Today we are going to discuss supplements that actually help you build muscles, no gimmicks cos you could sell your soul to the devil to buy the most expensive of the supplements, but honestly you are just wasting your money away.
Whey protein
Alright lets start with the most important of all supplements, protein shake. To build muscle you not only need to consume ample calories, but you also need to get a sufficient amount of protein. Your muscle are made of protein, so it only makes sense that in order to get them to grow, you need to consume more of it.
Plus, intense training breaks down muscle tissue, which increases your requirement for dietary protein, so as to support repair, recovery, and growth. Now, you could easily fulfill all of your protein needs from whole foods such as pork, chicken, or fish but if you have very high protein requirements, then it becomes cost-prohibitive to continue buying meat.
This is where whey protein can be a life saver. Derived from cow milk, whey protein is rich in branched-chain amino acids (BCAA), highly bioavailable, affordable, convenient, and downright delicious and due to its fast digestion rate and amino acid content, consuming a whey protein shake following resistance exercise further enhances the effect on muscle growth in comparison to resistance training without whey protein powder
It’s the perfect anytime option for a quick, high protein meal or snack and helps you hit your protein macros for the day without all the prep, cooking, and cleaning of other protein sources.
I don’t even consider whey protein as a supplement, to me it’s a damn meal in a bag, its just as good, or better if you have a high quality source of whey protein.
Here’s a little tip from my side, next time you are buying a whey protein, just turn it over and look at the nutritional label, now we all know that every gram of protein contains 4 kcal, so companies try to shoot for that mark that’s 100 kcal for 25 grams and your protein should be pretty close to it, cos picture this, you are buying a protein that gives you 22 grams of protein for 130 kcal then its not very efficient, is it?
Creatine
No supplement is more studied, well-researched, or proven effective than creatine monohydrate. It’s been used for decades by athletes looking to build muscle and increase strength, and if there’s one supplement every athlete should use, it’s creatine.
Creatine serves a number of roles in the body, including
- Enhanced energy production
- Improved cellular hydration
- Exerts anti-catabolic effects
- Influences several factors impacting muscle growth, including nitrogen balance and the expression of certain genes
Basically, creatine helps you build muscle faster, get stronger, and perform better all around, which is why it easily qualifies as a “must-have” supplement for building muscle.
Whey protein powders and Creatine are among the most commonly used supplements used by celebrities to get that shredded look. Personal trainer Rahul from barbellrush.com has put together an excellent list of supplements most commonly used by celebrities so you may go check it out.
And finally, we have the supplements athletes use to turbo charge their workouts.
Pre workouts
Its nice to have a pre workout routine or ritual to let your body know that its time to get in action mode
A staple of top pre-workouts, beta-alanine is a nonessential amino well-known for the “tingles” (paresthesia) it delivers when consumed in high doses. But, beta-alanine isn’t just about delivering tingles, it’s also a valuable performance enhancer that helps build muscle.
When ingested, beta-alanine binds with the essential amino acid L-histidine to form carnosine, a powerful intracellular buffer that shuttles away hydrogen ions (H+) that accumulate during exercise
During exercise, the more muscle contracts, the more acidic it becomes, which subsequently reduces its ability to continue contracting. You experience this as the “burning” sensation that hits your muscles the deeper you get into a set, which ultimately causes you to tire, fatigue and stop the set.
By increasing the amount of carnosine in your muscles, you’re able to remove (“buffer”) more of these H+ ions, offsetting the eventual fatigue and enabling you to grind out more reps before stopping.
Ultimately, beta-alanine allows you to perform more work than you would without it, and as we stated up top, performing more work each time you train is a key concept of building muscle.