Which Supplements To Take To Build Muscle

By Russ Howe


Nowadays, it would be impossible to teach somebody how to build muscle more effectively without touching upon the subject of supplements. Learning how to decipher which supplements to take to suit your goals can be a valuable asset in helping you to achieve your fitness goals.

Despite all of the forward strides we have made in nutrition and science over the years, it is perhaps foolish to assume that people have all of the information they need to build whatever body they want. This is because there's a case of information overload in the fitness industry which tends to hold most people back.

Rather than being stuck back in the old days where the science behind fitness and nutrition was still fairly basic and more difficult to come by, they now find themselves in the opposite situation. They can't move without being told that they need to purchase a particular product or buy a workout program which will deliver better results than any others. This often leads to people simply quitting to avoid all the confusion which comes with getting fit.

It doesn't have to be like that. In fact, it's not supposed to be like that.

It is very easy to see why so many gym users get lost in the world of bodybuilding supplements. It's a billion dollar business, so you are going to find that competition for your money is very strong indeed. This often results in companies trying to out-do each other with bold statements on why you need their product to get a good gym session.

While you could spend hours comparing the statements on different tubs of protein or creatine, the truth is you can learn how to pick the best product for you by simply teaching yourself what to look for, rather than which one claims to be the best.

* A tub of whey protein

* Creatine monohydrate

* Casein Protein

* Carbohydrates

* BCAA's

* Glutamine can return enviable results in muscular recovery

The 6 items listed above are a great place to start if you were previously unsure which products would work best for your goals. If you are trying to become leaner and more muscular these are the foundation from which to base your supplement plan. Here is a guide of what each of them actually does.

The most widely recognized bodybuilding product available today is whey protein. It's one of the few things which has successfully made the transition from hardcore gyms to everyday life and is now considered to be a mainstream product. Our body can digest only around 25 grams of protein per serving, so there is no need to opt for a shake which guarantees you 50 or more grams. This will tend to encourage fat gains. Hydrolized whey is slightly faster digesting than the other two formulas, isolate and concentrate, which is why it is the most expensive.

Each type is highly effective and the difference between the digestion speeds doesn't warrant the often huge differences in price, so although you would get better results with a hydrolized product you don't need to go down that route if you cannot afford to.

Creatine is a great strength building product which has been on the market for two decades already. It is designed to increase your ability to perform short bursts of explosive action, which is why it's popular among 100 meter sprinters and power athletes. By using creatine you'll increase your performance in the gym, which in turn will help you reap more rewards from your hard efforts.

There are tons of different formulas available with this particular product. However, this is one supplement where it isn't difficult to discover which one you should use. Most of the newer forms are surviving purely on hype and word of mouth alone, with few scientific studies to show their true effectiveness. Believe it or not, creatine monohydrate is the blend which has by far the most proof to back it up, despite it being the oldest and cheapest form.

The process of protein synthesis can be manipulated further if you make use of a casein product, too. This has been available for many years now but, until recently, had no concrete evidence to back up it's effectiveness and survived purely because the theory behind it made sense. It now does have evidence, and is a great addition to a nutrition plan which includes products like whey and creatine. This slow digesting protein source is great for pre-bedtime consumption as it allows your body to continue building lean tissue while you sleep, feeding your muscles with a slow release of protein over an eight hour period.

Studies recently reveals that individuals who combined they regular whey product with casein were able to experience greater hypertrophy, due to the ability of casein to keep protein synthesis going overnight.

If you have ever tried losing fat you will probably have encountered the myth that carbohydrates are the enemy. Of course, this is nonsense and carb avoidance has been shown to result in short-term losses but long-term weight gain.

While the majority of your daily carb intake should arrive from complex sources, the post-workout period is very important and you should look to hit your body with some fast absorbing carbs here. While not strictly a supplement, carbohydrates can be easily obtained from food and there is no need to buy a pill or powder to perform this task.

Branched chain amino acids are a very underrated product in gyms around the world. While most people are desperately trying to pack on some lean muscle, the majority of them have never heard of this type of product despite it's proven hypertrophy results. You will get a good dosage of these in your whey protein product anyway, but if you can afford to add in a specific BCAA product as well you will notice greatly enhanced gains.

The final item on our guide is glutamine. Glutamine is mainly used by people who are trying to boost their immune system and it can have good results on your progress throughout a long-term fitness routine. This is because it helps you to recover quickly from workouts and keeps your bodily functions able to fend off minor illnesses such as colds, which you will be susceptible to if you are regularly pushing your body hard in the gym.

The most important rule to remember, however, is that the key word in each of the products we have explained today is supplement. While every product on the market will lead you to believe that you won't be able to achieve your goals without it, the truth is you can go a long way to learning how to build muscle by simply taking care of your diet and training routine. With those two things in place, you will be able to decide which supplements to take to suit your goals and you'll notice great results from any of the items covered today.




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