Author Topic: "Dietary supplements" for gym users  (Read 3721 times)

citoyen

  • Occasionally rides a bike
"Dietary supplements" for gym users
« on: 01 October, 2009, 03:04:00 pm »
A colleague of mine has been getting seriously into the gym recently and has sessions with a personal trainer three days a week. This trainer is a bit of a muscle-brained creatine addict from the sound of it, and has got my colleague necking protein shakes and cutting out all carbohydrates from his diet, which I've tried to explain in a tactful way is not exactly sound nutritional advice. But because said colleague perceives this trainer to be in a position of authority, he treats his word as gospel. Even if he's actually not as strict as he likes to fool himself about his diet - let's just say he finds it hard to resist the lure of chips and sausages.

So far, colleague is losing weight steadily, which - considering his frequent dietary lapses - must be mostly due to the fact that he's gone from doing no exercise to doing three strenuous gym sessions a week. But try telling him that! No, as far as he's concerned, it's all down to the diet.  ::-)

Anyway, this is all by way of background to the bit that's really bothering me.

Colleague arrives in the office this morning carrying a jar of some unknown "supplement" that his trainer has given him. Apparently, the trainer has told him that "his hormones are imbalanced" and he needs to do something about it.

I enquired as to how the trainer had made this diagnosis? "Oh, he knows about these things," was the reply. "So he's a trained medic?" "No." "He did blood tests on you?" "No." "Then he's bullshitting you," say I. "Is that your professional opinion?" asks colleague, clearly upset that I've basically accused him of being a credulous fool.

Now, I don't know what these supplements are. I rather hope they're just some form of snake oil. But given the trainer's sales pitch, I have a horrible hunch they're something else altogether, and I'm more than slightly concerned.

What does the panel think?

d.
"The future's all yours, you lousy bicycles."

Chris S

Re: "Dietary supplements" for gym users
« Reply #1 on: 01 October, 2009, 03:13:37 pm »
My mummy told me never to take sweets from strangers.

Now I'm a bit older, I translate that to mean - don't take pills from anyone except your GP.

Taking unmarked pills from a non-med is daft. If your colleague isn't interested in your concern; then I'd be inclined to sign off the conversation with "Fine - it's your liver I guess..." and leave it at that.

vorsprung

  • Opposites Attract
    • Audaxing
Re: "Dietary supplements" for gym users
« Reply #2 on: 01 October, 2009, 03:23:34 pm »
I could just be ZMA

citoyen

  • Occasionally rides a bike
Re: "Dietary supplements" for gym users
« Reply #3 on: 01 October, 2009, 03:32:10 pm »
Thanks, Chris. That's a good way of putting it.

I could just be ZMA

It could be. But it's the bit about "hormone imbalance" that concerns me and leads me to think it could be something else.

d.
"The future's all yours, you lousy bicycles."

hellymedic

  • Just do it!
Re: "Dietary supplements" for gym users
« Reply #4 on: 01 October, 2009, 03:42:00 pm »
I would worry about anabolic steroids.

citoyen

  • Occasionally rides a bike
Re: "Dietary supplements" for gym users
« Reply #5 on: 01 October, 2009, 04:20:17 pm »
I would worry about anabolic steroids.

My thoughts exactly!

I just sneaked a look at the bottle while he was away from his desk and it says "Poliquin Performance" on the label. Looked it up and this is what I found:
Poliquin Performance Supplements

So it would appear to be just snake oil. That's a relief. Although I still don't know what it actually contains.

And I remain concerned, because this talk of hormone imbalances does not fill me with confidence that the trainer genuinely has my colleague's best interests at heart.  :-\

But I've told him my opinion and that's all I can do.

d.
"The future's all yours, you lousy bicycles."

Julian

  • samoture
Re: "Dietary supplements" for gym users
« Reply #6 on: 01 October, 2009, 04:20:59 pm »
Tell him made-up horror stories about a man you used to know who was given hormone pills by a personal trainer which increased his training capacity but made him grow breasts.

andygates

  • Peroxide Viking
Re: "Dietary supplements" for gym users
« Reply #7 on: 01 October, 2009, 04:25:32 pm »
Or leave the poor sod alone to get on with his tranining without you doing a Harry Enfield "you don't wanna do it like thaaat!" at him!

BCAAs, fish oil and beta-alanine are standard bodybuilding supps.  Creatine works.  Whey is nommy. 

Nothing to worry about.  Expensive maybe, but so are a lot of things. 
It takes blood and guts to be this cool but I'm still just a cliché.
OpenStreetMap UK & IRL Streetmap & Topo: ravenfamily.org/andyg/maps updates weekly.

Chris S

Re: "Dietary supplements" for gym users
« Reply #8 on: 01 October, 2009, 04:25:51 pm »
Tell him made-up horror stories about a man you used to know who was given hormone pills by a personal trainer which increased his training capacity but made him grow breasts.

He might enjoy that...  ::-)

<steve_martin>
I couldn't be a woman; I'd just stay at home and play with my breasts all day.
</steve_martin>

citoyen

  • Occasionally rides a bike
Re: "Dietary supplements" for gym users
« Reply #9 on: 01 October, 2009, 04:57:50 pm »
Tell him made-up horror stories about a man you used to know who was given hormone pills by a personal trainer which increased his training capacity but made him grow breasts.

Apparently, the pills are to reduce his breasts.  ;D

Nothing to worry about.  Expensive maybe, but so are a lot of things. 

Sure. But it did sound suspiciously like steroids.

d.
"The future's all yours, you lousy bicycles."

Re: "Dietary supplements" for gym users
« Reply #10 on: 01 October, 2009, 05:05:45 pm »
Expensive maybe, but so are a lot of things.  

These aren't just any chalk pills, they're M&S Dodgy McDodge's mega-muscle building Calcium Carbonate supplements with added hokum and quackery available for just 124 installments of £19.99

P.S. First batch free (as always).
"Yes please" said Squirrel "biscuits are our favourite things."

Zoidburg

Re: "Dietary supplements" for gym users
« Reply #11 on: 01 October, 2009, 05:14:32 pm »
He probably looks at the trainer and then looks at himself and thinks

"Well he looks good so he must be right"

The personal trainer spends his working day in a Gym, he can get as much lifting in as he likes.  The supplements are just a way of screwing money from the guys looking for fast results without all the hard work, if you want to look that way you have to pay for it with time spent working at it, there are no shortcuts apart from maybe steroids.

Fool.

Money.

Etc etc.

Not that cyclists are any better I might add.

citoyen

  • Occasionally rides a bike
Re: "Dietary supplements" for gym users
« Reply #12 on: 01 October, 2009, 05:16:12 pm »
Not that cyclists are any better I might add.

Were you looking over my shoulder when I was covetously ogling 11-speed groupsets earlier?  ;D

d.
"The future's all yours, you lousy bicycles."

vorsprung

  • Opposites Attract
    • Audaxing
Re: "Dietary supplements" for gym users
« Reply #13 on: 02 October, 2009, 10:32:15 am »
Thanks, Chris. That's a good way of putting it.

I could just be ZMA

It could be. But it's the bit about "hormone imbalance" that concerns me and leads me to think it could be something else.

ZMA boosts testosterone for people with a very poor diet.  So it is a hormone balance thing in a roundabout way

mattc

  • n.b. have grown beard since photo taken
    • Didcot Audaxes
Re: "Dietary supplements" for gym users
« Reply #14 on: 02 October, 2009, 11:31:33 am »
I'm amazed that any sales pitch to an aspirant male gym bunny can include the phrase:

"your hormones are imbalanced"

Why doesn't this have a massive punch-in-face response?
Has never ridden RAAM
---------
No.11  Because of the great host of those who dislike the least appearance of "swank " when they travel the roads and lanes. - From Kuklos' 39 Articles

Re: "Dietary supplements" for gym users
« Reply #15 on: 02 October, 2009, 11:41:42 am »
I'm amazed that any sales pitch to an aspirant male gym bunny can include the phrase:

"your hormones are imbalanced"

Why doesn't this have a massive punch-in-face response?

becos' the aspirant male gym bunny is a puny specimen and the salesman is a freakishly strong fully qualified  gym bunny.

The amgb quite reasonably decides that discretion is the better part of valerie
"What a long, strange trip it's been", Truckin'