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Brick Mecham

Kade Parry

ENGL 2010

April 30, 2021

Best Supplements for Beginners

One of the most discussed topics at the gym is supplements. There are many people who

have started to attend the gym ever since COVID-19. While in quarantine many of us did not make

very good decisions when it came to our diet. Because of this and having summer right around the

corner it has caused many people to want to improve their physique. Those who are new to the gym

often want results quick. However, getting fit takes effort, hard work and time which is difficult

when we often want instant results. The fitness community is often known for having many

supplements and these are used to help speed up the process. My goal is to help those just starting

out know what some of the best supplements they can take. Originally, I was asking the question

of,” do supplements make a difference?” After extensive research I have concluded that they do

make a difference. There was very little evidence that supports otherwise. From this research I

found that the three best supplements for beginners are creatine, caffeine, and protein. Everyone

has an opinion regarding these three, whether it’s positive or negative. My research argument has

evolved more into finding out why these three supplements are so great. This paper will look into

the three best supplements to be taking for beginners and they are creatine, protein and caffeine.

Each of these supplements will be individually examined to show their purpose, other opinions on it

and even why they can help you personally.

Of these three, creatine is the less known supplement, however it has been one of the most

controversial in the past. We will investigate the purpose of creatine and how it can affect your

body as well as why you should take it. We produce creatine naturally and many foods we
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commonly put in our bodies contain it as well. In the article “Dietary Supplements for Exercise and

Athletic Performance,” it tells us a few common foods that contain creatine. It says, “Animal-based

foods, such as beef (2 g/lb), pork (2.3 g/lb), and salmon (2 g/lb), contain creatine.” From this we

can see that we put creatine in our body almost every day. Creatine helps build lean muscle mass,

improve strength, and provides muscles with ATP. When you eat food, your body breaks it down

and turns it into chemical energy which is known as ATP or adenosine triphosphate. ATP is

energy. The same article shares two different studies that were done to demonstrate the effect of

creatine. The first one states,“a study randomized 14 healthy, resistance-trained men (aged 19–29

years) to receive 25 g creatine monohydrate or a placebo for 6–7 days. Participants taking the

supplement had significant improvements in peak power output during all five sets of jump squats

and in repetitions during all five sets of bench presses on three occasions.” The second study stated,

“18 well-trained male sprinters aged 18–24 years received either 20 g/day creatine or a placebo for

5 days. Compared with those taking the placebo, participants taking the creatine improved their

performance in both 100- meter sprints and six intermittent 60 m sprints.” From these studies we

can see that by taking creatine you can improve your athletic performance significantly. By taking

creatine you will provide your body with more energy which will allow you to work harder in the

gym and allow the results you are looking for. It will also help improve your lean muscle mass

which is the amount of muscle on your body not including fat.

Through the Snow College database, there was an article titled,“What you should know

about Creatine” and in this article the author talks about the negatives of this supplement. This

article tells us that creatine can cause “muscle cramping and strains, nausea, diarrhea, dizziness, and

dehydration.” They have also found that people experience kidney problems from taking this

supplement. In this article they conclude that it is not safe to take because, “No one knows about

the safety of long-term creatine use, because it's never been studied.” However, this article was
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written in 2000 and since then there has been so much research about this controversial supplement.

The article “Dietary Supplements for Exercise and Athletic Performance” which was written in

2019 says, “Creatine is one of the most thoroughly studied and widely used dietary supplements to

enhance exercise and sports performance.” Over 19 years it has become one of the most studied

supplements on the market. The way creatine works is it pushes the water in your body into your

muscles. Which is why people often say they look bigger while taking creatine. This does cause

your body to become dehydrated because all the water is in your muscles. When you are

dehydrated for long periods of time you can get kidney problems which is a common concern.

When taking creatine, you need to be sure to drink plenty of water, so this does not happen.

Protein is a supplement that most people are familiar with. Protein is required for your body

to function correctly which is why it is in so many foods. The way your body uses protein to better

yourself is very complicated. But the “Scientific America” website had an article that put it very

simply and this section will be paraphrased from the author. Armstrong helps us understand that

when protein is put into our bodies it is broken down into BCAA’s or Branched Chain Amino

Acids. These amino acids are used to help our body repair and grow new muscle. When you

consume the correct amount of protein your body will go into what is called an “anabolic state” and

while your body is in this phase you will build muscle. Which is why you want your body to be in

an anabolic state if you can.

Protein can come in many different forms, it can come in beans, meats, milks and through

supplementation. This article is still focusing more on the supplementation side of things. But even

with protein supplementation there are more kinds of protein but, this section will cover whey

protein specifically. Whey protein is a byproduct of milk, and it tastes the best and will give you the

biggest muscle gains. In the article “Whey Protein Supplementation Enhances Whole Body Protein

Metabolism and Performance Recovery after Resistance Exercise” it does a very long and elaborate
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study on whey. Their conclusion says this “Collectively, our results suggests that whey protein

ingestion after evening exercise and the following morning may improve muscle reconditioning

following exercise and may be advantageous for those aiming to enhance the recovery of force

generation and maintain training quality.” From the study done the doctors decided that whey

protein will improve muscle mass and muscle improvement. One of the key components to this

study was that the subjects had been going to the gym and trying to better themselves. This is

perhaps one of the most important parts of protein. In order to get bigger, protein needs a partner,

and that partner is you. For protein supplementation to influence your body you need to be going to

the gym and working your muscles. Otherwise, the protein will be of no use to your body, and it

will get rid of it. This is because when you go to the gym and lift weights you are tearing muscle

fibers. These fibers will repair themselves, but you can help speed along the process by taking

protein. As discussed earlier protein is made up of amino acids and these are what helps those

fibers repair quicker. Therefore, it is critical to be on a good workout schedule while taking protein,

otherwise it does no good. If you go to the gym and take protein following your exercise you will

improve your body.

According to the “Muscles in a bottle” article found on the Snow College database the

recommended daily protein intake should be around .8g per pound of body weight. For example, if

someone weighed 175 pounds, that individual should be intaking 140g of protein every day to help

improve their muscles. But what happens when you exceed that amount? In an article entitled

“Adverse Effects Associated with Protein Intake above the Recommended Dietary Allowance for

Adults” it talks about the effects of too much protein. It says, “Extra protein is not used efficiently

by the body and may impose a metabolic burden on the bones, kidneys, and liver.” Also, if you are

receiving most of your daily protein from animal meat it also says it can cause an “increased risk for

coronary heart disease due to intakes of saturated fat and cholesterol or even cancer.” All these
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things are potential risks while taking too much protein. However, if you are keeping track of your

protein intake you will know exactly how much protein you are intaking and this will not happen.

This is typically a very rare case. These effects can only happen to you if you are only eating

meats, especially red meats. We all know that it is not good for you to only be eating meat, this can

have very serious effects on your heart. You need to be intaking a healthy well-rounded diet. Meat

is a great source of protein when eaten correctly and in a balanced way.

The final supplement that needs to be discussed is caffeine. It is a supplement that you have

probably heard mentioned many times, especially when referring to the gym. One of the most used

supplements in the gym is pre-workout. Pre-workout is used to stimulate your body so that it can

have plenty of energy for your workout. This is important because it will motivate you to work

harder which will give you more gains. Typically, pre-workout is compiled of many different

supplements to help the user get more energy and extra benefits. One of the main ingredients in

pre-workout is caffeine. Caffeine is usually found in coffee, tea, chocolate, soda, and energy drinks.

In an article entitled “Caffeine Confusion,” found on the Snow College library it talks about a few

benefits. The author says “A 2005 study, conducted at the Medical University at Innsbruck, in

Austria, examined the subjects' brains after they took either caffeine or a placebo. The caffeine

brains showed more activity, and the subjects they belonged to showed improvement in short-term

memory.” From this study we can see that not only do you receive physical benefits but mental

benefits as well. When taking caffeine, the mental benefits often outweigh the physical benefits.

When thinking about strength training it is the caffeine that gives the user the extra energy that

allows them to focus and work hard. There was a study done on 68 Navy Seals and the effect

caffeine had on them. When you are training to become a seal, you are required to endure a very

physically intense challenge known as “Hell Week.” The author of the “Brain Boosters” article talks

about a study where they gave a certain number of those 68 seals caffeine and this is what they
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discovered. They found that those who were taking 100-300mg of caffeine responded quicker and

made fewer mistakes. This was demonstrated during one training where each of the seals had

images come up on a computer screen and their job was to find faint objects in the picture. They

found that those who did not take caffeine scored around “7.9 out of 20” while those who took

caffeine averaged between “10.6 and 12.2” out of 20. This is an exponential difference in results,

this can be drawn to the effect that caffeine has on your brain. It can help improve your cognitive

response and ability. This can help you individually because it will allow you to stay focused while

trying to workout at the gym.

An important thing to note is that many people react to caffeine differently, referring to the

“Dietary Supplements for Exercise and Athletic Performance” article it had a study that proved it.

To summarize: The study used 33 test subjects and gave all of them caffeine. The results were

slightly different than they were expecting, while lifting weights some test subjects improved “.7%”

while others had an improvement of “17.3%.” This caused them to conclude that caffeine will

affect everyone slightly different. When trying caffeine start with a low amount and see how your

body reacts. From there you can increase or decrease the amount you put in your body depending

on the effects.

In an article titled “A stimulating view of caffeine” the author goes into detail on some of

the potential effects of caffeine. The author says “It can raise the heart rate, cause motor or muscle

tremors, increase blood pressure, and act as a diuretic that reduces water content in the blood. This

might affect sensory neurons in the dura, the thin envelop of tissue that surrounds the brain, and

may be the source of headaches.” Caffeine is a stimulant and because of that it can cause your heart

to beat at a very fast pace which can potentially be dangerous. However, when caffeine is taken

correctly it has many more benefits than down falls. Referring to the article “Dietary Supplements

for Exercise and Athletic Performance” once again we can get some more information on the
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recommended amount. The author suggests not taking more than “500mg per day” which is quite a

bit of caffeine. To put it into perspective one cup of coffee typically has around 140mg of caffeine.

When someone puts more than 500mg of caffeine into their body they are running the risk of having

high blood pressure and muscle tremors. This supplement will help you improve your workout if it

is taken within the recommended amount.

In conclusion this paper has reviewed three of the fitness markets most popular supplements.

First, we looked at creatine, this supplement is used to help improve lean muscle mass, strength and

improves ATP which gives you more energy. When taking creatine, it is important to remember

that it pulls water from your body and pushes it into your muscle. Because of this it can cause

dehydration and you need to be drinking plenty of water with this supplement. Second, we looked

at protein, this is the most common one and it is used to build and repair muscle tissue. As pointed

out earlier you need to be intaking about .8g per pound of body weight so that your body can make

the most of the protein. We also talked about intaking red meats and how it is a good source of

protein but should be eaten in moderation to prevent heart conditions. Third we looked at caffeine,

this supplement will give you increased energy and reduce fatigue. Caffeine effects everyone

differently so make sure to take small amounts to start and find out how your body reacts to it. It is

important to strive not to take over 500mg because this can cause high blood pressure. All these

supplements have been tested time and time again and continue to have the same great results.

From this paper it has been observed that all three of these performance enhancing supplements are

safe and will help you get stronger. As many of you have noticed there are many supplements on

the market and all of them claim to be the best. From the research shown these three are the best

supplements to help those who are new and wanting to improve their bodies.

I have been doing strength training consistently for two years now, and in that time, I have

made many discoveries through trial and error. I would like to add my own testimonial to each of
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these supplements and how they impacted me personally. I have only been taking creatine for about

five months and I was very lenient at first because I heard it can damage kidneys. I then decided to

do my own research and found that it is very safe, and I need to make sure to intake plenty of water.

I have a scale that sends electrical pulses through my body which allows it to track my weight, body

fat percentage, muscle mass and many other things. As I have taken creatine my muscle mass has

increased by 7 pounds which is a huge improvement. My body looks bigger, and I have noticed

that my strength has increased as well. I have been taking protein on and off for about two and a

half years and during the time I was not lifting I did not notice a difference, which I mentioned

earlier. As I have taken it while I workout there has been a lot quicker muscle growth than when I

do not take it. It has made the biggest difference in my recovery process; it allows my muscle to

rebuild and come back bigger and stronger. Over the two years I have been working out my body

weight has gone up 20 pounds with 12 of those pounds being muscle. From these numbers you can

see that protein has made a big difference, but that is also with the help of caffeine due to the

physical and mental benefits. On the days I do not have the motivation to attend the gym I just take

some caffeine and it gets me focused and ready. While I am there the extra caffeine gives me more

energy to lengthen my time at the gym so I can push my body to the limits. Caffeine will not make

you big just from taking it. It affects you by improving your focus and mental abilities. When you

are focused at the gym you can work the muscle harder and smarter. These three supplements are

the only ones that I take because I feel they make the biggest impact in my strength training and I

know they will do the same for you.

I made a lot of revisions to this paper. I first started with changing my topic completely. As

I said in the paper I started off asking if supplements actually worked. Through my research I found

that they do work and make a difference so I shifted my paper into which ones you should take. As
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I created this paper, I continued to make changes, I changed many of my sources, so they were more

relevant. I also wanted to add my own testimonial to these supplements.

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Works cited

Armstrong, Brock. “Do Amino Acids Build Bigger Muscles?” Scientific American, Scientific

American, 3 Aug. 2019, www.scientificamerican.com/article/do-amino-acids-build-bigger-

muscles/#:~:text=When%20you%20eat%20protein%2C%20your,a%20positive%20balance%

20of%20nitrogen.

Brown, Jordana. “Caffeine Confusion: the Stimulant Has Come under Scientific Scrutiny Lately,

Starring in a Slew of Studies. But What's the Truth about the Powerful Fat-Burning Pick-Me-

up?” Library Services Login, Jan. 2007, go-gale-

com.lib.snow.edu:2443/ps/retrieve.do?tabID=T003&resultListType=RESULT_LIST&search

ResultsType=SingleTab&hitCount=1&searchType=AdvancedSearchForm¤tPosition=1&docI

d=GALE%7CA156440137&docType=Interview&sort=RELEVANCE&contentSegment=ZH

CC&prodId=HRCA&pageNum=1&contentSet=GALE%7CA156440137&searchId=R3&user

GroupName=snowcoll&inPS=true.

Clark, Nancy. “Muscles in a Bottle.” Library Services Login, 2002, web-b-ebscohost-

com.lib.snow.edu:2443/ehost/detail/detail?vid=7.

Delimaris, Ioannis. “Adverse Effects Associated with Protein Intake above the Recommended

Dietary Allowance for Adults.” ISRN Nutrition, Hindawi Publishing Corporation, 18 July

2013, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4045293/.

Murphy, Dee. What You Should Know about Creatine. Feb. 2000, web-b-ebscohost-

com.lib.snow.edu:2443/ehost/detail/detail?vid=3&sid=5d0e3253-41ee-42f5-9bbc-
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ce2ade3a4b93%40pdc-v-

sessmgr02&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3D%3D#AN=2768852&db=hxh.

Nutrition Health Review. “A Stimulating View of Caffeine.” Library Services Login, 2011, web-a-

ebscohost-com.lib.snow.edu:2443/ehost/detail/detail?vid=2.

“Office of Dietary Supplements - Dietary Supplements for Exercise and Athletic Performance.”

NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Oct.

2019, ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/ExerciseAndAthleticPerformance-HealthProfessional/.

Raloff, Janet. “Brain Boosters.” Science News, vol. 179, no. 5, Feb. 2011, pp. 26–29. EBSCOhost,

doi:10.1002/scin.5591790525.

West, Daniel W D, et al. “Whey Protein Supplementation Enhances Whole Body Protein

Metabolism and Performance Recovery after Resistance Exercise: A Double-Blind Crossover

Study.” Nutrients, MDPI, 11 July 2017, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5537849/.