If you’re old enough to remember, or lucky enough to have saved some bodybuilding magazines from the 80′s then you could see which muscle building supplements they were advertising then and which ones are still being advertised today. There’s a few that have carried on because they work. Truth is, so many products come and go because they’re fads and simply don’t do what they promised.
It’s easy to get your head spinning and wondering about all the ads in the mags and what people say about this new product and that. If you’re serious about bodybuilding but haven’t been at it for several years or you aren’t getting ready for a contest, then the best advice about muscle building supplements is “stick to the basics”.
There have been a few constant, proven supplements that have helped people speed up their muscle building process. Products that have not gone away and won’t because they are part of the basic building blocks of a complete bodybuilding program. Here they are:
1) Protein Supplements (Whey Protein, Meal Replacements, Protein Bars)
2) Creatine
3) Glutamine
4) Multivitamins & Minerals
5) Essencial Fatty Acids
6) Glucosamine
1) Whey Protein
Since muscles require protein and lots of it for growth we give the NO.1 spot to protein. Of all the types of protein available whey protein is the beat you can put into your body. Why? Because it rates highest in “bio-availability” meaning the largest amounts will be absorbed into your body than any other type of protein.
Whey Protein has all of the essential amino acids and is high in the Branch Chain Amino Acids which will prevent your muscle tissue from breaking down during your workouts.
The two main types of whey protein you’ll find on the market are isolate and concentrate. Both are of the highest quality and the difference is isolate tends to mix better in liquid and some people say it tastes better. You can also buy products which are a mixture of both isolate and concentrate whey protein.
To make sure you get all your protein requirements every day, whey protein is the way to go.
Meal Replacements (MRP’s)
Meal replacement powders have become very popular probably because of their convenience. Whereas whey protein has just one type of protein and no real amounts of carbs, fats, or vitamins and minerals, a MRP usually has several types of protein like casein, milk, egg, and whey combined along with carbs, vitamins and minerals so it really is more of a meal.
The good thing about MRP’s is the convenient packets and the more complete nutrient value but the the downside is they are more expensive than the pure protein products.
Protein Bars
Protein bars can have their place. You can take them anywhere with you and just start chewing, no powders to mix or anything like that so convenience is really the key with bars. The downside is they are usually higher in sugar and are made with a lower quality protein found in the other products mentioned above..
2) Creatine
This supplement is the most popular muscle building product used today, and for good reason… it really does work. It has been proven in the lab and in the gym.
Here’s what it does for you:
1) will increase your lean muscle and strength
2) will speed up your recovery time
3) decrease lactic acid production
4) decrease mental fatigue
Recently, more studies have been made on creatine and there is great news about it’s benefits for not only muscle builders but for all around health. It has been shown to improve symptoms of Parkinson’s disease, and Huntington’s disease. It improves sarcopenia which is a loss of muscle mass due to aging, improves function of the brain, and improves cardiac function in those with congestive heart failure.
A truly modern supper supplement if ever there was one.
3) Glutamine
Glutamine another of the basic and essential muscle building supplements. It’s noticeable effects won’t be as instant as creatine but rather help you get faster overall gains in the long term. It is one of the amino acids who’s major role is to make protein for your body. It promotes muscle growth while decreasing muscle catabolism, which is when your muscles get stressed and start to break down after being heavily stressed from a hard workout which will have a negative affect on the glutamine levels in your body. Providing sufficient amounts of glutamine will eliminate this muscle-robbing catabolic state.
Your body gets gluamine from protien-rich foods like diary, poultry, red meat, fish and beans but to get a lot of it you’d have to eat real large amounts of these foods so a supplement for additional glutamine is a good idea.
4) Multivitamins & Minerals
In a perfect world, with a perfectly balanced diet you wouldn’t need to take a multivitamin & mineral pill but unfortunately most of us don’t eat perfectly balanced diets and if we did chances of our food being nutrient rich and organic are not too good.
There are thousands of reactions going on in our bodies which rely on enzymes. Vitamins ensure that enzymes are there in quality and quantity to make sure these chemical reactions happen efficiently in our bodies constantly.
So vitamins are important for overall health but for muscle building as well. Hard workouts will tax many vitamins in your body and therefore to keep the muscle building process happening in a positive way, supplementation is key.
5) Essential Fatty Acids
A good portion of your diet needs to be fat. No, not the kind that comes from greasy fries or doughnuts but the good, natural fat we can get from peanuts, avocados, cold water fish like salmon, olive oil and flax seed oil.
Fatty acids will improve your metabolism, increase your testosterone production and your growth hormone secretion therefore playing an important role in building muscle.
6) Glucosamine
When glutamine joins forces with glucose, they form a sulfate called glucosamine. Most simple carbohydrates are used as an energy source but glucosamine gets right into the structure of your body tissues.
The sulfate chondroitin can also help to prevent injuries by getting around your joint surfaces and giving a smooth range of motion. This works well with glucosamine and some companies have created products using both.
Not only does it help in reducing joint inflammation and pain, it actually treats the problem by rebuilding damaged cartilage and connective tissue.
There you have it, the top 6 best muscle building supplements you can use to round out your work out program to get the maximum amount of gains. Remember, these supplements won’t work unless you do! Most of your gains will come from hard work and a good diet. Used as part of a good training program you will see results a lot faster with the proper supplements.
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