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Have you ever felt like the supplements you use aren't giving you results?
Are you yet to begin your fitness journey and don't know what supplements can help?
Maybe you've tried a few supplement products that left you feeling not-so-good, or worse, feeling bad!
This guide is intended to help you better understand the supplements you are taking.
Not only so you can save time and money by avoiding supplements that aren’t right for your goals, but so you can start benefiting from the supplements and get on the fast track to a better YOU!
The problem is there is no “one-size fits all” formula but we took the time to make sense of some supplement categories and specific products that can help you meet your goals, break through those plateaus and get you the edge you need to start seeing real progress!
(We added an alternate section at the bottom to address conditions such as allergies, caffeine sensitivity, and more.)
The most important thing features for any supplement product are found in you guessed it - The Ingredient Label. Sometimes called the "Supplement Facts" section.
When we refer to "wasting your money" we aren't saying that any of the products you'll find at Built4TheHunt are bad, but some ARE better than others in this regard: Effective Dosing.
Effective doses are based on tons of peer reviewed research over years of supplement industry experience. If a product has less than the effective dose for the intended use, bad news - it might not be enough of what you need!
If a supplement product has an ingredient amount exceeding the effective dose, bad news - you might be paying for ingredient contents that you don't need!
While each supplement brand may have their own well-thought reasoning for choosing ingredients and doses its important to note that there is some subjectivity and nuance involved especially when it comes to intended use and whats best.
Effective dose can serve as a great baseline or standard to refer to when trying to choose product suitable for your goals.
Checkout the table below to EASILY understand what the effective doses are for some common supplement ingredients.
The most important thing features for any supplement product are found in you guessed it - The Ingredient Label. Sometimes called the "Supplement Facts" section.
When we refer to "wasting your money" we aren't saying that any of the products you'll find at Built4TheHunt are bad, but some ARE better than others in this regard: Effective Dosing.
Effective doses are based on tons of peer reviewed research over years of supplement industry experience. If a product has less than the effective dose for the intended use, bad news - it might not be enough of what you need!
If a supplement product has an ingredient amount exceeding the effective dose, bad news - you might be paying for ingredient contents that you don't need!
While each supplement brand may have their own well-thought reasoning for choosing ingredients and doses its important to note that there is some subjectivity and nuance involved especially when it comes to intended use and whats best.
Effective dose can serve as a great baseline or standard to refer to when trying to choose product suitable for your goals.
Checkout any Ingredient below to EASILY understand what the effective doses are for some common supplement ingredients.
Protein powder is the "Go-To" for almost every almost every goal out there.
There are three main types or protein products all made from dairy; WHEY, CASEIN or a BLEND of the two.
We'll get to the blend in a second but first... the most important difference between the two of them is that Whey is fast digesting and Casein is typically a slower more drawn-out digestion process. The other key difference is in the production process where the Casein comes from dairy "curds" while the Whey comes from the primarily liquid "wheys".
It not always simple to choose a product with so many variations and types but here are some main points for you to think about:
Whey Isolate istechnically better than concentrate but it’s mostly better because of mix-ability and digestion factors. (easier to mix and quicker to digest for most). The quality of the protein and long-term benefits end up being basically identical.
If you have a choice between concentrate and isolate, and it’s pretty much the same price and taste, go for the isolate. However, don’t worry if you decide to stick with concentrate— it’s still good protein.
Lastly, there is a more and more compelling research that shows combining a fast digesting Whey Protein with one or more types of slower-digesting Casein Protein is better for muscle growth than just utilizing whey protein only.This would be that third type of protein product we mentioned. The Protein Blend. It might just make the best all-around choice.
Also, dont forget about that clinically effective dose thing we talked about.
Pre-Workout Supplements ARE NOT CREATED EQUALLY! The ingredients and the dose amounts for each ingredient play a significant role in your results. Probably the most important thing to understand about this is "clinically effective dose." that we discussed above.
A great example of this is the amino acid Beta-Alanine. In short, Beta-Alanine serves as a buffer against lactic acid build up in your muscles while training. This means less fatigue and better workouts, which is why it is found in almost every pre-workout available. The kicker is that the Clinically Effective Dose of BA is around 4.8g per day. If you're trying to build more muscle faster, you need to train harder and longer, and getting the right amount of Beta-Alanine will Absolutely help with that. Unfortunately, the majority of the pre-workouts out there will only include 1g of Beta-Alanine per serving. So why would you take a supplement with 1g of Beta-Alanine when your goal is to build muscle faster and effectively? Well, it might be a product suited better for other goals.
This is common with other ingredient doses as well. Many times you will find the doses straying away from the clinically effective dose. The right one for you will depend on tolerance to Caffeine and the additions of a few other ingredients that we list under each product. Grab the one that matches and start crushing it in the gym!
Let's take a look at these 3 anonymous example pre-workouts ingredient profiles to show you how each will line up better for different goals!
What product you should choose from the table above is going to be goal dependent!
If you're looking to boost energy and gain more muscle mass, Pre-workout #1 should probably be your choice. Citrulline renders L-Arginine sort of useless considering it does primary the same thing more effectively. Increased doses of Beta Alanine are very important for performance in the gym.
If your goal is more energy and trimming down, Pre-workout #2 is your better option. Mild on the caffeine, greater amounts of L-Arginine to hit your blood faster, and high levels of Niacin, which will help with breaking down food sources faster and flush the system.
If you want to stay as lean as possible and increase strength and muscle? Pre workout #3 is a better option if you can handle the really high levels of caffeine. It's very similar to #1 but adds in Niacin and other ingredients to help your body break down food and proteins faster (increased metabolic rate).
Creatine has now had over 30,000 peer reviewed studies, all supporting its effectiveness for building muscle and strength faster than those training without it, and the one thing all these studies have in common is that you must take it consistently to see real benefits. Creatine monohydrate is the primary type you want to look for with the most data across all these studies, supporting its effectiveness. Second, most creatine supplements can have a chalky consistency and be difficult to consume. We recommend taking a product that has a Creaclear like technology such as Kaged Creaclear Creatine that dissolves seemlessly in water.
Incorporating creatine in your supplement routine is the most important thing you can do when your goal is building strength and muscle.
Testosterone is no joke… It’s the most important hormone in a man's body, and if you’re over the age of 20, your test levels are already dropping by over 1% each year! Low testosterone levels can make putting on muscle, burning off fat (especially in the abdomen area) difficult and contribute to a lack of sex drive, energy, focus, hair loss, etc. Luckily, there are a number of vitamins and minerals that have been scientifically shown to work with the body to naturally boost testosterone levels in men..
Each of the boosters listed below are clinically dosed with the top ingredients to raise your testosterone levels, increase your energy, libido, and maximize muscle growth from the training you're putting in.
Does you body react poorly to Caffeinated products?
Maybe you've sworn off the most widely available "drug" in the world due to religion, health reasons or other.
No worries. Take a look at these CAFFEINE FREE options below:
Can't Do Dairy? Most Proteins are made from processed cheeses. For those of you who have gut issues with dairy or maybe your lactose-intolerant, we've got options for that too...