Ifeanyi Orizu is a relative newcomer to the gym.
Unlike his coworkers at Epic Systems, the 26-year-old hasn’t been working out for very long. When it comes to supplements, he sticks to one brand of protein, MRE Lite, and a conservative three milligrams of creatine. An occasional coffee is about all he indulges in for a boost of energy. Unlike his colleagues, many of whom began using supplements earlier in their college years, Orizu only recently started taking these products to achieve his goal of building muscle.
Supplement use is now common among high school athletes and college students, with one survey of 106 college students published in 2022 finding that 66% reported taking a supplement in the past month. Supplements can be a worthwhile investment, especially to obtain nutrients you wouldn’t be able to get through a normal diet. However, since the Food and Drug Administration does not test supplements for safety and effectiveness, not all products are the same, and sometimes customers can be deceived.
Isaac Wirth is the owner of Pro Nutrition, a supplement store in Sun Prairie. He was, as he puts it, “baptized in iron,” with his experience as a personal trainer informing his knowledge of sports nutrition. Through the clients he’s worked with, as well as regular customers, Wirth says that he has seen some supplements supported other people’s muscle building journeys, and other brands that haven’t delivered the desired results..
When it comes to the quality of products, specifically protein powders, there are a few things to keep in mind, Wirth said. For instance, he advised users to be aware of amino spiking. Amino acids are the building blocks of protein, and cases of protein supplement manufacturers adding, or “spiking,” their products with inexpensive nonessential amino acids—such as glycine, which the body naturally produces enough of—in order to claim their products contain more protein than they actually do have recently made the news, according to a 2021 report published in the journal Foods.
Many athletes claim to get more pep in their step by taking preworkout supplements; these frequently contain ingredients like caffeine, creatine, and taurine, along with other energy boosting components, but there are other factors consumers should consider with preworkouts as well, according to professional gym goers like Sam Masino.
Masino, a pro bodybuilder and a trainer at Ford’s Gym on the east side of Madison, has been working out since he was 13. Now 40, he still finds a way to train to the max without using a preworkout.
Quality can vary in the preworkout supplement you buy, and the industry can often find ways to cut corners. Many of the ingredients listed in a product may be part of a proprietary blend, meaning that the ratio of ingredients listed on the package don’t need to be disclosed.
Consumers should not only know what’s in their supplements, Masino said, but also the extent to which the effects of ingredients, such as caffeine, can linger long after they’ve left the gym.
The half-life of caffeine ranges from four to five hours; in other words, it takes that much time for half of the consumed amount to leave your system. As Masino explains, even if you time your workouts well before you go to sleep, you may still feel its effects.
“Personally, I think 100 to 200 milligrams [of caffeine] is about the limit of what you should take because you’re pushing your cardiovascular system really hard when you’re training,” Masino said. “You don’t need anything to influence that working overtime.”
According to Masino, there is more pressure now for young people to look good with the advent of social media into the fitness space, which can bring difficulties of its own.
“I think there’s more of a drive to look good at a young age, and to be amazingly jacked at 20, 21, when really this is a long-term game,” Masino said. “So I think kids now have it way harder.”
While social media can be informative for those who are just getting into fitness, it can sometimes spread worrying trends. One such trend is dry scooping, where users of preworkout products will consume them without dissolving them in water first, a supposedly faster way to feel its effects. Wirth says dry scooping can not only irritate your lungs before a workout, but there is no evidence suggesting it’s a more effective delivery method.
There are some standards that consumers can look out for when choosing which products to use, even when the shortcomings in certain supplements may not be obvious.
The Good Manufacturing Practices certification on products is a helpful indicator of quality assurance according to Wirth, while Masino says to simply be wary of products with too many ingredients. The National Institutes of Health also recommends consulting with a pharmacist or your doctor before you start taking any new supplement, since the one you’re considering may not be useful, or safe, given your individual health needs.
Before diving into the world of supplements, Wirth also advises getting a few things in order: Making sure you understand what weight targets you want to meet, keeping your diet in check and understanding the fundamentals of proper diet, exercise and recovery practices.
Though Orizu doesn’t use supplements often, putting into practice some of Wirth’s diet and nutrition principles has had positive results; eating enough protein through whole food sources, consistent training, and ample sleep have all contributed to noticeable changes.
“The main thing I’ve noticed is that my legs are not as flabby,” Orizu said. “I also have more muscle in my upper arms.”
