Supplements While Cutting
The majority of supplements out there on the market are oriented at those looking to achieve the elusive 'Hollywood beach body' a physique that's one part muscle mass and one part low body fat.
Now, almost every supplement company out there will swear black and blue that their supplement is the one that'll finally help you stack on that muscle, burn that fat and reveal that chiseled look that is so highly desired.
Here's the hard truth.
99% of supplements out there won't net you any noticeable results whatsoever.
A lean, muscular physique can be achieved without the use of any supplements.
As I said, a top tier physique comprises of a decent amount of lean muscle mass along with low body fat, let's see how we can go about acquiring these two parts.
Muscle Mass
In order to build lean muscle mass we need to create the demand for our body to grow.
Constantly increasing the stress placed on your muscles via a training principle called progressive overload (click for full guide) is the only way you're going to add both muscle size and strength to your frame.
No supplement can do that for you.
Low Body Fat
Reducing your body fat comes down to consuming fewer calories than your body requires to maintain its current weight on a 24 hour basis, this style of dieting, known as a caloric deficit (click for full guide) is the only way to reduce your body fat.
A caloric deficit can be induced via your diet (eating less), via cardio (burning more calories) or with the assistance of supplements (stimulants speeding up your heart rate, increasing the number of calories you're burning at rest).
As you can see, the principles are there - anyone can do it without luck, genius or supplementation... but supplementation can help.
Provided your diet and training are in check I recommend you utilize the following supplements while cutting, remember - these are just that... supplements they will not and can not make up for any shortcomings, mistakes or laziness in either your diet (caloric intake) or training.
"But What About The Fat Burners In My Local Supplement Store?"
Today, weight loss pills account for a large portion of the $61 billion weight loss industry. No wonder there’s thousands of different brands, pills and marketing campaigns in full force at any one point in time. It’s a lucrative market, preying on the gullible and unaware, convincing them to fork over (quite often) in excess of $100 for a bottle of pills that will do little more than act as a placebo in their weight loss journey. The only thing these pill peddlers will make lighter is your wallet.
The traditional ‘fat burner’ supplements you pick up online or over the counter at your local supplement store are a scam. Allow me to explain the deception and trickery these supplement giants are getting away with:
- Supplement companies ‘pad’ out their products with additional ingredients and compounds that little-to-no scientific proof that they actually do anything, just to make it look like you’re getting more bang for your buck as the ingredients list is long
- Disguising run of the mill ingredients as new ‘wizz bang’ compounds by referring to them by their chemical names (e.g., 1,3,7-trimethlxanthine is another name for caffeine)
- Placing a ‘proprietary blend’ on their formulas, in short meaning they do not have to disclose the dosage of each product contained within their fat burning supplement (this is used to under-dose the main ingredients without us knowing)
- Including a huge dose of caffeine in their fat burning supplement, which is extremely cheap, with little-to-no correctly-dosed other ingredients
Here Are The 3 Inexpensive Yet Effective Supplements I Take While Cutting...
Caffeine
Cheap, effective caffeine pills. Fantastic for creating your own pre-workout supplements or just for that increased focus and energy when you need it. Caffeine has had more studies performed on it than any other stimulant in the world. All results point to increases in endurance, focus and reaction time in athletes – it’s a no brainer.
Caffeine can be consumed in pill form or via black coffee. One important point to remember (and practice!) when it comes to caffeine is that in order to maintain it’s effectiveness and prevent you from building up a tolerance you NEED to cycle your caffeine dosage.
When combined with the green tea extract I discuss below research indicates that caffeine works better too.
Green Tea Extract
Green tea is one of the few supplements that actually has studies to prove it does work. This NO BS supplement along with its rock bottom price (green tea extract) make it very attractive during a cutting phase and drinking green tea for weight loss has quickly become one of my few staple routines while I’m cutting down for a photoshoot (for reference I stack green tea with caffeine and dandelion root extract, but more on that later).
Green tea extract (derived from the leaves of green tea) and weight loss has been the subject of many studies, all of which suggest that green tea extract indeed does work due to the content of catchecins, which are responsible for many of the health benefits we experience from tea. An increase in exercise-induced fat loss (studies referenced below) is also one of the benefits of green tea extract.
One of the biggest benefits I personally find when supplementing with green tea extract (or drinking several cups of green tea) is appetite suppression – if you’re looking to fast through the morning or suppress your appetite in general to prevent going over your daily caloric intake or binge eating I highly recommend you supplement with green tea.
What Does Science Say About Drinking Green Tea For Weight Loss?
A couple of particularly interesting and relevant studies performed include:
Green tea extract and overall fat loss
Green tea extract and exercise-induced fat loss
Dandelion Root Extract
Dandelion is a natural diuretic that’s often used to decrease water retention; I first discovered dandelion root extract capsules upon recommendation by a fellow gym-goer as a way to drop that last bit of water weight and bloating before a photoshoot. After seeing fantastic results taking 3 capsules per day I decided to start taking it year round – my physique now remains relatively ‘dry’ year round as a result.
There’s other (expensive) and dangerous diuretics out there that I haven’t and won’t touch because dandelion root works perfectly.
