Supplement Basics- What You Need to Know

However, there are a few important things you need to consider and understand when it comes to buying and using the right supplements for the job at hand. You see, consumers now spend billions of dollars annually on dietary supplements – many times without any assurance of purity or results. That’s why I want to show you how to navigate through the crazy sports supplement maze so you can get the results you are after.

For starters, the single most important factor to consider is nutrition and diet. While all highly competitive athletes want to perform at the highest levels possible, it becomes nearly impossible to do so if the very basics of diet and nutrition are not in order.

Moreover, if you take nothing else away from this article, then please let it be this fact: No legal supplement (regardless of what the ads or marketing copy may promise) will work for you unless you eat correctly first! Furthermore, if you’re going to ask your body to go above and beyond, then you must give it everything it needs to get the job done.

In this case, many simply find it too hard to consume enough calories to fuel their body. Therefore, they will turn to supplements, such as weight gain or protein powders to fill in the gaps. Even so, I’m simply going to suggest that there is actually another core supplement every athlete should use: a basic vitamin and mineral formula. It’s a very inexpensive way to insure your body has everything it needs to properly perform its basic functions at the cellular level.

I certainly understand that vitamin and mineral supplements are not very exciting (especially compared to all those fancy products you see in those bright, flashy ads featuring pro athletes and bodybuilders). But they really are more important than just almost anything else you could use for greater strength and performance. Even the very best of diets is very likely to lack in one or more of these vital nutrient, so why risk it?

The second factor to consider actually has nothing to do with diet. But it is very vital to obtaining spectacular results: your current training program. You need to assess your current training program, and gauge if it’s the best it can be to help you achieve your overall goals.

Here’s why. I cannot tell you how many athletes I’ve spoken with, at all levels of experience, who are either grossly over training, under training, or simply following the wrong program to achieve their goals. This is important to understand because all too many times athletes will blame their diet, supplements, or even their coach for less than desirable results.

However, sometimes all it takes is a little rest and a new training protocol, and the gains come back in an almost “magical” fashion. If you are not sure how to assess your current program, please feel free to contact one of our All American EFX athletes listed under the “Training Table” section of SportsiPlay.com for help.

Some find it quite shocking when I actually tell them NOT to buy products from my company once I ask them about their current training and diet. That is, unless they are willing to change a few things first. I know they will ultimately be disappointed because, as I previously mentioned, no supplement can make up for inadequate training or diet. Period.

Overall, I hope you will not dismiss my advice regarding these two factors as too “simplistic”. Rather, understand that all my personal experience in the supplement industry has taught me well. And I want nothing more than to share it with you to help save you from years of frustration… not to mention a ton of money! In the end, the formula for athletic success is quite simple. The combination of a good diet, plus good training, and safe, effective supplements is hard to beat!