Costs and Benefits of Protein Supplements are Weighed Out

Renowned for its beaches and year-round moderate weather, the sunshine state location of the University of Tampa makes it an ideal exhibition stage for the tanned, toned bodies of college students hailing from all across the nation. The enormous popularity of the university’s outdoor pool and McNiff Fitness Center gives testament to the overwhelming desire of the campus population to look good and to be seen.

A widely advocated and often distressingly expensive means to achieve this end, protein powders and other exercising supplements of various makes are being utilized by a large number of students interested in sculpting the perfect body.

Such workout aids are marketed by several well respected supplement brands such as Vitamin Shoppe and GNC, and also appear in less expensive, generic varieties. Protein powders in particular can range anywhere from twenty dollars to a decadent ninety dollars a tub in price, yet continue to enjoy tremendous popularity despite the tight budget of many college customers.

Michael Pare, a UT freshman who recently began taking GNC brand protein supplements to augment his gym routine, explained why the results outweigh the cost.

“I no longer feel nearly as sore the day after a workout,” said Pare, “and I’m able to greatly increase the number of times I lift [weights] in a week.”

Senior exercise major Chris Bergman, who follows a regimen of simple whey protein, expressed a similar view.

“If used correctly, protein supplements can be extremely effective not only in putting on muscle but decreasing unwanted body fat,” he explained. Bergman qualified his belief, however, by urging caution and thorough research in the selection of specific workout aids.

“Just be sure to research supplements not only through the computer but through others you trust,” he said.

While many have come to trust and even rely upon such workout aids to achieve their fitness goals, others take just as much pride in being “natural.” Senior Tyler Faulkner and winner of last year’s UT Iron Man competition in the category of bench press shared his conviction that fitness is as much about effort as it is supplements.

“As a college athlete, avid lifter and fitness enthusiast, I try my best to stay in shape and better myself in whatever sport I’m training for. I do not feel that supplements are necessary to achieve results, but rather hard work,” said Faulkner.

While he himself does not make use of workout aids, the former UT Iron Man expressed his understanding that some are occasionally helpful in enhancing performance and complimenting certain fitness lifestyles.

“Some select supplements are beneficial if someone chooses to take them. Any sort of recovery drink that includes amino acids, or simple whey protein would be the only thing I recommend,” he explained. “They aid in recovery and nutrition you might not get if you’re not eating right but no, they are not necessary in getting results or gaining strength.”

Scott Brickett, Head Athletic Trainer at UT, mirrored this view closely and cautioned against unregulated and untested supplements, particularly those labeled as anabolic or pertaining specifically to weight loss goals.

“In a perfect world, everyone could get all the nutrition and protein they need just from eating healthfully,” he stated, “but of course very few college students manage to eat as well as they should.”

Brickett went on to explain that notable exceptions to the unnecessary nature of protein supplements might include vegetarians or other individuals with unique dietary restrictions. He stated that the average bodybuilder, however, is perfectly capable of achieving fitness goals through the consumption of foods containing lean protein and by attaining adequate rest.

“Sleep is the body’s best opportunity for recuperation and repair,” Brickett explained.

“Bottom line,” concluded Faulkner, “work out right and eat healthily.”

Jeffrey Palmer can be reached at jeffrey.palmer@spartans.ut.edu.