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MidwestBeast
Banned
I've been around long enough to see plenty of "show your stash" threads and posts where members brag about everything they've accumulated over time. And though I've seen some nice little tips and rules to follow as far as how to keep things usable for longer, I don't believe I've ever seen a true guide on how to hoard supplements most effectively.
I certainly think this is a subject on which many of you can add your own tips and points and we can all learn from one another. Some of the information may be subjective, as well, and not everyone will agree. However, I'd like to put together a small list of guidelines to follow to help you effectively and safely hoard your supplements.
For me, I've always been a collector. When I was little, it was dinosaurs. Then it was Ninja Turtles and GI Joes. Then it was baseball/basketball cards and Starting Lineups (if you don't remember Starting Lineups, then I pity your childhood
). And sadly, in there, was a short stint of Beanie Babies, as well. As I got older, I'd stopped collecting, but it's always been in my nature to keep and organize things. I still somewhat do this with movies and music, but over the past few years, I've really found myself doing it with supplements. The main reason, however, is the never-ending looming fear of a supplement ban that would rid of us all of our amazing supplements, as well as the impending doom of certain legal hormonal compounds being banned, because we know they all only have a certain time on the market, before they're marked as illegal.
So, a few common guidelines to follow are:
1.) Keep your supplements stored in a cool, dark place.
2.) Make sure all supplements are sealed and air tight.
3.) Don't hoard a supplement unless you've tried it and KNOW it's worth hoarding.
4.) Don't hoard protein beyond it's expiration date.
5.) Don't worry about expiration dates on non-food supplements.
6.) Know the science behind a supplement/compound, first.
In further detail:
1.) Keep your supplements stored in a cool, dark, dry place.
This is one of the most common things you'll ever hear. I personally have my supplements stored in Rubber Maid bins and they are kept in a closet that is untouched by sunlight (aside from what I keep in my cupboard and am currently using). Whenever I purchase a house, I actually intend to have a supplement storage closet that will either be in the basement or in a separate building that will house my personal gym (just depends on how much land I end up with). In either case, it will be a long, narrow hallway, essentially, with various heights of shelving on either side, with my supplements stored by category, throughout. It will be in a climate-controlled building (the detached gym) or possibly have a small window unit running in it (the closet in the basement) to keep it at a constant cool temperature.
Whether you go to the extremes I plan to, or not, isn't necessary, but keeping items out of the sun and the heat will allow you to store them for a very long time.
2.) Make sure all supplements are sealed and air tight.
This one is pretty self-explanatory, but it needs to be said. Most bottles will be produced this way, to begin with, so as long as they're unopened, you should be fine. However, some people get sealers and put everything in airtight plastic, just to be safe. For products that you opened, I think this is a great idea. It would also be wise if you know that you won't be using this product for a few years (e.g. bottles of superdrol that you purchased in case of a looming ban, that you want "just in case" but have no immediate plans of using). Another important factor is ensuring that products have freshener packets in them. This is, again, especially important in products that you have opened and certainly in powders that have a tendency to clump.
3.) Don't hoard a supplement unless you've tried it and KNOW it's worth hoarding.
I don't know about you, but I've seen a great deal on a product, or read a write-up that make something sound better than any other supplement. Whether it was 1 bottle or 10, I still purchased a product without knowing how it worked (and more specifically, how it worked on me). Plenty of people are non-responders to things and plenty of supplements don't live up to their hype. So even if a deal seems too good to be true, only purchase one, try it, and then determine whether it's worth hoarding or not. In the long run, you'll save yourself a lot more money, this way.
4.) Don't hoard protein beyond it's expiration date.
Protein (and other "food" supplements) is the one thing that I personally wouldn't recommend hoarding beyond a certain point. We all know the the pricing of protein fluctuates and companies like Gatorade, Pepsi and the increasing demands in other countries, like China, has driven up costs of both protein and amino acids. So, when you see a great deal (or you find a great tasting protein), you want to stock up. And that's fine -- to an extent. Protein can lose its potency more rapidly than other supplements. It's just one of those things that you just have to know what your needs are don't stock up on more than what you know you can finish before the expiration date on the product.
This brings up another good point: know the dates on your proteins. I'll often e-mail a distributor or company to ask what the expiration date is before I purchase, if I plan on purchasing a lot. It's easy to forget these dates, so it's important to keep an inventory on what you have and treat this like any other food in your cupboard or fridge and use what's going to expire sooner (this isn't a big deal to those who don't keep much, but for us who have a lot, it can be easy to overlook).
5.) Don't worry about expiration dates on non-food supplements.
This relates back to points 1 and 2. In a matter of speaking, if stored properly, you don't have to worry about supplements losing potency. If there is any lost, it's negligible. Now, I'm not advocating keeping this stuff for 30 years and giving it to your kids to use, but just use common sense on this. Again, one of the main reasons for my hoarding is just in case the government bans something that I want to use for the rest of my life or a company decides, for whatever reason, to discontinue a product I love. Since working out is such a major part of my life, I like to know I'm covered when it comes to supplements and the rest of my years of being able to be in a gym.
6.) Know the science behind a supplement/compound, first.
I'm not saying you need to be a chemistry or biology major. I don't know as much as a lot of the guys on the forums, that's for sure. However, having a basic knowledge of pathways and how certain things works is important. The main reason I stress this is because how many times have you purchased a product only to have something else or a scientific study come out months later that trumps it and disproves it? This is somewhat related to using products and knowing how they work before you decide to stock up, but this is just encouraging you to be an advocate and a wise consumer. I don't expect you to know the chemical structure of everything, but I'd also advise studying and knowing what you're putting into your body, instead of just gobbling up pills. This also makes it easier if for some reason a problem arises for you to pin point what may have caused the issue. Study products and get to know them before following blindly. Be an educated consumer.
This is certainly not everything you need to know, but it's the best that I could come up with at the moment. I hope that these points and their explanations help you to stock up on your supplements in a more efficient and effective manner. I don't know about you, but I'll always be a hoarder...but a responsible/educated one.
I certainly think this is a subject on which many of you can add your own tips and points and we can all learn from one another. Some of the information may be subjective, as well, and not everyone will agree. However, I'd like to put together a small list of guidelines to follow to help you effectively and safely hoard your supplements.
For me, I've always been a collector. When I was little, it was dinosaurs. Then it was Ninja Turtles and GI Joes. Then it was baseball/basketball cards and Starting Lineups (if you don't remember Starting Lineups, then I pity your childhood
). And sadly, in there, was a short stint of Beanie Babies, as well. As I got older, I'd stopped collecting, but it's always been in my nature to keep and organize things. I still somewhat do this with movies and music, but over the past few years, I've really found myself doing it with supplements. The main reason, however, is the never-ending looming fear of a supplement ban that would rid of us all of our amazing supplements, as well as the impending doom of certain legal hormonal compounds being banned, because we know they all only have a certain time on the market, before they're marked as illegal.So, a few common guidelines to follow are:
1.) Keep your supplements stored in a cool, dark place.
2.) Make sure all supplements are sealed and air tight.
3.) Don't hoard a supplement unless you've tried it and KNOW it's worth hoarding.
4.) Don't hoard protein beyond it's expiration date.
5.) Don't worry about expiration dates on non-food supplements.
6.) Know the science behind a supplement/compound, first.
In further detail:
1.) Keep your supplements stored in a cool, dark, dry place.
This is one of the most common things you'll ever hear. I personally have my supplements stored in Rubber Maid bins and they are kept in a closet that is untouched by sunlight (aside from what I keep in my cupboard and am currently using). Whenever I purchase a house, I actually intend to have a supplement storage closet that will either be in the basement or in a separate building that will house my personal gym (just depends on how much land I end up with). In either case, it will be a long, narrow hallway, essentially, with various heights of shelving on either side, with my supplements stored by category, throughout. It will be in a climate-controlled building (the detached gym) or possibly have a small window unit running in it (the closet in the basement) to keep it at a constant cool temperature.
Whether you go to the extremes I plan to, or not, isn't necessary, but keeping items out of the sun and the heat will allow you to store them for a very long time.
2.) Make sure all supplements are sealed and air tight.
This one is pretty self-explanatory, but it needs to be said. Most bottles will be produced this way, to begin with, so as long as they're unopened, you should be fine. However, some people get sealers and put everything in airtight plastic, just to be safe. For products that you opened, I think this is a great idea. It would also be wise if you know that you won't be using this product for a few years (e.g. bottles of superdrol that you purchased in case of a looming ban, that you want "just in case" but have no immediate plans of using). Another important factor is ensuring that products have freshener packets in them. This is, again, especially important in products that you have opened and certainly in powders that have a tendency to clump.
3.) Don't hoard a supplement unless you've tried it and KNOW it's worth hoarding.
I don't know about you, but I've seen a great deal on a product, or read a write-up that make something sound better than any other supplement. Whether it was 1 bottle or 10, I still purchased a product without knowing how it worked (and more specifically, how it worked on me). Plenty of people are non-responders to things and plenty of supplements don't live up to their hype. So even if a deal seems too good to be true, only purchase one, try it, and then determine whether it's worth hoarding or not. In the long run, you'll save yourself a lot more money, this way.
4.) Don't hoard protein beyond it's expiration date.
Protein (and other "food" supplements) is the one thing that I personally wouldn't recommend hoarding beyond a certain point. We all know the the pricing of protein fluctuates and companies like Gatorade, Pepsi and the increasing demands in other countries, like China, has driven up costs of both protein and amino acids. So, when you see a great deal (or you find a great tasting protein), you want to stock up. And that's fine -- to an extent. Protein can lose its potency more rapidly than other supplements. It's just one of those things that you just have to know what your needs are don't stock up on more than what you know you can finish before the expiration date on the product.
This brings up another good point: know the dates on your proteins. I'll often e-mail a distributor or company to ask what the expiration date is before I purchase, if I plan on purchasing a lot. It's easy to forget these dates, so it's important to keep an inventory on what you have and treat this like any other food in your cupboard or fridge and use what's going to expire sooner (this isn't a big deal to those who don't keep much, but for us who have a lot, it can be easy to overlook).
5.) Don't worry about expiration dates on non-food supplements.
This relates back to points 1 and 2. In a matter of speaking, if stored properly, you don't have to worry about supplements losing potency. If there is any lost, it's negligible. Now, I'm not advocating keeping this stuff for 30 years and giving it to your kids to use, but just use common sense on this. Again, one of the main reasons for my hoarding is just in case the government bans something that I want to use for the rest of my life or a company decides, for whatever reason, to discontinue a product I love. Since working out is such a major part of my life, I like to know I'm covered when it comes to supplements and the rest of my years of being able to be in a gym.
6.) Know the science behind a supplement/compound, first.
I'm not saying you need to be a chemistry or biology major. I don't know as much as a lot of the guys on the forums, that's for sure. However, having a basic knowledge of pathways and how certain things works is important. The main reason I stress this is because how many times have you purchased a product only to have something else or a scientific study come out months later that trumps it and disproves it? This is somewhat related to using products and knowing how they work before you decide to stock up, but this is just encouraging you to be an advocate and a wise consumer. I don't expect you to know the chemical structure of everything, but I'd also advise studying and knowing what you're putting into your body, instead of just gobbling up pills. This also makes it easier if for some reason a problem arises for you to pin point what may have caused the issue. Study products and get to know them before following blindly. Be an educated consumer.
This is certainly not everything you need to know, but it's the best that I could come up with at the moment. I hope that these points and their explanations help you to stock up on your supplements in a more efficient and effective manner. I don't know about you, but I'll always be a hoarder...but a responsible/educated one.
