The Best Supplements for Bodybuilding

You only have to skim through any fitness publication to find abundant supplement ads, all promising to meet your muscle building and fitness objectives. A lot of these products are useless, though there are currently thousands of them available.

Once you’re satisfied that you’ve instituted sound eating practices you can go on to think about supplementation with carefully chosen products. Don’t waste money by slavishly copying your training partners or responding to the wonderful claims made in magazine ads. The most popular and useful bodybuilding supplements available today have been listed below to help you reach an informed decision.

For the record we would like to affirm that you must have an adequate training schedule and diet before you try out any supplements. No supplement is going to compensate for an awful diet or weak exercise habits – but used wisely, they can make the difference between DECENT and FANTASTIC results. The following supplements are listed in order of importance:

  • Water
  • Protein powders/weight gainers. Isolate is nice, and has a few less calories, but it’s not very cost effective. Any good whey is fine.
  • Vitamin/mineral tablets. Animanl Pak is the best.
  • Creatine. This is the compound that is demonstrated through loads of research and years of anecdotal feedback to add weight and increase strength.
  • Glutamine
  • NO-type products
  • Branched chainamino acids, orBCAA’s– a group of three essential amino acids that play key roles in protein synthesis and energy production.

The general consensus on the bodybuilding forums is that the following products are the best:
WHEY PROTEINS
CytoSport Complete Whey
Optimum Nutrition 100% Whey Protein
VP2

PROTEIN BLENDS
Muscle Milk
ProLab N-Large 2
Ultra Size

CREATINE
BSN CellMass
MuscleTech Cell-Tech
AST Micronized
Prolab Creapure

Nearly everyone thinks that bodybuilding supplements are the principal part of the equation when it comes to gaining lean muscle mass. Supplements are just additions to an already good nutrition and training program. They are good because they prevent us from getting any nutritional deficiencies. The increased activity levels from your exercise program will make your body have greater demand for vitamins and minerals, which will increase the likelihood of you experiencing a deficiency without supplementation.

Choosing the Right Bodybuilding Supplement
Before wasting your cash on a pile of bodybuilding supplements you really need to work out what you are hoping to accomplish. When you make decision of which supplements to take, keep your physical and performance objectives in mind. Determined to build muscle? You can help the process along with supplements like Creatine, whey protein, prohormones, testosterone boosters and amino acids. Need to lose fat? Use products like fat burners, appetite suppressors and carb blockers.

Protein

Protein is not an option if you’re a bodybuilder: it is completely indispensable! A maintenance program should include no less than 1g/day per pound of bodyweight. It is not surprising that bodybuilders put so much emphasis on protein – it is the building block of several body structures, including skeletal muscle. Of most interest to the bodybuilder is the fact that 60-70% of all protein in the body is located in the skeletal muscles.

Creatine

Creatine burst onto the market in the mid 90’s and rapidly became one of the most popular sports supplements of all time. There is good reason for the popularity of Creatine since it has been widely researched with very good results. Several studies have shown Creatine to be very effective at boosting power and strength, which are the requirements of most sports.

Creatine Ethyl Ester

This is the same as the standard Creatine compound, except that it has an extra ethyl ester compound added to it, so that the Creatine can effectively be used. The main trouble with Creatine Monohydrate is that cells frequently don’t admit it as is, and it just ends up waiting outside the cell with the water – which is the reason for Creatine bloating. The nice thing about Creatine Ethyl Ester is that it does not cause bloating.

The Best For Fat Loss

Remember that you must do some form of cardio to create fat loss, since you must always burn more calories than you eat in order to have good results. Also, remember that good nutrition always plays a vital role. That said, these supplements will help you in your quest to shed those extra pounds of fat:
1. Ephedrine/Caffeine/Aspirin (E/C/A Stack)
2. Guggul
3. L-Cartinine
4. Yohimbe
5. Chromium
6. Hydroxycitric acid
7. Soy protein

Supplements for Teens

Teens have many reasons for trying to gain muscle or lose fat. Though not a requirement, supplements will help teens get faster results. If you’re a teenager, be careful not to take any supplements that will mess with your hormones. In fact, you can cause damage to your body by taking certain products.

The Role of Supplements

First, supplements make sticking to the proper diet easier to follow. Meal replacements and protein supplements fall into this category. Second, they can help you reach your bodybuilding goals faster and more effectively. Fat burners fall into this category. Third, they can keep you healthy while you achieve the perfect body. Supplementing your diet with fiber, fish-oils, multivitamins, minerals and extra antioxidants can not only help you look good, but also help you stay looking good for years to come.

Supplements are nearly compulsory in the bodybuilding world. Nowadays almost everyone is using Creatine, and it has become a familiar sight. The contemporary bodybuilder can get incredible results from using the substances that have stood the test of time.

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