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THE NATURAL BODYBUILDER’S
NEED FOR SUPPLEMENTS

By Skip La Cour

Just because you've decided to train without drugs does not mean you have to settle for second-rate results. A structured supplementation program can be a tremendous advantage in your quest to gain muscle and lose body fat. When combined with proper training and nutritional habits, a good supplementation program can assist in more efficient and rapid muscle growth -- without the moral, legal, and medical ramifications commonly associated with drug-use. It will, however, take patience, knowledge, and a financial investment.

Natural bodybuilding has been propelled forward with the development of high quality, highly effective nutritional sports supplements.

Proper supplementation is essential to those who strive for the best physique it is possible to achieve without drugs. If all factors such as genetics, training, and nutrition were equal among those who train naturally, the choice of the right supplementation program would undoubtedly differentiate the best development from the mere satisfactory.

Probably the biggest development in supplementation is food product design and engineering. Nutritional supplements are more convenient and better tasting than ever. The present is a great time to eat nutritiously with the advancements that have been made over the years. Long gone are the days of the horrible, "chalky-tasting" protein powders and unpalatable pills and powders. It took a lot of dedication from the lifters of the past to stick to their regimens.

It is often more efficient and much easier for the body to get the nutrients it needs to build muscle with the state-of-the-art food replacements and whey protein powders rather than with ordinary food. Another tremendous advantage these have over regular food is that they can be significantly more nutritious with a mere fraction of the calories and very little fat.

Supplements are just that – supplementation or adding support to sound nutrition and exercise. They are not intended to take the place of intelligent eating habits and good old-fashioned hard training.

I have often talked to many novice trainees who mistakenly believe that the addition of the "latest and greatest" supplement will help them instantly get 21-inch arms. Worse yet, they are willing to spend any amount of money needed to purchase it. Although supplements can be very helpful, they do not offer any miracles all by themselves.

A detailed supplementation program can be very expensive. But if you want to be the best you can be, you would be smart to take advantage of them.

However, this does not mean you should immediately go out and buy every product available. Good judgment is essential to getting the most out of your investment.

A good case can be made to justify buying a high-quality whey protein powder. When compared to egg whites -- a less expensive protein source -- the whey protein is actually a better value. Ten egg whites have approximately 30 grams of protein. But the heat used to cook the egg whites alters the structure of the protein sometimes to the point that only 40 percent will be actually used by the body. When you factor in the time needed to cook the eggs, their actual value is lowered even further.

Now, let's evaluate high-quality whey protein powder. One serving equals about 25 grams. It usually tastes great, comes in several flavors, mixes easily, is quick and convenient and, most importantly, is efficiently assimilated by the body -- much more efficiently than the egg whites. You may discover that it is well worth the expense to invest in such a protein supplement.

If you plan on making the most of your intense workouts, you have to back them up with proper nutritional habits. This means you will have to eat well-balanced meals from six to ten times a day. It has been said that how you eat determines up to 80 percent of the way you look.

Many of us do not eat the way we should simply because of the inconvenience. Cooking ten meals a day could be tremendously time consuming. Substituting some of those meals with a good meal replacement could be just the assistance you need to keep you eating right, which will lead to reaching your physique enhancement goals.

I would have a very difficult time feeding my body what it needs to grow if it were not for the help of these food replacement products. I use meal replacements throughout the day, alternating them with my regular food meals. They are also very helpful because they take all the guesswork out of measuring my food. The meal replacements already have the proper proportion of protein, carbohydrates, and fat.