I'll just share a "short" write up regarding the topic.
I have been discussing protein, carbo-loading, on-season-off-season-training-dieting,
and all those technical stuff with the gym instructors for the longest time!
Here goes:
Because the body absorbs synthetic nutrients less efficiently than natural ones,
it might be more cost-effective to learn to eat right in the first place.
Start a logbook (a diary, if you will) to note down your training regimen and your food intake.
Nobody is stopping you there, you can write an auto-biography.
We never know if you'll be the next cycling superstar,
your copywriter will thank you for the detailed materials.
As you progress in your sport, you start to get in touch with your own body chemistry.
You know when, why, how you get strong, or weak, and your limits.
Then study the effect of supplements with trial-and-error, or with a sports physician.
You need the logbook for reference.
Without knowing the kind of supplement and the way it should be consumed (hot? cold? with milk? with juice? before eating? after meals? how many hours after workout? together with protein? with carbs? etc.)
Without knowing the kind of stress that you put to your body
most supplements could just end up as expensive pee coloring (for vitamins), toxic waste (for non-water soluble vitamins) or cause pimples (protein products), or worse, tax your liver.
For those weekend warriors, there's not much need to spend on supplements.
There's this thing called bodyfat to act as roadside supplement.
Think of it this way.
Fresh is always best!
Eat fresh fruits, raisin, nuts and veggies.
If you're plain lazy and fresh is not available, there's canned goods.
Supplements are a last resort for those critical needs!
What are those critical needs?
After a hard workout, your muscles break down.
Whenever our body experience trauma, overtraining, sprains or lack of rest (puyat),
our body needs protein to repair the broken tissues.
You can eat egg whites, milk, fish, soya products, beef steak, etc.for your protein requirements.
but we can eat only so much till the stomach is full.
If your protein needs is not fully met within 48 hours after the workout,
your muscles cannot repair fully, that means your muscles can't grow as big,
and you don't grow strong to the fullest.
There'a a simple formula that I used to follow in my training days:
Body weight / 10 = number of egg whites
Say, I'm 125 lbs.
I eat 12 egg whites per training day.
If I worked out really heavy 4 times a week, that should be 48 egg whites in a week.
That's a big IF... I don't work out heavy consecutively (maybe once a month lang).
So I simply replace egg whites with chicken meat, or beef or tuna or peanuts
... or sometimes, banana split nalang!
Also take note that when we talk about heavy, or intense if you will,
we define it according to the maximum stress we put
to the muscular/skeletal system without tearing/dislocating it.
If the athlete perceives a training to be intense only because he's never done it before,
it's not REALLY intense.
Elaboration:
When we are not IN-condition (napuyat, may hangover, may sakit) to do an intense workout,
we cannot have an intense workout!
Therefore, the need for supplements does not exist.
On the other hand, when we are puyat (lack of sleep),
sick (fever, cough, cold, or any minor physical discomfort),
we need more nutrients that normal!
Nutrients, as in fresh ha? Don't just pop a vitamins and say it's done.
You won't get far in sports with that attitude of abusing your body that way.
When I went hardcore with weight training,
I drank protein shake in place of egg whites since the tasteless white gets boring.
In actuality, looking back, the protein shake could have been substituted with Sustagen
and it would have gotten the job done just the same (chemically speaking).
I say chemically speaking.
You might opt for protein shakes instead of Sustagen also because
of the psychologic boost the branded supplements gives.
Attitude of training buddies affects our workout.
Choose to train with hardcore ones. Evidence? Podium finishers sila.
So, before you buy the protein whey,
ask yourself, am I training for the podium?
am I training with people who have been there?
Do I know the definition of intense?
If your answer is YES to all 3 questions, then the supplement will not go to waste.
In an nutshell:
1. You need to know how to take supplements, how much is enough, how much is too much and when.
2. Don't take supplements because you can afford them, take them because you you need them.
3. Make sure you get enough rest.
4. Make Protein shakes fun, add fruit and nuts. Don't overdose on them.
You can have too much of a good thing (sex included). Becomes bad when you go overboard.
Like tax your liver. Think about it.
P0.02 lang naman. Random thoughts and self-invented-logic applied.