When it comes to finding the best supplements for muscle building, there’s a big difference between effective supplements that can make a difference and those that just create marketing hype.
Experts believe that the average muscle mass you can achieve depends on a number of factors, including age, genetics and training level legally Pack on your body (read: no steroids). one to two pounds per month. Can you build more? Perhaps. But it takes the right combination of consistent training, proper nutritionand targeted nutritional supplementation to go beyond the average.
What are the best supplements for building muscle? The list of ingredients that really work is shorter than you might think. However, if your goal is high performance, supplementation can make a real difference here.
What is the best supplement for building muscle?
Protein powder is the foundation of your muscle building supplement plan.
What does protein do?
Strong muscular exertion can cause damageand protein is needed to help your body recover and repair this damage, a process known as muscle protein synthesis. During repair, muscle fibers are broken down Strength trainingthen they grow.
For this reason high quality protein powder is so soothing. Taken in sufficient quantities, it provides your body with the nutrients it needs to support muscle growth.*
All proteins are made up of Amino acidsand some of them – like Leucine (one of the three BCAAs) – are more important in supporting muscle growth. The International Society for Sports Nutrition recommends Protein sources which are rich in leucine and contain a balanced range essential amino acidsso called because they are not produced naturally by the body and therefore must be consumed through food.
How much protein should you consume?
In general, you want to eat approximately 1.4 To 2.2g Protein per kilogram of your current body weight per day. So if you weigh around 82kg, you should consume around 115 to 180g of protein daily.
That’s why protein powders are the foundation of your muscle building plan: they provide a concentrated amount of protein that’s convenient to consume.
What is the best form of protein?
Depending on your dietary preferences, the best options are: whey protein And Pea protein.
Whey is derived from milk and is the fastest-digesting form of protein. It mainly comes in two formulations: Concentrate and isolate, with whey protein isolate being the purer of the two and also used in the form used Beachbody Performance Recovery.
If you follow a vegan or vegetarian diet or are sensitive to dairy products, consider using pea protein (as used in the plant-based formulation of). Beachbody Performance Recovery) is the best choice due to its high leucine content. Most other plants – like rice or hemp – offer less complete protein profiles.
How to best consume protein
Aim at approx 20 to 40g of protein per meal from some source. Protein powders are best used about two hours before or after training.
You can also take a slow-digesting protein – e.g casein or milk protein isolate – before bed to promote muscle growth while you sleep.
What other muscle building supplements actually work?
Different supplements take different approaches to the end goal of muscle growth. Here are the top ingredients and their different mechanisms of action.
1. Creatine
A compound normally found in meat, Creatine Helps increase strength, endurance and power and supports muscle growth. Perhaps most importantly, it is the most clinically tested performance supplement you can buy.
Creatine is found in many foods, including beef, chicken, milk and cheese, but in such small amounts that you would have to eat it two to three pounds of meat per day to get the same benefit from about a teaspoon of the powder form.
How does creatine work?
Creatine provides additional energy during short, intense bursts anaerobic Activity, which adds additional phosphate to the circulatory system that produces ATP, your body’s main fuel source. And this extra energy can make a significant difference to your strength: In a Review of 22 studiesParticipants who used creatine showed an eight percent increase in strength compared to those who did not use creatine.
And the boost you enjoy from strength training also shows up in short-term activities like Sprintswhich leads to speed improvements and Rest between efforts. It can even help Speed up the process by which you rebuild lost muscle.*
How to best consume creatine
Your The best option is creatine monohydrate; No other form even comes close in terms of clinical research. In general, you should aim for 5g per day up to 10g if you have more muscle mass. It doesn’t matter either when you take the dietary supplement as long as you take it consistently every day.
Some prefer a “Loading period”. This involves initially taking larger amounts of creatine daily for a short period of time before switching to an ongoing plan with regular portions.*
You can mix creatine into hot or cold liquids, but the higher the temperature, the faster the creatine will break down before consumption. Creatine only remains stable in liquid for a while short period of timewhich makes its powder form the most reliable.
2. Beta-Alanine
If you want to build more muscle, there are essentially three options: Muscle tension, Metabolic stressand muscle damage. All three are triggered by harder and longer training. That’s where Beta-alanine is your friend.
How does beta-alanine work?
Beta-alanine supports the production of carnosine, which helps reduce muscle fatigue and improve endurance during intense, high-impact exercises such as strength training.*
How best to take beta-alanine
To see the effects of beta-alanine, you must consume it at least 1.6 g per daywith an upper limit of 6g daily. It will take time to build up in your system, so it’s important to do this Take beta-alanine regularly. Noticeable benefits may require four to eight weeks of regular consumption.
Beta-alanine can cause mild illness in some people “Tingling effect”. that some people find unusual. The more beta-alanine you take, the more likely you are to experience this tingling sensation.
To overcome this effect, you can take a sustained-release beta-alanine formula, split your dose, or take it with food and additional water. For example when taking it Beachbody Performance EnergizeIf you don’t like the tingling sensation, simply mix it with more water and take it with food.
3.HMB
Hydroxymethylbutyrate (HMB) is a compound formed from the metabolism of Leucine in the body. HMB supplements are often taken to curb age-related muscle loss and during exercise was also found to positively influence muscle mass, performance and recovery.
How does HMB work?
The Effects of HMB have two benefits: on the one hand, it helps promote muscle protein synthesis, the process by which protein is converted into muscle after exercise, and on the other hand, it helps reduce muscle protein breakdown.
The Result is increased muscle growth, strength and performance with improved recovery. However, HMB requires a sufficient level of activity to cause muscle damage – either high intensity and/or high volume to be most effective.*
How best to take HMB
The International Society for Sports Nutrition says HMB can be taken for both chronic (lasting) and acute (temporary) benefits. In both cases, you would need to consume more than 600g of protein per day to synthesize the amount of leucine (60g) from food required to obtain the daily dose of HMB recommended in human studies. Therefore, HMB is usually increased through supplementation.
For chronic benefits, ISSN recommends consuming 3g of HMB divided into three servings daily for two weeks before an intense workout, which is enough to cause muscle damage. For acute benefits, the organization recommends taking 3 g of HMB at least 60 minutes before intense exercise, or longer if taking glucose at the same time.
*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
