I've got a question that may sound silly for you all, but here it goes... I've been doing a lot of bodyweight training recently which involves heavy circuit training, also a lot of cardio training (i.e running, swimming). Recently, i've been reading a lot about supplements (i.e protein) and was wondering whether i could use them with bodyweight training as most labels suggest using free weight training (unfortunately this is not available to me) and do not mention bodyweight training. Will it improve my training using supplements? If so which one would you personally choose? Any help will be great Thanks
Yes, you can use supplements for bodyweight training. As far as your body is concerned, weight is weight, whether that weight is iron or your own body. The only supplements I'd bother with are whey protein, fish oil and a good multivitamin.
Resistance training is resistance training. If it's challenging, then it counts. Use a barbell, your own body, a suitcase or a rock. The bottle of pills/tub of powder doesn't know the difference. Yes, certain supplements can definitely increase the effectiveness of an already well-planned and targeted training and nutrition program. But if either of those first two pieces aren't up to snuff, there's little point in getting into fancy supplements. That's like saying "Hey guys, I want to write a sentence. If you were writing a sentence, which words would you use?" It's super-vague, and depends on a lot of variables. What are your goals, and does your training and eating already support you towards those goals? All that said, you generally can't go wrong with fish oils, protein powder (which many people consider "food", not a supplement. But don't get me started on that), and some type of pre-formulated post-workout drink. My current #4 choice would probably be ZMA, because sleep is dramatically improved. But some people seem not to get much of a kick out of it. Way back when, we had a thread "Top 5 Suggested Supplements". Sounds like it could be worth reading over.
