Simple Beginners Guide To Workout Supplements

Brian B.
Dec 6, 2022
11 min read

Updated: Dec 12, 2022

In this article you will find a simple guide to when to use supplements, are they safe to use and which supplements to spend your money on.

So you’ve heard people talk about protein powder and how meatheads always take tons of that to get massive…but is this true?

Here’s The Simple Beginners Guide To Workout Supplements

When To Use Supplements
Are They Safe To Use?
What Supplements Are Worth Spending Your Money On?
What Types Of Supplements I Wouldn’t Recommended

1. When To Use Supplements

First things first… before even considering any supplements of any kind, you need to get your diet right.

If you are still eating your pizzas, burgers, chocolate bars, candy, etc. you should stay away from supplements.

If you think drinking a protein shake will miraculously give you muscles while you basically eat crap, you are mistaken…

Make sure you have a well balanced diet plan that will provide you with the right amount of protein, carbs and fats for your fitness goal.

Once this is set, know that fitness supplements are just that… supplements!

They supplement your healthy diet, as even the most well balanced diet, cannot foresee a busy day whereby a protein shake can come in handy as you might not have time to eat a meal.

So get your diet on point first and only then start looking into the supplements I mentioned below. This will put a foundation in place that will stand to you and will save you tons of money, as supplements can get expensive!

2. Are They Safe To Use?

Many supplements are safe to consume, but I would stay away from consuming too many.

Remember that your body has to process anything you eat and now also the supplements you are planning on consuming, putting your body and particularly your organs through that extra stress.

At one point my kitchen cupboard looked like a pharmacy and I was taking every supplement under the sun that the person in my local supplement store advised I should take…

I wasn’t thinking that he was trying to sell me as much as possible and I wasn’t knowledgeable enough to know that I was putting my body through some serious amount of pressure to process all of this stuff…

My kidneys took a beating and my doctor advised that I should cut out any and all supplements, because my bloodwork showed that my kidneys were at risk of failure!

So I did exactly what my doctor said of course and let my kidneys recover, dialing in my diet and doing the right research on safe supplementation, before going back to a new supplement routine, with the guidance from my doctor and only using the bare minimum going forward .

My new supplement routine is providing me with exactly the same results in my body composition as I saw when I took the mountain of supplements before, so that goes to show how most of it was just a waste of money.

So when you ask if taking supplements is safe, my answer would be yes…but only if you take the bare minimum your body requires and if possible, consult your doctors or an actual sports nutritionist to advise you on the exact supplement routine you should follow.

3. What Supplements Are Worth Spending Your Money On?

Multivitamin

A good multivitamin can be a great insurance policy for anyone, especially if your diet is perhaps lacking in vitamins.

Your body is going through a lot of stress daily and especially while you put it through a tough workout, so taking a multivitamin will simply help you replenish those vitamins.

Most people I speak to tell me it’s a waste of time, because my diet is generally very good and full of good sources of healthy greens, fruits, etc.

However, if you purchase a good quality multivitamin, such as the Enhanced Energy Whole Food Multivitamin from Herbspro.com, you can at least ensure that you have enough of everything your body requires and cover all the bases…

*Follow the guidance on the label and always consult your doctor before consuming any type of supplement.

ZMA

ZMA plays a big part in recovery, helping your muscle grow after you put it through its paces.

It provides your body with a healthy amount of Zinc and Magnesium Aspartate.

Zinc is needed to help you sustain your testosterone levels naturally, while magnesium aspartate is great with helping you sleep.

This is particularly important when you have a stressful day and workout hard, but then find yourself not being able to relax.

Good sleep is very important for your overall health and wellbeing, as well as building muscle due to your muscles going to work repairing the tissue you broke down during the workout, all while you soundly sleep.

Magnesium will help you with that and most of us are deficient in magnesium anyway…so I tend to supplement with ZMA for that reason.

You can find great offers on ZMA through our affiliate partner at Herbspro.com.

*Follow the guidance on the label and always consult your doctor before consuming any type of supplement.

Daily Greens

Let's be honest, we aren’t great at eating our vegetables and definitely neglect our healthy green more often than not.

So I take one of these FITT Nutrition shakes every day without fail.

Each shake is made up out of a 46mg of Vitamin E, a 5.8g Green Health blend, a 1.41g worth of an Energy blend, 420mg of a Detox blend, 340mg of an Alkalinity blend, 150 mg of a Probiotic blend complex and lastly a 125mg of an Enzyme blend.

A FITT Nutrition shake has been part of my morning routine for a while now and is the first thing I drink after my workout, even before I have my protein smoothie.

I am more energized and ready to tackle my day, feeling like I already did my good deed for my body that day by working out and having this super healthy shake.

It’s utterly delicious and if you are like me whereby I eat everything, but sometimes my vegetables are feeling a little left out...well let me tell you that a FITT Nutrition shake is 100% the right move for you too.

Omega 3 Fish Oils

A staple of mine every day without fail, are my Omega 3 fatty acids fish oil tablets that help reduce inflammation in your body.

In tablet form, Omega 3 Fish oils are most commonly derived … you guest it… from fish.

However, you can also find Omega 3 in Flaxseed, Chia Seeds, Walnuts, Butter, Eggs and some vegetables too.

A lot of people would consume fatty fish like salmon to help with aiding their Omega 3 intake.

But, most of us can’t consume salmon each day though, due to the cost of the fish being rather high. I personally have one salmon meal a week, as any more than that would put pressure on my family's weekly food budget.

Which is why I resort to taking the recommended dose of Omega 3’s in tablet form as a supplement and follow what the directions are on the label, to ensure that I don’t use too much or too little.

For years now the gold standard for me has been SOLGAR 1300MG OMEGA 3-6-9 softgel tablets. These are the best by far and can be found at our affiliate partner Herbspro.com for an amazing price, compared to your local supplement shop.

*Follow the guidance on the label and always consult your doctor before consuming any type of supplement.

Milk Thistle

I have used Milk Thistle for many years now and am using it as a preventative supplement for my liver, assisting it by providing my liver with what it needs, so it can keep going strong.

The liver regulates most chemical levels in the blood in our body and excretes a product called bile. This helps carry away waste products from the liver.

All the blood leaving the stomach and intestines passes through the liver.

The liver processes this blood and breaks down, balances, and creates the nutrients and also metabolizes drugs into forms that are easier to use for the rest of the body or that are nontoxic.

So taking care of this amazing organ is very important and is why I supplement with a high quality milk thistle supplement daily.

I rely on Kroeger Herb milk thistle for my needs here and get 90 caps for as little as $16.00 at the time I am writing this article, through our trusted affiliate partner Herbspro.com.

*Follow the guidance on the label and always consult your doctor before consuming any type of supplement.

L-Arginine

It’s an amino acid that helps your body build protein and can usually be found in protein rich foods, such as red meat, fish and even whole grain, beans and dairy products.

The very cool thing about this amino acid however, is that it's been a secret weapon of many bodybuilders for years now, as it helps you look more vascular due to it being a vasodilator!

And as an added bonus it even helps to keep a healthy testosterone levels in men.

How much more can you ask for…?

My go-to is once again a SOLGAR product and their L-Arginine comes in a 90 pack for an amazingly low price of $18.93 from Herspro.com. You can find different ones for cheaper, but my advice is to go with a trusted brand like SOLGAR for your needs here.

*Follow the guidance on the label and always consult your doctor before consuming any type of supplement.

Whey Protein

Ok, here is the one I am sure you’ve been waiting on…

If you think of any kind of bodybuilder, someone in the fitness industry and just supplements, you think of protein.

Whey Protein in particular, is one of the most widely available and used supplements in the fitness industry.

You can drink it straight by mixing it with water, or milk for some extra calories. Brilliant in smoothies or when making overnight oats.

I have Whey Protein in my smoothies each morning after my workout and again in the evening in my overnight oats as a snack before going to bed.

Don’t overdo the amount you use as you really want to get the majority of your protein from food you eat and definitely don’t use the cheap stuff, as it will simply run straight through to you…if you know what I mean.

I've been a big fan of the USN Whey protein for years. It agrees well with me and I find that their products simply taste the best, especially their Bluelab 100% Whey-Tella product!

If you are a vegan, then I would recommend the Sunwarrior Warrior Blend Natural protein, which tastes amazing, compared to other vegan proteins out on the market.

Find both for a brilliant low price at our affiliate partners Herspro.com.

*Follow the guidance on the label and always consult your doctor before consuming any type of supplement.

Creatine

Creatine is by far the most researched supplement in the world.

It’s a natural non-protein compound found in our skeletal muscles, but our bodies cannot produce enough of this compound to help us when weight lifting.

We subsidize some of it through our food intake daily, but it's simply not enough if you work hard in the gym, as your body can only produce so much of it each day.

Therefore you will find a lot of athletes supplementing their creatine intake safely for years now, as it’s known throughout the world for its strength enhancing properties, allowing you to go just a little further when you try to do one more rep.

My go-to here is once again a USN product called Pure Creatine Monohydrate Powder that I can highly recommend and I purchase regularly from our partner Herspro.com.

*Follow the guidance on the label and always consult your doctor before consuming any type of supplement.

Pre-Workout

I wouldn’t normally recommend a pre-workout to everybody, but it can have its uses.

I drink my pre-workout 30min before I start my workout in the morning.

I could drink coffee instead, but for me, coffee before working out is a bit too acidic and causes me to throw up during a session! …but that’s just me.

My pre-workout of choice should have the Beta-Alanine for prolonged muscle endurance and Caffeine for increased focus.

The combination of those ingredients kicks me into gear and allows me to have a very decent session at 6/7am each morning.

The Beta-Alanine in pre-workouts will give most people a tingling itchy feeling all around your face, ears and sometimes chest that at first could feel rather unsettling and catches some people off guard who are new to pre-workouts.

However, this is a common thing that happens and as long as you don’t use your pre-workout above the recommended dosage, it’s perfectly safe.

By the way, anyone who drinks enough coffee during the day and does their workout in the afternoon/evening, should have enough of a “buzz” going already to get you through your workout.

If you have a pre-workout on top of that now too, well…good luck with trying to get some good sleep, which I already mentioned is so important to muscle growth.

So think twice before supplementing with pre-workouts, if your caffeine intake is already very high.

If you do want to use a pre-workout, I can once again highly recommend the USN 3XT Max Energy line, which can be found in 4 different flavours on Herbspro.com.

USN 3XT Max Energy GREEN APPLE (my personal favorite!)
USN 3XT Max Energy FRUIT PUNCH
USN 3XT Max Energy BLUE RASPBERRY
USN 3XT Max Energy SOUR CANDY CRAZE

*Follow the guidance on the label and always consult your doctor before consuming any type of supplement.

4. What Types Of Supplements I Wouldn’t Recommended

Fat Burners

Just don’t waste your money on this supplement if you are not willing to put in the time and effort that is required to lose the weight you are trying to get rid off to begin with…

A fat burner is not a miracle drug that can make fat disappear and there are some serious horror stories going around that will tell you of people that took way too many fat burner tablets for example, well over the recommended usage limit, thinking they will get their wanted results quicker.

Have I used them before, yes. Would I recommend them to anyone…hell no!

They work by elevating your blood pressure and increasing your overall energy expenditure, which may or may not lead to weight loss over time.

If you are at risk of high blood pressure, you could put yourself at some serious risk.

So just dial in your diet, workout heard in the gym and get your result that way. Shortcuts are never a good idea!

*Follow the guidance on the label and always consult your doctor before consuming any type of supplement.

Weight Gainer

Looking at the ingredients list should scare you away from these already.

They are loaded with sugar and other glucose, carbs, etc to bring up the calorie count of each shake you consume.

Your money is better spent on investing in a blender and a good whey protein. This will allow you to make your own high calorie weight gainer protein shake in seconds and all from sources you can trust, as you dictate what goes into your shake.

One of my all-time favorite weight gainer shake is:

250ml of milk
2 scoops of your preferred Whey Protein
1 banana
25-30 grams of peanut butter
30-50 grams of rolled oats

Simple! Add water to thin it out if it’s too thick for your liking, or add some ice cubes if you want to make it more into a thick milkshake like consistency.

This will be so much better for you and will certainly taste a hell of a lot better too.

Summary:

Spend your money wisely. You don’t need everything right now and certainly don’t need to waste it on crap like weight gainers and fat burners.

Instead concentrate on your diet and get that on point, before you invest your money into things like supplements and vitamins.

Once you have figured out your supplement strategy, concentrate on the supplements that benefit your health first, before buying your Whey proteins and pre-workouts for example.

And most importantly…I am not a medical professional, neither am I a qualified personal trainer or nutritionist.

I urge you to please seek out medical advice from your doctor anytime you want to supplement your diet with anything, if it’s as simple as a multivitamin or milk thistle.

Best case scenario would be that your doctor tells you that you don’t need it and he/she will save you a ton of money, so be sure to seek their advice…always!

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