It is a fact that there is a huge amount of food and vitamin supplements on the market, where each meets different objectives, as some are used to lose fat, others to gain weight, lose weight, gain weight, improve health or appearance in general. But this time we will concentrate on the most effective supplements for muscle development.
We all know that the industry of nutritional supplements is multibillion, but nevertheless, this industry is not as regulated compared to other industries, as very often many food supplements promise "miraculous" effects you'll ever experience, but these end rapidly being replaced by others when the number of users is disappointed enough.
This is a cycle that never ends because unlimited number of times repeated, we keep seeing products marketed very outrageous and exaggerated way that never meet the expectations they propose. We can see a lot of these products in magazines and clear physical conditioning in TV commercials.
How many times in your life have you seen that commercial ridiculous TV show you miraculous products by showing people "before" and "after" having used the product, where first show an obese person with many health problems and then they end up showing us a body of athlete with perfect health? There is also a huge amount of commercial food and vitamin supplements that promise to increase our strength greatly, our muscles magically increase, etc ...
It is no surprise that for many years the industry vitamin and food supplements has been based on marketing techniques made by "experts" in advertising that always promise things that can not be met.
So keeping this in mind, you want to talk about nutritional supplements that indeed if they serve and have results that have been proven by thousands of people. So then we will see an excellent list.
Nutritional supplements for muscle gain
Although it may be that there is another nutritional supplement to help you, not recommend buying any that is out of the list that I will share then as I see it, just be wasting your time and money on a product that does not will give the desired results, which applied to 95% of the supplements on the market.
1. Whey and casein (protein)
Undoubtedly it mentioned many times that the protein is the best supplement to gain muscle mass. Protein supplementation is used by those who want to increase lean muscle mass or people who want to lose body fat.
Protein consumption is also extremely important for people who train with weights, since it is excellent for recovery and rebuilding muscle mass after an intense workout. Also, the ideal amounts of protein to develop a lean muscle may vary according to the constitution of each person, although in general the daily protein intake should be 0.8 to 1 gram of protein per kilo of body weight.
A very important detail that should keep in mind is that after exercise there is a period of time of about 1 hour which is extremely important that your muscles receive the famous nutrition "post-workout" consisting of protein and carbohydrates, especially when you want to develop lean and thin muscles.
Now in the market there are many protein supplements, but it is best to consummating casein or whey. With these two you not need any protein supplement more, and although there is much debate as to which of these two is the best, we can say that casein is a protein digestion and slow release, for which it is not recommended to consume immediately after making exercise. It is recommended to consume casein at night or in the morning, especially if you know you will not eat for 3 hours or more for some reason.
Moreover, the protein in whey is excellent to be consumed immediately after exercise done because this way came much faster to the muscles.
2. Branched Chain Amino Acids (BCAA)
Briefly BCAAs are structural units of protein, so it is believed that these amino acids help the protein synthesis and recovery of the muscles. Branched-chain amino acids play an important role in improving the strength and conditioning aerobic and anaerobic capacity in general, in addition to increase energy while reducing fatigue of athletes who have intense workouts.
There may also be development of muscle mass and strength accompanied by nutritional supplementation with BCAA; but more research is needed to support this claim, as many people have not appreciated an apparent gain strength or increased muscular volume consumption.
But they have not appreciated the increase in strength or muscle does not mean the AACR not have a good place in supplements, it is that there is much evidence supporting the AACR help muscle preservation during periods of caloric deficit. Which means you consume muscles help in periods when you consume fewer calories much you used to maintain weight.
So if for some reason you go on a diet in order to reach a lower percentage of body fat, the AACR will help you not lose muscle in the same way that body fat.
3. Creatine Monohydrate
If there is a food supplement that has been extensively studied it is creatine monohydrate, which is recommended when the goal is to achieve the maximum development of muscle growth and strength.
Thanks to its ergogenic properties that facilitate the execution of repetitive loads and the fact that accelerates muscle recovery, is an extremely popular supplement among bodybuilders looking to increase muscle mass, weight and strength, but also by athletes thin they are looking to increase the weight and increase their speed and endurance.
The recommended dose of creatine monohydrate is 20-25 grams for five days (loading phase), followed by 10 grams per day for 6 to 8 weeks (maintenance phase). In the maintenance phase, after taking it for five days, it is advisable to eat 5 g before exercise and 5 g after exercise.
Many experts in the field recommend mixing the powder with juice, and overall is okay, but there are some people who prefer to do with water, they claim that you can get the same results without sugar juice shove the body. But after exercise you can add 5 grams of creatine liquefied post-exercise protein (which contains almost no sugar).
A lot of people think that the monihidrato creatine is the best supplement there thanks to being the best results can give. Remember to use the approach above comment, where for six to eight weeks is ingested and rests for 4 to 6 weeks before starting another cycle of 20-25 grams dosing for 5 days, followed by 10 grams per day in the dase of maintenance.
4. Caffeine
A lot of study has suggested that eating about 200 mg of caffeine before exercise can significantly increase the amount of calories burned during training. Thanks to this is that many people a cup of coffee taken before going to the gym, which generates higher energy levels and extra lucidity.
Some people react well with 300 mg of caffeine, or more, although some people may feel nervous or anxious with a certain amount of coffee, so it is recommended to be careful with the amount you will eat. Either way, caffeine is economical and helps to improve metabolism and have good results.
There have also been some studies indicating that caffeine intake can increase strength and muscle strength during training. Personally I think they are better when I have my workouts that boost of caffeine in my system, having a cup of coffee before starting the exercise.
5. Natural Testosterone Boosters
Several studies have shown that dietary supplementation with natural herbs can help increase testosterone production safely and naturally.
Among the herbs that have been used in the studies, we can find: Long Jack Tongkat Ali, Tribulus terrestris and Testofen (fenugreek extract). These herbs have been used for many years to treat erectile dysfunction in men and for improving athletic performance.
In studies it was observed that these herbs increase the natural production of testosterone in the body by up to 50%. This is achieved through stimulation of luteinizing hormone (LH) which in turn is in charge of sending signals to the brain to increase testosterone production.
It is spoken on many occasions about the importance of testosterone for muscle development and is information that is well documented. Men incorporating such supplements to their diets and training programs are more aggressive during training at the gym, as well as an increase in their sexual appetite.
6. Oil Omega 3
Although some people have not observed any physical benefit that is noticeable with Omega 3 supplement, research on the benefits it provides have shown to have a huge list of benefits, which will share with you below.
A large percentage of people living in Western culture are deficient in omega 3, which makes them susceptible to compromised health. Studies say that supplementation of Omega 3 can help improve cardiovascular health greatly and lower the level of bad cholesterol, triglycerides (fats in the blood) and reduce the risk of high blood pressure.
In addition to the benefits already mentioned, there is also promoting better immunity and brain function as well as anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory properties it has.
That is, although the omega 3 will not make your muscle improve itself, everything indicates that what is inside your pecs much you appreciate this consumption.
No doubt it is well worth you think of adding Omega 3 to your nutritional supplements, as would be the case of fish oil. But if you already ingest many rich in Omega 3 as salmon, albacore tuna, oysters, rainbow trout, cela fish, mackerel and anchovies, food will not need to use a supplement to add to your diet.
7. Nitric Oxide (NO2)
It has been found that nitric oxide greatly increases the oxygen flow and blood in the muscles. It helps create a kind of permanent "pumping" well oxygenated blood, which is extremely effect for athletes who train with weights, as this increases vascularization.
On many occasions promoted as a supplement it is effective for increasing muscle mass, strength and endurance, but the truth is that is yet to be demonstrated. But although not notice any increase in strength, it is a fact that this product will help your muscles are full of well-oxygenated blood throughout your training, which in effect is a big advantage.
8. Caffeine + NO2
It really is no surprise that a lot of supplements before making the training contain a mixture of caffeine and soluble powder NO2. This is not bad, because actually this is a great way to "kill two birds with one stone". You can have a drink that combines these two elements to perform better during your workouts, and we saw the benefits of these two supplements separately.