You have been purchasing supplements for months, eating the right way, and training hard, but the results don’t seem to be reflecting the effort that you are putting in, so you decide to make savings and remove supplements from your plan, and you are no better or worse off, so you begin the never-ending coercive cycle of using supplements then not using supplements. In the meantime, you have made no progress and the supplements don’t seem to be matching the claims that their labels suggest. So what are you doing wrong?

Ignoring the Foundations

You cannot build a sturdy house on shaky foundations. It is necessary to lay down the correct foundations in order to strive towards the body that you desire. Speaking candidly, purchasing the latest in vogue pre-workout if you are not using a core products is a futile practice. Muscles cannot grow if the right ingredients are not there for them to do so. Begin your supplementation plan with a basic stack of a protein powder, a multi-vitamin, creatine and an omega 3 supplement.

Adopting an All-Inclusive Supplement Regime as a Beginner

An all-inclusive approach to using supplements is commonplace, particularly amongst beginners to using supplements. Whilst many supplements, as a beginner you will not be able to determine which ones are most effective when you begin by using multiple products simultaneously. Preferentially, as a beginner you will begin by using the aforementioned basic stack for a month to six weeks, to give you time to determine how your supplement stack is working for you.

Expecting Miraculous Effects from Supplements

There is no supplement that will give you washboard abs in two weeks, and no supplement will induce kgs of muscle gains within days of use, yet individuals become despondent when they use new supplements, making few if any changes to their diet and exercise protocol, and do not then achieve the desired results. Supplements can be hugely effective in improving your progress, but you must still dedicate time and effort to exercise and maintain an appropriate diet to achieve results .

Maintaining the Same Supplement Protocol

Whilst many supplements can be used constantly without breaks, there are many very popular products which work most effectively when they are cycled. These products include pre-workouts and weight loss supplements which often contain stimulants, which are subject to a temporary downregulation effects, meaning that their use is futile once your body has become adapted to them, so cycling on and off them at 4-6 week intervals, is the most effective strategy.

Underdosing Your Use of Products

Many individuals have as little as a scoop of protein powder following exercise, and believe that it is sufficient. However, depending on your diet, your training, and your physical size you may require more. Many individuals believe that they are consuming a lot of protein throughout the day, but they actually might not be meeting their individual requirements. In order to support your goals, you need to know how much protein your body requires, and meet those daily quantities consistently.

Ignoring Nutritional Panels & Product Labels

No all supplements are made equally, even if they are in the same category and contain the same ingredients. It is important to ensure that you are being provided with enough of the active ingredients within a serving of a supplement, in order to induce the desired effect. Learning how to read nutrition labels is a critical skill to support your goals. Knowing the ingredients within a supplement, how much of them is necessary to be effective, and how they interact is an assured way of purchasing the best supplements to fit your needs.

Summary

Do not be a supplement novice. The supplement world can be puzzling. There are literally thousands of supplements on the market. There is a glut of contradictory information available on the internet, in gyms and through word of mouth, regarding the best way to use supplements.  The main thing to keep in mind is that you are the one taking those supplements and it is important to find the best products to fit your needs. By doing your research and taking the above principles into consideration, you will be making progress for years to come.