Working out and eating right are the two greatest formulas to getting the body that you want. However, to really maximize that growth potential, supplements are a great idea. That said, supplements to gain muscle are a dime a dozen, making it difficult to find the right ones. So, in this article, we’ll be giving you 9 great options for supplements:
Creatine
Creatine is a naturally occurring molecule in the body that is responsible for providing strength to the muscles and some other issues. As a dietary supplement, Creatine is made up of 3 amino acids: arginine, glycine, and methionine.
Taking creatine would help increase the amount of energy that your muscles need to go through reps in the gym. Now, the more energy you have, the more reps you are able to go through. And the more reps you go through, the more jacked and ripped you will get. So yeah, creatine.
But that’s not even all. Taking creatine also improves sleep quality, helping regenerating your soar muscles. And recently, it was found out that creatine increases levels of insulin-like growth factor in the muscles, which would also stimulate muscle growth.
Whey Protein Powder
Protein powders are famous among bodybuilders and gym rats for a reason; they are great for building muscles. However, among the many kinds of protein powders, whey protein powder is one of the most effective. It is one of the fastest digesting protein powders, and the implication of this is that it gets to the muscles where it is needed quick enough to start building them.
It also contains small proteins or peptides which are basically substances that increase blood flow in the muscles. This is the reason why it is recommended that whey protein be taken after a workout; it should get the blood flowing in the right direction. Taking whey protein immediately upon waking up in the morning is also a great idea because it could kick-start muscle growth, getting you ready for the gym.
If you will be shopping for whey protein, consider getting whey protein hydrolysates or whey protein isolate as they both digest even faster than the other kinds.
Weight Gainer
If you do not find gaining muscles difficult, you could skip weight gainers. But if you do, you should consider this supplement. The idea of a weight gainer is to help boost the amount of calories and protein that you’re consuming, both of which are nutrients that are absolutely necessary for muscle building.
Now, the reason weight gainers contain both calories and protein is because increasing your calorie consumption, even as an inactive adult, could lead to an increase in lean muscle mass, provided you eat enough protein. However, it might be difficult for you to build lean muscle if you consume weight gainers as someone who weight trains.
Bottomline here is that weight gainers are a good idea if you find it difficult to increase your calorie intake by eating food. But if you have no issues eating, you could just skip weight gainers altogether.
Casein Protein Powder
Another protein supplement that you want to consider adding to your diet is casein, and, interestingly, it doesn’t work in the same way as whey protein. Where whey digests really quickly, casein digests really slowly, allowing it to function very well as a pre-bedtime snack or supplement. Consuming it just before bed gives it ample time to slowly breakdown and eventually get to the muscles where it is needed. And so when you wake up, you are pumped and ready for your workout.
But casein can also be taken after a workout, and this time around, it serves to boost muscle protein synthesis. That said, research has shown that a whey-casein protein shake would do more for you as regards muscle gains than a plain whey or casein protein shake.
If you are thinking of buying casein protein powder, consider getting the one that contains micellar casein which is the slowest kind of casein supplement.
Glutamine
Glutamine is one of the most plentiful amino acids found in the body, and for good reason too as it is very important for proper muscle functioning. Now, consuming glutamine as a supplement has a number of muscle gaining benefits which is why it is so popular among bodybuilders.
For one, glutamine increases the levels of leucine in muscle fibers and decreases muscle breakdown, both of which culminate in muscle growth and retention. Something else that is interesting about glutamine is that it helps to boost the immune system. And while it might not be immediately obvious, an improved immune system helps with muscle building because if you are not sick, you won’t miss your workout sessions.
What’s more, some research has shown that consuming glutamine could help with weight loss, allowing the body to do away with unwanted fat and give room for the muscles that you want to build. One more thing. Glutamine could help to prevent muscle fatigue if it is taken before workout, making you less likely to give up on workouts.
ZMA Testosterone Booster
ZMA is a testosterone booster and stands for Zinc-Magnesium-Aspartate. As you can guess it contains Zinc and Magnesium, but also Vitamin B6. All three nutrients are often deficient in people, especially people who work out a lot. And considering that ZMA helps to increase hormone levels and also helps one to sleep better, which is important for recovery, you just have to add this supplement to your diet as a bodybuilder.
ZMA also works to improve one’s testosterone and IGF-1 levels, both of which contribute significantly to muscle gain. If you will be taking ZMA, it’s best you take it on an empty stomach as that would speed up its absorption into the body and taking it right before bed would help it work really well to improve your sleep quality.
Carnitine
If you’ve tried various weight loss methods, you have probably come across carnitine. Carnitine as a weight loss supplement could certainly be instrumental in your muscle gaining journey. However, carnitine also has some direct effects on muscle gains.
For one, it increases the flow of blood to and in the muscles, stimulating muscle growth in those areas. And like ZMA which we just discussed, carnitine helps to improve one’s testosterone and IGF-1 levels post workout, which contributes significantly to muscle gain. Carnitine also increases the amount of T receptors in one’s muscle cells, causing the production of even more testosterone.
Beta-Alanine
When you consume beta-alanine, it goes into your body and combines with another amino acid called histidine to form carnosine. And an increased carnosine level significantly increases one’s strength and endurance. It looks like the reason this happens is because carnosine increases the muscle’s ability to contract with more force and do it for longer than normal without fatigue.
If you take beta-alanine together with creatine, you significantly increase your body’s opportunity to lose some unnecessary weight and gain even more muscle mass.
Branched-Chain Amino Acid
Branched-chain amino acid is basically a collection of some of the most important amino acids including leucine, isoleucine, and valine, all of which are absolutely important for building muscle tissue. Of the 3 amino acids mentioned, research has shown that leucine is the most potent as it can stimulate muscle growth on its own, without help from any other nutrient or mineral.
However, because there are a number of benefits to taking all three together, it is recommended that you do. One of those benefits is an increased supply of energy during workout and an eventual decrease in delayed-onset muscle soreness, and another is muscle growth, which is what you are after.
That said, when you get branched-chain amino acid, go for the kind that gives you more leucine than both isoleucine and valine in the ratio 2:1 just to give you that extra boost of leucine goodness.
And there you have it: top 9 supplements that can help you gain muscle. Which of these supplements do you already take? Which of them are you surprised about? And which of them will you be trying?
