Nutritional Supplement Reviews by Real People Like You

1. Junk Food - Try to stay away from the stuff as much as possible, and this includes the fast food restaurants. Try to eat healthy, calorie dense foods. Basically the more color in your food, the better. Instead of white bread, white rice and white potatoes eat whole wheat/rye bread, brown rice and sweet potatoes. Instead of green beans and regular lettuce eat black beans and romaine lettuce. Instead of burgers and chicken nuggets eat lean cuts of steak and chicken breasts.

Getting enough calories is important, but if your body doesn't absorb the food you eat, you're wasting your time. A lot of this crap just ends up in the toilet; your body rejects a lot of this stuff. Another reason is the absorption rate of food. In general, colorless foods are burned up quickly and darker foods have a slower absorption rate, meaning you get more from the food you eat.

Do more research on this subject. It can get complicated when getting into the glycemic index. Remember, eat healthy and eat a lot. Eggs, oatmeal, yogurt, fruit, veggies, steak, peanut butter, chicken, fish, sweet potatoes, red skinned white potatoes(if you must), brown rice, whole wheat bread, protein shakes, nuts (almonds are great), flax seeds and olive oil are all staples in a bodybuilding diet. A simple rule is to make sure you're full pretty much all day.

2. Supplements - Some work great for some people, some don't work for others. I am personally allergic to the milk protein lactose. Every time I downed a whey protein shake with milk I spent the next fifteen minutes paying homage to John the porcelain God. Creatine as well gave me cramps and digestive disturbances, not to mention I would break out like crazy.

It wasn't until I learned about digestive enzymes and probiotics that I began to be able to tolerate some of these products. Different enzymes break down different types of food. Take a multi enzyme, especially one with lactase and protease twice a day with breakfast and dinner. These two enzymes will help break down lactose and protein respectively. The enzymes will assist in breaking down all the extra food you're eating, turning them into absorbable nutrients. Probiotics are beneficial bacteria that help keep the digestive tract healthy and also aid in proper digestion. I also switched to soy milk and soy yogurt (yogurt is a great source of these bacteria; just make sure the label reads "Live and Active Cultures"). I did stick with the whey supplements, but with these products I was able to tolerate it. I still get a little gassy, but a world of difference. I'm not dumping my hard earned money down the toilet anymore and it's going to my muscles where I need it.

STAY AWAY FROM THE HORMONES! I've tried them. The benefits, if there really are any, don't outweigh the negative effects. A thorough study of your body's endocrine system will enlighten you to the delicate balance of this system. Don't go throwing wrenches into a perfectly running machine.

3. Working Out - Once you have the diet down, i.e., the right foods at the right times and in the right amounts, the next important step is working out. You have to bust your ass. It's just that plain and simple. Now that doesn't mean working out two hours a day seven days a week. Everyone is different, but just try to stick to two different exercises per body part, splitting your workout into two body parts per day. I do Shoulders/Abs...Chest/Back...rest...Arms...Legs...weekends off. I switch it up every month or so. Again, everyone is different. There are dozens of variations you can try that would probably be as effective as the next one. Stick to basic movements like squats, barbell curls, incline/flat bench press, military press, lying tricep extensions, and deadlifts (be careful with these). Build around these exercises and keep the reps low. I cycle...I start at ten one week, then next week I drop to eight, then next week I drop to six on all exercises, then start over. I works for me. Try it and tweak it until you have your formula.

Along with this, give yourself plenty of rest, plenty of water (around half your body weight in ounces or more) and relax. Stress can hinder your progress and interfere with your focus in the gym.

Hope I was of some help.