The Case For (And Against) Supplementation
In the pursuit of muscle gain and fat loss, many people give supplements far more prominence in their regimen than they deserve. They are, in fact, the least important and most optional piece of the puzzle. Granted, some of them can help you reach your goals but even the most potent supplements - of the highest quality and purity - offer moderate benefits at best. Having read this, if you still wish to take them, do so within the context of a healthy, sustainable diet (with appropriate calories for your goals), regular exercise, effective stress management, and optimal sleep. Read on to discover which supplements I recommend - again, within the context above.
Generally speaking, people tend to fall somewhere on the following spectrum. Supplements are designed to enhance your best possible efforts with the four foundational pillars of health. They are not:
Superior to (or a substitute for) a healthy, sustainable diet with appropriate calories for your goals
A quick fix or shortcut when you have lost patience with the four pillars of health
Whey protein powder: this starts out as a liquid by-product of cheese production. The solids or curds formed during the fermentation process become cheese and the liquid whey is then refined and dried. The most common forms of whey are:
Whey protein concentrate: this has a relatively high protein content, but it also has high levels of lactose. It is, therefore, best avoided by those who are lactose-intolerant.
Whey protein isolate: is whey protein concentrate with the lactose removed. It, therefore, has a higher proportion of protein and is suitable for those who are lactose intolerant. The lower fat and carbohydrate content and higher relative protein content is also a godsend for people in a high-calorie deficit.
The relatively high leucine content of whey (between 10 and 13%) makes it very effective at triggering muscle protein synthesis. To put this into context, most meat, poultry and fish contain about 8 to 9% leucine. Supplementing with whey protein powder is also a great way to meet protein targets (and build significant amounts of lean body mass) if it is a struggle to consume larger amounts through food. Typical dosing is between 20 and 40g in one sitting. Consuming more than this in one sitting (or in addition to other high protein sources may be counterproductive due to the rate-limiting nature of protein translation in our cells. The anabolic response is capped at around 40 to 50 grams of protein from whey protein and even people with the highest protein intakes would probably reach this threshold by 40 to 50 grams of whey protein.
Creatine:
Caffeine
Betaine
Citrulline
Beta-Alanine
BCAAs/EAAs
Tart Cherry
Rhodiola Rosea
Fish Oil
Melatonin
Multivitamins
HMB
Carnitine
Vitamin D
Ashwagandha
