Originally published here: Muscle Building Supplements
When trying to burn fat, gain muscle, everyone can use a little boost. The best muscle building supplements use healthy ingredients with vital nutrients and vitamins. Using the best supplements to gain muscle not only helps you achieve your fitness and appearance goals, they can help keep your body as healthy as possible.
What are the best muscle building supplements for your body? Let’s take a look at some common supplements and why they are healthy. You can then decide which is right for your own fitness program.
Top muscle building supplements contain protein. Protein is a combination of amino acids, and since amino acids are the foundation of muscle, adequate protein is needed to build and maintain healthy muscles. Essential amino acids cannot be produced by your body, so you need to take supplements.
Main sources of protein are eggs, whey, casein, and soy. Here’s a quick peek at each type of protein and what it can do for you.
* Egg protein is usually provided through the foods we eat. Eggs, milk, steak, and black beans all contain protein. A general guideline is to eat about one gram per pound of body weight. If you weight 200 pounds, you eat 200 grams of protein. You can drink protein shakes to supplement your protein intake. These are available online, at vitamin shops, health food stores, and pharmacies.
* Whey protein is fast acting, and is best taken 10 – 15 minutes after your workout. Whey protein contains a complete array of amino acids, including essential and non-essential ones. Whey is derived from dairy sources, but is lactose-free.
* Casein protein also comes from dairy products and is a very slow acting protein. It is best to take casein during the day and before bed, when muscles grow.
* Soy protein is a medium acting protein and is best suited for vegetarians.
Proteins are vital to building and maintaining muscle, but it is possible that too much protein throughout the day will be hard on your kidneys. To counteract this, drink plenty of water and make sure you are very active. A person who is sedentary shouldn’t take 200 grams of protein a day, but it is perfectly fine for a bodybuilder or athlete.
Creatine is another supplement to help build muscle that you hear a lot about. Creatine is a naturally occurring organic acid that helps supply energy to muscles. It can also enhance the volume of muscles. Creatine also helps your body synthesize protein, which is essential to muscle growth.
People who bodybuild or compete in athletics are likely to need to take a creatine supplement because their bodies don’t produce enough for long-term vigorous exercise. There are several creatine products available for those who work out regularly and hard. It is the best supplement to gain muscle weight. Creatine is an effective supplement for women as well. Women’s muscle building supplements are different from men’s, and there are products designed for women available.
Multivitamins are not only good for everyday health, they can be among the best muscle building supplements. Having a deficiency in certain vitamins can cause illness and/or fatigue. Your body needs to be in peak condition to develop and maintain muscles, and taking a multivitamin will help you ensure you’re getting the nutrients you need. Taken with a healthy diet, these are great tools for your health.
The most powerful muscle building supplements are protein, multivitamins, creatine, and a special friend of creatine, glutamine. This is a naturally occurring amino acid that helps restore damaged muscle. Glutamine is used throughout the body, especially in the immune system. Bodybuilders and athletes will supplement with glutamine to minimize muscle tissue deterioration and help the body absorb protein without robbing the other areas of the body this important acid.
When you are looking for supplements to build massive muscles, look for products that have these ingredients. Protein, creatine, glutamine, and multivitamins are the best muscle building supplements and can help you not only build but also maintain your body’s look and health.
To learn more about all the popular muscle building supplements, which ones can help and which ones are merely hype, refer to the excellent Body Building Revealed. Written by Harvard graduate and sports nutrition specialist Will Brink, this is a totally unbiased look at which supplements really work and which ones are a total waste of money.
