Training and Supplements

If you are reading this article you are using or most likely have used supplements in the past and you might feel that it really worked for you or you might feel it did not work as the supplement company claimed. If we think of training and especially training in a gym environment supplements also comes to mind.... the two are walking hand in hand.

If you go and think about it... what are most supplement company's goal with the product they sell? Its actually very simple, they sell to make a profit. Don't get me wrong, most supplements can be beneficial towards your training and can definitely help you reach your goals faster. The thing is just that the whole supplement industry like I said previously is mostly in business to make a profit and can make it sound a lot more healthy and beneficial than it actually is.

One thing that the supplement industry has created is a false believe that supplements are the answer for your fitness challenges and that its all that you need to do and use. They also create a believe that you will reach your goals in a matter of day and weeks with as little effort as possible and we all know that its not how this works. I am not an adversary against supplements but I strongly believe that there is a place for everything at the right time and if your diet is filled with supplements and you are consuming almost no whole food... then you are not going to reach your full potential and may start having health problems along the way.

This is a long article on its own... but in short your body responds better on the long run with food and your body's systems are more in balance. The way your body processes food from the moment you start to move your jaws to the amino acids and glycogen being transported to the muscle is a complex process that creates a healthy and optimal environment for the body to respond to the intensity put on by training.

I have a rule when it comes to creating a diet plan... you should never have more supplements replacement meals than whole food meals. If you are having 6 meals a day then you should at least have 4 of those meals as whole food. If I had my way all the meals should be food but in reality it just doesn't work that way. Most of my clients has a very busy day to day time schedule and sitting to eat the meal or preparing the meals are sometimes difficult.

If you think about the word "supplement" it means to "ad on" or to assist/help and that is actually how it should be concerning your diet plan.

Go and sit down with your trainer or coach and evaluate your goals and what you are aiming for and create a diet plan that is custom planned to supplement your training in the best way possible. Use the supplements to fill the gaps nutrition wise where the food struggles with and make it work together.

Be careful not to get caught up in the supplement hype and start to lose track of the basics in creating and using a diet plan. At the end of the supplements can give you that edge you need to achieve that optimal progress or it can make you waist money and stagnate in your progress.