Thursday, January 2, 2014

A Revolution In Bodybuilding Supplements

A Revolution In Bodybuilding Supplements

By Kyle Heier


Bodybuilding supplements can be taboo depending on who you talk to. There are those with a great understanding of what these type of supplements are, and there are those who simply understand what they have been told through the years. In the media, it is perpetuated regularly when you hear about an athlete being banned for using performance enhancing substances. This is what people are being told, but are not being told exactly what those are. Because of this, when someone looks at an advertisement or simply the packaging of any supplement, they equate the wording with the problem. However, regardless of what is considered popular belief among many, the industry is growing at a very steady pace.

There are still those who are uneducated or unwilling when it comes to bodybuilding supplements or supplements in general. This number is dwindling steadily. While there are quite a few companies that sell various types of supplements, there is certainly one that stands out from the rest. The Vitamin Shoppe is a publicly traded company and have been growing steadily every year. Among this group, there is also GNC and Popeye's Supplements. These groups sell most every brand manufactured supplement to-date. While there are many, the fact the The Vitamin Shoppe is publicly owned gives everyone a great insight to part of the industry. While the industry is vast, this group in particular holds some of the largest market share.

In 2008, the sports nutrition supplements industry was marked in at $4.2 billion in sales. The Vitamin Shoppe annual report for 2012 marks sales at $950.9 million in which 53% of those supplements were specifically related to sports nutrition. The average year over year growth for this company from 2007 - 2012 has been just over %10 with a slight decrease in 2010 which can easily be related to the economic fall during the time. People were still however looking to train hard despite the financial hardships, as the industry as a whole was still growing at a positive rate.

Still, numbers don't lie. Inflation would barely have any counter effect to this year over year growth in sales numbers. The results are in and people are realizing that they can indeed benefit from use of the proper supplements. Supplement manufacturers are also producing products that are looking to sway the masses from the age-old stigmas that have been attached to the industry. If you have watched any recent mixed martial arts events, you would have seen some of the athletes sporting the trunks branded with Muscle Pharm. This company has created their products geared directly towards the sports-safe products. While this help to raise a few eyebrows, it may be even more important still to ensure that the hard wired, negative stigmas are done away with on an industry wide scale rather than sticking it to a brand.

Bottom line, while there still exists in the short-term, a stigma that may be unfavorable to supplements and those who may use them, it is a growing industry. With the push more recently in our culture to get fit, it is only going to become more popular. While supplements don't do all the work for you when you are training for whatever it is you are trying to achieve, they do lend a helping hand. It is more about knowing what supplements are going to most benefit you, and why.




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