A basic fact of life of which everybody interested in fitness should be aware of is that the supplement industry is the single largest source of revenues for the fitness industry, surpassing even club membership fees. The second fact that you should keep in mind is that the supplement industry has been totally deregulated since the Bush area. In other words, no claim concerning a supplement needs to be scientifically substantiated. Last but not least, almost all fitness magazine belong to or have a stake in supplement manufacturers and vendors. Add these three pieces of information and it becomes easy to guess what ails the supplement industry.
I do not contend to have tried all major supplement categories. My 20+ years experience has led me to believe though that very few supplements are worth the money you will spend on them over time (potentially hundreds of dollars a year, you do the math).
One could argue that at a competitive level (professional or semi-pro body-builders) some supplements that I will not mention as truly valuable may give a competitor a very slight edge. But competitive body-building is definitely not the object of this blog. So I will only nominate supplements that are obviously effective for most persons concerned with their level of fitness.
Vitamin supplements: If your lifestyle is similar to mine, you may not have the time or motivation to prepare nutritious, varied meals every day. As a result, you may suffer from some moderate vitamin deficiencies. At the top of the list I have to mention vitamin D. Not only has our diet changed dramatically over the last 50 years making it harder for the average westerner to take in enough vitamin D in his/her regular diet but the prevention campaigns against the potential dangers to excessive sun exposure (a very praiseworthy initiative indeed) have involuntarily resulted in a decrease in the production of vitamin D by our own body (though skin exposure to the sun). I would thus recommend taking a daily supplement of vitamin D.
As far as I am concerned I also take a multivitamin supplement once a day, just in case there is something less than optimal in my natural vitamin intake. To be honest, I am not sure I need it, but given the low cost of a multivitamin pill and the apparent absence of risk associated with taking this supplement, I consider it an attractive propostion.
Now for something much more specific to my workout regimen, the only supplement I have ever taken consistently is creatine. The first thing you need to know about it, is that it only may be effective for anaerobic exercise. If your regimen exclusively consists in running or riding a bicycle (which I have strongly advised against in an earlier post), then taking creatine is futile. As far as weight training is concerned, I have noticed over the last 10 years that creatine induces an increase in measurable performance (e.g. number of pounds you can bench) of somewhere between 5 and 10%. In addition, the exercised muscles look bigger (not dramatically though) through increased water retention, a well known effect of creatine in muscles. Given the low cost of creatine today (be sure to buy creatine from reputable vendors because of the additives potentially present in lower quality products) , I consider it has the best value of any supplement I have ever used so far. No need to purchase the latest souped up version of creatine with a fancy-named "patented" ingredient. This is a good example of aggressive marketing aimed at an often gullible fitness crowd. All you really need is good old creatine monohydrate. Are there risks? I cannot give a definite answer to this question. Lots of studies have been made to identify harmful effects in the long run. Results are farily inconclusive. Some have pointed out potential problems for those with kidney or liver conditions. Others have not. To remain on the safe side I would not recommend taking creatine if you have been diagnosed with a renal or liver disease. Other than that, I consider that the benefits outweigh the risks. This is why I have been taking it for the last 10 years.
Cycling in and out of creatine on a regular basis may be a good idea as I have noticed decreased efficiency the longer I took it without interruption. For more on creatine you can read this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creatine
The third supplement I kind of take on a regular basis is much newer in my arsenal. It is Beta alanine. The reason why I know it is effective is because I can literally feel its effect instantaneously while working out (unlike creatine whose effect is more subtle and long-term in nature). Taking beta-alanine makes it possible to elevate the fatigue threshold of muscles, making it possible to squeeze of few more reps out of your workout routine, hence a slight improvement in your performance level after a while. The reason why I would not recommend it as unreservedly as creatine is because it is rather pricey. If money is no issue for you, then you should definitely give it a try also because there are very few if any harmful effects documented as of today.
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