Just thought I’d post up an article which I put together today, some may find it helpful, probably more so the guys who have been using supplements for less time than old hands here.
Are you young, wide-eyed and sure you’re the next Jay Cutler? Do you have money to burn? Please read this before you head to your nearest supplement store or to your favourite online stockist – we don’t want you to do you dough!
Unfortunately, for an interest group that takes diet, supplements and training so seriously, many people are still very uninformed when it comes to supplement use and so miss many tricks of the trade, especially when it comes to identifying products as being good value.
A quick read of this should help you identify some key mistakes many newbies (as well as old hands) make each time they purchase supplements.
1) Your Isolate is not an Isolate!
This one is probably the most common response when I am at shows handing out samples of pure proteins. It begins with me asking a punter “So, do you use WPI or WPC mate”?
“WPI”, comes the confident response.
“Ok, no worries, mind me ask what brand you are using”?
In at least 7 out of 10 situations the person responds with 1 of 2 popular U.S branded products which are protein blends.
Now, I don’t have an issue with protein blends, but I do have an issue with blends that are labelled as Isolates (usually in huge colourful text along the front) which results in customers believing they are taking a pure product, much superior to what they actually are.
Whey Protein Isolate is the most pure form of protein, while the reality is that absorption time isn’t a lot different than WPC (WPC is also absorbed very quickly contrary to popular belief) you pay a premium for WPI due to its low lactose, and almost non existent carbs and fats.
Whey Isolates are 90% protein and usually contain around 1% fats and carbs. Per serve, this equates to 0.3g of each, so if your protein product lists the carbohydrates level as 2 – 3g or more per serve (which is 10 times the level of a true isolate), your product will likely have far more WPC in it than WPI, as well as fillers which really don’t need to be there.
If you really want an Isolate, “Whey Protein Isolate” should be the only protein on the ingredient list and you should ensure that carb levels are hovering around the 1% mark and certainly under 2% of total product mass.
If you don’t need low lactose and aren’t too fussed about the slightly higher fats and carbs, save your money and buy WPC. It is great protein and if you get a pure enough product, you will get something, which is nutritionally better than most blends (often with half the carbs), at a much better price.
2) 50g of Protein per serve (just don’t mention the rest)
While a little like point 1, this is another popular bit of labelling which confuses a lot of people. While 50g of protein per serve may sound great, this value (as well as any other value advertised) is completely meaningless unless you know the size of the serve.
In most cases “50g of protein per serve” or any other high number is based on a product serving size of over 200g. If your product contains 50g of protein per serve with 160g being carbohydrates you are likely paying a huge amount of money for your protein.
It only takes a bit of maths to work out the value of a product, and as carbohydrates are available so cheaply, I encourage you to place very little value on carbohydrates being in there, rathwer focussing on the total protein.
In the example I have mentioned the product represents terrible value once you crunch some numbers. 50g of protein per 220g serve = 22.7% protein, multiply this by how many kgs of product is in the bucket (which in this case is 6kg) and then you’ll notice that the product actually contains only 1.36kg (of a protein blend not an isolate!), so this starts to look like terrible value for $130.
While I can appreciate mixing your own bulker isn’t the most convenient thing for many (buying seperate carbs and protein) when you are cutting your costs by as much as 75%, it is something worth considering for a little less convenience.
3) Getting High on Stimulants
Over the last few years Pre Workout products have become all the rage and it is easy to see why. Finally a product where you can almost instantly “feel” a difference, and the benefits in the gym - which include increased strength, focus, and endurance are clearly evident.
Unfortunately, as time has gone on companies seem to now be obsessed with offering products which are “the strongest available”. To achieve the “strongest product”, as defined by dose size, many ingredients are getting left out and you are left with something which is often nothing but a scoop of stimulants. Why is this bad you may ask? The problem with stimulants is that while they do provide temporary benefits, if you are purely relying on a huge boost to your nervous system each time you get set for a workout, over time this can be very draining and have some serious effects.
Ideally, a product should contain a blend of both stimulants (to amp you up for a workout) as well as aminos or other ingredients which assist training performance, nitric oxide levels and so on.
From a manufacturing perspective, it is certainly much cheaper to produce a product with only stimulants, given products like Creatine, Beta Alanine, AAKG, Citrulline Malate, Agmatine Sulphate, Tyrosine, Phenylalanine etc cost plenty, leaving them out (or including them in tiny doses) means the product can be manufactured very cheaply.
If you are taking a pre workout product, be sure to have a look at the ingredients to get an idea of how much of these aminos are included. If you are unsure of what dose is necessary, then remember that Goggle ™ is your friend.
Finally, if you don’t care for these aminos and you are happy with your stim fix I’d seriously consider looking at getting straight DMAA or caffeine in powder form. While a little fussy to measure out, buying you stims in pure form will reduce your pre workout cost to well under 10 cents per serve!
4) Calorie Free Protein (nope, it doesn’t actually exist)
A new phenomenon but one that clearly requires a mention. This trick is commonly used when pitching the advantages of free form amino acid formulations. Free form aminos are touted to be absorbed faster as they don’t require anything like the digestion of a full protein, and therefore perhaps less wastage occurs (this is yet to be proven), while those advantages are debatable, one fact definitely isn’t.
Whether they are EAA blends, BCAA’s, Glutamine, Tyrosine or any other blend of free form aminos there is an interesting loop hole which exists in U.S labelling laws (and thankfully not here). It appears in the U.S, that if a protein is considered ‘incomplete’ (which free form aminos are), then they do not have to be assigned a caloric value.
Confused?
I know I am! If we consider that any protein which contains anything less than a full spectrum of aminos would be considered incomplete (eg soy, rice and pea proteins) then it gets even harder to understand – as I am yet to see these advertised as calorie free.......
The truth is that any amino acid will provide the body with 4 calories per gram (17kj of energy), it doesn’t matter if it is in free form or part of an animal or vegetable protein, the values are the same.
I am not sure what will happen when a company brings out a full spectrum free form amino acid product? Perhaps when that day comes, the whole free form combination will miraculously take on a caloric value as now it is considered a total protein??
We’ll wait and see how they deal with that one.
While those in the know can easily laugh about this point and were never fooled by calorie free products, it is doing fussy bodybuilders a massive disservice. If someone is taking in 50g of free form aminos a day, and assuming they are calorie free then there is an extra 200g of calories a day they aren’t factoring in.
If you have ever cut for a comp and wondered why the weight wasn’t falling of fast enough, this could well be why.
Don’t assume this practise doesn’t occur in Australia either as unfortunately some Australian companies have jumped on the calorie free band wagon too……
5) Just say no (To Proprietary blends)
An oldie but a goodie and definitely worth a mention.
Proprietary blends must be the supplement industries favourite loophole. The logic is plain to see – they protect companies from others copying their formulas, however a decent look at any of the products labels which include them and its clear that they can very easily be used to cover a few holes.
As I have explained previously, ingredients that are used in supplements vary massively in cost, thanks to proprietary blends companies can manufacture a supplement and label it so you have very little idea as to what it contains.
An example would be a pre workout product which contains “Super hypertrophising mega endurance blend” containing a mix of Creatine Monohydrate, Citrulline Malate, AAKG, Acetyl Tyrosine. Now, while this may give the impression that these ingredients are included in there at similar doses, it most definitely does not mean that.
Proprietary blends allow companies to add a list of ingredients which sounds impressive but as you have no idea as to how much of each is in there, you really have no idea of what you are getting.
While Creatine is a great supp, it is far cheaper than any of the other ingredients mentioned so if a proprietary blend listed the above ingredients and contained 90% creatine, you may be better off to simply save your bucks and buy straight creatine – as it could be up to 10 times cheaper.
Of course, this may not be the case, but you have to question the logic for why a manufacturer would choose to include a “proprietary blend”, I know that as a manufacturer myself, I feel that displaying all ingredients on the label in exact doses as clearly as possible should give companies a lot of pride.
Buying a supplement which includes a proprietary blend is a bit like blind faith, “Trust me”, says the grinning salesman, “This stuff works”……
Are you young, wide-eyed and sure you’re the next Jay Cutler? Do you have money to burn? Please read this before you head to your nearest supplement store or to your favourite online stockist – we don’t want you to do you dough!
Unfortunately, for an interest group that takes diet, supplements and training so seriously, many people are still very uninformed when it comes to supplement use and so miss many tricks of the trade, especially when it comes to identifying products as being good value.
A quick read of this should help you identify some key mistakes many newbies (as well as old hands) make each time they purchase supplements.
1) Your Isolate is not an Isolate!
This one is probably the most common response when I am at shows handing out samples of pure proteins. It begins with me asking a punter “So, do you use WPI or WPC mate”?
“WPI”, comes the confident response.
“Ok, no worries, mind me ask what brand you are using”?
In at least 7 out of 10 situations the person responds with 1 of 2 popular U.S branded products which are protein blends.
Now, I don’t have an issue with protein blends, but I do have an issue with blends that are labelled as Isolates (usually in huge colourful text along the front) which results in customers believing they are taking a pure product, much superior to what they actually are.
Whey Protein Isolate is the most pure form of protein, while the reality is that absorption time isn’t a lot different than WPC (WPC is also absorbed very quickly contrary to popular belief) you pay a premium for WPI due to its low lactose, and almost non existent carbs and fats.
Whey Isolates are 90% protein and usually contain around 1% fats and carbs. Per serve, this equates to 0.3g of each, so if your protein product lists the carbohydrates level as 2 – 3g or more per serve (which is 10 times the level of a true isolate), your product will likely have far more WPC in it than WPI, as well as fillers which really don’t need to be there.
If you really want an Isolate, “Whey Protein Isolate” should be the only protein on the ingredient list and you should ensure that carb levels are hovering around the 1% mark and certainly under 2% of total product mass.
If you don’t need low lactose and aren’t too fussed about the slightly higher fats and carbs, save your money and buy WPC. It is great protein and if you get a pure enough product, you will get something, which is nutritionally better than most blends (often with half the carbs), at a much better price.
2) 50g of Protein per serve (just don’t mention the rest)
While a little like point 1, this is another popular bit of labelling which confuses a lot of people. While 50g of protein per serve may sound great, this value (as well as any other value advertised) is completely meaningless unless you know the size of the serve.
In most cases “50g of protein per serve” or any other high number is based on a product serving size of over 200g. If your product contains 50g of protein per serve with 160g being carbohydrates you are likely paying a huge amount of money for your protein.
It only takes a bit of maths to work out the value of a product, and as carbohydrates are available so cheaply, I encourage you to place very little value on carbohydrates being in there, rathwer focussing on the total protein.
In the example I have mentioned the product represents terrible value once you crunch some numbers. 50g of protein per 220g serve = 22.7% protein, multiply this by how many kgs of product is in the bucket (which in this case is 6kg) and then you’ll notice that the product actually contains only 1.36kg (of a protein blend not an isolate!), so this starts to look like terrible value for $130.
While I can appreciate mixing your own bulker isn’t the most convenient thing for many (buying seperate carbs and protein) when you are cutting your costs by as much as 75%, it is something worth considering for a little less convenience.
3) Getting High on Stimulants
Over the last few years Pre Workout products have become all the rage and it is easy to see why. Finally a product where you can almost instantly “feel” a difference, and the benefits in the gym - which include increased strength, focus, and endurance are clearly evident.
Unfortunately, as time has gone on companies seem to now be obsessed with offering products which are “the strongest available”. To achieve the “strongest product”, as defined by dose size, many ingredients are getting left out and you are left with something which is often nothing but a scoop of stimulants. Why is this bad you may ask? The problem with stimulants is that while they do provide temporary benefits, if you are purely relying on a huge boost to your nervous system each time you get set for a workout, over time this can be very draining and have some serious effects.
Ideally, a product should contain a blend of both stimulants (to amp you up for a workout) as well as aminos or other ingredients which assist training performance, nitric oxide levels and so on.
From a manufacturing perspective, it is certainly much cheaper to produce a product with only stimulants, given products like Creatine, Beta Alanine, AAKG, Citrulline Malate, Agmatine Sulphate, Tyrosine, Phenylalanine etc cost plenty, leaving them out (or including them in tiny doses) means the product can be manufactured very cheaply.
If you are taking a pre workout product, be sure to have a look at the ingredients to get an idea of how much of these aminos are included. If you are unsure of what dose is necessary, then remember that Goggle ™ is your friend.
Finally, if you don’t care for these aminos and you are happy with your stim fix I’d seriously consider looking at getting straight DMAA or caffeine in powder form. While a little fussy to measure out, buying you stims in pure form will reduce your pre workout cost to well under 10 cents per serve!
4) Calorie Free Protein (nope, it doesn’t actually exist)
A new phenomenon but one that clearly requires a mention. This trick is commonly used when pitching the advantages of free form amino acid formulations. Free form aminos are touted to be absorbed faster as they don’t require anything like the digestion of a full protein, and therefore perhaps less wastage occurs (this is yet to be proven), while those advantages are debatable, one fact definitely isn’t.
Whether they are EAA blends, BCAA’s, Glutamine, Tyrosine or any other blend of free form aminos there is an interesting loop hole which exists in U.S labelling laws (and thankfully not here). It appears in the U.S, that if a protein is considered ‘incomplete’ (which free form aminos are), then they do not have to be assigned a caloric value.
Confused?
I know I am! If we consider that any protein which contains anything less than a full spectrum of aminos would be considered incomplete (eg soy, rice and pea proteins) then it gets even harder to understand – as I am yet to see these advertised as calorie free.......
The truth is that any amino acid will provide the body with 4 calories per gram (17kj of energy), it doesn’t matter if it is in free form or part of an animal or vegetable protein, the values are the same.
I am not sure what will happen when a company brings out a full spectrum free form amino acid product? Perhaps when that day comes, the whole free form combination will miraculously take on a caloric value as now it is considered a total protein??
We’ll wait and see how they deal with that one.
While those in the know can easily laugh about this point and were never fooled by calorie free products, it is doing fussy bodybuilders a massive disservice. If someone is taking in 50g of free form aminos a day, and assuming they are calorie free then there is an extra 200g of calories a day they aren’t factoring in.
If you have ever cut for a comp and wondered why the weight wasn’t falling of fast enough, this could well be why.
Don’t assume this practise doesn’t occur in Australia either as unfortunately some Australian companies have jumped on the calorie free band wagon too……
5) Just say no (To Proprietary blends)
An oldie but a goodie and definitely worth a mention.
Proprietary blends must be the supplement industries favourite loophole. The logic is plain to see – they protect companies from others copying their formulas, however a decent look at any of the products labels which include them and its clear that they can very easily be used to cover a few holes.
As I have explained previously, ingredients that are used in supplements vary massively in cost, thanks to proprietary blends companies can manufacture a supplement and label it so you have very little idea as to what it contains.
An example would be a pre workout product which contains “Super hypertrophising mega endurance blend” containing a mix of Creatine Monohydrate, Citrulline Malate, AAKG, Acetyl Tyrosine. Now, while this may give the impression that these ingredients are included in there at similar doses, it most definitely does not mean that.
Proprietary blends allow companies to add a list of ingredients which sounds impressive but as you have no idea as to how much of each is in there, you really have no idea of what you are getting.
While Creatine is a great supp, it is far cheaper than any of the other ingredients mentioned so if a proprietary blend listed the above ingredients and contained 90% creatine, you may be better off to simply save your bucks and buy straight creatine – as it could be up to 10 times cheaper.
Of course, this may not be the case, but you have to question the logic for why a manufacturer would choose to include a “proprietary blend”, I know that as a manufacturer myself, I feel that displaying all ingredients on the label in exact doses as clearly as possible should give companies a lot of pride.
Buying a supplement which includes a proprietary blend is a bit like blind faith, “Trust me”, says the grinning salesman, “This stuff works”……
