As the title says, it's a waste of time. If you really can't eat your macros during the day, don't waste your money buying supplements. And if you're a skinny guy who can not gain any weight, I have a tip for you ... eat to get sick, and then continue to eat.

You're right, some people are too obsessed with supplements. But I think protein powder can help hitting your macros. Sometimes it is hard to get enough protein in through your foods (especially for people living with their parents), supplementing with protein powders might help then. It's not the same, but it will help.

Nice pic btw.

That is the question. People buy supplements just to say that they take the sport seriously...bullshit...is just to show themselves.

Like i say, if you can't eat your macros, THEN, you can buy protein supplements.

Thanks bro...just 1 year and some months of training and diet...(no roids yet)

i havent used any supplements when i started training 6months ago, i just used to buy liter of chocolatemilk shake a day for £1 40g protein haha. didnt even bother with macro watching just ate as much food as i could. gained 28lbs and 1.8% body fat. now 168lbs 11.8% body fat ..... may start gettin the macros on point now to see what extra gains i can make

Hi guys, Im new around here.

This discussion is quite interesting. I contacted a few days ago an onlinecoach, and he sent me a workout plan and nutrition guide for me to follow. The workout plan seems tough, but Im ok with that. But in the nutrition guide I was surprised by the amount of supplements that I was requested to consume. I am just starting here and I like to study a little bit and find the logic behind of what I am doing.

So this coach told me I should take BCAA (?), Lcarnitine, Krealkalyn (?), Fish Oil, Casein, Whey Protein, Glutamine and Karbolyn (?). That seems a little bit too much (in all sense ), especially for a beginner like me. He told me this would make easier the gaining weight process. What do you think about this?

If you don't mind me asking where did you get the online coaching from?

If I were to coach you the only supps I would recommend for a beginner like yourself would be creatine monohydrate, whey protein and fish oils. If you weren't too fussed about budget I would then add intra-workout BCAAs and maltodextrin post workout if you were looking to pack on size. Karbolyn is an enhanced and more expensive form of carbohydrate, like maltodextrin, which is used post workout. Infact there are better substitutes to Karbolyn such as Carbion. Just to add Krealkalyn is basically an unecessarily expensive form of creatine. In terms of creatine consumption all you need is 5g of basic creatine monohydrate.

So basically if you're on a budget stick with the 3 supps I recommened as they are cheap and proven effective.

I know it was not the best place to search, but I found it through an images website, where the coach posted the before and after pics of his clients, and I was surprised by the results. I asked him this same question, and he told me thats the way those clients have achieved those results.

Thanks for the advice! I will start using the 3 you mentioned. Nonetheless, I am still curious why at the beginning of this topic it was stated that no supplements is the best way to go for people that are just starting.

Would you mind providing the name of the coach?

People often hate on supplements because the majority of the time they are used as a substitute to nutrition and not as a supplement to nutrition. You have to make sure your nutrition is 100% correct and them supplements will be more beneficial. I am a huge advocate of supplements as long as they are used correctly.

Hi Andres,

initial post in this thread is case, when someone lose nerves and react in "extreme" way for things, which are "hardly" to understand to majority. Anyhow, I agree with content but not with way how it's presentet.

Supplements are just additives for getting peak performance and if your doing just for yourself, even in fitness, you can handle without any supplements. Of course, there are some "must have" supplements, like whey. Some supplements are meant as equal substitution of meal or just additional meal/snack in cases when you are limited with regular food (like lack of time for breakfast or snack on the way) or in cases when you need really huge amount of calories and it's hard to eat 4 pounds of chichen and potato a day.

In my opinion, supplements are too "abused" from supplements industry, but consumers are those, who drive this further.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not against supplements. I just stick to the rule, when you don't know why you need it, you don't need it.

Make sure your regular diet will be OK and get some whey and oils like Daniel said, and creatine if your not too short. With experience and some sweating you'll see and learn what your next possible supplements will be.

BR, Gregor

As a health coach and somebody who uses suppliments I can say it does help some people. Obviously eating your macros from food is the best way no contest! However , a great deal of us can't or don't eat like that since we are busy or at work or simply doesn't fit into the life style. I think they should be an additive to your already in place meal plan. As a women that weight trains it is hard to fit in the big amount of protine I need for the day so I use a good clean sorce of protine suppliments. I choose to use Herbalife. All of the athleete line is amazing. I found the recovery shake to be a lot of use to myself and others. It helps restore your muscles after a workout and allows your body to cut way down on any soreness. I am able to do two hour lifting sessions back to back with little or no delayed on set muscle soreness where as before I would have to have more rest days. I also use a healhty meal replacement shake that has a balanced amount or essential nutirients and vitamins you need for the day and I use that along with my breakfast in the morning. Sure this isn't for everybody but I have before and after picturessuch as the first one which is where I started and the after picture. The middle is to show what improvement I did in 19 days. Dropped in bodyfat , gained muscle , took a year off my metabolic age and the bottom one is me today! Proof that yes they can be effective if used correctly ! Stick with a good brand of suppliments . Also check to make sure they fit into your macros and you are taking them properly. They are most useful to people who don't have the perfect diet in place which is a majorty of people even if you are eating clean.

Thanks for your replies, Daniel, Gregor and aharmon22! I started studying about my required daily macros, and it seems like an impossible task. But I like those challenges! So first I will make sure to have the correct food and meal plans, and then add the supplements to achieve my daily goals. I'll start by adding those three supplements that Daniel mentioned. Btw Daniel, I prefer not puting his info publicly here.

Your comments have been useful, so thanks again for your feedback!

No problem mate. Another bit of key advice I would give is don't jump straight into your calorific need. I like to work out roughly how many calories the client is consuming on a daily basis then convert those calories into into the specific macronutrient needs. I will then increase the calories at a rate by which the gut and digestive system still stays healthy until the required calorie requirement is met. This is actually very important with protein intake. For example, if a client is only consuming 90g of protein a day and they actually need 200g they shouldnt jump straight to the 200g they should stagger the intake.