout the day because you’re on the run, don’t have any prepped, and sometimes it feels like a damn chore. That’s why it’s good to take a greens product to cover your nutritional bases.
Athletic Greens is an awesome supplement that is packed full of vitamins, minerals, and nutrients from fruits and vegetables. One scoop of Athletic Greens is equivalent to 12 servings of fruits and veggies. Not only that, there are also herbs, pre and pro-biotics in there to improve your gut health and immune system, which is amazing. Take one serving per day and you’ll cover your nutritional bases on top of your healthy diet.
So there you have it, these are all of the supplements that I recommend to clients and friends. Instead of buying supplements that are a total waste of money, get these instead. Not only will you get even results, you’ll improve your health as well. Got questions about any supplements? Drop em in the comment section below.