If you're one of the tens of millions of people that are working out and using supplements,
then you're going to want to make sure you watch this video because it may change what
you've been putting in your body, and to me, that would be a good thing.
What's up, guys?
Jeff Cavaliere, ATHLEANX.COM.
I decided to do something a little bit different this week.
You know, I said, 'Let's step out of the gym and cover a whole other aspect of something
that I know you guys out there are most likely doing and that's using supplements in some
way, shape, or form.'
I grew up using supplements.
I played sports in high school.
I tried amino fuel, HotStuff, Medtrix with Dr. Scott Connolly, animal pack, cybergenics.
The point of the matter is, I've used them all guys, and I believed in all of them when
I took them.
So what I wanted to do this week was to put together a video where we look at the bodybuilding
supplement industry, and really kind of cover some of the most shocking things that I discovered
as I went through.
Alright..
So one of the main questions that is always on the minds of everybody and it should be
on the minds of those that are taking supplements, are right here on my computer and I'm reading
it.
'Jeff, are supplements worth the money or are they a waste of my money?'
I'm not going to come out there and say you absolutely need supplements, you absolutely
need it or you're never going to see results.
No.
You're going to see results from hard training and a good nutrition.
But, if you want to see that extra edge, or if you want to make your job of nailing your
nutrition easier, it's going to be far easier if you're supplementing your diet with some
of these ingredients because some of them simply can't be obtained in dosages that have
been shown to be effective, through regular, normal nutrition.
You have to sort of go to outside sources and you have to be able to cull the ingredients
in certain amounts to get those benefits that you're not going to be able to get from eating
real food.
So.
Are supplements a big benefit?
Yes.
The first thing that you might hear is about fillers and what is in your supplements not
really actually being on the label.
You're going to want to look at any of the bottles you have right now and see if anybody
has magnesium stearate in as one of the ingredients because I can tell you it's not good for you
and it's not something you should be using in your body.
Magnesium stearate is actually a filler that the goal, and this is the stuff I told you
guys that when I decided to do the AthleanRX series when I found out about some of this
stuff, we were really shocked by it and determined to make sure we didn't do it
Magnesium stearate.
The goal of the manufacturer is to put this agent into your supplements because it helps
the ingredients when they're mixing to not stick to the machinery which requires less
clean up, which requires less labor that they're paying for, it requires less maintenance of
the machines because they do happen to break down if these things get gummed up.
Well, there's no point at all for the consumer.
If you're, as a consumer, taking it, you don't need magnesium stearate.
Matter of fact, it interferes with some of your ability to... your immune system.
It kind of interferes with your immune system and certain cells in your body.
You don't need it.
You certainly don't want it in your supplements and all I'm saying is if you're taking it
now, you want to make sure that you do something about it.
The next thing I think we should cover here is the percentage of active ingredient.
Again, this is something that's not regulated by the FDA.
There are certain percentages of active ingredients that are standards for the ingredients that
are in your products.
So, for example, if we take something like casein protein...casein protein comes in either,
most likely, two potencies: 80% or 90%.
What that means is that your body can process and absorb 80% of what's stated in that amount.
So, if you're looking at let's say 20 grams of protein, you're really only able to absorb
16 grams.
Forget absorb, there's really only active casein protein, stuff that can actually do
something to help you build muscle, in 80% of that.
So 20%, which would be 4 grams of it, would go away.
So, companies aren't going to say that most often that, Oh, well, we have 20 grams of
protein, casein protein, in our blend.
Yeah, that's all well and good, but 16 of it is all that you're really going to be able
to use.
When we set out to do the RX series, I said, 'Tell me the bottom line!
I want guys to make a judgment on the protein they're putting in their bodies from the bottom
line of what they're actually going to get into their system.
What are they gonna' use?
Because we know that we're still gonna' have some of that go away in the absorption process
when we break it down.
So, if a company's telling you there's 20 grams when they know well and good that 80%
of it is all you're going get, you're really only looking at 16 on some of them, and then
less than that because your body's going to break some of it down.
So, when we talk about, 'Do supplements work?', yeah they work if you know that you can trust
the brand that you're using because you might be thinking that you're taking 20 grams when
in actuality you're only absorbing 12.
Alright.
So, this next one might come as a shock to some of you guys and I have to admit, it did
to me as well.
I think back to what I went through as a teenager, going into the supplement stores, and I would
ask them, 'What is the best thing for me to take, or best things for me to take?'
I would save up my money to spend it on something if I felt like it would work.
But I'm putting my own faith in the hands of one of these sales reps thinking that they're
going to tell me the truth, and the reality is, even today more than ever, these sales
reps are often times incentivized by the manufacturer to recommend things that they may not necessarily
feel are best.
Why?
Because it means more money in their pockets.
You might find that you go into a specific supplement store and ask for a specific, you
know, product and be swayed towards something else when you might have heard good results
from your friends all on this other product.
The sad true fact is, and sometimes even the sales rep themselves have used the product
that you initially went in for, but are going to be paid more by the manufacturer as an
incentive, as a kickback, to recommend that brand over the other.
And that's where I think it all comes down to trust, guys.
It comes down to finding a brand that you trust because you know that it delivers what
it says it's going to deliver.
And you know that you can put your faith in that and your hard earned money and realize
that you're not being sort of told something just because there's an incentive to do that.
Next on the hit list: The safety of ingredients.
I've come out here guys in...I don't even remember when it was, 2011, I think, and I
made a statement on the inclusion of 1-3 dimethylamylamine in pre- workout products.
and I've said that this stuff is going to be banned.
You know, as a matter of fact it should be banned, but it's going to banned at some point
in time because it's just not a healthy ingredient, and it's one that many, many, many supplement
companies were using in their pre-workouts.
Guys, you're going to be ultimately responsible for what you put in your body.
And I can only recommend things to you that I feel is good advice and things that you
should listen to, and that I can only help that from there you're going to listen and
make your own well-educated decision.
That was one of the videos where I sort of stepped out of character a little bit and
I said emphatically, 'Guys!
Do not use this!
Try not to use this.'
I know it's a very popular supplement and a very popular brand right now, but try not
to use this because you're jeopardizing yourself in the process and your health.'
And I kind of promised to continue to do that.
If I find an ingredient that i feel is not safe, had I been around doing videos back
when ephedrine was out, I would have said the same thing.
But if I find that and I go a little bit over the edge in my being emphatic about it, just
understand that I'm trying to make sure that you guys know that these are not always regulated
by the FDA.
They're not until they become a problem.
When they become a problem ,the FDA steps in and they get rid of it.
But, unfortunately, they become a problem when a lot of people get hurt and potentially
die from them first.
And then they come in and say, 'Wow.
A lot of people got hurt and died from this so we're going to come in and do something
about it' So the fact is, you always want to make sure that what you're taking is safe.
I can tell you that with AthleanRX, every single thing we do, we've scrutinized what
goes in these bottles to the Nth degree.
And so much so that we have actually just obtained, or are in the process of obtaining
for all 3 of our supplements, the NSF certifiable sports designation that will allow us to be
used by all of our Major League Baseball athletes, NFL athletes, PGA athletes, guys that are
being regulated by their sport in total to make sure that what they're taking is safe.
As I mentioned earlier the FDA is not going to get involved on every single supplement
that goes out.
So in a world where there's no FDA regulation, we decided, maybe stupidly, we want to be
FDA compliant, but it's because I want to make sure that we hold ourselves at the highest
standards.
And as I said, guys, not all brands are bad.
There are plenty of good brands out there, but you have to know and trust that the brand
that you're putting your hard earned money towards, is doing it the right way.
I can tell you this!
At AthleanRX, we're doing it the right way.
Everything you put in your body matters, from your nutrition to your supplementation.
Don't think you're going to get away with taking supplements if your nutrition sucks.
Make sure that you're nutrition's good, supplementation follows, and that combined, potent, 1-2 combination
is going to provide you with the best chance, combined with a good workout, obviously, to
put on the most muscle, and to stay as ripped and lean as possible.
If you haven't already guys, and you want to check out the supplements, head over to
AthleanRX.com or AthleanX.com/AthleanRX and check out the bundles.
You'll save more on the entire bundle, and as I said, it's everything that you need in
three bottles, not having to buy 10 different things just to cover your needs.
We put it in, exactly when you need it and how much you need of it.
Guys, in the meantime, we'll be back here next week, back in the gym, more workouts.
Head over to AthleanX.com, check out also the workout program if you haven't already
started that, perfect compliment for the supplements.
Alright.
Guys, I'll see you back here in 7 days.
In the meantime, have a great rest of your week.