Best Supplements for Bodybuilding
See Also: Supplements for Strength and Power
Bodybuilding is a sport like no other in that it requires a level of discipline, knowledge and nutrition that not many other sports can match up to. It is an activity that requires you to learn the ins and outs of your body, the proper way to perform workouts and exercises and gain enough nutritional knowledge that would make a doctor proud.
If you have ever ventured into the world of bodybuilding or experience a rigorous workout regime than you are well aware that nutrition plays a lot bigger role than any other aspect of the sport. An aspiring bodybuilder’s biggest mistake would be to ignore properly educating themselves on the nutritional aspect of the sport.
While nutrition is a primary factor in a successful bodybuilding career, it is sometimes hard to maintain because bodybuilding is a sport that requires a LOT OF NUTRIENTS which means a lot of food, which means a lot of MONEY! This is where bodybuilding supplements play a huge role in helping you achieve and maintain the level of nutrition needed for this hardcore sport.
Supplements for bodybuilding will provide you with extra boosts of required nutrients that will support your muscular hypertrophy and keep your overall health stable.
There are numerous supplements, herbs and vitamins that can help bodybuilders to gain more muscle mass, enjoy especially intense workouts and reduce body fat. Some of these supplements include glutamine, protein powder, lysine, compounds that are taken before a workout, testosterone boosters, niacin, vitamin C and MSM.
How Supplements Benefit Bodybuilders
When a person lifts weights, microscopic tears occur in the muscle fibers. After the workout, the body swiftly repairs the muscles and attempts to increase their size and strength to allow the person to more easily lift heavy weights in the future.
Although this process is natural, the body must use certain amino acids and vitamins when repairing and building skeletal muscles. Additionally, bodybuilders generally require more vital nutrients than a person who does not lift weights.
Choosing Numerous Products
Many studies have shown that supplements function synergistically. For example, taking one herb that increases testosterone may be effective, but using three botanicals that raise a person’s levels of testosterone will exponentially improve the potency of every compound in the mixture.
Although many supplements naturally augment the production of certain hormones and compounds in the body, other vitamins and minerals reduce the effects of other, detrimental hormones. One way to substantially increase the beneficial impact of a testosterone booster is to take a supplement that decreases the production of cortisol and estrogen, which both reduce muscle mass and compete for the same receptors as testosterone.
Eliminating Body Fat While Building Muscle
Excess fat will store aromatase, which can convert testosterone into estrogen. Prolactin also builds up in fat cells, and this hormone functions in the same way as estrogen. In addition to using supplements that burn fat, a person can lose body fat by gaining extra muscle mass, which will utilize the nutrients that the fat cells would have otherwise used up and increase the individual’s metabolism.
We have comprised a list below of the most essential bodybuilding supplements that you should consider before embarking on your journey to the next Mr. Olympia contest.
Top 10 bodybuilding supplements for both beginners and pros!
10.) Joint Support Vitamins
Substances that increase the strength of a person’s joints and cartilage include MSM, glucosamine, chondroitin, calcium and vitamin C. In addition to preventing injuries, taking these supplements will substantially reduce pain and inflammation.
The body uses MSM, or methylsulfonylmethane, to build collagen, which is a fibrous protein that keeps the joints, the muscles and the skin strong and elastic. Furthermore, MSM can improve the texture of the skin and enhance its color.
Glucosamine and chondroitin are both fatty acids that are naturally found in cartilage, and some studies have indicated these substances will also help to strengthen a person’s bones.
A bodybuilder should consume 1,200 milligrams to 3,000 milligrams of MSM per day and take 1,500 milligrams of glucosamine every 24 hours. The athlete’s daily dosage of chondroitin should be between 800 milligrams and 1,000 milligrams. Due to the relatively long half-life of each of these substances, the dosages can be split into several smaller doses that are taken during different parts of the day.
9.) Fat Burners/Thermogenics
All thermogenics contain numerous ingredients that are able to swiftly eliminate fat, such as caffeine, green tea extracts and theanine. Additionally, many supplements that reduce body fat have forskolin, which can increase testosterone.
Theanine is an amino acid that is able to boost energy and to improve a person’s focus, and some studies have shown that theanine enhances the positive effects of caffeine. Certain fat burners also contain yohimbine, which is a natural herb that is used as a stimulant and an aphrodisiac.
Forskolin dilates the blood vessels while simultaneously increasing blood flow to the muscles and to the brain. Numerous analyses have also indicated that this herb can increase the conversion of thyroxine to triiodothyronine, which is the most active thyroid hormone.
For the first two days of supplementation with a fat burner, a bodybuilder should only take one capsule per day. Once the individual’s body has adapted to the effects of the product, the person can consume two capsules twice per day.
8.) Green Food Supplements
The herbs, vitamins and natural compounds that are in green supplements provide a wide variety of health benefits, such as balancing the level of acidity in the body, performing the functions of antioxidants, naturally cleansing the body, slowing the aging process, improving the quality of a person’s sleep and reducing or eliminating the negative effects of stress.
Many botanicals are able to enhance a person’s endurance and help a bodybuilder to recover more swiftly, and some of these include Korean ginseng, maca root, astragalus, mucuna pruriens and catuaba. Furthermore, some experienced athletes recommend combining herbal products with a pre-workout supplement in order to enhance its effects.
Green supplements can also help the body to absorb other vitamins and more minerals particularly swiftly. Additionally, the antioxidants in the products have the ability to improve the function of the liver.
A bodybuilder should take one scoop of the green supplement one time or two times every day. The powder can be mixed with eight ounces to 12 ounces of water.
As the most abundant amino acid in the body, glutamine is able to promote muscle growth, to help both skeletal muscles and smooth muscles to recover exceptionally rapidly and to boost an athlete’s levels testosterone. Numerous studies have also shown that supplementing with glutamine can exponentially raise the body’s production of human growth hormone.
A bodybuilder can take two grams to 25 grams of glutamine per day. When a person performs a workout or runs for a long period of time, levels of glutamine in the muscles begin to drop. As a result, the more intense a bodybuilder’s workout is, the more glutamine the individual must take.
Generally, a person should consume the substance within one hour of the end of a workout. Additionally, ingesting the natural compound with other amino acids may increase its overall potency.
6.) Pre-Workout Supplement
Pre Workout Supplements provide numerous powerful ingredients that can boost energy, raise the level of nitric oxide in the blood and increase the amount of weight that a bodybuilder can lift. Some of these compounds include caffeine, citrulline, panax ginseng, beet root, niacin, arginine, alanine, nelumbo nucifera, astragalus and mucuna pruriens.
Niacin dilates the blood vessels and allows additional oxygen to reach the bloodstream. The supplement can also increase the production of ATP, which is a molecule that transfers energy to the body’s cells.
Citrulline is an amino acid that is able to increase the volume of a bodybuilder’s muscles while the person is lifting weights, and it can maintain the size of the skeletal muscles when a person is dieting. Boosting the volume of the muscles enhances strength and lets more nutrients enter the muscle fibers.
Panax ginseng and mucuna pruriens are both herbs that improve energy, focus and the production of testosterone. Ginseng also contains potent antioxidants, and the botanical is able to substantially reduce the production of cortisol.
Used in Egypt for thousands of years, nelumbo nucifera boosts the production of dopamine, which raises testosterone and improves a person’s levels of energy. In addition, the product contains levodopa, and this compound is a precursor to dopamine.
Bodybuilders should take one scoop of the supplement 15 minutes to 30 minutes before starting to exercise. The effects usually last for two hours to as long as five hours.
5.) Mineral Support/Multivitamins
Products that contain numerous vitamins that help bodybuilders usually feature a combination of antioxidants, a complex that enhances performance, a combination of amino acids and several compounds that improve the function of digestive enzymes.
Numerous studies have shown that oxidation can damage muscle tissue and could increase the likelihood of injuries. The antioxidants that are in many multivitamins include alpha lipoic acid, lycopene and lutein, and in addition to short-term effects, each of these compounds has a long-term, positive impact on the body.
Most of the products also contain choline, inositol and Korean ginseng. These natural substances improve focus and endurance, and the B vitamins that are in each dose will also increase energy.
Users should consume one dosage of a multivitamin every 24 hours. If a bodybuilder is competing or performing high-intensity workouts every day, the individual can take one dose before each training session and a second dosage after the workout.
4.) Omega-3 Fatty Acids
These natural compounds are able to enhance the levels of testosterone in the body, and some studies have shown that the fatty acids cause protein and nutrients to be absorbed by the muscles instead of being consumed by the fat cells.
This product is also a powerful antioxidant, and in addition, omega-3 fatty acid is able to improve endurance by strengthening the cardiovascular system. The substance also ameliorates the texture and the elasticity of the hair and the skin.
Most companies that manufacture and sell these products recommend that users should consume as much as 2,000 milligrams of fish oil per day. A customer may also take 300 milligrams to 1.5 grams of omega-3 fatty acids every 24 hours.
The branched-chain amino acids include leucine, isoleucine and valine, and these three compounds comprise 35 percent of the essential amino acids that the body needs. Each of these substances is able to increase vasodilation, and this complex will help muscles to recover more swiftly.
Many manufacturers combine these amino acids with glycine, lysine, taurine or alanine. Glycine is able to augment the level of human growth hormone in the body, and the substance is a key component of most types of collagen. Lysine can increase a person’s testosterone levels and allow collagen to last for a longer period of time than it would otherwise.
Taurine is usually found in energy drinks and in some pre-workout supplements. The compound improves focus, and in addition, it is the second most abundant amino acid in the muscles.
Two scoops of the powder can be added to a drink that consists of eight ounces to 12 ounces of liquid. Many experts indicate that athletes should ingest 10 grams to 20 grams of branched-chain amino acids each day. One dosage may be taken approximately 30 minutes before a workout, and the second serving can be consumed within an hour after the training session has ended.
This substance is able to boost the volume of water in the skeletal muscles, and in addition to increasing their size, creatine allows extra nutrients and vitamins to reach the muscles. The compound can also increase a person’s body mass and strength, and in one study, the substance was able to augment the amount of weight that an athlete could lift by eight percent after the individual had used 15 grams of creatine every day for two weeks.
Although creatine provides numerous benefits, it may increase the conversion of testosterone to dihydrotestosterone, or DHT, and this inactive form of the hormone can cause several negative side effects. In order to reduce or to eliminate creatine’s effect on the conversion rate, a bodybuilder should also take maca root, stinging nettle, catuaba or astaxanthin.
Athletes can consume five grams to 25 grams of creatine each day. Some experts recommend that individuals should use the substance every day for several weeks before taking a break from supplementation for at least one week. This strategy will ensure that the athlete does not develop a tolerance to creatine.
1.) Whey Protein
The body uses protein to build muscles, and a bodybuilder who supplements with a large amount of protein can help their muscles to recover and to grow much more rapidly than they would otherwise. Some protein powders also have complex carbohydrates, which are able to increase an athlete’s energy without causing the user to gain fat.
Each scoop of the powder contains a high concentration of several amino acids, such as glutamine, arginine, lysine, alanine and glycine. Certain types of protein also have a relatively large amount of branched-chain amino acids.
Certain types of protein also provide 50 milligrams to 250 milligrams of digestive enzymes in each serving. These compounds help the body to absorb a higher percentage of the protein, and some users have reported that the substances prevent any stomach discomfort that the individuals had experienced when using other types of protein powder.
A bodybuilder should mix one scoop of the powder with seven ounces to 12 ounces of liquid, and each athlete may take as many as four servings of the supplement every day. In order to achieve optimal results, the protein should be ingested during the first 45 minutes after a workout has been completed.
These are the best Bodybuilding Supplements to buy in 2014 and the leading supplements for bodybuilding in general that will help you in achieving your goals in the world of bodybuilding.
Each type of supplement has a wide variety of benefits for bodybuilders with all levels of experience. At top10supplements.com, a visitor can find detailed descriptions and reviews of products that will help the bodybuilder to achieve certain goals, and in addition, the guest will be able to compare the prices that numerous vendors charge for each supplement.