Ever found yourself wandering into a supplement store, looking around, and slowly backing away, with no clue what the thousands of potions and capsules were meant to do?
The supplement world is a pretty big place, and there’s a lot of weird stuff going on. For the aspiring muscle-bound monsters out there, it’s best to begin with the basics.
Here’s a look at where you should start with muscle building supplements.
Whey Protein
What Does It Do?
This is the daddy of all muscle building supplements.
Whey protein supplements serve two main functions. Firstly, they allow you to effortless add more protein to your diet, which is essential for muscle gain.
Secondly, whey protein digests quickly, which makes it the perfect post-workout “snack” to take advantage of your body’s enhanced anabolic state after a weight lifting session.
There’s been specific research done to find out whether the quick “burst” of protein from whey had any special benefits for muscle building after a workout, as opposed to taking in the same amount of protein in “slow” forms. The answer was a clear and definite “yes”.
When Should You Use It?
The ideal time to take your whey protein is just after a workout, to kick your body into a further anabolic state. You can take it at other times during the day too, just keep in mind it won’t fill you up for very long.
How Should You Use It?
Whey protein is usually sold in powdered form and mixed with water or milk to create a shake. You can find these in as many different flavours as you could care to try.
Creatine Monohydrate
What Does It Do?
Creatine is a supplement which well and truly lives up to the hype.
Your body naturally contains a certain amount of creatine by default, and it’s present in low-doses in foods like red meat. Supplementing with creatine has been shown to increase your body’s own creatine stores, which in turn speeds up the regeneration of ATP in your muscles.
ATP is one of your body’s main energy systems, used specifically for short, high-intensity bursts of activity.
Think sprinting, or Olympic lifting.
Studies show that supplementing with creatine improves sports performance, improves your 1-rep max, and causes you to build more muscle.
When Should You Use It?
Some research suggests that taking creatine immediately post-workout is better than pre-workout for building strength and muscle. Throw a scoop in with your whey for a turbocharged shake on training days.
On off-days, have it whenever you like.
How Should You Use It?
Creatine is generally taken in powder form, and mixed with juice, water, or added to a protein shake. Some people like to do a “loading phase” when they start taking creatine, where they’ll take a high dose for the first week to build up creatine levels in the body quickly. Others prefer to just take a standard dose each day from the start.
For creatine to work its magic, you’ve got to take it on both training and resting days.
All-in-One Pre-Workouts
What Does It Do?
Pre-workouts are a bit tricky. The benefits all depend on what they include, but the basic point of these supplements is to get you completely charged up and ready to tear the weight room to pieces with raw bestial fury.
Any pre-workout worth its salt will get you feeling energised, motivated and strong.
Almost all pre-workouts contain caffeine. There’s a good reason for that, since caffeine has repeatedly been shown in studies to boost muscular strength and endurance.
Other common ingredients include L-arginine (thought to increase muscle and reduce fat gain) and beta alanine (shown to boost exercise performance).
When Should You Use It?
As you could probably guess from the name, pre-workouts are to be taken… before a workout.
The specific guidelines will vary from brand to brand (be sure to read the label), but a commonly used rule is to get your pre-workout in 30-45 minutes before your session.
How Should You Use It?
Pre-workouts are typically sold in powder form and mixed as shakes. Some pre-workouts will tell you to take them on an empty stomach. In any case, avoid having fatty food with your pre-workout, as it’ll delay the stimulant effects.
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