Bodybuilding & Weight Gain Supplements
Bodybuilding & weight gain supplements (also referred to as muscle building supplements) are a concentrated
source of nutrients that are taken in addition to your bodybuilding diet to increase nutrient
intake. Supplements normally come in either tablet, capsule, or powder form. They can be composed of one single ingredient, or multi-ingredient formulations.
In addition to your diet, taking bodybuilding supplements can help maximize your bodies ability to pack on lean muscle mass.
Bodybuilding supplements play an important role in your muscle building diet for the following reasons:
- Your weight training program will increase the nutritional demands of your body, making it more difficult to attain all of the nutrients you need through diet alone.
- In order to benefit from certain muscle building supplements, they have to be consumed in doses that cannot be attained through the foods you eat.
- Nutritional supplements supply nutrients to the body in controlled amounts, making it much easier to track your daily dosages versus eating solid foods that provide nutrients in random amounts.
Just remember that supplements are designed to "supplement" your diet (hence their name!). A sound muscle building diet in addition to your supplementation is still extremely important. Just because you are consuming supplements, doesn't mean that you can neglect certain nutrients in your diet!
What are the Best Muscle Building Supplements?
Although there are literally thousands of bodybuilding supplements on the market, only a handful have proven to be reliable and effective for the bodybuilder.
Many supplements don't live up to the claims of the large companies that produce them. In fact, the majority of bodybuilding supplements have never been scientifically proven to help build muscle, increase performance, or aid in tissue recovery!
The following supplements represent what most experts believe to be proven supplements that are useful to the bodybuilder and other athletes that participate in highly intense sports:
- Antioxidants - Antioxidants are "scavengers" that help break down free radicals. Many free radicals are formed during exercises, and through exposure to everyday pollutants. Free radicals pose many harmful threats to the body, and since exercise and even simply metabolism are responsible for creating them, antioxidant consumption is important for the bodybuilder. The most well know antioxidants are vitamins C and E, as well as the minerals selenium, zinc and manganese.
- Creatine Monohydrate - Creatine Monohydrate is a popular supplement that helps increase the rate at which the muscles
 restore ATP. Since ATP is the primary energy source used during weigh training, increasing the rate at which ATP is restored will allow you to perform more reps and / or push more weight.
- Essential Fatty Acids - Also know as EFA's, essential fatty acids play a number of important roles at a cellular level that are required to build muscle. The most common sources of EFA supplements are flax oil, or fish oil capsules.
- Glutamine - An amino acid that the body can manufacture in small amounts. It's primary roles are to help repair tissue, and boost the strength of the immune system, which are both very important elements in your bodybuilding program.
- Multi-Vitamin-and-Minerals - These "micronutrients" are used by the body for many purposes, and are usually considered a must have supplement for anyone trying to build muscle.
- Protein Powder and Bars - Many athletes and nearly every bodybuilder uses protein supplements, and for good reason. Protein is the only macronutrient that is actually responsible for building muscle tissue. Protein supplements allow you to consume fast and easy servings of high quality protein anytime and essentially anywhere.
Check out the bodybuilding supplement reviews section to learn which other supplements I recommend.
The Major Forms of Bodybuilding Supplements
Dietary supplements come in a number of different forms, and some have advantages over others. The
major forms include the following:
- Caplets, Pills and Tablets - Caplets, pills and tablets
start out in powder form, and are pressed by machines into there solid shapes. Tablets (the preferred form for most multi-vitamins) are the most common forms
used today. Tablets come in a variety of different shapes and sizes, and have a
relatively long shelf life. Unlike other forms of dietary supplements, tablets
can be formed to release their contents at a different rate of speed. For
example, some are designed to release there contents quickly, while other are
designed to supply a sustained release over a period of time. This gives
tablets a large advantage over pills and caplets.
- Capsules - Capsules are small cylindrical shaped containers
that are filled with powdered nutrients. The big advantage of capsules is that
they can usually be digested very quickly by the body. Unfortunately unlike
tablets they cannot be manufactured to release the nutrients over a period of
time. For this reason, capsules are generally best for supplements that your
body needs to absorb quickly.
- Gelatin Capsules - Gelatin capsules hold liquid supplements
such as EFA's and vitamin E. The container is made of a soft or hard gelatin
material. Gelatin capsules are digested and absorbed quickly by the body. One
of the reasons people prefer gelatin capsules over other forms of dietary
supplements is because they are usually very easy to
swallow.
- Powder Supplements - Powder supplements are powder
nutrients, most commonly added to water, milk or juice (although they can also
be used in baked goods). They are manufactured for numerous purposes, and are
an easy way to obtain high quality nutrients in specified amounts exactly when
needed. The most common types of powder supplements are whey protein powders, weight gainer powders, glutamine, and creatine.
- Liquid Supplements - Liquid supplements include sports drinks (Gatorade, Powerade etc.), meal replacement shakes, liquid protein drinks, and liquid vitamins and minerals. The most well know types of liquid supplements are pre-made protein and weight gainer drinks, and high carbohydrate sport drinks.
- Bars - Nutritional bars offer a highly nutritious portable snack or meal replacement. They are easy to slip into a bag or pocket, and are a convenient alternative to whole foods when time is an issue. Most bars taste great, and are an excellent source of high density nutrients. The most common types of bars are protein and meal replacement bars
Are Muscle Building Supplements Mandatory to Build Muscle?
The short answer is no, although some of the muscle building experts may disagree. In my opinion, muscle building supplements are not a mandatory part of your muscle building program, and many people are able to achieve respectable muscle gains without using them at all.
That being said, taking the right muscle building supplements in the recommended dosages can help you build muscle considerably faster.
Notice the emphasis on "the right muscle building supplements" and "recommended dosages".
Taking the wrong supplements can not only be a waste of your hard
earned cash, it can also pose serious health risks. This is why it is important to learn which muscle building supplements should be avoided
Even taking the
right supplements in the wrong dosages or wrong times can spell disaster not only by wasting your hard earned cash, but also by putting unneeded stress on organs in your body such as your liver and kidneys. Before you begin your program, learn how and when to consume bodybuilding supplements.
With literally thousands and thousands of muscle building
supplements available, and more and more being released each year,
choosing the right supplements that work is becoming more and more
difficult. Save time and money by learning which muscle building supplements work
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