After you get together a proper workout program and diet to help you reach your muscle building goals, the next step that you have to take is having a look at the bodybuilding supplements that are available. If you want to see optimal success, these products can offer a number of advantages such as improving your recovery ability, decreasing your level of fatigue during the training session, increasing your energy level, and making sure that you are taking in all the nutrients that you need to build muscles effectively.
Understanding which bodybuilding supplements work and which don’t however will be essential to success as there are a number of products to choose from.
Let’s take a quick peak at the essentials of bodybuilding supplements so that you know precisely what you should be purchasing.
1. Protein Powder
The first of the bodybuilding supplements that you should consider is a high quality protein powder. Each and every time you go into the gym, you’re going to break the muscles down, creating tiny tears that then have to be rebuilt up again stronger than they were before.
If you don’t provide the protein to the muscles that will supply the amino acids to do this, you will not have the raw materials you need to see success.
Protein powder makes meeting your protein requirements quick and easy so that you don’t have to worry about spending hours in the gym cooking up chicken breasts each day.
Plus, many varieties are specially formulated for after the workout period so that they’ll be absorbed into the muscle cells at a faster pace, speeding the recovery process along.
2. Glutamine
The next supplement that you’ll definitely want to give some consideration to is glutamine. Glutamine is a particular amino acid that is going to play a very key role in the recovery process and strengthen your immune system.
After each workout your immune system will take a slight hit, so making sure you’re doing whatever you can to rebuilt yourself back up will be critical.
Those who take too long to recover between workouts won’t be able to train with the optimal training frequency, which can definitely hinder the progress they see.
3. Creatine
Creatine is the next of the bodybuilding supplements to consider. Creatine is going to supply the precursor to the high energy compound, ATP, which fuels every muscular contraction that takes place in the body.
When your creatine phosphate stores run low, the body won’t be able to manufacture ATP fast enough, thus fatigue sets in and your workout goes downhill.
By using creatine however, you can be sure that your creatine stores are fully saturated so this never becomes a problem. The end result is that you can work out longer and harder in the gym, accomplishing more.
4. Fish Oil
Fish oil is the next of the bodybuilding supplements to discuss. While this one may not seem all that ‘magical’, make no mistake about it, it definitely has some powerful benefits to be aware of.
First, it can enhance your insulin sensitivity. What this means is that after consuming carbohydrates, your body will be more likely to shuttle those carbs off into the muscle cells as opposed to sending them into the fat cells for storage. For anyone looking to build lean muscle, this is a huge advantage.
The second nice thing about fish oil is that it can also help to strengthen your immune system, so you don’t require as much downtime between workout sessions.
The less downtime you have between workouts, the faster you can progress.
Finally, fish oil is also essential just for overall health promotion as it can help to reduce your risk of developing cancer, enhance your brain health, and help to ward off diseases such as diabetes.
Three to six grams per day is all it takes to have a noticeable impact.
5. Multi-Vitamin
Along with getting fish oil, taking a good multi-vitamin is an excellent plan as well. While this may not be as exciting as some of the other bodybuilding supplements out there, it is still important nonetheless.
A good multi-vitamin is going to make sure that you aren’t falling short in any key vitamins or minerals such as zinc, iron, or vitamin B, all of which are necessary to build lean muscle mass.
While it is generally best to try and get in all your vitamins and minerals in from real food, having the multi-vitamin there for assurance definitely can give you some peace of mind.
6. Nitric Oxide
Nitric oxide is another of the bodybuilding supplements to look into. Nitric oxide is going to cause to the blood vessels to dilate before your workout session, enhancing the blood and oxygen flow to the muscle cells.
This can go a long way towards improving your strength output, boosting your muscular endurance, and improving your recovery time both between sets during the workout, as well as overall after the workout is finished.
Many people really find they do get good benefits from using nitric oxide as a pre-workout supplement, so it’s one that you may want to give some consideration to.
Take note that many nitric oxide products are combined with caffeine however, so if you are sensitive to caffeine, you’ll just want to be careful when using this one in particular.
So there you have a closer look at some of the top bodybuilding supplements that you may come into. Taking the time to read up on each one and match the benefits it provides to the current goals you have set along with whatever elements you struggle with most in your training plan can help you make an informed decision.
Always to remember however that a supplement will never get you results. It’s your hard training efforts and diet plan that bring about results – a supplement simply makes sticking to these two elements easier. Don’t expect miracles from bodybuilding supplements otherwise you will be disappointed.
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