Supplements are one area of muscle building that 95% of people really have no idea about. And if you're one of these people, don't worry, it's not your fault. The real people behind this are the massive supplement companies who make an absolute killing by selling loads of crap products. However, supplements are by no means easy, you just need to know how to pick an over hyped, rubbish supplement from a mile away.
You see, while you're not going to ever find a supplement that gives you "Steroid like" gains. Trust me, if someone ever does come out with a supplement that is that good, it will be banned by the government before it gets off the ground. If you've been around muscle building for a while, you'll remember the huge attention prohormones got when people realised they had a lot of potential.
There is a huge difference between a supplement and a drug. A drug, by definition, changes how the body works. A supplement doesn't do this. At best, they can help you with your muscle gain and at worst, they just empty your wallet.
I remember when I first started using whey protein to supplement my diet. One of my friends asked me if I noticed whether it was making a difference to my workouts. What you need to understand is that whey protein is just food. When you really look at it, it's not that different to a chicken breast. I started using whey protein for the convenience, rather than the actual benefit of extra protein. When you think of it this way, it makes a little more sense. You wouldn't expect your lifts to go up just because you ate some chicken, would you?
Another huge mistake people make is putting supplements before diet. If you already eat a great diet, then adding some quality supplements will help you do a little bit better. Don't expect to be huge and ripped the instant you start taking them, thats not how they work, but they will help over time. The mistake most people make is to start taking supplements with a rotten diet. I have one friend who wanted to lose fat, but instead of focusing on getting his diet right, he just took some "diet pills". Can you see the flaw in his method? If he already had his diet in check, perhaps (And this is a very big perhaps) the pills would've actually helped. But since he continued to drink lots of beer and eat junk food, he never saw any results.
I'll go into more detail about supplements another day, but I hope this has taught you a thing or two about how to use supplements and what to expect.
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