If you have ever been into a Bodybuilding / Health Food Store, you will know just how confusing it can be to find and buy the right supplements. All the containers look the same and the promises on the lables are out of this world. Hopefully, I can help clear-up some of this confusion by supplying you with some basic information on what you really need to bulk-up and pack on the muscle.

Just some of the basics first on the supplement industry. In the United States, the supplement industry is basically self-regulating under the protection of the DSHEA (Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act). When 'drug' manufacturers wish to get their new product on the shelves, they must first obtain FDA approval that their product is infact safe. This is usually a very long process. In the case of 'supplements', no approval is required. Supplements can go directly to store shelves even if they contain ingredients which can pose potential health risks. But it is up to the FDA to prove, after the fact, that these health risks are significant before a supplement product can be pulled from store shelves. Of all the supplements which have ever made it onto the shelves, only one has ever been pulled - that being ephedra. It took the FDA seven years to pull this one item. Manufactures of supplements are more likely to face fines and/or censure for the labelling and advertising on their product than they are for the actual contents. With that being said, you are going to have to place a great deal of trust in the companies who are profiting from you consuming their products or you are going to have to obtain independent lab tests for a specific supplement product.

If you would like a particular supplement reviewed so that you will have a better understanding of what you can expect instead of having to rely on the claims put forth by respective manufacturers, then please click the review button to the right for further details. Please note that this option is only available for Dietary Supplements and not for Anabolic or Androgenic Steroids.

The number one supplement is ofcourse WATER. Surprised? Well the reason I class it as a supplement is because most people don't consume enough water and it is vital to your well being, especially when you are involved in intensive workouts. So make sure you drink upwards of two litres (minimum) per day.

The number two supplement is PROTEIN. To build good, solid muscle, you are going to need a good source of protein. When you are looking at supplements, always look at the nutritional panel and the ingredients and not at the flashy, promotional literature usually on the front. Some of the supplements currently on the shelves use very misleading descriptions about their products.

In terms of supplements, protein will be listed as any of the following:

• Bioactive Whey Fraction
• Cross Flow Microfiltration Whey Isolate
• Ion-exchanged Whey Isolate
• Whey Isolate
• Whey Concentrate
• Egg Protein
• Milk Protein
• Caseinate - a slower absorbing form of protein
• Soy Isolate - this form will contain the essential amino acid methionine which is not usually found in soy protein based products
• Soy Protein
• Hydrolysed Whey
• Hydrolysed Protein - products with this specific description should be avoided

The ingredient list will show ingredients in their order based on weight. The higher up the list the ingredient is, the more of that particular ingredient is contained within the product. For high quality protein supplements, the carb and fat values should be as close to zero as possible.

Protein, as you can see from above, can come in a number of sources but the only ones you need to be concerned with are Whey Protein Isolate and Caseinate Protein. You should try to consume one gram of protein per pound of lean body mass (you will need your body fat percentage (BFP) assessed to determine this value). If your workouts are really intense then you will want to increase this to 1.5 grams. Whey Protein Isolate is more suited to be consumed pre and post workout while Caseinate is more suited for other periods of the day when a slower releasing source of protein is required.

Now, before you go running off to purchase all these wonderful supplements, STOP.

When people tell me that they are having trouble bulking (gaining mass) or cutting, the first thing I ask them is 'how many calories are you consuming during the day?' The answer is nearly always, 'I don't know for sure'. So, I'm going to ask you the same question and if you don't know the answer then why are you spending your hard-earned money on supplements. The first thing you need to do is spend one week writing down everything you eat during each and every day and keep track of the calories, protein, carbs and fat content. You can find all this on the packaging and if you can't then you shouldn't be eating it. The values you get are going to help you determine what you need to do to adjust your eating habits and get yourself on the right track.

For more specific information and calculations on your daily caloric requirements, please click here.

For a complete user's guide to Creatine, please click here.

If you are already aware of your daily caloric requirements and wish to use supplements then please click here to view a full listing of available supplements at reduced prices from the eStore.