Bodybuilding Supplements: Don't Over-consume Muscle Building Supplements
Introduction
Bodybuilders today seem to have the mindset that if something is good for you, then taking twice as much is twice as good. This may likely stem from their thought that more training results in more muscle. This especially seems to be the case with protein and amino acid supplements. The strength trainer may think that the more protein he eats or amino acid supplements he takes, the more muscle will result. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Trust the Body Not the Media
The body is designed in such a way as to extract from the food what it needs and to eliminate, or store the rest. If you eat more protein than your body needs, it will likely turn into fat. If you take too many supplements, it could likely be toxic to your body.
There are many reasons why an abundance of proteins and amino acid supplements are popular in strength training and muscle building today. In the 1960s and ’70s, muscle magazines hyped up protein as a miracle food. Misinformation is the reason why a lot of bodybuilders today follow a high protein diet. It was popularized by Rocky Balboa (remember his raw egg milkshake?) and pushed by advertisements. Overloading on amino acid supplements with the thought that “more is better,” has been debunked by sports nutrition research. It is true, that strength trainers need more protein than others, but they need less protein than you probably think.
Conclusion
Many strength trainers take a variety of supplements, made up of both essential and nonessential nutrients. True, people are failing to get the nutrients that they need in their diet and so they should take supplements. However, many strength trainers are overdoing it. Do they really need to take all those amino acids and all those nonessential minerals and testosterone boosters in order to see the results that they need? It is very possible that these supplements help, but the body doesn’t need to be overloaded with the nutrients it doesn’t need.
This post is part of the series: Eating Principles for Strength Training
You need to learn to eat right if you are going to effectively maximize your strength training efforts. There are many misconceptions about what to eat and what not to eat in order to maximize strength gains. You’ll be surprised to find out that the general convention is generally wrong!
