After exercising regularly, you definitely want to get the most out of it. Undoubtedly, you can gain muscles by working out or following strength training, but supplements can work for maximizing your potential. If you have just begun your training, you might be thinking about whether these supplements work. There’s no shortage of advice regarding the choice of supplements. Hence it becomes daunting to choose one. What are the best supplements that will help you achieve your target, and which one is a complete waste? To help you with this, we’ve included six workout supplements that work.
Contents
Creatine
Creatine is a molecule naturally present in your body that provides energy for muscles and the body. Taking it as a supplement can increase the creatine content in the body by up to 40%. Creatine is made from glycine, arginine, and methionine. Studies have shown those taking creatine have increased their strength dramatically. Creatine helps you in many ways, like increasing the energy level to help you perform more reps at the gym. That’s amazing when you’re trying to gain muscles as greater strength allows you to work out more.
Also, creatine stimulates protein synthesis, which helps in faster muscle growth. You can choose between creatine malate, creatine ethyl ester, creatine alpha-ketoglutarate, or creatine monohydrate, but the original and best form is creatine monohydrate.
How do we recommend taking it?
To make this effective, take 2 to 5 grams of creatine with your protein shake before a workout. This will give your muscles the energy they need to do more reps. Then take another 2 to 5 grams along with your after-workout shake.
Beta-Alanine Supplements
It is a non-essential amino acid that occurs naturally in the body. This amino acid comes into the body through food rich in protein. Beta-Alanine is preferred due to its ability to increase intra-muscular levels of carnosine. According to research, muscles have higher strength and endurance due to the presence of carnosine.
Carnosine helps the muscle to contract with more force for a longer time without making you feel fatigued.
How do we recommend taking it?
For better results, take 4 to 6 grams throughout the day. Make sure you’re taking it in small portions. When you’re not working out, you can take 2 grams of Beta-Alanine with your creatine shake during breakfast.
Whey Protein
Whey protein tops the list of post-workout supplements as it is the most crucial for pushing protein synthesis. It is considered the king because it is digested rapidly and goes into your muscles to build muscles. It also has peptides that encourage blood flow to the muscles. That’s why it’s recommended to take whey immediately after a workout.
Whey protein also controls your appetite as it prolongs fullness. It comes in four forms that are isolated, concentrated, hydrolysate, and native. Concentrate whey protein is lower in fat than other forms, while isolate is processed to eliminate lactose and fat. We recommend you go for whey hydrolysate as it has water added during the production process to break down the constituent compounds. Hence they are easier to digest.
How do we recommend taking it?
You can take 20 grams of whey 30 minutes before workout and 30 grams within an hour after training.
Branched-Chain Amino Acids (BCAAs)
For a strength athlete or bodybuilder, we see no reason to skip BCAAs during a workout. By BCAAs, we refer to leucine, isoleucine, and valine. Leucine is the most vital of them all, as it can stimulate muscle protein on its own—BCAAs speed up the recovery process after a challenging workout. One important thing to consider is that BCAAs taste very bitter and don’t mix well with water. That is why some producers add artificial sweeteners and several dissolving agents to them. Make sure not to buy a product with artificial sweeteners like aspartame, sucralose, and acesulfame potassium (ace-K).
How do we recommend taking it?
You can take 5 to 10 grams of BCAAs with your breakfast and with pre and post work out shakes. It is best to look for a product that provides a 2:1 ratio of leucine to isoleucine and valine.
Nitric Oxide or NO Boosters
Nitric oxide is involved in multiple purposes and is found in our bodies. People like no boosters because it dilates the blood vessels and ensures proper blood flow to the muscles for adequate oxygen delivery, so you have more energy during the workout. No boosters also help in speedy recovery after a workout session. In reality, no booster has nitric oxide in them; instead, they have amino acid arginine that gets converted into nitric oxide in the body. Many products claim they have none, but actually, they have a mix of ingredients that may not be safe to consume. We advise you to buy a good brand and be careful about what you’re buying.
How do we recommend taking it?
You can take a dose in the morning before having breakfast, 40 to 60 minutes before workout and immediately after exercise, and 30 to 60 minutes before you go to bed.
Glutamine
The amino acid has been a preferred choice of many bodybuilders for a long time. Glutamine provides several bodybuilding benefits like increasing leucine in muscle fibers, promoting muscle growth, reducing muscle breakdown, and bolsters the immune system. If taken before a workout, it can boost hormone levels and reduce fatigue during the training.
Glutamine also reduces muscle soreness and improves recovery after an intense workout session. However, some studies doubt its effectiveness, and there’s no proven fact to support that it’s useful.
How do we recommend taking it?
You can take 5 to 10 grams of glutamine with your breakfast, with your pre-workout and post-workout shakes.
Our Final Words
These are the six best supplements that really work and are best for muscle gain and strength. Along with supplements, it’s crucial to eat a filling diet that gives you enough calories and protein to gain muscles. We advise you to get familiar with your workout and diet plan and then move forward with supplements.
