20/1-16

One of the most commonly asked questions that I get concerning muscle building and fitness is what supplements I use. It is often put to me in the gym, this very question. To be absolutely honest I have sometimes found it rather despressing the way some people’s gut reaction is to ask me these kind of questions instead of asking me how I train, how often I go to the gym, how many years I have been lifting weights, etcetera.

The way some people ask this question makes you feel like what they are really asking you is: what short cuts have you taken?

The answer can be answered with a single word: none.

I don’t take any supplements. I have never taken any supplements. I don’t take creatin – I never have. I don’t even buy home protein powder. It is my firm belief that you can build an impressive, muscular and strong physique without any supplements at all. I claim to have done so myself.

The reasons for this attitude of mine? I have plenty of reasons, some of which are the following:

1. You don’t need it, so why waste time and money on it?

2. I have always gotten good result without it, so I have never felt the urge to start using supplements.

3. My aesthetic point of view and my romantic view of lifting weights. What I mean by this is the following: I have always romanticized the very idea of lifting weights. The fact that it is a long-term project. The thought that it is a way of turning your body into a piece of art. And I don´t like the modern bodybuilding aesthetics where the waistlines are allowed to become big and bloated. The latter is to some extent a result of how modern bodybuilders eat and all the different stuff that they feed themselves with.

4. It is my own personal belief that traditional food must be the healthiest option.

I believe you have to love the training in itself if you are to achieve a quality physique that will hold not only for a year or two, but for life. Goals are important, certainly, but you have to love the road to results. When I get those questions about supplements and give my answer (none, followed by a couple of sentences on how I prefer to eat traditional and healthy food) I sometimes see disappointment in the face of the questioners. But I will always stand by this opinion of mine: you have to learn to love the road to results. In other words: you have to love the training in itself if you want to achieve sustainable, aesthetic and healthy results.