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Supplements - do you really need them?

One topic that comes up very regularly in my gym is supplements. People frequently ask which supplements are best and which ones they should use.

I have a couple of options when asked these questions - I could go for an easy sell, and sell these people everything I have in stock, or I could actually work with them to find out if supplements are right for them.

When entering business, one of my goals was to be as ethical as possible, so I choose to work with my clients to see if they actually need supplements. And, in most cases, I discover that the people who use my gym generally don't benefit from supplementation.

The reasons why the supplements industry worries me are:

• It is poorly regulated in most parts of the world
• Many supplement brands make claims about their products that are simply not true
• Many supplements have been found to possess either banned or harmful substances
• One thing that has always bothered me is that whey protein was originally a waste product from the dairy industry. What happened here is simply a process of turning a waste stream into a revenue stream. And while this is impressive in a business sense, you have to wonder if the products are developed with the consumer's health in mind.

_{That's the amphetamines kicking in}

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Not all supplements are bad, but you still might not need them

You really need to evaluate if you need supplements in the first place before going out and grabbing some. Consider the following before wasting money on supplements.

• Do you train at a competitive level or is your fitness close to or at the level of an athlete?
• Do you already eat an excellent diet but need that something extra to take you to the next level of fitness?
• Has your exercise regime been developed by a professional but you need that something extra to take your fitness to the next level?

If you answered yes to any of these, then it's quite possible that supplements will help you. If you didn't answer yes, then it's quite possible that a change in diet or the way you exercise will help you to achieve that next level of fitness that you are working to achieve.

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Concluding remarks

For most people, a healthy and well rounded diet with a good and regular exercise regime is all you need to achieve a good level of fitness. Supplementation should really only be considered when you want to take your fitness to a much higher level.

And even then, the brand of supplements and ingredients of that supplement need to be heavily scrutinised. There are many dodgy players out there in this game, and it can be easy to be fooled by them. The low level of regulation in this industry is incredibly scary, and this leads me to rarely recommend supplements to anyone that I meet.

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What do you think? Do you think supplementation is necessary for your training?

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