Testing Supplements - Find Out What Works For You!

I am a firm believer that when it comes to training, diet and supplements that everyone is different. What works for your friends, professional bodybuilders or athletes might not necessarily work for you. This is especially true when it comes to some supplements. I get emails all the time asking me what supplements I use, and asking for advice on what supplements to take.

There are some “staples” that I recommend to everyone. Whey protein, creatine, glutamine and dextrose. In my opinion anyone who’s serious about getting bigger and stronger should be using these. But there are loads of other products on the market…nitric oxide, creatine ethyl ester, testosterone boosters, amino acids, fat burners etc. So how do you know if these will work for you? You test.

Testing supplements

Over the years I have tried loads of different supplements. Some did nothing, others I still take today. Take casein protein for example. When I tested out taking casein protein, my weight gains went up by around 15% more than when I was taking whey. I only took it once per day (before bed) over 10 weeks. This was an extremely positive test, and I’ve been using it for 2 years now.

So what is the best way to test supplements? First, you need to set up a good testing environment. This means you don’t make any drastic changes to your diet, workout or other supplementation during the test period. You want to make sure that any good/bad effects are a direct result of the supplement you’re testing.

Second, you should only test one supplement at a time. Too many people start taking 5 different supplements at once, start getting good gains, then continue with the same supplementation cycle when in reality one or more of the supplements may not be doing much at all.

Third, some supplements take a while to work while others may lose their effects. For this reason you need to allow a good time period for testing. Generally, in my opinion 8-12 weeks is sufficient for testing.

Take home lessons:

• Everyone is different
• Don’t be afraid to test products, you never know what might work for you
• Test one supplement at a time
• Create a sound test environment
• Give yourself 8-12 weeks to effectively measure results