Building muscle mass and increasing strength requires discipline and a lot of hard work. Bodybuilders often spend many hours a day, each day of the week pumping iron in order to maximize muscle size.
But increasing size and strength requires more than just working out. You also have to feed your muscles the right foods and use supplements that provide your muscles with nutrients needed to maximize growth.
So, what are the best muscle building supplements? With all the products on the market, finding the best one for you can be challenging. Let’s take a closer look at what’s out there.
Best Muscle Building Supplements: Your Complete Guide
Do you want to build more body mass? Check out this complete guide to learn more about the best muscle building supplements to add to your routine.
Creatine
This supplement is made up of methionine, glycine, and arginine, and is one of the primary sources of cellular energy for your body. These three amino acids together work to dramatically increase mass and strength. This provides fast energy to your muscles for greater stamina at the gym, and enables you to get bigger and stronger with less fatigue.
Creatine is also effective at drawing water into muscle cells, stretching the cells and thus increasing long-term growth.
Whey Protein
Whey is a tremendous supplement for gaining mass because it’s the most significant for pushing protein synthesis. This protein digests fast, reaching muscles fast in order to start building muscle. Whey supplies a large amount of amino acids and protein to jump-start your body’s anabolic process.
One of the great benefits of whey is that it contains peptides that increase blood flow to the muscles. This makes whey a perfect post-workout supplement.
For optimum results, we recommend taking 20 grams of whey protein powder 30 minutes after your workout, and 20 to 40 grams the minute you pop out of bed in the morning.
Beta-Alanine
This is a naturally occurring non-essential amino acid that is introduced into the body through protein-rich foods. Beta-Alanine increases intra-muscular levels of carnosine, which can reduce fatigue during workouts.
This is great because Beta-Alanine can help you knock out a few extra reps, allowing you to build mass faster.
You don’t need much of this amino acid to get the job done. Taking 1 or 2 grams before and after your training sessions along with protein shakes and creatine is considered ideal.
Branched-Chain Amino Acid
Leucine, isoleucine, and valine are the most important amino acids for building and repairing muscle tissue. Leucine is the most vital of three because it is able to stimulate muscle protein synthesis on its own. But all three together have a multitude of benefits, the most significant of which are muscle growth and delayed muscle soreness.
We suggest you take between 5 to 10 grams of BCAAs with breakfast, as well as before and after your workouts. Be sure to look specifically for products containing leucine at a ratio of 2:1 per dose of isoleucine and valine.
Human Growth Hormone Supplements
There are plenty of bodybuilders and athletes who inject themselves with HGH. This supplement can help increase lean muscle mass, reduce fat, and increase your stamina and recovery time.
Though HGH has proven to have many physical benefits, it’s also quite expensive and requires a prescription to purchase.
Glutamine
Glutamine is an amino acid that has been favored by professional bodybuilders for decades. Not only is it one of the most plentiful aminos found in the human body, it also stimulates muscle growth by increasing leucine in the muscle fiber. It’s great because it helps prevent illness, thus you’re less likely to miss workouts. It also helps burn calories and fat in the body both during exercise and at rest.
Take around 5 to 10 grams with breakfast, before and after training sessions, and another dose just before bed.
Casein Protein Powder
Casein is a milk protein that has a very slow digestion rate. It makes a great pre-bedtime snack because it prevents catabolism during sleep, and boosts muscle protein synthesis much like whey, yet makes you feel less full. Many believe that a casein and whey shake taken post-workout increases muscle growth more efficiently than either of the two taken alone.
Nitric Oxide Boosters
(NO) is a molecule involved in multiple bodily processes. It helps build muscle by dilating blood vessels, thus enhancing delivery of oxygen and nutrients to muscles. This is great for increasing energy during your workout, shorter recovery time, and increased muscle growth post-workout.
It’s important to remember that NO boosters simply provide the amino acid argnine, which is then converted to NO in the body.
For best results, take NO boosters three times a day: In the morning before breakfast. 30 minutes to an hour before your workout. And about an hour before bedtime. We also recommend you take these doses with food.
ZMA
This is a combination of magnesium, vitamin B6, zinc, and aspartate. ZMA is especially important as a workout supplement for bodybuilders with a deficiency in these critical minerals.
Intense workouts can often negatively impact testosterone levels in some athletes, but research shows that increasing ZMA can increase testosterone and IGF-1.
Carnitine
This one enhances muscle growth in a number of ways, including increasing blood flow to muscles, and increasing testosterone levels post workout. It also increases T receptions, which stimulates muscle growth. Carnitine is also a popular supplement for losing fat.
Choosing the Supplement for You
Believe it or not, you don’t have to spend a ton of money to get the best muscle building supplements. These supplements are great tools for increasing your muscle mass and strength, and are readily available at your local health store.
One of the keys to picking the best workout supplements for you is to know what your goals are and what your body needs. Everyone’s body makeup is different, and not every product will be one hundred percent effective for each person.
Remember, eating the right diet and developing the best workout plan for your goals is the first step toward building muscle mass.
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