We have something on our hands that is wrong on multiple levels folks. Let’s break this down into elements and first address the supplement rep. If you randomly walk into an establishment and flop a bag of bunk supplements on a counter, you best know exactly what they are, what they do, how to take them, when to take them and who shouldn’t take them. Maybe I’m being a bit nit picky here, but it appears that this woman was only concerned with making a sale and a quick buck, and could care less about the welfare of the parties involved. THIS is the exact pollution that we at The Lean Berets are trying to clean up on the filthy streets of the fitness industry. Because it’s apros pos, the pollution in this case goes further than the rep. It obviously involves the supplement companies themselves too. They can boast on the front and back of the packages all day long about the science behind their products and all the rigorous testing they’ve done, but in the end, you just can’t fix stupid. AND, you have to get up a lot earlier in the morning to fool the Head of Special Ops for The Lean Berets. If I should find any one of my clients, friends, family members, or even acquaintances sucking down one of these bunk products, I will confiscate it immediately, and it WILL face The Firing Squad!
In the big picture, I’m not an elitist, and I’m not opposed to supplements. I actually use pure creatine, for example, because it boosts my recoveries and if you’ve ever seen me work out, you know I put my foot on the gas and don’t take it off! My problem is the abuse of supplements and the use of ones with artificial sweeteners, colors and flavors, mega-doses of caffeine and preservatives that have such long names they need to be abbreviated in ingredient labels.
In true Lean Beret form, we’re not going to tell you to avoid supplements altogether, because we know you’re going to use them. Just make sure to always do your homework and don’t settle for the latest talk of the break room or miracle weight-loss formula you hear about by a well-known fitness guru on TV or the internet. Trust me when I tell you, they are not giving you the straight-up facts!
Let’s take the popular pre-workout formula Jack3D for example. It’s pronounced “Jacked” by the way. I’m sure you’re familiar with it. Over the past few years it has become all the rage in the gym scene, especially with college-aged athletes. A handful of people have approached me and asked for my take on it, and I gave them the honest truth as I’m about to do with you right now.
If you currently take Jack3D and are afraid of what I’m about to say, I suggest you cover your ears. OK ready… It’s complete crap!!! Yes, I have the guts to say that out loud and don’t care who I offend. I can get over the fact that it has a wheelbarrow’s worth of caffeine in it, but I can’t get past the other “issues.”
First of all, I found out Jack3D was taken off the market in 2012 because it had a banned ingredient known as DMAA–dimethylamylamine. Say that three times fast. Then it was reformulated and put back on the market for your supplementing pleasure. Here’s where the plot thickens. USPLabs not only makes that Oxy garbage, but they are also the parents of Jack3D! Well I’ll be darned. And even though you may no longer find DMAA in the product, you will still find artificial flavors, silicon dioxide, sucralose and acesulfame potassium. This warrants Jack3D a trip to the Firing Squad!
Your take home message is simple. Use supplements as directed, choose supplements that are free of all toxins and contaminants, and don’t expect them to work miracles. You still have to put in a lot of hard work to make major changes AND maintain them. Until next time, my name is K/Rail. I tell it like it is and say it like I see it.
The end.
