Athletes are getting bigger, stronger, and faster, and the results are coming quicker than ever before. Intelligent supplementation plays an important role in any serious athletes' training program, and proper supplementation can help anyone who is trying to improve their body or athletic performance. However, sadly, there are much more worthless 'snake oil' supplements out there making outrageous claims than there are good quality products. So, how is one to know which supplements are simply scams and which ones are worthwhile? Far starters, consumers should use common sense. If a product promises something that sounds too good to be true, then it most definitely is. Do you really think that you can melt away all the fat from your abdominals by spreading some gel on them? Come on!

Next, you should make sure that the product you are considering purchasing is supported by scientific and real world research. These are good starting points. However, what it really comes down to is trusting the supplement company that you are buying your products from. Unless you personally have all of the supplements you purchase tested by an independent laboratory, there is no way for you to know for sure that what you are buying is what you think you are buying. Since doing this is highly impractical, I suggest you find a supplement company that you can trust to provide high quality products that are backed by scientific research. I have used many different supplements by many different supplement companies, and have found AST Sports Science supplements to be the BEST BY FAR. Why? Well, for starters, all AST supplements are backed by REAL scientific research. Don't be fooled by supplement companies who claim to use science, where in reality there is no viable research. Ask to see a copy of the research!

The next reason I believe that AST supplements are superior is because of the incredible results I started achieving when I began taking AST Sports Science supplements and following the Max-OT training program. When I personally met Paul Delia, President of AST Sports Science, and AST athletes, Jeff Willet, Skip LaCour, and Derik Farnsworth, that was the clincher. Paul Delia has an incredible amount of dedication and pride in his Company. He is involved in virtually all aspects of the operations at AST Sports Science, and is dedicated to producing the highest quality products available. There is no doubt in my mind that Paul is a man of integrity, and I have faith in him and his company 100%! Jeff, Skip, and Derik all exclusively use AST products and have consistently dominated at the highest level of drug-free competitive bodybuilding. All of the people at AST are very genuine and sincere. It is apparent as soon as you get to know them. So, WHY IN THE WORLD would I use some other company's products who I really know nothing about? Using AST products, I can feel confident that my hard-earned money is being spent on high quality supplements that will help me reach my bodybuilding and health and fitness goals. I'm sure that there are other fine supplement companies out there, but AST products are the only ones I can whole-heartedly recommend to others.

You will notice from my 2003 TRAINING JOURNAL that I use quite a few supplements. I am training for a competitive bodybuilding contest and want to give myself every advantage I can, and I feel that each of these supplements plays an important role in helping me to achieve my goals. However, I realize that people have different goals, so I have composed a list of what I believe to be the most important supplements for anyone wanting to gain lean muscle and/or lose bodyfat:

1. Ny-Tro Pro 40 Meal Replacement
   Each packet of Ny-Tro Pro 40 contains 40 grams of the highest quality protein and only 250 calories. It is a complete and convenient meal at any time of the day. I like to mix mine into a pudding with about 8 ounces of water.
2. Good Multi -Vitamin
   Weight training and intense exercise requires a lot of vitamins and minerals, which is difficult to get from regular food alone. Supplementing with a quality multi vitamin/mineral is a very good idea to make sure your body is getting everything it needs to function and recover properly. I use MultiPro 32X by AST Sports Science.
3. VP2 Whey Protein Isolate
   This unique high quality protein should be used before and after your weight training sessions. The scientific research on VP2's effectiveness at building lean muscle mass is remarkable! Mixing VP2 with Creatine HSC before and after your workouts is known as the "bracketing method" and produces some incredible results.
4. Creatine HSC
   Each serving of Creatine HSC contains 5 grams of high quality micronized creatine as well as 34 grams of high glycemic dextrorotatory glucose crystals, which creates a rapid transport of nutrients directly into the muscle cells when used in conjunction with VP2 immediately before and after your workouts.
5. L-Glutamine
   L-Glutamine is the most abundant amino acid in muscle cells. It has many benefits, including maintaining and restoring muscle glycogen levels during and after workouts, increasing growth hormone, increasing muscle cell volume, and increasing the immune system. Once again, I recommend GL-3 L-Glutamine by AST Sports Science.

These five supplements should be the core of your supplementation program. Other supplements can definitely help you to achieve your goals faster, but I feel that these 5 are the essentials. Remember, that your supplements are only going to be effective if you are following an intelligent training and nutritional plan!

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