It is true that some supplement companies push the boundaries of their adverts by using fake before and after photos to demonstrate the so called amazing results of their magic pills. There is no doubt that sports nutrition or sports supplements work to help build muscle, increase strength, power, and more… we all know there are some impressive supplements out there, like Creatine, whey protein and various other ingredients that have significant research proving their results.
However what I always stress is they ‘help’ you to achieve your goals - not do it for you, whilst sitting on your backside. Yes, you have to go to the gym and eat the additional calories to fuel your workouts and feed your muscles.
The problem is the supplement industries reputation is not helped by some of its most dubious members who prey on beginners or those that in their quest for size get enticed by the ultimate ‘get big quick product’. Years ago the biggest offender was a company called Cybergenics (some of the old timers will remember) which was often accused of literally copying and pasting heads from beginners onto a muscular body of someone else, with a nice dose of photoshop …to give credibility to their 'better than steroid' claims. Recently, the well advertised American Xenadrine fat burner featured the before-and-after pictures of an individual called Robert Aldridge. Here's what his false testimonial said, “I started to lose muscle and get flabby and all of a sudden, I’d gained over 70 pounds! That’s when I discovered Xenadrine EFX and went from being a couch potato to somebody who really feels good about the way he looks. I tell everyone who will listen that if you want to drop the fat, get toned, and have more physical energy than you believed possible, it’s as easy as trying Xenadrine EFX.”
The truth is that Mr. Aldridge was also a finalist in the EAS Body-for-LIFE challenge. Using EXACTLY THE SAME before - and-after photographs, Robert claims that his dramatic results were also down to the use of EAS products! Much to the frustration of EAS and Mr Aldridge appearing in both companies adverts.
The amusing thing here is that with the increase of supplement companies producing their own ’see how much muscle you can pack on and win a Corvette’ contests, it appears that there are several enterprising customers out there, that have got clever, thrown out all the stops (using ‘everything’ they can) to get in great shape and then send their photographs around to all the companies that are promoting their contests. It’s the shotgun approach, sooner or later, you’re going to hit bullseye and win a contest, sometimes you may even win 2 or 3 contests…hey who cares, 3 Corvettes sitting in your drive is better than one.
That’s not to say that contests don’t motivate people to get off their lazy backsides and get down to the gym and burn of the belly flab and build a great body - that’s a really positive thing, but when the prizes start to get really impressive, it becomes a bit like competitive sport - you can expect the competitors to be tempted to take 'more' than protein powder and try a little too hard.
Even worse (or amusing) are the 6-page adverts (you know the ones I mean) that use before-and-after pictures of professional bodybuilders going from a terrible fat and bloated condition to an incredible ripped tanned contest shape - all because of Brand X’s super, hyper, gene, vascu, pumping, protein powder! The truth is a little different, you see in the off season, professional bodybuilders can put on up to 50 pounds of fat, which is when they’re photographed for the “before” picture you see in the adverts. When they diet down for a competition, they pump themselves full of drugs to achieve the super- ripped “after” photograph… it may sound crazy to you, but in the US - this kinda of hyper advertised style is all too common, due to much more relaxed advertising laws.
Does this mean that you should not believe supplement adverts? No, there are a lot of good supplements out there that really will make a difference to your physique and sporting performance, backed by credible research, but when the claims and photos in adverts look unbelievable, it's usually because they are!
Fortunately this kind of very dubious advertising is rarely found in the UK, as magazines, advertising and supplement companies have to follow far more strict regulations as to the claims they make to consumers, but you need to be aware of American brands or magazines which do not have to follow strict UK advertising guidelines.
On a positive note, I personally know several elite athletes and clubs that do promote various supplement brands, such as Gavin Henson and Josh Lewsy and various rugby clubs, such as Wasps RFC and London Irish. They choose to promote various sports nutrition brands (often for free products) on a completely ethical basis, for one simple reason, they could easily pick any brand they wanted, but pick the brands that are safe, tested and do the job as a matter of requirement due to their own reputation… a fact that is far more important than just a extra few grand from another company promoting something that doesn't work.
I've always felt that to truly motivate the guy in the gym, the best person is another guy who has achieved it naturally and also has to juggle; work, family, kids, mortgages, etc.. like most of us do. I find it very motivating, that if he can do it, why can't you? It's a simple honest philosophy that works; be honest with your customers, show them how to train hard, tell them what to avoid, what to eat and which supplements really work and you know that if they follow this advice - they're going to pack on muscle, lose fat or run faster or longer.
Muscle bulletin has an excellent community of like minded gym users like you, who are passionate about looking and feeling great - the natural way.
If you want to see what is really possible to achieve with commitment and dedication without having to use drugs then check out the muscle bulletin gallery. Many of these guys have been contacted by many of the top ethical sports nutrition brands, like Maximuscle's 'real people – real results' and magazines such as Mens Health, FHM, Men’s Fitness and Flex where they have been featured. Even better, why not upload your own photos and details to the Muscle Bulletin Gallery. I can't guarantee a free Corvette, but you may be picked to motivate thousands of other gym members to achieve their own goals.
