It no secret that the supplement industry is a multi billion dollar industry. And with good reason. Supplement companies spend a great amount of their time, effort, energy and money towards marketing their products to unsuspecting consumers who are naive and desperate enough to try anything to help transform both their health and their physiques for the better.

How many times have you seen a supplement ad in a magazine or online that guarantees “rapid weight loss” or promises “fast muscle growth”, as long as you’re taking their product? And if you end up being one of those unsuspecting fools who have fallen victim to these common sleazy marketing campaigns and have handed over your hard earned cash for a bottle of powdered pixie dust or a couple of pills laced with fillers and additives, don’t worry, you’re not alone. Chances are that when you first started out training and were looking to make some significant gains with your physique, you might have purchased a fake supplement or two. I know that I did.

So if you’ve been duped once or twice from a shitty supplement company or perhaps are new to this fitness lifestyle and want to avoid falling victim to another sleazy supplement scam, then I strongly suggest you keep reading.

Proprietary Blend

The FDA requires manufactures to list all of the ingredients in a product on its label, along with the amount of each (in terms of weight), unless the ingredients are part of a “proprietary blend” – then the specific amount of each individual ingredient in the blend does not have to be listed, only the total. Yes, you read that correctly – the manufacturer does not have to disclose to you the consumer just how much of each actual ingredient is in the product you are about to consume.

As consumers, people are led to believe prop blends are the company’s way of protecting their “recipe” when in reality, any lab or even high school science class could probably figure out how much of each ingredient is in the product. So what’s the big deal? Prop blends are notorious in the fitness/supplement industry. Although companies will list their active ingredients in the blend, you really have no idea as to how much of each there actually is in the product. And what good is an ingredient to you the consumer if it’s significantly under dosed?

At the end of the day, you have to ask yourself, why is there such a thing as prop blend? To hide a company’s secret recipe from other brands? Haha Yeah Right! As I mentioned above, any other company can easily test a competitors’s product and find out exactly how much of every ingredient is really in that product. The TRUE and ONLY reason prop blends are listed on supplement labels are to save the manufacture overall cost and to perhaps be able to pull one over on the consumer.

Before and After Photos

Before and after transformation photos are littered throughout supplement ads posted online and throughout social media. And although many of us suspect that these pictures are not legit, they begin to become more and more convincing with each new amazing transformation photo that is posted from the results of the usage of a specific supplementation protocol.

One thing to remember though is that we’re now living in the age of filtered photos which can be edited on a computer, a phone or just by downloading an app. And as such, it’s easier now more then ever to manipulate the look of a physique to sell rapid fat loss or muscle gain. It’s also possible to show a 10-20 pound weight loss on a scale in a matter of hours just by using simple dehydration techniques such as fasting or spending time in a sauna. When it comes to the “after” transformation photo, changing the lighting with a lamp, adding some coconut oil to the skin and flexing the muscles, helps complete the illusion of a transformation.

Sadly, none of the above equates to fat loss or muscle gain. It’s simply edited photos, water weight loss, and posture manipulation, all of which are temporary or not real. It’s an illusion that helps supplement companies sell thousands of weight loss and muscle gaining gimmicks every year though, and it works!

Remember, if it sounds too good to be true, it is. Or in the case of the before and after photos, if it looks too good to be true, is it. And if a supplement company is spending a great deal of their costs on these photos and other cheesy marketing tactics to help sell and promote their products, then there’s a good possibility that they’re also cutting their costs from the quality of ingredients that go into those very same products they’re advertising.

No Supplement for Happiness and Fulfillment 

Most people begin exercising with a physique in mind that they want to achieve. And sometimes these people are willing to buy anything that will help them achieve this type of physique in the shortest amount of time. But in our experience, it’s the feeling of greatness that keeps them motivated in the long haul. Endless amounts of energy and feeling vibrant and confident each day, is what convinces the majority of clients that we work with to continue to eat healthy and exercise regularly to create that authentic and long lasting physical transformation. And this type of transformation cannot be found in a bottle or transpire in a manner of “2 Weeks” just by taking a pill.

To achieve real and long lasting results takes TIME, EFFORT and HARD WORK, all of which cannot be supplemented with a supplement!

But in the end, these results are and always will be worth it!

Yours in Good Health,

Nick Cosgrove
Forever Fit Performance