Rapid Fat Loss Diets

Thursday, March 12, 2009

Does a muscle building program really need supplements?

By Jon Cardozo

I really hate to disappoint you, but weightlifting supplements are no shortcut to success. You probably already knew this deep down inside, but you may have spent a bunch of money when purchasing these kind of supplements. If so, you have probably been quite disappointed and have already learned this lesson.

Even protein powders, which are relatively helpful supplements, are not absolutely necessary. While they're helpful when it's difficult to consume adequate calories or protein, a bunch of powder with artificial ingredients thrown in is not a substitute for a solid, healthy meal plan.

If you've spent any time shopping for supplements, you have probably been amazed at some of the prices. You'll see stacks of protein bars and tubs of who knows what selling at a premium. The supplements look so convincing, with their pictures of huge bodybuilders guaranteeing your success.

I once heard a well known trainer explain that supplements are mostly useless for building muscle.

Vince Delmonte tells us that adding supplements to our muscle building program may only give us a 10% boost, and this number assumes that we have already maximized our strength training and nutrition. He says that in most cases supplements will only give us a 1 or 2% difference, which is probably not enough to make you notice!

You'll be more successful taking your fitness the next level by mastering basic training recovery and nutrition techniques. Pick up any bodybuilding magazine nearby and I promise you that the only thing those supplement advertisements will deliver is a lighter wallet."

The bottom line is that everyone can achieve massive muscle growth by adhering to the basic principles of progressive resistance training and increasing caloric intake. In other words, lift more, and eat more. Repeat until you achieve the desired results. You don't need to consider questionable steroid alternatives, or even more reliable substances such as creatine, until you have practiced basic principles and achieved as much success as you can.

You can then consider something like creatine to give you an extra little boost for advanced progress. Learning to rely on supplements first can put a heavy load on your bank account and ingrain some pretty unhealthy habits like choosing quick fixes instead of learning discipline and commitment. If you're now convinced that weightlifting supplements are not shortcuts to muscle growth but still that have the knowledge to train on your own, consider investing some time (and even some money) in a comprehensive muscle building system. Learn the basics of how to train, how to eat, and how to recover. Doing this will be much more effective and much cheaper in the long run than relying on the latest supplements fad. - 17273

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