RealNinja
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- Sep 17, 2023
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I know people on this site will recommend others to take giant supplement stacks and TikTok Shop pills and Indian herbal remedies. If you walk into vitamin shoppe or GNC there’s a boatload of shit you can throw away your money on. You have to remember that the fitness/health industry is an INDUSTRY- there’s millions and millions of dollars in this shit.
With zoomer men becoming more and more gym and fitness obsessed, supplement companies are making a big ass bag off of your impressionability. You don’t need all of the shit that .org or Reddit or TikTok/Instagram tells you that you do. Look, I’m not telling you that all these supplements are completely useless. They’re probably not going to hurt you, but they’re probably also not going to give you anymore than a marginal benefit. Most supplements really just aren’t worth the money and effort of taking them everyday.
Here’s the basic stack that everyone should take. Unless you have actual deficiencies that need to be addressed, these things are all you need and will actually improve your health. This is assuming your diet is balanced and includes animal protein, complex carbohydrates, vegetables, and fruits. Also- this is water, but whole foods, lifting weights, cardio, hydration, and sleeping 8-10 hours a night is better than any pill or vitamin.
1. Magnesium
Magnesium is involved in hundreds of chemical reactions that occur in your body, helps your muscles and brain function properly, and can improve your mood/help anxiety and stress. Look at the back of the bottle before buying a magnesium supplement- you don’t want to get the “oxide” or “citrate” form. Magnesium bisglycinate/magnesium glycinate are inexpensive, commonly available, and effective. Take 200-400mg per day. It doesn’t necessarily matter when you take it, but I take it at night as it can have a relaxing effect and help you sleep. Magnesium Threonate is also an effective form, and can have cognitive benefits.
2. Vitamin D3 + Vitamin K2
Vitamin D3 strengthens your bones and teeth. It also plays a role in testosterone production and can give a noticeable mood boost. This should be taken in conjunction with vitamin k2- if you frequently take large amounts of D3 without K2, you run the risk of kidney stones or calcifying your veins/arteries. Vitamin K2 helps redirect the calcium to the proper places, your bones. Take 200mcg of K2 per day if you are taking over 3000iu of D3- I take 10k D3, 200 K2.
3. Creatine Monohydrate
Everyone knows about creatine- it makes you retain more water in your muscles and can provide slight performance benefits in the gym. The benefits of creatine are nothing crazy but it’s very well studied, proven to work, inexpensive, and easy to take, so you should take it if you lift weights. 5-10 grams a day, take it with a meal.
4. Fish Oil / Omega 3s
Omega 3s are healthy fats naturally occurring in fish like salmon. They help your brain work better, benefit your hair, joints, and skin, improve your mood, and counteract inflammation in your body. The seed oils processed foods that we commonly eat in today’s society contain a lot of Omega 6s, which are inflammatory. Take Omega 3 supplements to balance your 3/6 ratio. Don’t buy the cheapest brand of fish oil at Walmart. Avoid low quality fish oil products, this is a supplement that is ok to spend a bit of money on- good brands are Nordic Naturals, Jarrow, Life Extensions. Fish oil runs the risk of being rancid or oxidized if shitty companies make it improperly, handle in improperly in the supply chain, or if it is left sitting at room temperature on a shelf/in a warehouse. This is why you buy it from a company that makes quality products. Some supplement stores keep their fish oils in a small fridge, ideally you would get a refrigerated product and take it straight home to put in the fridge. Fish oil should be kept in an opaque/non see-through bottle or package. Before you take fish oil pills, cut one open and smell it. A mild fishy smell is fine but it should not smell fruity or like rotten meat and make you recoil in disgust.
5. Probiotics (Fermented Food)
Your stomach and intestines are colonized by a group of bacteria that are unique to you. This is called your gut flora, it helps digest what you eat and control the digestive process. Eating a bad diet, full of seed oils and processed foods, spawns bad bacteria in your gut. If your gut flora is unhealthy or imbalanced, you might have symptoms like diarrhea, stomach pain, acne, constipation, even things like brain fog, tiredness, and bad breath. Your gut health impacts the way you feel more than you would expect. We can fix this with probiotics, which reintroduce good bacteria into your gut and keep it healthy. There are dozens of “probiotic pills” and store bought probiotic supplements. These are mostly junk, don’t buy them. A lot of things can kill good bacteria in probiotic foods- most importantly, heat. Store bought fermented foods are pasteurized, which affects the amount of probiotics they contain. They also don’t contain diverse strains of good bacteria. The most effective probiotic is homemade sauerkraut- it’s very cheap and simple to make, and loaded with diverse probiotics. Also important: prebiotics. These are foods that probiotic bacteria are able to feed on so they can reproduce and establish themselves in your gut flora. Just like bad bacteria feed on junk food and seed oils, probiotics feed on healthy prebiotic foods like oats, fruits, and vegetables. For your probiotics, eat a few ounces of homemade sauerkraut every day. If you want to know how to make this, ask in the comments, I will post the instructions.
With zoomer men becoming more and more gym and fitness obsessed, supplement companies are making a big ass bag off of your impressionability. You don’t need all of the shit that .org or Reddit or TikTok/Instagram tells you that you do. Look, I’m not telling you that all these supplements are completely useless. They’re probably not going to hurt you, but they’re probably also not going to give you anymore than a marginal benefit. Most supplements really just aren’t worth the money and effort of taking them everyday.
Here’s the basic stack that everyone should take. Unless you have actual deficiencies that need to be addressed, these things are all you need and will actually improve your health. This is assuming your diet is balanced and includes animal protein, complex carbohydrates, vegetables, and fruits. Also- this is water, but whole foods, lifting weights, cardio, hydration, and sleeping 8-10 hours a night is better than any pill or vitamin.
1. Magnesium
Magnesium is involved in hundreds of chemical reactions that occur in your body, helps your muscles and brain function properly, and can improve your mood/help anxiety and stress. Look at the back of the bottle before buying a magnesium supplement- you don’t want to get the “oxide” or “citrate” form. Magnesium bisglycinate/magnesium glycinate are inexpensive, commonly available, and effective. Take 200-400mg per day. It doesn’t necessarily matter when you take it, but I take it at night as it can have a relaxing effect and help you sleep. Magnesium Threonate is also an effective form, and can have cognitive benefits.
2. Vitamin D3 + Vitamin K2
Vitamin D3 strengthens your bones and teeth. It also plays a role in testosterone production and can give a noticeable mood boost. This should be taken in conjunction with vitamin k2- if you frequently take large amounts of D3 without K2, you run the risk of kidney stones or calcifying your veins/arteries. Vitamin K2 helps redirect the calcium to the proper places, your bones. Take 200mcg of K2 per day if you are taking over 3000iu of D3- I take 10k D3, 200 K2.
3. Creatine Monohydrate
Everyone knows about creatine- it makes you retain more water in your muscles and can provide slight performance benefits in the gym. The benefits of creatine are nothing crazy but it’s very well studied, proven to work, inexpensive, and easy to take, so you should take it if you lift weights. 5-10 grams a day, take it with a meal.
4. Fish Oil / Omega 3s
Omega 3s are healthy fats naturally occurring in fish like salmon. They help your brain work better, benefit your hair, joints, and skin, improve your mood, and counteract inflammation in your body. The seed oils processed foods that we commonly eat in today’s society contain a lot of Omega 6s, which are inflammatory. Take Omega 3 supplements to balance your 3/6 ratio. Don’t buy the cheapest brand of fish oil at Walmart. Avoid low quality fish oil products, this is a supplement that is ok to spend a bit of money on- good brands are Nordic Naturals, Jarrow, Life Extensions. Fish oil runs the risk of being rancid or oxidized if shitty companies make it improperly, handle in improperly in the supply chain, or if it is left sitting at room temperature on a shelf/in a warehouse. This is why you buy it from a company that makes quality products. Some supplement stores keep their fish oils in a small fridge, ideally you would get a refrigerated product and take it straight home to put in the fridge. Fish oil should be kept in an opaque/non see-through bottle or package. Before you take fish oil pills, cut one open and smell it. A mild fishy smell is fine but it should not smell fruity or like rotten meat and make you recoil in disgust.
5. Probiotics (Fermented Food)
Your stomach and intestines are colonized by a group of bacteria that are unique to you. This is called your gut flora, it helps digest what you eat and control the digestive process. Eating a bad diet, full of seed oils and processed foods, spawns bad bacteria in your gut. If your gut flora is unhealthy or imbalanced, you might have symptoms like diarrhea, stomach pain, acne, constipation, even things like brain fog, tiredness, and bad breath. Your gut health impacts the way you feel more than you would expect. We can fix this with probiotics, which reintroduce good bacteria into your gut and keep it healthy. There are dozens of “probiotic pills” and store bought probiotic supplements. These are mostly junk, don’t buy them. A lot of things can kill good bacteria in probiotic foods- most importantly, heat. Store bought fermented foods are pasteurized, which affects the amount of probiotics they contain. They also don’t contain diverse strains of good bacteria. The most effective probiotic is homemade sauerkraut- it’s very cheap and simple to make, and loaded with diverse probiotics. Also important: prebiotics. These are foods that probiotic bacteria are able to feed on so they can reproduce and establish themselves in your gut flora. Just like bad bacteria feed on junk food and seed oils, probiotics feed on healthy prebiotic foods like oats, fruits, and vegetables. For your probiotics, eat a few ounces of homemade sauerkraut every day. If you want to know how to make this, ask in the comments, I will post the instructions.
