Do body building supplements really work? This is a common question that many people have when they walk into any health store or open any industry magazine. The market is absolutely saturated with powders, pills and other products making big promises. And some of this stuff is expensive.

Here's a question to ask yourself. Think about that hot new supplement you bought a year ago. It got great reviews, everyone was suing it, there were glossy, full-page ads for it, and you bought it, to the tune of the $50 to $75 per month. A year has passed and you're looking at new supplements. Why?

The biggest reason is because the industry is pushing the latest hot product down your throat. If last year's product was so hot, why is it being dropped now in favor of this new supplement? And if your old supplement worked, why are you even thinking of trying a new one?

Bottom line is that the average supplement does very little for the average person. So, you need to be realistic about what you expect body building supplements to be able to offer. They are not miracle products that will pack on 50 pounds of muscle, nor will they magically burn off fat.

Different body building supplements do different things. In general, however, they are designed for building mass or reducing fat. In terms of mass building, there are those supplements that increase testosterone production, there are creatine supplements that help the muscle retain water, there are supplements that aid in providing significant calories without excess fat and then there are those protein supplements that aid in the repair of muscle after a hard workout. The fat loss supplements either suppress appetite or they speed up heart rate to burn more calories.

For 90 percent of strength trainers out there, supplements only have negligible benefits. They might help you push just a little harder, rest a little less, burn just a little more. But in order to get these benefits, you need to work!

If your body is capable of performing a set of 6 repetitions, and with supplementation you can perform 7, you had better hit 7! Being able to more easily do exactly what you've always done does nothing for you. You have to be willing to always push to get the most out of your supplements.

Most people are not committed to this level of effort; that fact, plus the questionable efficacy of supplements in general, doesn't paint a rosy picture for the supplement industry.