My Favorite Supplements
My Favorite Supplements
Below is the list of supplements that have helped me maximize my results during my P90X / Insanity / P90X2 transformation. There are others I’ve tried, but I didn’t feel they gave me as much “bang for my buck” as these. This is not to say that you NEED these. I am just saying that I wouldn’t want to put in the time, effort, and energy into an intense workout program like P90X or Insanity without having these supplements to maximize the benefits of all that hard work. With that said, here’s my favorite supplements — the ones I feel are ABSOLUTELY worth the cost:
I have THREE supplements in my “Must Have” list — things I think are essential and will help your body be at it’s very best =
1) Shakeology = This is by far my favorite Beachbody supplement (in fact, it’s the only one on my “Must Have” list). I gave it a trial run just to see what the hype was about (they offer a 30 day guarantee so you have nothing to lose). Well, after the first month on Shakeology, I signed up for home direct and have been using it EVERY day since. There seem to be 2 types of people when it comes to Shakeology – those who haven’t tried it and are skeptical about the price, and those who have tried it and now rave about it. It does cost twice the amount of regular whey protein, but it’s got hundreds of nutrients and supplements in it, so comparing it to plain protein powder isn’t a fair comparison. You’ll have to decide if it’s in your budget or not, but to me it’s worth the money. To learn more, click here.
2) Whey Protein Powder = You will need to consume a lot of protein to fuel your muscles. You don’t have to use a protein powder if you plan on eating enough lean meats to meet your protein quota, but on a fat shredder diet that will take A LOT of meat!! It’s more practical to plan on using a protein powder to help you meet your daily requirements. Beachbody sells Whey protein powder, but I primarily use GNC’s Wheybolic Extreme 60 and Dymatize Iso-100 because they are a little more affordable and have a higher protein content per serving. They also have enough glutamine in them that I don’t have to supplement it separately. That’s handy for the budget. Your body should get about 10g of glutamine per day in total, so if you don’t get that in your protein powder, you may need to buy some separately, but most good protein powders will give you that much, especially if you take 2-3 servings of protein powder each day (which I typically do). To learn more about protein powders, click here.
3) Results / Recovery Formula = When you push your body hard, it is critical to get out of the “catabolic” state and back into the “anabolic” state as quickly as possible. Intense exercise depletes your body’s stores of glycogen, electrolytes, and naturally occurring creatine and glutamine. It also causes your body to release cortisol (which will break down muscle for energy). We want to exercise hard, but we want to reverse this catabolic process as fast as possible, and that’s why a recovery drink immediately after a workout is so important. It needs a small amount of protein, a lot of fast absorbing carbs, electrolytes, creatine, and glutamine. The Results / Recovery Formula has all of that, which is why I use it after every intense workout. To learn more about it, click here.
This concludes my list of “MUST HAVE” supplements. A person with just these 3 can expect PHENOMENAL results with their fitness. But there are a couple extras that are in the “FUN TO HAVE” category, especially if building muscle mass is a priority of yours ….
4) Creatine = This supplement helps volumize the muscles with fluid so that they can draw more nutrients in to aid with recovery and muscle building. Creatine is also used by the body to generate energy during intense exercise (through ATP) which can improve performance and allow you to get those extra reps, thus pushing your muscles harder. I get my creatine monohydrate from GNC (plain monohydrate …. NOT a mix with sugar and calories in it). It is important to cycle creatine, 2 months on and 1 month off. I also like Kre-Alkalyn, which is a pH buffered form of creatine that allows you to take a lower dose and does not require cycling. I alternate between these two creatine options. To learn more about creatine, click here.
5) Pre-workout Energy Booster (like E&E / 1 MR / Jack3d) = I like the intensity and energy of a pre-workout supplement. I have used Jack3d , N.O. Loaded, 1 MR, NanoVapor, and E&E. Pre-workouts aren’t designed to taste good LOL, but they work great! Most have creatine in them, so they need to be cycled 2 months on, 1 month off (the exception to that is the E&E, which does not have creatine in it). Pre-workouts can affect different people differently, so it’s typical for people to have different “favorites”. To see more on the E&E Pre-workout, click here.
6) Intra-workout (like Intrabolic or Purple Wraath) = Since I work out on an empty stomach in the mornings, I like to get a little fuel (in the form of branched chain amino acids, or BCAA’s) during my workout. It gives my muscles a little fuel, helps prevent a catabolic situation (like I talked about in the recovery formula section), and the intra-workout supplements also have some electrolytes and vasodilators which help with blood flow and getting a “pump”. This isn’t a necessity, but when working out on an empty stomach I find it definitely helps me push harder and transition to recovery better.
I’ve addressed these supplements in my updated nutrition / supplement video, which you can watch below =
327 Responses to “My Favorite Supplements”
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Amazing video. I never even knew it existed. I do not have most of this stuff in Cairo. lol. I am coming to America for college in july, to either Miami or New York. So very very excited to be in America and have all the dietary and supplementary material I need. Will definitely need a lot of your advice when I come over if you do not mind. Other than that I have some questions, isn’t beans supposed to slow down my metabolism ?, doesn’t oatmeal help in gaining weight, not the opposite ?. I will probably follow your supplementary diet exactly as you do it when I come over. Thank you Sir.
Thanks Khaled! As for your questions, no, beans don’t slow your metabolism. They are a great complex carb source. Oats are also a great complex carb. Complex carbs are fine on a fat shredder diet, but need to be limited to less than 30% of your cals. When bulking, you can increase them to 50%.
Hey Coach Wayne, I take GNC Creatine in my P90X, only in my Chest & Back, Shoulders & Arms, and Legs & Back, is Good? and when i finish my workout 30 minutes then I take Whey Protein by ON, also I take evry morning Shakeology with a Scoop of Whey Protein, I’m doing well? or do you recomend me only 1 scoop of protein? each day? and Is good to do Insanity in the mornings and P90X? in the afternoon? or is better to make an hybrid? and Creatine by MP Assault Blue Artic Raspberry is good? or is good to continue with the Normal GNC, or switch to Kre Alkalyn? Thanks Coah Wayne
Hey Max, when using creatine, you should use it every day during the “on cycle”. Learn more in my articles “The Scoop on creatine” and “creatine revisited”.
You need to get enough protein during your day from either foods and/or whey protein. Learn more in my article “protein review”.
I’d recommend a hybrid, like the P90X Insanity hybrid in my “hybrids” tab at the top of the screen.
Perfect Coach, so doesnt matter if I do yoga? I need to take Creatine this day? perfect I will do it, and 2 scoops daily of Whey one in the morning with my Shakeology and another one in the afternoon before my work out
Max, you didn’t read any of those articles I referred you to ….. Read them and then ask me if you have any further questions.
Hey coach, I’ve been taking R&R from the start but recently I noticed the sugar content. Do you feel there are any comparable recovery drinks without the sugar content? Thank-you Leonard
Hey Leonard, a recovery drink is supposed to have sugar in it. Read my R/R review to learn why.
hey coach
have you heard or tried this whey protein powder called Pure Protein 100% whey protein, would their be significant difference between this and GNC’s Wheybolic Extreme 60.
thanks dirk
Hey Dirk, I haven’t used Pure Protein’s version of whey. I’m not sure if it’s concentrate or isolate, or a combination. Pure isolate (not concentrate or a blend) is far superior, so check the label.
thanks coach, you are correct it’s a combination of both concentrate and isolate.
Hey Coach so I don’t know much about protein but I went into GNC the other day to buy some ON and the guy said he recommended getting Wheybolic and that one scoop of that should b what I need. Is protein protein or is he correct?
He’s correct. Read my article “protein review” for more.
i see that u take the protein from gnc what do u think about Myotein ? i got it awhile ago when i was working out alot before i track started.
Hey Kevin, I’ve never used myotein so I can’t comment.
Hey Coach Wayne,
Do you recommend these same supppements for women too?
Yes Kirsten, the main 3. Whey, Shakeology, and a recovery drink.
Ok great thanks! I just read your recommedation that the Kre-Alkalyn is not necessary when wanting to tone (for women).
Wow! Just did some quick calculations and the three supplements suggested take up about 500 calories alone. Being on the Fat Shredder phase, I am only taking in 1000 cal so thats half my cals there. I know I’m getting great nutrition (especially with the Shakeology) but is 500 cal of food eating enough? I guess I may have to up my cal in take if needed. Not complaining or anything, I am up for doing it because I want to BRING IT, but just want to make sure its okay to do that. Your thoughts?
Look at my “dialing it in” section in the nutrition tips regarding your diet.
And the cals from these supplements ARE great for you. But you would only need one scoop of R/R formula for someone your size.
Coach,
Would you recommend using the results and recovery formula during the fat shredder stage?
Yes Omar, but only 1 scoop. Here’s the write-up I did about it = http://teamripped.com/rr-in-round-1
hey coach! i made the coach switch just a fyi!:) i had a question on creatine…if im trying to get my bf% down to 7ish% and im at 10% now like i told you i believe…can i mix creatine in my recovery drink? i have con-cret creatine …i did alot of research on creatines and i think this might be one of the better ones on the market and my buddy who owns GNC near me recommended to me as well..so do you think i should mix it in my p90x rest and recovery shake? i usually do 1 scop of rest and recovery and 1 scoop of wheybolic after my workout And sometimes i do 2 scoops of rest and recovery shake !
Hey Chris! Sure you can use creatine. It has no effect on body fat. When using creatine, mixing with a recovery drink is the best time to use it cuz it will help it absorb fast.
should i only mix it in on my resistance days? or should i mix it in on plyo and kenpo days too? and is it safe bcuz i know the rest and recovery has monohydrate and con-crete is a creatine hcl
Yes, it’s safe to use Chris. The amount of creatine in the recovery drink is minimal. But when you are on an “on cycle” you should take it every day. Be sure you look at my articles “Creatine Revisited” and “The scoop on creatine” if you want more info on how to use creatine.
thanx coach!!