I don’t remember the first sports nutrition product I ever took. But here’s how I think my attachment (reliance?) on supplements started.

HIGH SCHOOL: UP MY MASS

I wrestled freshmen year at 125-130 pounds and I had never touched a supplement, except for maybe a multivitamin. I probably should have because I needed size to succeed in a sport I knew nothing about. I don’t remember the exact weight class I was sophomore year, I think it was 152 pounds. No supplements ring a bell here either. I decided to join the football team sophomore year, with zero experience. I was tall so my coach placed me at wide receiver. Bad idea, I was slow and had pretty bad hands.

Junior year came around and I wrestled at 160. One day during practice, a teammate accidentally fractured my clavicle after head-locking me and landed right on it. The teammate weighed about 189 but that wasn’t the issue. I would roll with teammates that were around my weight and I wouldn’t be able to move them and they would destroy me. That’s because 1) Unlike myself, they lifted weights and 2) They likely took protein powder and other supplements.

With wrestling over early, I had more time to prepare for my junior year of football. I didn’t let my clavicle fully heal and I somehow discovered weight training. This is the time I started taking CytoSport’s Muscle Milk. That was my first protein powder. Prior to junior year, I was moved to defensive end. Mid-way through the season, I was the starting DE. It was time to get to work.

In the 2008 Bergen Record, my town’s daily newspaper, I was billed at 6’0” 195 pound as an upcoming senior. I wound up starting all of the games as an offensive guard and DE in my senior year. In addition to Muscle Milk, I know I’d tried the following supplements: (it’s worth nothing that up until my sophomore year of college, I’d always mix protein powder with milk)

MuscleTech’s Nitro Tech: Taken before games, it gave me increased energy, really pumping the nitric oxide through my blood vessels.

MHP’s Up Your Mass: This was my go-to protein. I gained a solid 30 pounds in a year from this stuff. It works.

Twinlab Amino Fuel (liquid): This was my amino of choice, even into college. It tasted weird but gave me caffeine-free energy.

Amino Acid Tablets: Prior to practice or games, I’d throw solid amino pills in the blender to really ensure I was ready for action.

Preworkout: I hopped on the Jacked 3D bandwagon real quick. Whenever this came out, I had it. I had the original version and I’d always have multiple tubs at home.

Intraworkout: I didn’t take intra-workouts in high school but during halftime and prior to games, I’d mix electrolyte packets with Gatorade. That was a hit in the locker room.

COLLEGE: FIRST BIG, THEN SHREDDED

I was off to TCNJ, but I wasn’t big enough to be a DE so I was placed at linebacker. Nonetheless, I tried to get bigger. Ready-to-drink Monster Milks helped me through freshman year. I was so desperate to get big I even tried the Russian Bear weight gainer (look it up, seriously). Before practice, I took BCAA tablets and my gym pre-workout was the old trusty Jacked 3D. Of course, I was taking up to three scoops.

Once junior year came around and I had interned at a major fitness publisher, I learned a whole lot more about sports nutrition. In the college years, I took the following supplements: (all bought as tubs)

Isopure Protein Powder

MHP’s Probolic SR

GNC Amplified Whey

Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard

BPI Sports 1MR preworkout (old formula, I miss this)

Con-Cret Creatine: I’ve never really ran a creatine “cycle” for more than two weeks as I’ve always taken it sporadically. It’s an essential but I don’t use it often, if that makes sense.

Fat Burners: On the 10^th day of carb-backloading, I took Stacker 2 and 3 pills then did treadmill running for about 90 minutes. I was so shot and dehydrated but pizza and wings were coming. That delivery literally took more than an hour but it felt like an eternity.

POST-GRADUATION: ALL THE SUPPS!

Here’s where things get interesting. I started attending bodybuilding shows and getting samples there. Plus, I was researching supplements for a living now so I made more purchases, except for Jacked 3D. I let go of that habit.

Here are some more supplements I tried:

VPX White Rush: preworkout

Betancourt Nutrition: Androrush: preworkout

Cellucor C4: preworkout: I liked this one as I never really crashed from it. 1MR is more intense in a good way, but does provide a slight downer.

Cellucor Cor-Performance Whey

Xenadrine Core: fat burner

Thermosterone: fat burner

Lipo 6 Black: Yes, the original formula. I lost 10+ pounds while taking this stuff.

Muscle Meds Carnivor Mass: This is beef protein and while it’s pricey, it doesn’t upset the stomach at all. It provides a lot of calories without much fat.

Animal Pak: multivitamin package

CLA: various brands. I learned about this from Muscle & Fitness

BPI Sports Whey HD and Best Protein

Dymatize Micronized Creatine

BSN Syntha 6

NOW: CALCULATED APPROACH

Overall, my goals shifted away from gaining weight to just maintaining my size once I was done with football. When I started to run obstacle course races in 2014, I was introduced to GU and Clif Bar energy gels. I don’t see those as supplements as much as necessities on an OCR course. I’d like to make one fact clear: hard work will always be what’s necessary to achieve your goals and improve. Supplements may or not help you achieve those fitness goals. Of course, there are side effects to some supplements, with some even being deadly. That’s why I devote time to reading labels and researching certain ingredients. With that said, here are the supplements that have their seals broken right now in my possession. The following are all tubs, not samples:

GLUKOS Whey Protein: the glucose in this powder helps the protein absorb faster than other whey protein.

Ascent Whey Protein: I actually just finished this one but it’s one of the cleanest proteins out there right now.

MuscleTech Micellar Whey Protein: extended release protein, good for nighttime.

MuscleTech Whey+Greens: includes powdered green vegetables +whey protein.

BSN Syntha 6 Edge Protein

BSN NoXplode Edge (my current preworkout, it’s great)

Prime Nutrition AKA Prime Nutra Beta-Alanine powder

Prime Nutrition Essential Amino Acids: no food coloring or artificial dyes.

BPI Sports Best Glutamine and Best Creatine

Cellucor Alpha Amino Xtreme: great mix of caffeine and BCCAs. I take these before OCRS.

Beet Root Concentrate Powder: I don’t feel this too much, perhaps I should get crystallized beets or take more scoops.

Vitamin Shoppe One a Day Multivitamin
Vitamin Shoppe Tonalin CLA

Xendurance Extreme Endurance (electrolyte pills)

GLUKOS gels, gummies and powder

BCM 95/Curcumin C3 Curcumin Pills: potent anti-inflammatory

Alpha Brain: This is a nootropic but to all nootropic fans, my research on this category is sparse. I do know that Alpha Brain helps me focus when I take it.

These days, I can go days without taking any supplements. Or some days, I plan exactly what supplements to take to perform at OCRs. The thing is, I don’t add anything new anymore. I know the essentials my body needs to perform, even without training much, and I just stick to those. All of this supplement talk may mean nothing to you, but for a fitness dude, a look into his supplement stash is a big deal. That’s like, classified information for some guys. I’m not addicted to supplements, or any of their ingredients (OK, maybe a little bit to caffeine). Am I a victim of corporate marketing who got sucked into buying sports nutrition products? I don’t think so, as I just keep the powders on deck for when I need them. Once I start a multi-month strength training program again, I’ll be sure to share what I choose to take.

As for supplement advice, I’m not a registered dietician or medical doctor so I can’t provide that. However, if you want my opinion on any of the supplements above, plus the bunch that I left out, feel free to shoot me an e-mail at barrosofit@gmail.com.

If you asked me: Does [insert supplement here] work? I’d say, “I don’t have a chemical testing lab or home kit so I couldn’t tell you how of [X ingredient] is in this product. Therefore, the effects could be a placebo effect. Or, there really could be that much [X ingredient] and you might see results based on [insert studies here].” Without knowing precisely where (aside from the state) or how the ingredients get into a powder, I still consume them for the nutrients. The question isn’t “Does this supplement work?” It’s “What does research say about this ingredient?” Ingredients and supplements are different. Learn the difference.