Supplements, supplements, supplements, so many companies, so many ads, do they work? Are they necessary? Well here's the basic few that are essential to building a good physique.

With so many supplement companies out there competing for your dollar, who do you believe? And what should you spend your money on? Well in a perfect world you would just eat a diet rich in foods that contain all the necessary nutrients to fuel your body, but in a post-modern society with pollution, deadlines, high processed foods, that becomes quite a challenge.

Before getting into the nitty-gritty of all the designer protein powders, and endless fat burner products, let's just start with the basics, which is the stuff that an extra $20 a month will cover and will give you an optimal environment to change your physique.

The #1 supplement to have is a plain old multi-vitamin/mineral tablet

Yep, that old Flintstones chewable mom gave you is the king of supplements (of course you should avoid the sugar-laden chewables). Why? Because, it contains all the key nutrients involved in key chemical reactions in the body and the key anti-oxidants Vitamin A,C, and E, all are cancer fighters and counteract common day pollution that we breathe more and more each year. Any one will do the trick, Centrum and One A Day brands make a high performance line, which bumps up the B vitamins, which help in energy production reactions. I tend to favor Emergen-C Brand effervescent packs, since they tend to absord better and don't upset my stomach as much, and give you a whopping gram of Vitamin C, which is great during cold season and during intense training.

#2 - Creatine - the most researched sports supplement

Over ten years of studies have been conducted on this supplement since it's introduction around 1990. It finally went mainstream in the late 1990's and of course has come under great scrutiny since. Most of the weight gain in the initial week of taking this supplement is the muscle holding water, but this muscle swelling effect and consequent strength gains have paved the way in the supplement industry in turning it around from producing so-so supplements to supplements that have to produce the same dramatic effect creatine does. So I praise it for that alone. A typical 5g dose daily is enough to produce a desired effect, since after digestion, only about 2 grams enters your system, which is all most individuals muscles will hold. The weight gain is determined on how much lean mass you'll gain, a 200 lb bodybuilder will have the instant 10 pound gain, whereas the 150 lb average male will gain a few pounds in a week.

There are a ton of versions out there, to start to see if creatine works for you, since some people, myself included haven't gotten too awesome of results from it, whereas other people respond great to it. From Titrated to effervescent, to PH balanced, it's a big chemistry lesson, we'll get into later, but the only version I'd steer away from are the liquid pre-mixed products, since creatine tends to be instable in liquid form and breaks down fairly quickly, and most liquid products have been on trucks, sitting on shelves before it ever reaches your stomach. Stick to the basic monohydrate powder to start, which is dirt cheap now, mixed with a sports drink like Gatorade or Power-Aid.

#3 - BCAA's and Glutamine

Branch Chain Amino Acids (BCAA's) are three essential amino acids your body can't produce and are directly metabolized inside muscle tissue and are highly anti-catabolic and help prevent muscle breakdown. They've been around for a long time and are regaining the credit they deserve, about 2g taken an hour before training and immediately after training is a good starting dose.

Glutamine is a conditionally essential amino acid, meaning your body can produce it on it's own, but it's the most abundant amino acid in muscle tissue and is used by your nervous and immune systems also, so when your body is under day to day stress, those systems pull glutamine from muscle stores, which leaves less for your muscles to use.

So a few extra grams taken daily, especially post training and at bedtime can boost recovery. 5-10g daily in two divided doses is a common starting point and 10-20g if under high intensity training or fighting a cold. Even a small 2g glutamine dose post-workout has shown to boost recovery.

#4 - Good Old Protein Powder

Now there are a billion out there and tons saying this is better then that, but if you're just starting out and just need a little more protein in your diet and especially post workout, Met-Rx, Myoplex or any Whey protein powder will do the trick. For men, large amounts of soy should be avoided, since high amounts can possibly suppress testosterone levels, so leave the estrogen boosting soy isoflavones to the women.

#5 - H20 - Good Old Plain Water (which should actually be #1)

Crucial to every process in the body and crucial to muscle growth, water is essential. That eight glasses recommendation a day should be used as a standard daily intake.

These are just the basics, we'll get into the specifics, of which protein powders are the best, and which supplements really make a noticeable diffenence, but you have to start with the basics and build a sound foundation. Diet is always the key and no supplement, even steroids won't do a whole lot until the diet part of the equation is factored correctly.

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