Supplements

Before I started P90X I never truly got the concept of supplements nor did I think they were necessary. In college the only supplement I really ever used was a cheap whey protein. It wasn't until I got into my fitness craze that I realized the importance of supplements and how they can take our results to the next level. 



For someone like me who doesn't have the time to be eating 7-8 meals a day and getting all the protein, vitamins, and nutrients through these foods, you're going to need supplements to help you get all the protein, vitamins, and nutrients your body needs everyday. You'll especially need them if you're working out 6 times a week and therefore need to refuel your body so it can rebuild the muscles you are breaking down everyday and help you recover at a faster rate. I'll explain below some the MUST HAVE supplements that I take now and also some others I've experimented with before. I will not try to "sell" you on any supplements I have not tried myself. Again, you do not NEED these supplements...but I would not go into a workout without some of these supplements because I want to maximize my results the best I can.


1) Shakeology: Like I've said in my previous Shakeology article, if I could only choose one supplement to take, Shakeology would be it. I drink Shakeology in the morning and it just gets my day started right. I've been taking Shakeology for 5 months now, and I've noticed increases in energy through out the day and I just overall feel better. I used to struggle with coming home from a long day of work and being too tired to work out...since I started taking Shakeology I get all the nutrients I need to keep me energized all day long and no longer hit those "walls". I've also noticed that I haven't been sick since taking Shakeology...no colds, flu, etc. 


2) P90X Results/Recovery Formula: I've been taking this for about 6 months now and would never go without it after a workout. I used to get extremely sore for days after workouts before taking this supplement...now I'm barely sore for a day and it's helped my muscles recover faster and get better results. And it tastes great! Sometimes looking forward to the drink is what helps motivate me to get through a workout. It has 10g of protein (giving the product the ideal 4:1 carb to protein ratio for post workout absorption). It has the key ingredients creatine, arginine, and glutamine, which all facilitate muscle recovery and energy replenishment. It also has the electrolytes and vitamins needed to replace what was depleted during the workout.


3) Whey Protein Powder: A good quality type of protein powder is needed to get you the amount of protein needed to help your muscles recover each day. Beachbody sells their own whey protein, but I actually use Wheybolic Extreme 60 from GNC. This type of whey protein also has a full supply a glutamine so you do not need to supplement that separately.


4) Flaxseed/Fish Oil: Great source of Omega 3, 6, and 9 fatty acids, which are needed by the body.


The four supplements above are what I use everyday. The ones I'm about to talk about now are supplements I have experimented with but don't necessarily use on an everyday basis.


5) Creatine: This supplement helps volumize the muscles with water so they can draw more nutrients in to aid with muscle building and recovery. I used this for about two months, and while I did see my results improve, there were some drawbacks. First, I felt very bloated when I took Creatine, a common side-affect many people have felt when using the supplement. But I just didn't see such vast improvements to justify continuing with the supplement. Some people have had great results with Creatine and have not had trouble with feeling bloated. Others felt it just doesn't really do much. If you want to gain mass, Creatine is worth trying. Just make sure to cycle it (2 months on, 1 month off). 


6) Pre-workout Supplement: I did try the pre-workout Nano-Vapor. Pre-workouts contain caffeine and other ingredients to help get you energized for workouts. I only used this for about two weeks before returning it because my body was not reacting well to the product (heart rate was too fast). I never consume any caffeine to begin with (I hate soda, coffee, and energy drinks), so my body was just not used to the shot of energy. I've read some people have the same reaction. The main point in using a pre-workout supplement is to help you work out to your max to get better/faster results. Again, people have had great success with using these supplements, but I do not see the need for it.


7) Multivitamin: To make sure you get all your vitamins it's good to invest in a generic multivitamin. However, with Shakeology I do not need to take it anymore.