It has to be frustrating.  Working out day after day, eating all the right foods — yet you still don’t have that six-pack.  You still have a layer of fat around your stomach you just can’t shed or you just can’t seem to get your muscles as big as you want them… you hit a brickwall in your efforts and you don’t know why.  But I do:  supplements.

While you might think “supplements, aren’t those bad?” — you’d be mistaken.  Those are steroids, not supplements.  Supplements contain natural ingredients like Vitamin C, protein, etc.  If used correctly, supplements help you build muscle, recover from workouts, and can provide your body with the general vitamins and minerals that it requires to function efficiently and properly.

There is absolutely no doubt that supplements can be a benefit to your weight loss or muscle building endeavors, whichever you may be pursuing.  It should be noted though that these can only benefit you when taken in conjunction with training and a proper diet.  If you already have the fundamentals of good diet and exercise, consider taking supplements to help you achieve your goals.

As with any other kind of product, there is competition in the supplements industry.  With competition comes a huge selection from different brands, types of supplements, flavors, products, etc.  It can be hard to decide what you should buy at first.   The main things to decide before shopping around — what are your goals and what is your body lacking?  If your diet is weak and you think you’re missing all the nutrients your body craves, consider Opti-Men Multivitamin or Animal Pak.  Made by Optimum Nutrition and Universal Nutrition respectively, both supply your body with vitamins and minerals you may be lacking — Animal Pak being the more “robust” option out of the two.

Aside from general well-being, now you need to take a path.  Where do you want to go?  Are you stepping up your bodybuilding efforts and pushing those weights onto the dumbbell day in day out?  If so, you might want to take a look at SuperPump 250 and SizeOn, both wonderful Gaspari Nutrition products for pre/post workouts.   On the other hand, if you’re trying to trim 20 pounds, you’re going to want to get your hands on Lipo-6X or Hydroxycut Hardcore, two extremely popular weight loss supplements.

Supplements aren’t evil.  It’s not even a grey area.  Supplements provide your body with essential vitamins, minerals, and nutrients to help it do amazing things — but it can’t do it alone.  It needs you to step into the kitchen and gym everyday and make the right decisions.

Good luck!  What were the first supplements you bought?  Let us know below!