When I first started training in 1959 others told me that we needed protein supplements. In those days the Hoffman protein did not mix well in water. I wondered why it should taste the way it did and why it was difficult to ingest. I started reading the muscle magazines and they reinforced the notion that since muscle is composed of protein and other substances that you needed protein to make them grow. That seemed okay but I wondered why we needed extra protein and could not get what we needed from our diet. I went to university shortly after beginning bodybuilding and became cynical about supplements. I recall talking to a professor in physical education and he knew I was a bodybuilder. Well, he laughed at the supplements we took and told us the sewers of Vancouver were being filled with vitamins. I have always tried to know things and so I got myself a textbook in nutrition that I found at the UBC book store. This text was used in courses there. Well, when I read what they said about protein requirement it was clear that athletes needed more energy than protein and that extra protein is converted into energy in the body. It seemed foolish and wasteful to consume more protein than one needed. There was no mention of specific protein requirements for bodybuilders but even pregnant women didn't need that much more protein. My conclusion was that the body needed about 1/2 gram per pound of bodyweight and that was being generous. If you weighed 200 pounds you needed only 100 grams of protein and perhaps only half of that. I did the same thing re vitamins and supplements and ended up taking a C and B vitamin pill just to be sure. That was just before contests. Nowadays I wouldn't even take those.
I haven't kept up to date with the research into supplements but I maintain that eating what we need is just as good as taking those substances. I haven't been that impressed with the quality of research and much has been done by vested interests so might be suspect. We really should know the truth about nutrition and I am afraid there exists too many false theories concerning nutrition and supplements. What is the test of truth about supplements? Well, we should have independent peer reviewed scientific research to test theories. Where is that research for bodybuilders and what they require? There is almost nothing at all. If we go by what is printed in bodybuilding magazines we might as well abandon all reason.
So, if I were to take up bodybuilding seriously then I wouldn't take any supplements at all. I would eat a balanced diet and make sure all requirements were covered. If I can grow muscle rapidly then that is sufficient. I would like to see if I can gain 2 inches of size on my upper arms in a month or so. That should be interesting. I think it is possible. There is absolutely no way I would consider using any steroids or other substances. Life is too precious and short to even consider taking health risks. Besides, I want to prove that rapid growth is possible without drugs.
