are supplements cheating?

[4north1side2]

i know im the probably the only one...but i think that shyt is cheating cuz people aint gettin the shyt the natural way (foods)

[khalid a.k.a Genocide]

NO supplements are not cheating. And steroids, growth hormone substances taken correctly should be allowed in my opinion. Anyway, supplements enhances the effort you put in the gym in conjuction with your diet to allow muscle growth(or fat loss) depending on the supplement.

check www.gnc.com
www.wannabebig.com for info on dietary supplements, nutrition tips and weightlifting exercises.

[4north1side2]

im sayin tho, why go buy the supplements when you can get it in foods? are people really that lazy these days to eat the proper foods now?

[khalid a.k.a Genocide]

Not exactly lazy. I take supplements, eat 5-7 meals times a day, and I put in 110% of effeort in the weightroom(heavy lifting). Some supplements help extracting more nutrients from foods so in my opinion supplements are essential. Im not lazy at all, if you come and lift with me you will not say that Im lazy, I guarantee.

[DJ_Tone_Blaze]

Supplements are much more "natural" and better to eat than, say, pork.

[whoa4]

im sayin tho, why go buy the supplements when you can get it in foods? are people really that lazy these days to eat the proper foods now?

People who don't take them or don't know anything about them consider it cheating. I know here on campus, some n*ggas act like they big in the weight room maxing at like 150 at the most. The they say sh8t like "Protein shakes are like steroids" and all this other BS. I had a homeboy who would tell me that he didn't take protein shakes because he thought it was cheating, yet he couldn't do 20 straight pushups.

i told him that protein shake are like food. High protein food in a bucket, thats easy to make and quick to take. I don't even use supplements like I used to and can still knock out 75 pushups straight and bench/squat around what I used to. IMO, protein shakes are necessity for me to get where I need to get. I was in the 2nd best shape in my life when taking protein/creatine. The 1st best shape was in 9th grade when I was doing alot more running, sprinting, body weight exercises, polymetrics, boxing, and some dumbell work, EVERYDAY except on weekends. If i was taking protein at that time, i would've probably gained alot more muscle, still be leaner but stronger, and been in even better shape. I don't do all that now, just weight training...

but to answer your question, no it's not cheating but you can go the natural way. It's gonna take ALOT of food though, and alot of money to get the types of food needed. I eat high protein foods when at home, while also taking the shakes. I haven't taking any shakes recently though, but i plan on starting back so I can reach my weight and weightlifting goal. Once I'm done, i might hold up on the Protein shakes and do some natural eating again. But no, protein shakes are not cheating. Thats like asking if high protein chicken is cheating. If anything, it's smarter

[khalid a.k.a Genocide]

People who don't take them or don't know anything about them consider it cheating. I know here on campus, some n*ggas act like they big in the weight room maxing at like 150 at the most. The they say sh8t like "Protein shakes are like steroids" and all this other BS. I had a homeboy who would tell me that he didn't take protein shakes because he thought it was cheating, yet he couldn't do 20 straight pushups.

i told him that protein shake are like food. High protein food in a bucket, thats easy to make and quick to take. I don't even use supplements like I used to and can still knock out 75 pushups straight and bench/squat around what I used to. IMO, protein shakes are necessity for me to get where I need to get. I was in the 2nd best shape in my life when taking protein/creatine. The 1st best shape was in 9th grade when I was doing alot more running, sprinting, body weight exercises, polymetrics, boxing, and some dumbell work, EVERYDAY except on weekends. If i was taking protein at that time, i would've probably gained alot more muscle, still be leaner but stronger, and been in even better shape. I don't do all that now, just weight training...

but to answer your question, no it's not cheating but you can go the natural way. It's gonna take ALOT of food though, and alot of money to get the types of food needed. I eat high protein foods when at home, while also taking the shakes. I haven't taking any shakes recently though, but i plan on starting back so I can reach my weight and weightlifting goal. Once I'm done, i might hold up on the Protein shakes and do some natural eating again. But no, protein shakes are not cheating. Thats like asking if high protein chicken is cheating. If anything, it's smarter

PREACH!!!!

[Mastermind84]

its not cheating... ur body naturally makes those things... all it does is ensure you get more proteins... which u would do if u ate the correct way... its not cheating... not ne where near it...

[AnotherGirl]

No...

[magnus]

theres really no such thing as cheating. it all takes work...

[Shaolin Temple]

it's not cheating. Whey protein comes from food, it's just filtered out. Sure, some of the supplements are processed, but it isn't as processed as a lot of food you see in your local supermarket. Now you have organic products, which is expected to gain 15-20% increase til about 2010. Just about anything outside of organic is grown using artificial fertilizers which is really not good. Considering how multi-vitamins/minerals almost daily, protein, water, etc is what the body needs to perform at it's peak, then why would you deny yourself those things.

Did you know that there are 40 essential vitamins, minerals and EFA that your body cannot produce, and it depends on you to feed it so it can run well? Some people feed their cars with better gas and use the best oils and get tune-ups every 6 months, upgrade their cars performance in a variety of ways, and no one considers that cheating.

Cool that their is now a fitness forum. Too bad I don't have the time to post like I used to.

[realgone]

i know im the probably the only one...but i think that shyt is cheating cuz people aint gettin the shyt the natural way (foods)
No way. I have an Isagenix (http://isalife.net) protein shake for breakfast every morning and would never think of it as cheating. I could spend 4 times more time making a breakfast from scratch that would more than likely not be as healthful. I have found one that is all natural and loaded with good stuff.
Some things to consider about protein shakes and supplementation that might make you change your mind in viewing them as cheating.
Conventional farming destroys soil and in doing so removes nutrients that would get passed on to the produce during the growing process. So in short, that means, an apple eaten today compared to 100 years age, has far fewer nutrients.
Of course, it would be better to get those nutrients totally naturally from foods alone. But today's 'civilized' diet of highly processed, unripe-picked, distance-shipped, quick-frozen, ethylene-gassed, pesticide-ridden, herbicide-ridden, hormone-laden, genetically modified (and what-have-you) foods completely assures us that the foods will be deficient and the body's nutrient needs will be increased to handle the chemical stresses of all the additives that are consumed in the typical diet.
A large part of the modern food supply is tainted. The USDA is a joke, but on the other hand vitamins and such are also a big business and can be just as bad. For example some companies do not make healthful products and use capsules that are sealed with toxic glues and are not good for the body. You just need to find a reputable company and get supplements, shakes and such, from them.
If you want to read a good book about the current food supply in America, "Diet for a dead planet." would be a good start.

[sicc_esco]

protein shakes is not cheating its essential for maximum results and its easy and quick to make, but i have a different opinion on creatine supplements, all it does is get you water weight which makes u look bigger but once u stop it dissapears so thats basically cheating yourself, i used to take nitric oxide and yeah it gave me energy but i stopped taking it and now i have much more strength but im just not as "pumped" as i used to be when i took it.

[makavalli]

People who don't take them or don't know anything about them consider it cheating. I know here on campus, some n*ggas act like they big in the weight room maxing at like 150 at the most. The they say sh8t like "Protein shakes are like steroids" and all this other BS. I had a homeboy who would tell me that he didn't take protein shakes because he thought it was cheating, yet he couldn't do 20 straight pushups.
i told him that protein shake are like food. High protein food in a bucket, thats easy to make and quick to take. I don't even use supplements like I used to and can still knock out 75 pushups straight and bench/squat around what I used to. IMO, protein shakes are necessity for me to get where I need to get. I was in the 2nd best shape in my life when taking protein/creatine. The 1st best shape was in 9th grade when I was doing alot more running, sprinting, body weight exercises, polymetrics, boxing, and some dumbell work, EVERYDAY except on weekends. If i was taking protein at that time, i would've probably gained alot more muscle, still be leaner but stronger, and been in even better shape. I don't do all that now, just weight training...
but to answer your question, no it's not cheating but you can go the natural way. It's gonna take ALOT of food though, and alot of money to get the types of food needed. I eat high protein foods when at home, while also taking the shakes. I haven't taking any shakes recently though, but i plan on starting back so I can reach my weight and weightlifting goal. Once I'm done, i might hold up on the Protein shakes and do some natural eating again. But no, protein shakes are not cheating. Thats like asking if high protein chicken is cheating. If anything, it's smarter


damn u can do 75 push ups straight??!!! i can do about 33-35 straight.how did u get to that level cause my workout regimen includes push ups pull ups,running and a little bit of weights. i do about 300 push ups monday thru friday but thats sets of 25 so would it help muscle defination to do high sets like that?

[Weapon X]

Sometimes you dont get enough nutrients and **** in food so you need supplements to make up for it. Steroids are cheating though.

[Big H]

Supplements are for the most part made from natural ingredients and substances. Synthetic sh*t like Steroids however is cheating and not natural. Supplements are just that... supplements; they serve to fill in nutritional gaps and help consume higher amounts of a certain nutrient. A fine example of this is Creatine. People are still under the misconception that Creatine is some dangerous supplement and not healthy. Fact is, Creatine is found in many meats and foods people eat on a daily basis. The deficiency and low amounts however lead to people supplementing their diets with higher amounts.

Of course nothing can replace foods as the main source for nutrients and supplements should be used to complement a healthy and well structured diet. People who rely solely on supplements and protein shakes fail.