Supplements 101



Supplement stores can be very overwhelming! There are so many options to chose from,
I suggest reading reviews on sites like Bodybuilding.com and know what you want before you buy anything.
Sales people at a store will often try to push certain items.... like the ones they make the most profit from!

Ah, the billion dollar industry of supplements…. With most of those dollars coming from false claims from weight loss pills claiming you can eat whatever you want, sit on your ass and still lose weight! I would like to preface this blog with a disclaimer: SUPPLEMENTS IN NO WAY REPLACE HARD WORK AND A GOOD DIET!!! Supplements should be used only as an aid for hard exercise and clean eating. Nothing will ever make you lose weight without making you pay for it in one way or another. Nothing! I'm going to break down what I take, what I have taken, what supps are good for various goals and what I would like to possibly try in the future.

What I take daily for exercise:

A fat burner (Oxy Elite Pro) = I take a fat burner before my workout in order to give me more energy in the gym. I don’t take it on days I don’t go to the gym and even cut them in half in order to make them less potent. All I want to have is just a little extra push. Personally, if my fat burner is too strong, I have to take more breaks at the gym in order to catch my breath because my heart will be racing! I don’t want that. I want to burn as many calories as possible by working hard as possible! Not from an artificial source. Also, if I take it every day, my body will build up a tolerance. By skipping days of taking a fat burner, I am able to keep it working more effectively on my workout days. Every fat burner works differently, so what I would suggest is to go to various health/supplement stores and ask for samples. Everyone’s body is different and what works for me may not work for you. Plus these aren’t cheap! The last thing you want is to waste your money on something that may not work for you!

Amino acids/glutamine (Scivation Xtend)= I drink this during my workouts. It keeps my muscles from burning and fatiguing. This muscle burn is caused from lactic acid build up during exercise. My intra-workout prevents this from happening and allows me to lift MUCH heavier than I can without it! I swear by this stuff!!!! If I ever have to exercise without it, my work out is much harder and I feel like a wuss! There are lots of other amino and glutamine supplements. Glutamine is a staple for me. It’s in my Xtend and also in my protein. It helps with muscle recovery and I am very rarely ever sore after my workouts… even the really heavy ones! It works miracles. As far as the other amino acids, they are the building blocks of protein. Protein builds muscle. Therefore, amino acids are very important in muscle growth and are often included in most post workout drinks and proteins.

Protein (powder and bars)= For protein powder, I take Dymatize ISO-100 and for protein bars, I like Power Crunch bars. My ISO-100 is a whey isolate protein. What this means is that it is a fast acting protein. I drink one scoop immediately after my workout and the protein will be quickly absorbed into my muscles. There are lots of other proteins, such as regular whey protein, casein protein and soy protein just to name a few. Casein protein is a slower acting protein and is best taken at night in order to do a slow feed to muscles during sleep. I don’t drink a casein protein as this form of protein is also found in cottage cheese and I simply will eat that as a bedtime snack instead. Soy protein is an alternative to people who are vegetarians, vegans or who have a whey allergy. My ISO-100 is kind of expensive, but it taste DELICIOUS!!! I can cook with it, put it in my oats, and it’s so tasty I can just mix it with water and drink it. I usually drink 1-2 scoops a day, even on days I don’t work out. (Your rest days are the days your muscles are growing so protein and a healthy diet is just as important on days you don’t exercise!!!) Also it’s only around 100 calories per scoop. Many proteins are for men trying to put on size so make sure your protein supplement stays around 100-150 cals per scoop. You can also find samples for protein at most supplement stores. The best time to drink a protein shake is immediately after weight training (or with in 45 minutes at the very longest!)And if I have a rest day, I drink it in between meals as a snack.

As far as protein bars, I try not to eat them very often. They are generally high in something! Whether that be fat, calories, carbs, sugar, you name it. The ones I like, Power Crunch, only have 10g Carbs and 5g sugar. However, I prefer to get my protein from my food so I only eat about 3 of these within a week. The great thing about bars is they are an easy on the go snack! I generally always have a bar in my car or purse just in case I get stuck away from home I won’t be tempted to eat fast food. (I always travel with food… just ask my friends!)



My pre, during, and post workout supps.

What I take daily for general health benefits:

Multi-vitamin= Of course this should be a staple for any woman! Women should definitely take a vitamin that’s made for women as it will have more iron and calcium than a generic multi and will be more catered to the needs of the female body.

Calcium= I take an extra calcium supplement to help increase bone density, in addition to my multi-vitamin. Often times, younger women in their teens, 20’s and 30’s don’t think about taking vitamins and supplements because they consider themselves healthy and don’t need it yet. But the truth is that this is when your body needs vitamins the most! This is the time when your body is building up its density and the stronger your bones are now the less decay and osteoporosis you will have when you’re older. (As a side note, this is also a reason I so strongly encourage weight training for women! Lifting weights increases bone density also. Weak bones are the most common reasons for falls, breaks and injuries in the elderly.)

Glucosamine/Chondroitin= This is a supplement that lubricates the joints. I have a bad knee and cracky joints, so I take this twice a day to help with inflammation and flexibility. If I don’t take this for even 2 days, my knees ache and I am not able to lift heavy weights on my leg days.

Magnesium Citrate= A common issue for people who are weight trainers or that have a high protein diet is regularity. I’ve tried fiber supplements in the past, but this led to a bloated feeling. This mineral increases the amount of water into the small intestines and helps with the issue of staying regular without having to use foreign substances or laxatives.

Cranberry, Allergy meds, etc= In addition to all these vitamins I take allergy medicine, (a staple living in Oklahoma!) cranberry concentrate (for urinary tract health) and Aleve on the occasions that by knee is inflamed more than usual. I will usually take it the night before or morning of a heavy leg day in order to reduce any pain or swelling.

Of course, always try to get your nutrition from your food first!
But unless you eat perfect every single day, then supplements are a big help
to get all your nutrition needs.

What I have taken before:

Fish oil and CLA = These two oils are made from animal fats. Fish oil is from fish and CLA is from beef. CLA stands for conjugated linoleic acid. They are made up of Omega fatty acids 3, 6, and 9 as well as DHA and EPA. These supps have lots of awesome health benefits! From brain health, heart health, decreased inflammation in the body and even decreased body fat! Most American diets don’t get enough of these healthy fats so these are an excellent alternative to get all your healthy fats! I usually do take at least one of these supps, I’m just out right now and haven’t bought any in a while, but at least one of these are pretty much a staple in most healthy people’s medicine cabinet

Fiber= Like I mentioned above, fiber supps make me bloat so I’m not a huge fan. Plus I eat a lot of oats, wheat breads and flax/bran breads. I get a lot of fiber so the extra fiber didn’t sit well with me.  But some people love it! It can come in a drink, pill, or chewable form.

Appetite Suppressants= I don’t encourage taking appetite suppressants! However, I have tried them because I used to work in a GNC so I have pretty much tried everything! The reason I don’t like these for the general public, is because, like I mentioned above, many people want a quick fix. If I had a client ask me about pills like this, I would tell them to avoid them and instead drink more water, eat more veggies and fill your stomach the healthy way! Weight loss isn’t about starvation; it’s about making healthy food options. By going long periods without food you will only be slowing your metabolism and if  you stop taking the pill your appetite may spike!

Fat/Carb blockers= Again, these kinds of pills are not something I would encourage, but they are something I’ve tried. I personally never really noticed a difference, but some people do. Regardless, unless you stay on a fat or carb blocker forever, it may affect how your body absorbs food later on down the road. Your body needs carbs and fat for energy!!!! These are your body’s 2 main energy sources in fact. You can eat foods with carbs and fat… as long as you’re willing to do the work to burn it off later.

Nitric Oxide (or N.O)= These supplements are derived from amino acids. They increase the oxygen and blood flow to the muscles during exercise. These supps are often known for creating a “pump” during exercise. Ya know, how you look all super shredded and ripped in the gym, and then look like a normal human by the time you drive home :-/ N.O is VERY effective and is in most pre-workout supps and drinks. I have taken it in the past and love it! However, when you mix N.O. supps with Glutamine, the two almost counteract with one another, making them less effective. So when given the choice between Nitric Oxide and my Scivation Xtend, I choose the Xtend!  

Creatine= Creatine is a staple for most lifters and strength trainers! It is made up of amino acids. Personally, I have tried several and I love the effects of creatine, but I have never found one that doesn’t make me feel bloated. Creatine Monohydrate is the biggest culprit for the creatine bloat, but several new forms of creatine have been used in the last few years including creatine ethyl ester and krealkalyn, just to name a few. Creatine makes muscles look fuller from added water (muscles are made of water, after all) and also allows for more strength during lifts and longer endurance. Most lifters swear by creatine, and it is one of the top selling supps.

Pre-workout= Again, these are often found in sample sizes for customers to try before buying. Most pre-workout supps are some combination of caffeine, creatine, N.O., aminos, etc. A pre-workout can be very effective and help increase energy and strength in the gym. I don’t take one as I prefer to take a fat burner as my pre-workout. Never take both a pre-workout AND a fat burner! Choose only one and make sure to try any kind of new stimulant in very small doses until you see how your tolerance is. Every person’s body is different. There have even been some supps that work better for men than women and vice versa. Always be careful and I always try a sample of anything before I buy it.



I portion my vitamins once a week.
 I keep my nighttime one on my nightstand and my daytime ones in the kitchen,
 that way I won't forget!

What I would like to try:

L-Carnatine= This is an amino acid. It helps with fat loss and bone density. It can also serve as an antioxidant and can help with over all immunity health!

Chromium  Picolinate= Again, this also aids in fat loss. In fact, many fat burners include chromium and L-Carnatine. Chromium can also serve as an appetite suppressant and metabolism booster.

Flax seed= This is another form of Omega 2 and contains ALA pr alpha-linoleic acid, another healthy fatty acid. It’s also a grain so it contains fiber and its an antioxidant. Basically it’s the perfect food! Problem is it doesn’t taste great. It comes in seed form or oil form. If anyone has a way to eat flax seed or flax seed oil please let me know! I’ve tried several ways and haven’t found anything edible just yet…..

Green mixes= You can never eat enough greens and veggies! I know that is one goal I have always struggled with! I would love to take an extra green supp in addition to my daily veggies. These often are packed with vitamins, antioxidants and even fiber.

Now as a foot note, I would like to add that even though you can ask for a sample in a store, in my opinion the best place to buy supps is online. You can find much better prices and specials on sites like Bodybuilding.com and TFSupplements.com.

I am now booking appointments for nutrition counseling, food prep classes and personal training so contact me on FB at House of Glutes or at HouseofGlutes@outlook.com!