Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Recommended Body Building Supplements

By Jim Livingston

Bodybuilding supplements consists of various substances including proteins and amino acids, mineral replacement products, prohormones, testosterone boosters and are taken by body builders and sports persons to help with building muscle or to accelerate fat loss. Bodybuilding supplements are also used for improving sports performance.

But do you really need supplements to gain muscles fast?

In most cases the answer is Yes. Supplements are necessary if you want gain bigger muscles faster or improve you health and fitness.

Why? Because today's diet is generally poor and not enough to support an active lifestyle. So you will probably not be getting enough essential nutrients through your normal meals. That is the why you need supplementation.

What supplements do you need?

1. Protein: possibly the most important of any supplements - protein is for muscle growth

Protein builds muscle. It is the common supplement that every bodybuilder uses. You need up to 1 gram of protein for every pound of your bodyweight per day for rapid muscles growth. This is a lot of protein, more than most people will get from their meals alone

Kinds of protein

Amino acids & Branched chain amino:

You can supplement individual amino acids, but usually a good protein powder is sufficient. Protein is metabolized into amino acids by our bodies anyway. But if you do wish to try individual Amino Acids the best are leucine, isoleucine and valine. These are called branched chain amino acids and they promote resistance to muscle breakdown.

Soy protein. This is a naturally lactose free complete protein. It is avoided by some as it is though to exhibit estrogenic activity - bad for muscle growth. Or there is egg protein. Or Casein, a rich protein source for the amino acid glutamine. Plus Casein contains casomorphine which releases the amino acids slowly at regular intervals.

Protein powders are available online from websites such as Bulk Nutrition. Remember muscles are primarily made of protein so protein also helps us in the repairing and growth of muscles. It is usual to take protein just after exercise or as a replacement for a meal.

In addition to protein you may wish to also take these:

2. Creatine Supplements - Creatine can significantly increase muscle volume along with protein. It will also improve your weightlifting performances and raise your energy levels so that your workouts are more intensive and this provides for greater muscle gain.

3. Glutamine Supplements. Glutamine helps in your muscle recovery after your workouts and also prevents muscle lost due to muscle catabolism.

4. Multi Vitamins / Minerals Supplement - Your muscles need many vitamins and minerals for every stage of its function and recovery. Some vitamins and minerals are antioxidants and will also help in protecting muscle waste, help in muscle recovery and mopping up free radicals after your muscles are stressed out and damaged during your gym workouts.

Unless you are considering becoming a competitive bodybuilding, these four are probably the only supplementation you will need to help you gain bigger muscles fast.

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