As you get started on your workout program designed to help pack more lean muscle mass on your frame, you're going to want to also start paying attention to the foods you're eating on a daily basis, as well as any supplements you may choose to add to your diet regime. It's very essential that you do pay attention to these two aspects because what you do in the gym is only half of the equation.
After you have placed a stress on the muscle tissue, you then need to supply it with the resources in order to recover properly. If these resources are not supplied, you aren't going to be able to build the muscles up stronger than they were before, hence progress is not made.
With all the money that's been put into nutrition and supplement research, we now have a full spectrum of supplements that are available to us, all designed to boost the success we see with our bodybuilding workout programs.
If you're new to supplements, all the options can be a bit overwhelming. Here are some of the most common bodybuilding supplements, which would be a good place for you to start.
1. Protein Powder:
If there is one absolute requirement to build muscle mass, it's getting in enough protein. The amino acids that make up the protein we eat are the building blocks that form into individual muscle fibers, creating more muscle mass on your body.
When protein is not supplied in high enough amounts, the body will actually take protein from the muscle tissues and use it for other bodily functions since muscle building ranks in fairly low on the priority list for the body on the whole.
This is why it's critical you meet your needs because if you don't, it won't matter what you're doing in the gym, you'll actually be losing muscle rather than gaining it.
For some people meeting their protein needs becomes quite a challenge, which is where protein powder supplements come in. They are quick, convenient, and often more cost effective than meat choices, so they really make it much easier to get those amino acids into your day.
As an added benefit, taking protein powder before or after a workout will get absorbed into the muscle cells faster than solid food would, increasing the results you see from the workout.
2. Creatine:
The second bodybuilding supplement that can help you pack on muscle faster is creatine. By supplementing with creatine you will top off the stores of the high energy compound in the body that is responsible for creating muscular contractions, increasing the intensity of your workouts.
If you put in more effort at the gym because of the fact you are using the creatine, this then translates to better results.
The typical protocol is to load with 20 grams of creatine for the first five days when you initially begin taking it, and then move to a five gram per day dose for maintenance thereafter.
3. Glutamine:
Experiencing a fast recovery from your workout program is paramount to results, and glutamine is one of the supplements for bodybuilding that makes this possible.
Glutamine is one of the 20 amino acids in the body and research suggests that it may play a role in the healing time after injuries, surgery, or wounds (muscle breakdown through resistance training being classified in this group). Glutamine also plays a part in overall immune system health.
4. Weight Gainer Powder:
A fourth supplement for bodybuilding that many people will turn to in an effort to increase their results is a weight gain powder. These are similar to protein powder in that they are a quick way to get in more protein and supplement your regular meals with.
Where the difference between regular protein powder and weight gainer powder comes in is with the additional carbohydrate and fat calories added into the mixture.
Since those who are looking to build lean muscle mass must take in more calories than they require to maintain themselves, having these additional carbs and fats makes that much easier.
Men who are already at the higher end of the weight scales (180 pounds +) may really find it a struggle everyday to meet their weight gain calorie requirements, so utilizing a weight gainer makes it easier.
Some weight gainers are also specially formulated with special fat complexes that help you maintain leanness while building muscle, such as the one found in CytoSport's Muscle Milk Collegiate.
Be sure you do still work the calories in the weight gainer into your daily total because the calories count and must remain in balance.
5. Growth Hormone Boosters:
Finally, the fifth supplement for bodybuilding you may want to consider is one of the growth hormone boosters available. Growth hormone is a very powerful hormone that is produced naturally in the body that essentially drives muscle growth.
Males between the ages of eighteen to thirty tend to have the highest levels of growth hormones, and after that you'll see it slowly decline into older age.
This doesn't mean it completely drops off once you reach the older years, but it will not be present in the high concentrations you saw earlier in the body, which is demonstrated by the slower rate of muscle growth in this age range.
There are other natural ways you can go about increasing the growth hormone concentrations in the body such as making sure you get a good amount of sleep each and every night (concentrations are very high during the sleep period) as well as performing a weight lifting workout where you are lifting heavier weights and using appropriate rest periods.
After that though, individuals who feel they still would like a little boost to help increase muscle gains should consider looking into growth hormone supplements as these can help maximize the growth hormone release in the body over what you'd normally see.
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