MAgic Bullet

Another repost of a great newlsetter item from years ago.
Sept 2007 NEW!!
Murphy’s Law:
Real Quick: I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been asked, usually by young men, “what supplement should I take to lose fat?” or “boost my bench?”. It seems that everything in our society is dependent on a secret ingredient or a magic pill.
Someone asked me the other night what exercise they could do “REAL QUICK” to get huge shoulders and he was completely unsatisfied with my reply. I said “squat, dips, and rows” and explained that it wasn’t going to be quick either.
Will taking what ever the hot new supplement at the vitamin store give me 3000% more result in 2000% less time? Well millions of people believe this to be true. Most people will gladly spend $150 or more a month on supplements that do absolutely nothing, yet recoil in horror when someone suggests that they hire a trainer at $50-$75 per hour! Trust me, investing in some quality instruction and guidance from a qualified professional, then hitting the gym and working hard, will do far more than a bottle of Ribose and a bottle of plant sterol at $39.99 each.
Think about this for a second: if you went to a coach had him review your form on a few key exercises and then he gives you a plan to follow and you do, what would work better? Six weeks of intense training on a well structured program or extract of Chilean yams, compounded in easy to digest pill form? The investment in training is education that will last a lifetime; the dubious supplement, on the other hand, maybe it will work but most likely it won’t.
Don’t shoot the messenger here. I’m not giving you a thinly disguised ad so you all rush in and sign up for personal training, although that wouldn’t be bad for us! I am encouraging everyone to look at the big picture. Most supplements don’t work, period. Eat quality food, take a multivitamin, use a protein-carb drink and train hard. If you have the money, don’t waste it, invest it. Find a great coach get some instruction and then go back and work hard. There simply is no magic pill to achieving your goals.