Supplements are a fantastic tool that can accelerate your muscle building efforts and allow you to reach your goals in record time. However, due to their popularity, there are thousands of different muscle building supplements on the market and this makes choosing the right ones very confusing. In this post I’ll be helping you cut through the confusion by listing the top five supplements for muscle growth.
- Protein Powder
Protein is the number one supplement in the muscle building industry and for good reason. It’s a convenient, low cost way to supplement your diet with the nutrient that builds, maintains and repairs your muscles between workouts.
Whey protein is the most popular type of protein powder on the market due to its fast action and rapid absorption by the muscles. It’s a great supplement to take after working out or when you need to supply your muscles with a quick dose of protein.
Casein protein is another excellent choice which gives your muscles a slow, steady release of protein over the course of a few hours. It’s a perfect protein powder to take before bed time that will fuel your muscles as you sleep.
- Creatine
If you’re struggling to bust through a weightlifting plateau and increase your strength levels, creatine is a perfect supplement. It helps your muscles perform more efficiently during weightlifting movements and allows you to lift with more strength and power during your muscle building workouts.
As with protein powder, there are many different types of creatine on the market. Creatine monohydrate is the most widely consumed type and also the most cost effective creatine option available. However, if you don’t like the grainy texture and bitter taste of creatine monohydrate, there are more palatable creatine supplements out there including creatine capsules and liquid creatine.
- Glutamine
Glutamine (also known as l-glutamine) is the dominant amino acid in your muscles with over 60% of your muscle cells being comprised of glutamine. This supplement has numerous benefits when it comes to muscle growth and can help your body utilize protein more efficiently, prevent the breakdown of muscle cells and increase growth hormone levels within your body.
- EFAs
EFAs (or essential fatty acids) don’t get as much publicity as the supplements above but they’re vital for muscle growth and something that most people don’t get enough of in their diets. They’re used as building blocks for your muscles cell walls, boost your energy levels during weightlifting workouts, help your body produce muscle building hormones and speed up muscle recovery.
- ZMA
ZMA contains a blend of zinc and magnesium and is another supplement you should consider if you want to maximize your muscle gains. The zinc improves protein synthesis within your body and enhances your energy levels during weightlifting workouts while the magnesium promotes proper muscle function. However, the most impressive benefit of this supplement is that it enhances your sleep quality and allows you to enjoy greater muscle recovery, muscle building hormone production and muscle growth during the night.
Summary
While it is possible to develop your muscles without supplements, the five listed above are fantastic support tools that can help you blast through plateaus. So if your muscle building efforts aren’t progressing as fast as you’d like, give one or more of the supplements in this article a try and get the results you deserve.
Want more? Check out these books on Amazon.com:
The Warrior Diet By: Ori Hofmekler
The Ultimate Guide to Weight Training for Sports
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