One thing is for sure and that is that dietary supplements are anything but cheap. Sure, a good amount of them are in what most people consider the ‘affordable’ range, but you have to be flexible in a few different ways to make that work for you.
1 – BRAND
One of the first things that you should be aware of is that just because one brand is more expensive than another doesn’t mean it is better. It may have a nicer taste to it and come in more candy-ass flavors than the basic one, but that means shit when you’re in the middle of your last set.
The main thing that you are looking at is the ingredients and if there are 24 grams of whey protein per scoop, then that should be your point of comparison. Not if it comes in strawberry shortcake flavor.
2 – SAMPLES
Attending one of the fitness expos is a great experience and the best part is the scantily clad babes handing out the samples from the different booths rented by the supplement companies. Getting free shit rules but when a huge pair of boobs and a tight butt are part of the equation, home fuckin’ run, bro.
Once you get these samples home, try them on different days to see which ones work best for you and – more importantly – which ones give you bad side effects. There’s nothing worse than spending forty bucks on something and you feel like shit from it. This is really important for pre-workout and fat burners, which both can contain compounds that can cause you to feel flushed, jittery and a lousy crash once it wears off.
3 – ON SALE/CLEARANCE SECTION
Supplement shops and websites run some good sales and most of the time have a clearance section where you can really get a good percentage off the regular shelf price. Take advantage of both of these and try to never pay full price for a supplement if you can.
You can find some great products 20, 30 or maybe even 50 percent off and even think about stocking up if one of your favorite go-to items happen to be in that bin.
4 – FOOD AND SUPPLEMENTS
These companies nowadays keep coming out with products that would make even a well-off guy go broke sooner than later. Pre-workout, intra workout, post workout…you get the picture.
If you eat a good and well balanced diet, loading up on supplements is overkill. Taking a pre-workout is fine, but a snack with some good carbs and sugar will get you through even a tough workout. And the post workout meal is the most important one of the day and should not be shortchanged by drinking a supplement shake. Eat a solid meal that has good carbs and protein.
5 – GIVE YOUR PARTNER A SPOT
If you have a regular workout partner, then there’s a perfect opportunity to try different products without having to spend a lot of money. You buy one brand and your buddy buys the other. Split the two respective containers in half and compare them. Maybe you’ll end up both agreeing that one is far superior to the other and cross the shitty one off both lists.