Have you ever wanted to know what supplements to take? Have you ever heard other guys talking in the gym about supps and you find yourself asking what were they talking about later on? Or how about later on you wanting to try some supps and not even knowing where to start? Well, hopefully I can help you out here! Below I will try and address all age groups to help point you in the right direction for starting off in the wide world of supplements.

Everyone is different. Let us remember that. With that in mind, everyone will be at a "different place" when it comes to their fitness level and needs for supplementation. Now, to start this article off right, let me make something completely clear to EVERYONE... BEFORE taking ANYTHING at all, you should go see a doctor and get checked out COMPLETELY! This is like a disclaimer here. There is no reason to take something that could potentially harm you right? Don't be stubborn or think that nothing could possibly harm you... just do it and get it over with so you know where you stand. ESPECIALLY when dealing with FAT BURNING supplements! Now with that out of the way, lets see what there is in store for you!

Youngsters: You know who you are! You probably live in the gym everyday trying to get big, soaking up all there is to learn in the gym like a sponge. Yet, there is not a real noticeable difference in your body yet. Fear not, as this is natural and can be easily remedied. First off, you need to ask yourself how you are eating. I know this article is about "supplements," but this is key for your group! I would suggest consuming 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight. So if you weigh lets say 145lbs, then that is 145 grams of protein a day. You can find out how many grams of protein each meal will need to consist of by dividing 145 gram by the number of meals you eat in a day. Lets take 6 meals a day. That would mean that each meal would have to have around 24 gram of protein.

Now, with knowing this we can now help you find some things that will help you put on that well deserved muscle you are aiming for! If you find that your metabolism is eating everything you put in your mouth faster than you can feed it, you might need to add a weight gainer supp. to your daily meal plan. Now I'm also sure that you know that you need to increase your daily caloric intake as well. This is the only true way to help build muscle. This weight gainer will help you add those extra calories for helping you build that new muscle.

A couple suggestions for a weight gainer supp would be: Nitronx by VPX. Now I do not consider this a true WG, but it does help a lot! And trust me on this, you'll love the flavors so much, you'll probly gain weight because you wont be able to stop drinking the shakes they're so good! Some other good WG's are Massive Muscle Gainer by MRM and also Serious Mass by Optimum Nutrition. I believe that each of these will truly help pack on some solid pounds for ya. But make no mistake, you should also do some cardio as well, as you will most likely add FAT to your body along with your muscle. Not to worry though because if you have that fast metabolism... you'll probably burn it off without having to try! And that makes us "older" guys extremely jealous! If those supps don't tickle your fancy, here is some other WG's that you might like to try: http://www.mysupplementstore.com/weightgainers1.html

If you are in no need of a WG, then just Protein supp would benefit you greatly. There are TONS of GOOD protein products out there. I will list a few of my favorites for you here but the only true way to learn your own favorite... is to try them. Read which ones have the best ingredients and go from there. Also, while at the gym, ask around and find out what others take. Don't be shy either when in the gym and see someone that looks like a monster... Ask him, (or her) ;) what they take for a protein supp. because obviously they had to have taken some protein to get that way! Here are some of my favorites: 100% Whey Protein by Optimum Nutrition as well as Muscle Milk by Cytosport and lastly Micellean by VPX. I believe that these 3 will help you a lot.

To be perfectly honest with you youngsters... I believe that you only need this right now. Protein and hard work. Try letting your body adapt naturally to the stimulus you're putting it under and allow the protein to help you grow. There is ALWAYS room for improvement, in the gym and in your supplement usage.

Gym Rats: All you guys from 18 to 26... You've tried every Protein known to man and chances are you've also tried every creatine out there. I bet you've even heard of or tried some PH's as well. Well, lets see if I can help give you some pointers on which ones to continue to use and which ones to "try."

Lets start off nice and slow first. You've most likely got your favorite Protein, or one that you remembered using and you are using it again. Good. Now what about your Creatine? Is it out of date? Do you have the best possible Creatine working for you? These top 3 of mine will definitely help you out! CEX by VPX - Creatine Ethyl Ester HCL by Axis Labs and N’Gorge by ALRI. Now with the newest advances in Creatine, it is even easier to gain muscle now. These 3 I believe will dramatically help put on some solid muscle.

Creatine is just not used anymore by itself. Now the big thing is NO2 products! Studies have shown that the combination of NO2 products with Creatine have far better results than either one alone. With that in mind, lets look at some good NO2 supps! For starters, there's Muscle Nitrous w/ AEX by VPX, 1-NO by ErgoPharm, and like I stated above N’Gorge by ALRI. The combination of these 2 supps will give you unbelievable pumps in the gym! If you train hard enough, these 2 will give you great results.

Ok ok... I'll get to the good stuff now. ProHormones are banned now, but there are still products out there that give you almost same exact results, if not the same! These supps however should be taken with extreme care and not by ANYONE "under" the age of 21 years old! There is a reason for this guys, so please abide by it! "Google" all the reasons why 18 and younger should not take supps like these if you don't know. With all the products out there, it can be hard to choose sometimes. I find that these 4 supps from ALRI are your best bet for Andro like gains. There are however many other supps like these out there, I just prefer this company due to their proven results and great products. ErgoMAX LMG by ALRI, MAX LMG by ALRI, Prostanazol by ALRI, and Ultra H.O.T. (Hormone Optimization Trimatrix) by ALRI. You should also have an anti-estrogen supp like 6-OXO by ErgoPharm. This will allow your natural hormone levels to come back to normal after a cycle of use. ***IMPORTANT*** All usage of these types of supplements need to be cycled on and off for a period no longer than 4 weeks at a time of continual use!!!! You must take a minimum cycle off at least as long as the cycle you were on. 4 weeks on means 4 weeks off, at least, before doing another cycle. With a proper diet and a good workout routine, your gains will definitely be noticeable!

Lets not forget about our recovery now. When thinking about your recovery, you need to hit it from every angle. A lot of body builders and athletes think that its what you do in the gym and not what happens outside the gym. The number one form of recovery is FREE! You'll love this one. Its called sleep! Sorry, I had to throw that in there. Sleep is your number one form of recovery for your body. So rest up and grow!

As for supps to use, I would recommend a glutamine product of your choice, (I would recommend Ultra Pure L-Glutamine by VPX), a BCAA supp, and a good ZMA or Mineral supp as well. For a mineral supp, I would recommend CMZ by VPX. I think that this is by far the best night time mineral supp on the market. As far as your BCAA's go, I would get pills or a mix in that usually includes Glutamine in it. If you choose pills, I would go with BCAA AKG 1000 by Scifit but if you go with a mix in... I would suggest either BCAA+G by MRM, ICE by Xtreme Formulations, or Glutamine Select Plus - 552 grams by Beverly International. This way you can combine your supps all in one serving instead of taking pills all day long.

You also need to make sure that you have a good protein supp for immediate consumption after a hard workout. I believe without a doubt that VPX's NitronX is the best product for this... PERIOD! It has everything you need after a hard workout and has every possible recovery item in it. Perfect for when you body needs it most! If you choose not to use such a great product, I would recommend also getting a creatine to take post workout as well. One supp that is good for this is Vitargo CGL by Nutrex. Another good supp would be CEX from VPX and Kre-Alkalyn Soft Gel by Scifit. With these supps used on a continual basis, your body will thank you afterwards! All of these supps make up a great combination of recovery products.

This also is around the time that all of you want to start "losing weight." There is now a huge fad with using fat burners to get lean. Although Ephedra was banned, came back, and will probably be banned again, it is time to find an alternative. One that will not be outlawed in the future. That alternative is called cardio! Good ol' fashioned cardio for you my friend. Alright, I'll be realistic here. Not everyone is going to do that, but know this... There is NO MAGIC PILL to make all the fat go away. They may be strong products but you still have to put forth all the effort in order to see results. Again, I do not promote the use of fat burners until a full cardiovascular check up is done with one's doctor. There are too many issues laying around this not be extra careful. If you would like a full list of every possible kind of fat burner, click the link below. http://mysupplementstore.net/thermogenics.html

Geezers: For all you old guys from 27yrs old onward! HAHA I'm just playing with ya. Since you guys have been around the gym most likely before, you know what works and what doesn't with your body. Maybe its been awhile since you last stepped foot in a gym and you don't want to be feeling inadequate when lifting next th the younger guys. Understandable, but not practical! The first thing you need to come to terms with is that you have most likely been away from the game for a while now and need to start fresh. If you've been keeping up with some exercises over the years, then great! That will help you get started a lot easier. But if not, then we need to take it slow and swallow our pride here guys. You'll be pushing the weight again once more. Since your bodies are more mature, they are more susceptible and prone to injury. This is why you need to take it slow.

Now earlier I discussed some options for the gym rats. I would like to use that exactly for you guys as well... with a few new supps thrown in. First off, your protein, glutamine, BCAA's, creatine, and vitamin/mineral supps are key to any success you may want to achieve. So stick with those basic building blocks for your foundational work. Next comes the questions about the pain in the body. "What do I take for it?" Here are some pain relievers for your joints just in case: Glucosa Cream by VPX, Joint Enhance Plus MSM by SciFit, and ProFlex 750 by AST. Each one of these supps will help tremendously in combating the pain you might experience getting back into the gym. It is also good to have these supps instead of using something like Aspirin or Aleve for muscle and joint aches.

Another very important aspect of training for you older guys is staying hydrated. I know it sounds like the least of your worries, but having enough fluids is crucial for your body to function at its best. A product that I believe works very well is this case happens to be VPX's HydroForce. This supp has everything you need to stay hydrated and give you the extra energy needed to have strong workouts, just like when you were younger.

Now that you've had a good solid base of lifting for a couple of months, you want to start pushing some weight! Well, just like what I said above, some Andro like supps are just what the doctor ordered!ErgoMAX LMG by ALRI, MAX LMG by ALRI, Prostanazol by ALRI, and Ultra H.O.T. (Hormone Optimization Trimatrix) by ALRI. These are your "fountains of youth" for the gym! Don't forget to include your anti-estrogen supp like 6-OXO by ErgoPharm. Keep in mind that your body is slowly not producing the amount of hormones it used to so using these supps will greatly change the way you guys feel again. Make sure you read the labels and know what to expect in terms of gains, etc. And as always, check with your DOCTOR FIRST before taking anything!

Without going into complete detail here, I would like to address fat burners. Keep in mind guys that the older you get, the more "taxing" things are on the body. This goes especially true for your heart! When using a fat burner, keep an extra close watch on the functions and actions of your heart. Like stated above, ***SEE A DOCTOR BEFORE STARTING ANY SUPP SUCH AS A FAT BURNER OR ANDRO LIKE SUPPLEMENT.*** Make sure you keep a good solid diet and do plenty of cardiovascular exercise! Here is a link to all the fat burners with descriptions of each: http://mysupplementstore.net/thermogenics.html

Of course there are guys out there that already have the upper hand in the gym. These guys are already insane and still dedicated to becoming better in the gym. However, these guys sometimes don't have the kick start they used to have when going to the gym. A way to bypass that feeling is by taking something like ErgoLean AMP by ErgoPharm. This is sure to give you that extra edge you need to have a great workout! Be careful though not to be too "Amp'ed" or you'll have a hard time sleeping. And we all know sleep is our best friend when it comes to building muscle. A way to help get a more restful sleep and helping the metabolism stay working strong, is by taking a product like Sleep N Tight by Scifit.

The last and final aspect for this group would be the topic of Growth Hormone release. Our bodies release this hormone naturally and this helps our body grow muscle. As we get older, the production of this hormone decreases. This is why we need to have a GH supp to aid our bodies in producing more so we can once again build more muscle. A product that has far beyond topped the charts in my mind has got to be Hemogex by VPX Sports! This product is unsurpassed in its ability to produce results! It is a great product and I promote it entirely to anyone still looking to better themselves. Although it is a bit pricey, the results are well worth it!!! If you do not have that kind of money or don't see a reason to spend it like that, I would then recommend GHT Stack by SciFit. This product I believe gives the user a good quality amount of GH to help build more muscle. With proper diet and continual use of a product like this or Hemogex, the growth of new muscle is almost for certain!

I hope this information will help someone to some extent, and if there are any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me as stated in my Bio. Wishing ALL of you the very best in your training!

Tim Thompson