“So what supplements should I be taking?”
The most ubiquitous question I’m asked by both clients and people I’m chatting up on the street.
As weight training and “gym-type” lifestyles are becoming increasingly popular with women (no complaints on my end), more and more females are being targeted by supplement companies to “take their STUFF.”
In fact, I’m convinced Instagram’s “fit-fam” community is probably 85% of companies and individuals trying to sell you something you don’t need; like supplements.
It’s actually quite off putting to see so much mis-information spewed on the inter-webs towards women in order to make a quick buck at the expense of people who are looking for real helpful information to improve their fitness and wellbeing.
Then there’s guys like me who want nothing more than to provide accurate and helpful information to those who seek it.
Most of the time it’s kind of like shooting a BB gun at a train. It hardly makes a dent.
But it’s something, right?? So I’ll continue to keep on taking aim and doing my thing.
Before I get further into this and give you my PERSONAL recommendations of what supplements you could take to help improve your performance in the gym and overall health, let me just say this:
SUPPLEMENTS MEAN NOTHING IF YOUR TRAINING AND DIET ARE NOT NAILED DOWN.
I’ll repeat this one more time for emphasis.
SUPPLEMENTS MEAN NOTHING IF YOU’RE TRAINING AND DIET ARE NOT NAILED DOWN.
So if you’re expecting me to tell you about the latest fat detox that will instantly make you drop 20 pounds in 2 weeks, you came to wrong place, girly.
There’s only a handful of tried and true supplements that should be considered if, and only if, you’re doing everything you can to make your training and nutrition programs top priority.
Ask yourself this question: Am I doing everything I can with my training and nutrition planning at this moment?
If you answered an emphatic YES! To this question, then feel free to carry on with the rest of this article.
The most ubiquitous question I’m asked by both clients and people I’m chatting up on the street.
As weight training and “gym-type” lifestyles are becoming increasingly popular with women (no complaints on my end), more and more females are being targeted by supplement companies to “take their STUFF.”
In fact, I’m convinced Instagram’s “fit-fam” community is probably 85% of companies and individuals trying to sell you something you don’t need; like supplements.
It’s actually quite off putting to see so much mis-information spewed on the inter-webs towards women in order to make a quick buck at the expense of people who are looking for real helpful information to improve their fitness and wellbeing.
Then there’s guys like me who want nothing more than to provide accurate and helpful information to those who seek it.
Most of the time it’s kind of like shooting a BB gun at a train. It hardly makes a dent.
But it’s something, right?? So I’ll continue to keep on taking aim and doing my thing.
Before I get further into this and give you my PERSONAL recommendations of what supplements you could take to help improve your performance in the gym and overall health, let me just say this:
SUPPLEMENTS MEAN NOTHING IF YOUR TRAINING AND DIET ARE NOT NAILED DOWN.
I’ll repeat this one more time for emphasis.
SUPPLEMENTS MEAN NOTHING IF YOU’RE TRAINING AND DIET ARE NOT NAILED DOWN.
So if you’re expecting me to tell you about the latest fat detox that will instantly make you drop 20 pounds in 2 weeks, you came to wrong place, girly.
There’s only a handful of tried and true supplements that should be considered if, and only if, you’re doing everything you can to make your training and nutrition programs top priority.
Ask yourself this question: Am I doing everything I can with my training and nutrition planning at this moment?
If you answered an emphatic YES! To this question, then feel free to carry on with the rest of this article.
PROTEIN POWDERS
Protein powders, while technically labeled as a supplement, you should be getting adequate amounts from your food.
It's often hard to eat adequate amounts of protein in a day from meat sources, so protein shakes thrown in periodicaly during the day (ideally peri-workout) will be beneficial.
I highly recommend a quality protein powder, preferable a Whey Isolate (a little more expensive), or a basic Whey Protein.
Try and steer clear from the whey concentrates, soy proteins, veggie protein, or anything of that hippie variety.
It's not quality and doesn't have the necessary amino acids to promote protein synthesis (process of muscle building). If you want to throw some money away, I'd be more than happy to take it off your hands.
It's often hard to eat adequate amounts of protein in a day from meat sources, so protein shakes thrown in periodicaly during the day (ideally peri-workout) will be beneficial.
I highly recommend a quality protein powder, preferable a Whey Isolate (a little more expensive), or a basic Whey Protein.
Try and steer clear from the whey concentrates, soy proteins, veggie protein, or anything of that hippie variety.
It's not quality and doesn't have the necessary amino acids to promote protein synthesis (process of muscle building). If you want to throw some money away, I'd be more than happy to take it off your hands.
PRE-WORKOUT SUPPLEMENTS
No supplement has gained more popularity in the last few years than supercharging elixir that is pre workout powders and formulas.
These are products that are marketed from every angle, from the subtle “instant energy” variety to the “FULL ON HAM MOTHERFUCKING BEASTMODE GET APESHIT JACKED” magical powder, and everything in between.
Here’s my thought on pre-workouts.
You DON’T NEED them if you’re getting plenty of sleep each night and eating a variety of foods rich in vitamins, minerals, and decent amounts of carbohydrates to fuel your training.
Now…if you’re looking for a slight edge to improve your performance in the gym after a tiring day of sitting at a desk for 10 hours, you could try your luck with a pre-workout supplement.
WHAT’S IN IT?
Almost every prewokout supplement on the market right now has one common ingredient.
CAFFEINE. And lot’s of it.
Caffeine seems to catch a bad rap in the media for whatever reason, but there’s actually a host of benefits that caffeine provides.
The obvious one being increased energy.
Additional benefits are reduced insulin sensitivity, increased alertness, helps prevent post workout muscle pain, and improves central nervous system functions.
Pre-workouts typically promote an “increased pump” effect by including vaso-dialaters such as arginine to help facilitate the transport of oxygen and other nutrients throughout the bloodstream during training.
It’s nothing magical and it definitely won’t increase your squat by 100 pounds, but it can definitely help provide some edge to your training when you need a quick boost of energy to help you attain those desired booty gains.
There isn’t a specific brand or product that I recommend. They’re all essentially very similar and provide the same effect.
For those looking to save on cash, I like to recommend drinking coffee before training. The energy and focus effects are just as good as those you’d find in a popular preworkout supp.
These are products that are marketed from every angle, from the subtle “instant energy” variety to the “FULL ON HAM MOTHERFUCKING BEASTMODE GET APESHIT JACKED” magical powder, and everything in between.
Here’s my thought on pre-workouts.
You DON’T NEED them if you’re getting plenty of sleep each night and eating a variety of foods rich in vitamins, minerals, and decent amounts of carbohydrates to fuel your training.
Now…if you’re looking for a slight edge to improve your performance in the gym after a tiring day of sitting at a desk for 10 hours, you could try your luck with a pre-workout supplement.
WHAT’S IN IT?
Almost every prewokout supplement on the market right now has one common ingredient.
CAFFEINE. And lot’s of it.
Caffeine seems to catch a bad rap in the media for whatever reason, but there’s actually a host of benefits that caffeine provides.
The obvious one being increased energy.
Additional benefits are reduced insulin sensitivity, increased alertness, helps prevent post workout muscle pain, and improves central nervous system functions.
Pre-workouts typically promote an “increased pump” effect by including vaso-dialaters such as arginine to help facilitate the transport of oxygen and other nutrients throughout the bloodstream during training.
It’s nothing magical and it definitely won’t increase your squat by 100 pounds, but it can definitely help provide some edge to your training when you need a quick boost of energy to help you attain those desired booty gains.
There isn’t a specific brand or product that I recommend. They’re all essentially very similar and provide the same effect.
For those looking to save on cash, I like to recommend drinking coffee before training. The energy and focus effects are just as good as those you’d find in a popular preworkout supp.
CREATINE
This is a supplement most women tend to shy away from.
They immediately think of big, bloated, muscle-bound freaks when they hear creatine.
Not exactly the sleek and sexy physique appeal that most women are looking for.
But in reality, creatine is a very effect and useful supplement and should be utilized by women if they’re looking to make the most of their training in the gym.
People often stray away from it as they think it'll "make them retain water" and look "bloated", which is completely stupid.
Creatine is a molecule in an energy system that can quickly produce ATP (what your muscles use for energy).
Its stored in the skeletal muscle system until it's called up in times of stress (i.e. intense training), allowing the muscles to reach a higher work capacity.
Basically, creatine improves the work output of the activated muscles, allowing you to lift longer and harder.
This means more gains.
It's been proven effective over and over again for the last 30 years.
If somethings been around that long, it must work.
And don't be fooled by the creatine gimmicks out there, stick with basic CREATINE MONOHYDRATE.
It's dirty cheap and available everywhere, so grab a bottle next time you're at HEB and start taking anywhere from 5-20 grams a day of this time-tested gym candy!
Or you could kill 2 birds with one stone by supplementing with a pre-workout formula that includes 5-10 grams of creatine.
They immediately think of big, bloated, muscle-bound freaks when they hear creatine.
Not exactly the sleek and sexy physique appeal that most women are looking for.
But in reality, creatine is a very effect and useful supplement and should be utilized by women if they’re looking to make the most of their training in the gym.
People often stray away from it as they think it'll "make them retain water" and look "bloated", which is completely stupid.
Creatine is a molecule in an energy system that can quickly produce ATP (what your muscles use for energy).
Its stored in the skeletal muscle system until it's called up in times of stress (i.e. intense training), allowing the muscles to reach a higher work capacity.
Basically, creatine improves the work output of the activated muscles, allowing you to lift longer and harder.
This means more gains.
It's been proven effective over and over again for the last 30 years.
If somethings been around that long, it must work.
And don't be fooled by the creatine gimmicks out there, stick with basic CREATINE MONOHYDRATE.
It's dirty cheap and available everywhere, so grab a bottle next time you're at HEB and start taking anywhere from 5-20 grams a day of this time-tested gym candy!
Or you could kill 2 birds with one stone by supplementing with a pre-workout formula that includes 5-10 grams of creatine.
FISH OILS
Fish oil has been touted as some magical, all-encompassing super supplement.
Which it is!
Fish oil is a form of fatty acid that is derived from the tissues of oily fish.
It contains the omega-3 fatty acids, including eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), which are what has gained the most attention with regard to health research over the last few years.
Without getting too much into the science of EPA and DHA, you’re bodies energy production powerhouses in the cells (mitochondria) will function more effectively.
Fish oils provide plenty of healthy cholesterol level support and bone health support.
This stuff really helps take care of the inside of your body while you’re trying to improve the aesthetic on the outside of your body.
One of my favorite benefits of fish oils is mood support.
Research has indidcated that fish oils enhances cognition function and improves mood.
That alone seems like a good enough reason to supplement with fish oil.
Which it is!
Fish oil is a form of fatty acid that is derived from the tissues of oily fish.
It contains the omega-3 fatty acids, including eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), which are what has gained the most attention with regard to health research over the last few years.
Without getting too much into the science of EPA and DHA, you’re bodies energy production powerhouses in the cells (mitochondria) will function more effectively.
Fish oils provide plenty of healthy cholesterol level support and bone health support.
This stuff really helps take care of the inside of your body while you’re trying to improve the aesthetic on the outside of your body.
One of my favorite benefits of fish oils is mood support.
Research has indidcated that fish oils enhances cognition function and improves mood.
That alone seems like a good enough reason to supplement with fish oil.
MULTIVITAMIN
I know I previously stated don’t take these supplement until your nutrition is nailed down, but this is a supplement you should be taking along with your wholesome foods.
Put simply, a multivitamin complex fills in all the nutritional gaps in your diet.
It may help support against the possibility of deficiencies in some of the other vitamins and minerals that can result from reduced food variety or calorie intakeand increased vitamin loss from exercise.
Being deficient in many of these micronutrients can lead to low energy levels and restrict muscle growth, strength gains and fat loss.
There’s a ton of vitamins that are marketed towards women, but in all honesty you don’t need anything fancy.
A women’s all in one vitamin from your local grocery store will do the job just fine.
So ladies, don’t get duped into spending your hard earned cash on gimmicky fat loss pills, fad detox cleanses, or deceitful supplements being promoted by photoshopped women on Instagram.
Train hard, eat wholesome nutritious foods, get plenty of rest, then consider taking the supplements I recommended above.
Just remember, these supplements won’t do much for you until everything else in your control is all on point.
So Ladies, until next time, keep the squats low and the goals high!
Put simply, a multivitamin complex fills in all the nutritional gaps in your diet.
It may help support against the possibility of deficiencies in some of the other vitamins and minerals that can result from reduced food variety or calorie intakeand increased vitamin loss from exercise.
Being deficient in many of these micronutrients can lead to low energy levels and restrict muscle growth, strength gains and fat loss.
There’s a ton of vitamins that are marketed towards women, but in all honesty you don’t need anything fancy.
A women’s all in one vitamin from your local grocery store will do the job just fine.
So ladies, don’t get duped into spending your hard earned cash on gimmicky fat loss pills, fad detox cleanses, or deceitful supplements being promoted by photoshopped women on Instagram.
Train hard, eat wholesome nutritious foods, get plenty of rest, then consider taking the supplements I recommended above.
Just remember, these supplements won’t do much for you until everything else in your control is all on point.
So Ladies, until next time, keep the squats low and the goals high!
