Weight Gain

Supplementing

muscle building

Body building

WEIGHT Training



Enhancing Exercise With Muscle Building Supplements

Nutritional supplements have been a staple of bodybuilders’ workout/diet regimens for decades. Twenty years ago it was all about weight/mass gain. All the major supplement producers had a weight gain product, and each claimed their formula was superior to the competition. Regrettably, most of these products amounted to little more than glorified milkshakes loaded with high levels of fat and sugar, low-quality protein, and astronomical calorie counts. Drinking these weight gain supplements invariably led to huge insulin spikes and increased body fat.

 

 

The good news is supplement science has advanced by orders of magnitude since the late 1980’s. Discoveries by university and corporate researchers have led to the development of new ingredients and supplement formulas that facilitate the building of muscle mass without gaining fat. Today, there are many high quality supplements available. Combining these supplements with a rigorous workout program and proper diet can help anyone add pounds of lean muscle to their physique. Of course, the supplement producers still scream in splashy, colorful advertisements that their formula is the one to make you look just like their impossibly muscled models. The issue facing many people is deciding which supplements best fit their needs. Do you want to learn more about the most common and popular supplements on the market today? If you answered yes, read on.

Vitamins and minerals

Vitamins and minerals provide the essential foundation upon which all other supplements build. Vitamins and minerals are vital to the overall function of the human body. Without them, our bodies cannot convert food into the energy we need to fuel our metabolism and promote growth factors. Vitamins promote protein activity which accelerates lean tissue (muscle) growth and energy production. The balance of fluids in our cells is regulated by minerals. Minerals also intensify muscle contractions. A lack or deficiency of these essential building blocks will render even the most meticulously planned workout program impotent.

Carbohydrate Supplements

Carbohydrate Supplements were on the market long before many others. Most people take their carb supplements after a workout to help restore depleted glycogen. Research indicates that carbohydrate supplements ingested (or “stacked”) with protein within one hour of training stimulates muscle building more than carbohydrates by themselves. Make sure your carbohydrate supplement contains both simple and complex carbohydrates. Simple carbs are digested quickly and cause the release of insulin (an anabolic hormone), while complex carbs absorb slowly over time and provide sustained energy.

We have discussed the importance of stacking carbohydrates with protein to achieve maximum protein synthesis (muscle building), let’s take a closer look at protein supplements. As with many things in life, when it comes to protein you get what you pay for. Though cheaper protein concentrates are available, more expensive protein isolates produce the best results. Protein isolates absorb more readily into the body, contain higher quality proteins, and are lower in fat and carbs than concentrates.

Whey protein isolate

Whey protein isolate is the protein supplement of choice of most bodybuilders because it contains the highest proportion of branched chain amino acids (BCAA’s, which we will look at in the next section). BCAA’s are essential to muscle protein synthesis. However, other sources of protein, such as casein protein release into the body over time and sustain amino acid levels for several hours, which helps prevent muscle breakdown. Whey protein is the obvious choice as a primary source of protein, but combine it with other types of protein isolates will produce optimal results.

BCAA’s act

BCAA’s act as anabolic agents in the body and reduce catabolism, particularly during rigorous exercise. BCAA’s also can reduce or delay the onset of fatigue, increase strength and aid in muscle recovery. Many muscle building and protein supplements contain a mix of different BCAA’s. New research has discovered that esterfied versions of BCAA’s have better absorption (bioavailability) than standard BCAA’s. For the best effect, look for a supplement that contains both the esterfied and non-esterfied versions of BCAA’s.

Creatine

Creatine has been available to the public for almost twenty years, and is an indispensable component of the bodybuilders supplement arsenal. It is, quite simply the most effective muscle building supplement on the market. Creatine, enables the body to provide muscles with the energy to perform more work, thus leading to gains in both strength and muscle size. Research indicates that a supplement program incorporating more than one type of creatine is most effective, so try to find a product that combines several different variations of buffered and esterfied creatines. This will provide your muscles with both a fast acting and sustained supply of creatine throughout the day.

Nitric Oxide Stimulators

Nitric Oxide Stimulators have gained increased popularity in recent years. The working principle is this: Nitric oxide (NO) increases blood flow and vascularity, thereby increasing the body’s ability to deliver nutrients to the muscles. The increased blood flow also produces a noticeable “pump” during workouts. The primary ingredient of most NO stimulators is arginine. Arginine is an amino acid that the human body does not produce. Nitric oxide supplementing is an effective means of nutrient availability to the muscles, but does not provide any real muscle building nutrients by itself.

Most people are never going to look like the massive and ripped models seen in supplement advertising. That look is achieved only through obsessive training, diet and supplement programs, and perhaps most critically, proper genetics. However, the combination of regular training, proper diet and a few key supplements can help anyone maximize their potential to look and feel their best. And that after all, is what it is really all about.

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