What Are The Best Bodybuilding Supplements?

With the amount of bodybuilding supplements available on the market today it can be a problem to get the ones that you really need that will suit your circumstances. Ensuring that you get the right levels of protein and nutrition from your diet will help you succeed with bodybuilding. By choosing the right supplements you will be able to recover more quickly from strenuous workouts and be able to build lean muscle mass and improve your overall performance. These supplements are part of a bodybuilder’s nutritional diet and are not meant to be a substitute for eating the right things to build your body up.



Supplements are not anabolic steroids and it is very important to make that distinction. Supplements provide essential nutrients to replace those lost during training and exercise whereas anabolic steroids provide increased stamina by altering hormone levels (specifically testosterone) above their normal levels. The taking of anabolic steroids is not recommended as these can have some serious side effects.



Bodybuilding supplements provide different types of nutrients and the most common are discussed here:



Protein Based Supplements



Protein supplements will help with the build up of muscle as the body needs protein to grow and these are best taken after exercising. It is common to find protein supplements offered in the form of a powder. Protein supplements are beneficial in two areas which are the building of muscle on a regular basis and the assistance that they provide in the repair to muscle tissue. The most popular supplement is whey protein which provides a high level of amino acids that are not usually generated by the body. It is also possible to get egg white protein which is dairy free and is easily digestible and has high levels of essential fatty acids. Casein or milk proteins are high in glutamine which is an amino acid that helps with muscle recovery and takes some time to be absorbed by the body. For vegetarians, Soy proteins are packed with amino acids and these are useful too.



Glutamine Based Supplements



Human muscle tissue contains an abundance of glutamine. There is evidence to suggest that muscle tissue glutamine levels are significantly reduced when you partake in strenuous bodybuilding workouts and to replace this glutamine supplements are a good choice. It is possible that your immune system could suffer deficiencies and muscle tissue wastage can occur if glutamine levels are significantly reduced. There are a very high number of glutamine supplements available.



Creatine Based Supplements



Bodybuilding exercises comprise of lots of short burst repetitions such as lifting weights and creatine provides the muscle cells with more energy so that it is possible for you to perform a more intense workout. The body produces creatine (an organic acid) naturally. The popularity of creatine amongst the bodybuilding community is understandable as it can help with muscle repair, improve your strength, provide you with a well needed energy boost and really help with the building of your muscle mass. Creatine naturally occurs in a number of meat products.



These are the three main types of supplements. There are others available such as simple carbohydrates which are designed to provide energy after exercise, complex carbohydrates which give you higher calories, EFA’s (essential fatty acids) which will give a boost to your stamina and multivitamins which look after many different aspects of your health.



You can find some great supplements at very good prices on the Internet but be careful here and use a reputable company such as bodybuilding supplements who provide high quality products from organizations like USPLabs.

Published September 7th, 2011

Tags: Bodybuilding, Supplements