SUPPLEMENT

GUIDE

BY MATT BEUKELMAN

SUPPLEMENT GUIDE

One of the first questions I get asked about when someone is new to the gym is

“What supplements should I be taking?”

I would consider this putting the cart before the horse.

You need to start with addressing more important things before diving into

supplements.

Start with prioritizing high quality sleep. Start with adjusting your eating habits.

Start with consistently exercising. Start with finding appropriate ways to manage

your stress. THEN you will start to see how supplements will benefit you.

We need to start by setting up a nutrition program that aligns with your personal

goals and also set up an exercise program that progresses you towards your

goals. Only after those steps have been taken would it be a good time to start

focusing on the supplement game.

Don’t get me wrong, supplements can be great! They can be a great way to ensure

you aren’t deficient in different nutrients and can certainly improve performance,

cognitive function, and overall health outcomes--but if you focus on them without

addressing the other major factors of health, you are missing 95% of the game.

SUPPLEMENT SCAMS

There are several ways that supplement companies try to save money by cheating

their customers out of an honest label. The three biggest offenders of supplement

transparency, in my opinion, would be proprietary blends, protein spiking and

under dosing.

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PROPRIETARY BLENDS

When taking supplements, as a consumer, we want to know what ingredients we

are taking and in what doses we are taking them. One way a supplement company

can hide the dosing of ingredients in their product is to create what is called a

proprietary blend. This blend is a group of ingredients that may disclose all of the

ingredients, but not the exact amount of each. See the example below:

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This is just a marketing ploy to try and sell their product. Marketing evidence-based

supplements isn’t exactly sexy or inexpensive, but you know what is? The proprietary

blend with a super fancy name seen above.

These blends may have an effective ingredient in there, but the blend is usually filled with

a bunch of cheap and ineffective ingredients to make production of the product cheaper.

Keep it simple and look for a transparent label that lists all of their ingredients and

their dosing, such as the one in Figure 1.

PROTEIN SPIKING

Protein spiking (also called “Nitrogen Spiking” or “Amino Spiking”) is basically a

way that supplement companies can mislead the consumer and allows supplement

companies to put in less protein than what's listed on the label without actually

getting caught. Basically, this test is used because protein is made up of amino

acids so they read the level of amino acids in the product. This method works well

until a supplement company decides to pump extra amino acids that are

inexpensive into the product, which gives the product an inflated and inaccurate

protein reading. This results in the label claiming the product contains a higher

amount of protein than it actually contains. The following is an example of what a

label with protein spiking looks like:

Many of the ingredients that artificially boost the protein content of a protein

supplement can be found in “Other Ingredients” and generally end in the suffix

“-ine”(Valine, Leucine, Isoleucine, Glycine, etc).

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Here is an example of a protein supplement that is not spiked:

This above label is straightforward and only has a few ingredients: Protein source

(Whey Protein Concentrate), flavoring (Natural and Artificial Flavoring), a mixing

agent (soy lecithin), and a sweetener (sucralose). This would be a great option for

a high percentage protein that is not spiked.

UNDER DOSING

Under-dosing is really simple. If an ingredient is proven to be effective at a certain

dose, a supplement company will put a lower dose of that ingredient in the product

and then market the benefits of the effective ingredient on the label. Here is a

quick example of underdosing: L-Citrulline has been shown to enhance sports

performance at 6000-8000 mg. A popular supplement company puts 1 gram of

L-Citrulline in their product but on the label they will advertise the performance

boosting benefits of L-Citrulline in their product. The under-dosed product will not

yield the results it advertises.

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THE BASICS

There are a few supplements that most individuals could benefit from

supplementing with, which I will list below. None of these supplements are

essential, but they can make accomplishing some of your nutrition goals easier.

PROTEIN POWDERS

Goal Dependant, 1.2 - 2.7 grams/kg of bodyweight

I would consider protein powder to be more of a performance food, rather than

classifying it as a supplement. Since the majority of the population considers it a

supplement, I threw it into this guide. A protein powder can be beneficial for

helping everyone from an athlete to the general population hit their protein goals.

Not only is protein powder fast and convenient, but it is actually an affordable

option for boosting your protein intake. Protein has several functions in the body

including improving muscle repair, immune function, healthy hair/skin, and weight

loss (by improving satiety at a meal).

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WHEY PROTEIN

Whey protein is a fast digesting protein that outperforms pretty much all protein

powders when it comes to muscle repair and getting a lot of “bang for your buck”.

Being that Whey Protein is a fast digesting protein, it may not fill you up as long,

which would be a potential downside to the protein.

CASEIN PROTEIN

Casein Protein is a slow-digesting protein, which could actually leave you feeling

fuller for longer if you use this supplement. Casein is not as effective as Whey

Protein when it comes to muscle repair, but as I stated earlier, it can leave you

feeling fuller for longer.

Both types of proteins have strengths and weaknesses, but both are excellent

options when you consider trying to hit your total protein intake for a given day.

Both Whey and Casein are excellent on-the-go options if you need something

quick and don’t have time to prepare a meal. Generally, protein powders give you

loads of protein without adding extra calories from carbohydrates and fat.

OMEGA 3 FISH OIL

Goal Dependant, 300-1800 mg/day

Omega 3 Fatty Acids have essential

nutrients that are important to

preventing heart attack and stroke.

This supplement has cardiovascular

benefits, reduces inflammation, may

increase strength and size gains, and may improve fat loss.

Omega 3 Fatty Acids can be found in oily fish, so the dose recommended for

each person would need to be individualized based on their goals and current fish

intake.

Visit HERE for more dosing information:

https://examine.com/supplements/fish-oil/

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VITAMIN D3

Needs are individual, 2500 - 4000 IU/day

Vitamin D has a host of different benefits in

the body including improving the immune

system, improving bone health, reducing

depressive symptoms, and it potentially

improves strength and fat loss. Deficiency

in vitamin D is also associated with the

development of cardiovascular disease,

cancer, and autoimmune disorders. Even with all of the benefits of Vitamin D, more

than 50% of the population is deficient in it!

The best way to determine your Vitamin D levels is to get a blood test and supplement

accordingly. Vitamin D is also absorbed better when it is taken with a fat source.

Visit HERE for more Vitamin D information:

https://examine.com/supplements/vitamin-d/

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PERFORMANCE BASED SUPPLEMENTS

CAFFEINE

Ergogenic Benefits: 2-6 mg/kg of bodyweight

Caffeine is a naturally occurring stimulant that is available in several different

formats (chocolate, tea, coffee, energy drinks, tablets, powder). This supplement

has a host of benefits including reduced reaction time, increased alertness,

improved decision making, increased force/strength, improved muscular

endurance, and it can reduce the perceived difficulty of exercise. Caffeine can also

be a natural appetite suppressant and can give a mild boost to your metabolism.

Caffeine is a mild diuretic and individuals can develop a tolerance to caffeine and

dependence of caffeine is also a real risk. Supplementing with caffeine 60 minutes

before important lifting sessions or competitions can prove to be quite beneficial.

The dose is the poison. If someone consumes 400 mg of caffeine at 9:00 pm at

night, they are likely to struggle with sleep, which could cause the individual to

supplement with more caffeine the next day to improve alertness and keep them

awake. If you choose to supplement with caffeine, try to take an intentional

approach. If weightloss is the goal, consuming coffee in the morning to suppress

your appetite might be a great idea, which can reduce the total number of calories

you consume in a given day, which can result in weight loss. If improved

performance is your goal, supplementing with 100-300 mg of caffeine can boost

your performance. Start on the lower end of dosing to help determine your

sensitivity to the supplement.

Since you can develop a tolerance to caffeine, many individuals raise their caffeine

intake over time to achieve the same results as the first time they took the

supplement. For this reason, it can be beneficial to take a full week off of caffeine,

which can resensitize you to the supplement again so you do not have to take

such high doses of caffeine.

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Here is a quick chart put together by Joseph Agu that gives a visual as to how

much caffeine is in popular caffeinated drinks. Each drink will show you on the

packaging how much caffeine the drink contains, so make sure you read your

labels carefully. Some Rockstar energy drinks have 160 mg of caffeine, and other

Rockstar energy drinks have up to 300 mg.

Remember, if some is good, more is not always better.

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CREATINE MONOHYDRATE

3-5 grams, everyday

Creatine Monohydrate may be the most well researched supplement of all time.

Not only is it safe and super affordable, but it has a massive host of benefits.

Those benefits include increased muscular endurance, improved cognitive

function, improved high-intensity exercise performance, and much more!

Creatine is in some of your everyday foods including red meat and fish, but the

dose that you obtain from those sources is so low that the consumer will not be

able to maximize the potential benefit of higher doses of creatine. By

supplementing with creatine monohydrate every day, individuals can receive all of

the benefits of creatine.

Creatine basically increases the ability of your body to work at high intensities

(sprinting, first reps of a squat, jumping, etc). Since creatine monohydrate is so

affordable, many companies have released “newer and better” creatine forms

which claim to be “the most effective kind on the planet” in an effort to mark up

their supplement and make more money. Keeping things simple, creatine

monohydrate is the form that is most studied, is the safest, and has been proven to

be the most effective form of creatine on the market. If you use creatine, creatine

monohydrate would be a good choice.

To maximize the benefits of creatine, it is best to supplement with creatine every

day. The best time to take creatine would be after a workout with a carbohydrate

source, but supplement timing is secondary to ensuring you are taking it every day.

Taking 3-5 grams per day, as everyday will maximize the benefit you can receive

from taking creatine.

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OTHER SUPPLEMENTS

There is a whole world of supplements out there, and you need none of them to

succeed.

An absolutely awesome resource I encourage you to use when you have

questions is examine.com. This website shows and summarizes the best available

research on each supplement ingredient.

Eat a nutrient dense diet.

Sleep 7-8 hours a night.

Engage in physical activity.

Hydrate well.

Manage your stress.

Bless up!

Matt Beukelman

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any form without prior written permission from Matthew Beukelman.

The information contained in this document is solely for general education

purposes only. The information has been based on evidence based principles,

my educational background and practical experience with clients over the past 10+

years. The products and information on my website, www.rapidfitnessonline.com

has not been evaluated by the United States Food and Drug Administration, or

any other government authority. Dell Rapids Gym LLC, dba Rapid Fitness is not

a physician and the information and products provided are not medical advice

and should not replace medical advice.