How do you feel about taking supplements? I’m 17 and looking to get big as quickly as possible. I see a lot of things at the health food store that are supposed to put on muscle fast. Is it possible to live on these for a few months to put on the size, then go back to eating regular food?

How do you feel about taking supplements? I’m 17 and looking to get big as quickly as possible. I see a lot of things at the health food store that are supposed to put on muscle fast. Is it possible to live on these for a few months to put on the size, then go back to eating regular food?

No! Absolutely not! In no case should you ever substitute supplements for whole foods. Supplements are so named because they are meant to be just that: supplementary to your actual diet.

I know that there are many, many products out there proclaiming their ability to pack on the pounds, and many of them will deliver, IF they’re added to a sound nutritional plan. Whether it’s the professional bodybuilder or the rank amateur, makes no difference. I give the same advice to all: get your nutritional ducks in a row and then you can consider how to supplement your diet.

As you may know, I actually have my own line of nutritional supplements with worldwide distribution, so if I’m telling you that supplements are not the answer you seek, but only part of the bigger picture, then you know I’m serious. Of course I do believe that supplements should hold a place in the nutritional regime of the hard working athlete. Training depletes our bodies of certain nutrients more quickly than in the sedentary person and sometimes it’s hard to get enough food, or food at the right times, to efficiently restock them. This is where supplements become useful.

I hope I’ve made myself clear. There is nothing you can buy in a health food store that’s more anabolic or healthier for you than food.