One of the great bodybuilding and fitness debates - perhaps even more controversial than training frequency - is supplementation. Some believe we get all of the nutrients we need from regular food. Others say that intense training is more than the body can effectively deal with when the only fuel is food, and sports performance supplementation is required. And still others say that steroids or other "unnatural" products are the only effective means for real development. There is some truth to all of these viewpoints, with advantages and pitfalls to each.

For the first viewpoint, that we get all of the nutrition we need from regular food, consider the following. Animals in the wild do not use supplements of any kind. They eat regular food. Humans, since our inception, have done the same. This is established fact and part of the natural order. However, bodybuilding (or intense training) is not natural. There are only a literal handful of activities that truly separate us from "regular" animals and make us unique. Bodybuilding (or physique enhancement) is one of them. Since this is not natural and has no precedent in the animal kingdom, we must look at the trainee’s needs in an entirely objective manner. If we are placing tremendous unnatural forces on our bodies, forces that are not repetitively adaptable (good trainees never allow their body to fully adjust since progress would be halted), then it seems to follow that we would need to adapt our dietary habits to match. This explains the need for eating smaller meals more than three times a day (merely a societal custom), for instance, and is a good case for supplementation. If you only get a small amount of Vitamin C each day from regular food for instance, let’s say from a glass of grapefruit juice in the morning and maybe an orange at night, you may be at a deficiency for this important nutrient due to the intense training (stress). As the body works harder to repair training damages, it naturally follows that it will need more of at least the essentials than it normally receives. This can be solved through supplementation. At the very least, a potent (U.S. RDAs are based on notoriously low needs, so definitely find products that far exceed these recommendations) multi-vitamin, multi-mineral pack should be consumed daily.

The second viewpoint is that intense training overloads the system and supplementation to food intake is necessary for maximum progress. I strongly believe this is true, as not only countless studies have shown the effectiveness of various supplemental nutrients, but I’ve personally felt benefit from "regular" and sport supplementation as well (the legal kind). The only pitfall to supplementation is that you can become so focused on the supplementing that you let regular eating fall to the wayside. The occasional meal replacement with a supplement is fine – let’s face it, we can’t always find the time for a decent meal – but to make it a habit is a mistake. Besides the obvious high cost of supplements, particularly as you progress to more advanced and powerful combinations, regular food is almost always better overall for consistent consumption. And if you’re a beginner, just supplement with a good multi-vitamin, multi-mineral pack - it takes time to decide on what best your body will need based on the type of training you do. Also, you’ll have enough trouble getting the eating down right and being consistent with your gym visits and routines (which, if falling to the wayside, negate the overall supplemental effectiveness).