JadeStar Posted September 23, 2005 Share Posted September 23, 2005 I was wondering is it ok to take alot of supplements and not be consistant on working out? My husband takes about 12 different supplements and drinks the protein shakes etc. Not that theres anything wrong with the protein shakes but I have heard that taking a lot of supplements and drinking protein shakes and NOT working out on a consistant basis is really just a waste. Hes a member of a bodybuilding forum and he made a post about how he goes to the gym 4 days a week. Which is a lie, he goes about 2 times a month, to me thats not consistant.Not sure why he would even tell them that when he doesn't go 4 times a week. Anyway is it ok to take those supplements or are they a waste of time/money if hes not gonna work out to go along with it? Jade Link to post Share on other sites
tanbark813 Posted September 23, 2005 Share Posted September 23, 2005 If he's not working out then the supplements are a complete waste of money. (And many of them are a complete waste of money even if you ARE working out. ) Link to post Share on other sites
Horse Posted September 23, 2005 Share Posted September 23, 2005 Even if you are working out regularly, they are usually a waste of money. But if that helps keep him motivated to go at least a couple times a month, and you can afford them, then what is the harm? If he wasn't taking this stuff, he might not go at all. He probably plans on going 4X a week, but doesn't make it for whatever reason. Is money that tight, or are you just looking for something to nag him about? Link to post Share on other sites
Author JadeStar Posted September 23, 2005 Author Share Posted September 23, 2005 Hi Tanbark, yeah thats what I was thinking. He pays 115 dollars for a 6 month membership to a gym that he hardley ever goes too, and then some of those supplements and protein powders are not cheap as well. So thats what I was thinking that it was probably a waste if he wasn't going to be consistant with it. Horse, nagging him? LOL It was a simple question that Tanbark answered, its not about "nagging him" personally if he wants to waste money on all of without being consistant then thats on him, like I said it was a a question like any other post on here. Jade Link to post Share on other sites
Horse Posted September 23, 2005 Share Posted September 23, 2005 Horse, nagging him? LOL It was a simple question that Tanbark answered, its not about "nagging him" personally if he wants to waste money on all of without being consistant then thats on him, like I said it was a a question like any other post on here. Jade That's cool. I was just trying to figure out why it would matter, if you weren't going to give him a hard time about wasting money and not working out. Curiosity is a good enough reason. Link to post Share on other sites
HotCaliGirl Posted September 24, 2005 Share Posted September 24, 2005 Horse, that's funny you think she wants to nag him! lol Anyways, I think taking 12 supplements takes a heavy toll out of the liver to break down all the different elements in those supplements, doesn't sound healthy to do even if he does exercise. Also, there's no way he's going to get the same or even nearly the same results as exercising by only taking supplements!!! That is absurd... it doesn't increase the heart rate, build muscle, burn fat and a lot of other benefits exercise does, not remotely close so he should cut down on the supplements and supllement that with more exercise, at least weekly to start out, then at least 2-3 times a week until he gets used to building up on it... Link to post Share on other sites
SuperMonk Posted September 29, 2005 Share Posted September 29, 2005 I was wondering is it ok to take alot of supplements and not be consistant on working out? My husband takes about 12 different supplements and drinks the protein shakes etc. Not that theres anything wrong with the protein shakes but I have heard that taking a lot of supplements and drinking protein shakes and NOT working out on a consistant basis is really just a waste. Hes a member of a bodybuilding forum and he made a post about how he goes to the gym 4 days a week. Which is a lie, he goes about 2 times a month, to me thats not consistant.Not sure why he would even tell them that when he doesn't go 4 times a week. Anyway is it ok to take those supplements or are they a waste of time/money if hes not gonna work out to go along with it? Jade Not only is he wasting time/money - he's probably gaining weight from gulping down all those protein shakes when the body doesn't need it. Link to post Share on other sites
lilmoma1973 Posted October 4, 2005 Share Posted October 4, 2005 Hey Jadestar, I would have to say taking all those supplements have to be like a quick fix .. I would say that he shouldn't be taking all those supplements because some of them can cause some intestinal problems and can be bad upset stomach.. Protein shakes can put on weight if you aren't working out to supplement all the protein he is ingesting .. Link to post Share on other sites
alphamale Posted October 4, 2005 Share Posted October 4, 2005 Anyway is it ok to take those supplements or are they a waste of time/money if hes not gonna work out to go along with it? The whole "supplements" industry is a billion dollar scam on the american public. People are buying $40 bottles of pill that do absolutely nothing for them in any way whatsoever. Its a total farce. If you eat a healthy and normal diet you get all the vitamins and minerals your body needs. Any extra vitamins and minerals are passed out your system. No one needs 600% of the daily dose of vitamin C or Zinc or whatever. Your body won't use the extra it just gets rid of it. By the way, most Americans are already eating waaay too much and are already above the limits of what their body needs in vitamins and minerals so thaking "supplements" is a waste of time. Link to post Share on other sites
Author JadeStar Posted October 4, 2005 Author Share Posted October 4, 2005 The whole "supplements" industry is a billion dollar scam on the american public. People are buying $40 bottles of pill that do absolutely nothing for them in any way whatsoever. Its a total farce. If you eat a healthy and normal diet you get all the vitamins and minerals your body needs. Any extra vitamins and minerals are passed out your system. No one needs 600% of the daily dose of vitamin C or Zinc or whatever. Your body won't use the extra it just gets rid of it. By the way, most Americans are already eating waaay too much and are already above the limits of what their body needs in vitamins and minerals so thaking "supplements" is a waste of time. Yeah I agree. I think if people could just stick to maybe watching some of the things they eat and workout/exercise on a regular basis then that should be enough. Hes a member of a body building site and you wouldn't believe the people that are body builders that really push different kinds of supplements, protein shakes etc. I think sometimes its all in the head, meaning people will try to convince others that these products work and then they try them and think, "hey this really works", when infact it probably doesn't. Jade Link to post Share on other sites
Blackfrost Posted October 5, 2005 Share Posted October 5, 2005 This kind of goes in depth, so unless your interested in this kind of stuff, it may seem a bit boring hahaha The only suppliments I have ever taken, were ones that I tested on myself, to verify as to whether or not they made any difference for me. 99.9% percent of suppliments out there are pure snakeoil - any doctor or athelete will tell you so. Of course, I would not continue to take two of these listed below, if I wasn't in the gym 6 days a week busting my butt to achieve a personal physical goal. The first one that is a must, and I will never stop taking, is a good multivitamin. Anyone working out intensly is using alot more trace elements in their bodies, and these need to be replenished, or you begin to feel the fatigue that comes from vitamin deficiency. The second is an omega 3 fatty acid pill that I take on weeks where i don't eat much salmon - which is a great source of this. The medical community absolutely reccomends this for anyone. The third is whey protein powder. Since I have to eat six times a day to keep my metabolism at it's peak with my hardcore workout routine, this is one of the ideal ways for me to make sure I get closer to the 160 grams of protein I need per day, without all the hassel that comes with needing to cook constantly to get that amount of protein from lean meat like beef and chicken. I drink two protein shakes per day - one for breakfast and one for my 3pm snack. The other four meals are from standard food, as carbohydrates are equally as important to building your body - the last thing you want to do is become catabolic during aerobic workout days, and start burning off the muscle that you've worked so hard to build. I have become catabolic a couple times - which you can generally notice, because after an intense cardio session, your sweaty clothes smell faintly of amonia. What is happening at that point, is that your body does not have enough carbohydrates to fuel the intensity of your workout anymore, and hence begins burning protein to fuel itself - i.e. it's starting to eat your muscles. There's much more science behind what is happening in this process, but since this is primarily not a fitness board, I'll spare the additional details. The fourth one is creatine, which is a naturally occuring substance in skeletal muscles, but depleats in supplies as you age. Some people can use creatine, some people can't as it does sometimes cause bloating from water retention in some users. Creatine does not build any muscle, what it does do is give your muscles an additional amount of recovery from heavy weight lifting, and allows you to lift just a bit more than without it's use. Most athelets take this subtance, as well as many of our olympic athletes. If you ever consider taking it, I would talk to your doctor first, just to make sure you are in good health. Many people abuse this substance and take far too much, or don't drink enough water (i drink a mandatory gallon of water per day) and suffer some of the side effects that come from abusing it. It does make a noticable difference when I am taking it, but I only cycle it for about 3 months on, one month off, so I can determine how much extra water weight my body is holding when I'm not on it. Again, the science behind why or if you really need to take this, can be found more in depth on the web, or more importantly from your doctor. That's it. Everything else out there is questionable, and i'm sure if there are some super fitness nuts here, they may argue for NO2 suplliments, but my doctor claims there is no hard science supporting benefits from using them. These items (and a serious dedication to monitoring my caloric intake and exercise program) were all I needed to build a fantastic body in 5 months. Ultimately (for me) it's not about the physical vanity - it's about the mental discipline and satisfaction you get from sticking to a goal and seeing it happen. I get more satisfaction and peace of mind from doing this, then I have felt in years. Workout for "you" not for anyone else Cheers Link to post Share on other sites
Author JadeStar Posted October 5, 2005 Author Share Posted October 5, 2005 Hi blackfost thanks for the reply. Here is a list of things he takes. I have told him maybe once before that I don't see the need in taking all that especailly if his not gonna work out no more than he does. However, i think he keeps taking all those things as like a "quick fix" and the problem is its not gonna do a thing for him really. He used to drink those protein shakes even on the days he didn't work out, now he doesn't do that anymore, just on the days he does. But thats few and far between. Anyway heres the things he takes. Supplements: ZMA.....promotes lean mass,supports hormone production,helps with a restful sleep. Potassium.....heart and circulation Alpha Lipoic Acid.....antioxidant...helps metabolize blood sugar in the body Milk thistle.....Supports healthy liver function L-Arginine....amino acids Lean green tea extract.....burn fat, enhance immune function,(I like green tea and its the only one I can say works pretty good) Grape seed plus....also an antioxidant Fish oil/flax/borage oil.....cardiovascular health...omega acids Salmon oil.....same type of thing as above Proteins powders: 100% whey protein powder(5lb tub) $27.00 Pure Glutamine....fuel for the muscles (10.6 oz) $19.00 Xtend...recovery enhancer....(netwt) 345 grams $20.00 Ultra peptide powder (1.75 lbs)$22.00 Bulk nutrition creatine ethyl ester(HCI 500 grams) (1/4 tps=760 mg) $20.00 He takes other things as well that hes out of right now, anyway just seems like alot to me no more than he works out at the gym. Thanks again. Jade Link to post Share on other sites
alphamale Posted October 5, 2005 Share Posted October 5, 2005 I think sometimes its all in the head, meaning people will try to convince others that these products work and then they try them and think, "hey this really works", when infact it probably doesn't. Numerous medical studies have shown that these supplements are a total waste of money and time but the problem is that they don't do any harm either so the industry continues to flourish with good marketing. Link to post Share on other sites
Blackfrost Posted October 5, 2005 Share Posted October 5, 2005 Fish oil/flax/borage oil.....cardiovascular health...omega acids Salmon oil.....same type of thing as above Why is he taking both of these? he'll get enough of a daily dose of omega acids from taking one of them, the rest will be excreted from the body. Grape seed plus....also an antioxidant Milk thistle.....Supports healthy liver function Lean green tea extract These aren't suppliments for bodybuilding, there more of the "health food store" variety of additional things you could take (but may or may not do anything) along with a multivitamin. ZMA.....promotes lean mass,supports hormone production,helps with a restful sleep. I've heard of this, but have not ever seen a need to take it. If you just workout regularly, monitor your diet and get enough sleep, you're going to build muscle. No legal suppliments give you free muscle or lean mass in powder or pill form. Pure Glutamine, Xtend, and Ultra peptide Again, why take all three of these, they all contain glutamine. How much glutamine does this guy need? haha. If he was seriously working out, then a tub of whey protien and maybe (if he really feels it does something for him) a glutamine suppliment would be all he needs in the muscle department. As for the creatine - it is a widely popular use suppliment by pro atheletes and body builders. You can definitely tell when you are in a cycle of it, because you become noticably bigger from the water retention in your muscles. Ultimately though, when you cycle off it, and the water leaves your body, then you see your true muscle size. Creatine is a recovery suppliment. I can definitely see your concern about the suppliment use, there's alot of money being wasted by husband, especially if he's not working out that frequently. One important thing to note, is the amount of kidney damage he could be causing himself by over ingesting various amounts of this stuff. Creatine and too much amino acidwill damage your kidneys if you do not carefully regulate it and remain continuously hydrated every day. Alot of this stuff is garbage, but to some people, it helps fuel them mentally to push harder in the gym. I personally would like to have a functioning set of kidneys and a liver when I reach old age, so I stay away from everything except whey protein and cycles of creatine which are very carefully monitored on a daily basis. Good luck, and make sure he drinks LOTS of water, otherwise he's going to start seeing some health issues futher down the road from over ingesting too many grams of chemicals that the body doesn't need huge amounts of. Cheers Link to post Share on other sites
SuperMonk Posted October 14, 2005 Share Posted October 14, 2005 The only supplements I take is: 1.Multivitamin 2.Zma - It works 3. Whey - It's not a supplement, more like designer food. - It works but you have to use it at the right time. 4. Flax/Fish oil - It works. Creatine is the biggest farce though, YES you do get an edge..more of a placebo for lifting more and extra performance of 1-2%, which is not much. If you think spending $20 a month just getting 1-2% extra performance, you're like one of those guys that think buying 92 octane gas for a 87 octane 4 cylinder car makes a lot of sense. Free money for the gas people. Link to post Share on other sites
noclobber Posted October 15, 2005 Share Posted October 15, 2005 wow, i always thought that supplements did a world of good for the human body.. i am trying to improve my health and i think u guys can give some solid advice. i am 30 years old and have spoilt my health with very poor eating habits (never eat anything in the morning), drink lots of coffee, and never ever exercised. now here r my questions:- 1) can u recommend a good multivitamin that "really" has a beneficial effect? (is Centrum good?) 2) i can't go to the gym but how about jogging/running. does that help? 3) i am already 30 yrs old. is it too late to start over or is it late? thanks Link to post Share on other sites
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