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"Have you tried the preworkout Alpha-Explosion 22? That preworkout gets you fired up. The pump is insane."
My favorite thing that I miss in the gym is conversing about supplements.
It's more than the product itself, it's one's personal experience with the supplements that really makes these conversations fun.
Now some of us will roll our eyes: there are so many supplements in this industry, and some people believe they don't need them at all!
Before we get into any debate, I want to give you my perspective based on my many years of trial and error.
In this article, we are going to give you a full-scale introduction to supplements: why you would use them, the types of supplements there are, and supplement cocktails.
Yes, supplement cocktails. You'll know what I mean when you read further.
Without further ado, let's dive in!
I used to be that fitness guy that was pessimistic towards supplements.
I didn't think I needed them because I "ate healthy".
Yet I didn't realize the following:
It took time, but when I finally decided to do my research, I realized what supplements are used for.
I found that my diet and lifestyle wasn't always optimized, and it was difficult to do so every time:
As you can see here, I place more value in them now - because they fill in gaps or challenges we may encounter.
At Reforged, we view supplements as armor: they augment your lifestyle. We use supplements to cover any gaps, or to improve/enhance our lifestyle.
For example, people deplete various nutrients when they exercise or train for a special event. This is why we introduce electrolytes, energy drinks and multivitamins alongside our nutrition programs.
While some supplements might be optional, they sure make things significantly easier if you purchase the right ones for you.
If you're still curious on whether you should supplement or not, click on the article below before you read the next section!
While you may see various ways people categorize supplements, we categorize them into three segments: Foundational, Performance and Lifestyle supplements.
Foundational Supplements are supplements that aid in providing macronutrients (proteins, carbs, & fats) and micronutrients (vitamins & minerals) for anyone deficient in certain supplements. People who frequently exercise should consider supplementing with these, as nutrients typically become depleted through exercise.
The following are what we consider foundational supplements:
Performance Supplements aid in providing various benefits for a specific performance task in mind.
The following are performance supplements:
Lifestyle supplements are all of the other supplements that don't fit in the other categories. They consist of supplements that may not necessarily be needed, but they may improve your lifestyle dependent on your circumstances and your personal choice.
The following are what we consider lifestyle supplements:
A cocktail mixed with the proper components provides a great experience. This is why we like to view dietary supplements as "Supplement Cocktails".
Our goal is to provide you powerful formulations based on our QSST: Quality, Safety, Safety and Transparency.
To accomplish the QSST, we focus on providing you with one or all of the following three supplement goals, maximizing their benefits.
Some supplements that contain various vitamins can provide synergistic benefits to enhance each other's effects. For example, Vitamin D, Vitamin K, and Calcium can work together to give improve cognitive effects, and improving our bones.
In addition, Vitamin C and Vitamin E can also work synergistically: they have antioxidant properties which provide various benefits for your body.
As you can see, there are many supplement components that work better together than separate.
Some supplements (combined with others) could potentially improve the absorption of each other. One typical example of this is fat soluble vitamins. Fat soluble vitamins are better absorbed when fats are introduced along with it. This is why people tend to take vitamins alongside fats like fish oil.
In addition, while Vitamin D, Vitamin K, & Calcium work synergistically, Vitamin D also assists in improving calcium absorption.
As you can see here, most vitamins, minerals and other nutrients may need to be used together to improve overall effectiveness.
Some supplements may contain some negative effects as a result of consumption. One of the most common examples is Caffeine and L-Theanine. As you know, caffeine typically has some negative effects from. However, combined with l-theanine, caffeine's negative effects could be blunted.
To conclude our article, realize that supplements DO have their merits and should be introduced into your lifestyle once you optimize your training and nutrition.
Lastly, I wanted you to understand our WHY in creating Reforged: the supplement industry is not practicing Quality, Safety, Simplicity & Transparency to the best of our abilities.
Because of this, we felt our purpose was to be a part of the fitness industry that is fighting towards pulling it in this direction.
Our mission at Reforged was simple - to bring you supplements in full transparency:
Quality, Safety, Simplicity and Transparency. Each of these four goals come to mind when crafting our supplements.
Now, whether or not you invest in us is your decision. We just wanted to provide you with the tools necessary to make the best choice for YOURSELF!
Thank you everyone for reading!
If you have any questions feel free to comment below, or email myself at tony@reforgedperformance.com if you have any questions.
Until next time, Reforged Legion!
When you're depressed, even when you're not expending a lot of energy... you don't feel like you have any energy to spare to begin with.
It can be aggravating to hear that you need to work out to boost your endorphins, (or whatever your friends say to you).
In reality, they aren't wrong... but how can you exercise if you can't even get out of bed?
Is there something wrong with us?
Absolutely not. This happens with depression.
The thing with depression is that your whole body may feel like it is against you... and it's very frustrating.
I've been there.
But I was forced to work out once I committed to it because of an accountability partner I had.
In this post, we are going to go over some ways that may help you get off the couch when your mind & body are against you.
Hydration is paramount to your health and wellbeing.
When I worked my previous management job, I ran three rental car branches simultaneously at a time where one of the other managers was gone for over a month.
I would try to get my water in regularly, but the locations were incredibly busy. You would always find me at the front desk with customers swarming in.
This played a large part in my stress and I never knew it did until I found a way to actually get drink more water.
In this short post, we are going to go over why hydration is essential for mental health.
Let's dive in!
When I was overweight, I was inactive, depressed, and had insomnia.
I would isolate myself from social interaction, which led me down a dark path where I contemplated suicide.
Eventually, fitness was my salvation, as physical activity led to me sleeping better, eating better, feeling better, and thinking better.
Prior to exercise, I was stuck in what was deemed an Inactivity Trap.
So in this post, we are going to go over an article that was written in 2009 with the same name, called "The Inactivity Trap". This article included studies that supported their claims from a psychological standpoint which intrigued me as well.
So let's dive into what the Inactivity Trap is.
