Everyone has his or her own opinion of which supplements are the best to take when weightlifting. Although some lifters want to get faster results for the least amount of work, and secretly hope that by taking more and more of a variety of supplements will give the effect of taking steroids.
This just will not happen, and may even give the opposite effect. Supplements can only be used for their own purpose and that purpose is to provide the body the nutrients it is missing. The main provider of nutrients to your body should be your diet.
This diet should be balanced, and no amount of supplements will be able to fix a bad diet. If you are using a bad diet, there is no amount of working out that will give you the results that you are pursuing. Everything should be balanced.
Water
If you are looking for a supplement that is the most important of all of the other the supplements in the world, then look no further. There is nothing more important to muscle mass than water. Not only that, but the body itself is dependent on water. A significant percentage of the human body is made up of water.
Body fat contains approximately 14% water. Human bone contains 22% water. Lean muscle tissue itself contains about 75% water. The blood that gives oxygen to those muscles contains 95% water. The adult male body as a whole is made up of about 60% water while the adult female body is 55% water.
This is one reason why the liquid supplements, as in protein drinks, are so useful. With them, your muscles are flooded with the two prime components of protein and water. The recommended amount of water that you should consume a day is 10 cups plus all other fluids. The water you should be drinking should be without calories or other additives.
Protein, Protein Powders, And Weight Gainers
Protein feeds the muscles and helps them heal and grow. You should be getting plenty of protein through your diet, from the meats and beans that you eat. But, when you are in need of a quick boost of protein, such as after a hard workout or when preparing for one, you can get a healthy amount of protein from a protein supplement.
Protein supplements are most commonly drink powders. They are mixed either with water or milk and come in a variety of different flavors. While Protein powders and drinks can help you gain weight in the nourishment of your muscles, weight gainers can help with body mass in general.
Although there are plenty to choose from, whey protein, which comes from milk, is probably the best and can be a major help to those who need that perfect boost. Whey protein is made up of chains of amino acids. This makes it very easy to digest and be absorbed into the body.
Although there are many different kinds of protein powders, such as soy, egg, milk, and combination products, each one has their own set of advantages. For example, for the vegetarians out there, soy protein is very cheap as well as an all-vegetable product.
Soy protein is not only a complete protein, but also it has very little flavor so that it can be mixed with almost anything. For many years, egg protein was considered the best source of protein and although it is still the best natural source, it has a protein profile that is complete and is easily absorbed and digested.
Although egg protein is one of the most beneficial, it is fairly expensive and tastes terrible compared to the other choices available today.
Milk
Milk is very popular in gaining mass. It is the most convenient and easily used supplement available other than water. It also contains complete protein that is digested and absorbed very slowly making it an ideal day-to-day-use protein for consumption between meals.
You also get plenty of amino acids into your bloodstream throughout the day. The convenience of using milk as a supplement is great because when you don’t have time to make a protein shake or eat a balanced meal, you can get a liter of milk just about anywhere and instantly have a great snack.
That single liter of milk has 48 grams of carbohydrates, 32 grams of protein, and you can buy an assortment of fat content depending on your needs. Milk is also available in powdered form, but since it is so conveniently available everywhere and is not expensive, why bother with it?
Multi-Vitamin Supplements
A good multi-vitamin supplement is really more than anything else, an insurance policy. Although you may not need all of what they provide, there is sure to be something in them that your body does need.
Simply because of diets that are restricted and repetitive consumption of the same foods, bodybuilders are at risk of developing certain deficiencies. A multi-vitamin can help eliminate that risk all together.
Creatine
Creatine is probably the most popular “actual” supplement available on the market today. This is simply just because creatine actually works! Creatine monohydrate, which is a component of the supplement, is converted to creatine phosphate and is mainly absorbed into the muscles.
If creatine is consumed in supplemental form, more of the Creatine phosphate is then stored allowing you to train longer and harder. Also, because your muscles have more creatine stored, it allows more water to be stored as well in the muscles.
This will also cause the muscles to appear bigger which is what most people are lifting weights for in the first place. Starting off though, this added mass is almost purely water weight gain, but if the creatine is taken on a continued basis, your body will start to compensate to the new balance and start to build muscle.
Glutamine
More expensive than most of the other supplements, glutamine can be a really good addition for you. It is the amino acid found most in muscle tissue. With most weightlifters, glutamine can become depleted because your muscles are in a constant stage of repair.
Because of this problem, a glutamine supplement can decrease the time it takes you to recuperate, in turn, getting you back to the gym faster. This will give you better gains as a result. Although this could be a major help in your muscle’s healing process, pay attention to your body.
If it is telling you that you need to rest longer, then rest longer. You could avoid a lot of injuries by doing so.
Others?
Listing all of the different supplements can go on forever, literally, so if you think you are in need of anything else specific, contact your doctor first, then a local supplement store or gym trainer. They may be able to help you find exactly what you need.
This just will not happen, and may even give the opposite effect. Supplements can only be used for their own purpose and that purpose is to provide the body the nutrients it is missing. The main provider of nutrients to your body should be your diet.
This diet should be balanced, and no amount of supplements will be able to fix a bad diet. If you are using a bad diet, there is no amount of working out that will give you the results that you are pursuing. Everything should be balanced.
Water
If you are looking for a supplement that is the most important of all of the other the supplements in the world, then look no further. There is nothing more important to muscle mass than water. Not only that, but the body itself is dependent on water. A significant percentage of the human body is made up of water.
Body fat contains approximately 14% water. Human bone contains 22% water. Lean muscle tissue itself contains about 75% water. The blood that gives oxygen to those muscles contains 95% water. The adult male body as a whole is made up of about 60% water while the adult female body is 55% water.
This is one reason why the liquid supplements, as in protein drinks, are so useful. With them, your muscles are flooded with the two prime components of protein and water. The recommended amount of water that you should consume a day is 10 cups plus all other fluids. The water you should be drinking should be without calories or other additives.
Protein, Protein Powders, And Weight Gainers
Protein feeds the muscles and helps them heal and grow. You should be getting plenty of protein through your diet, from the meats and beans that you eat. But, when you are in need of a quick boost of protein, such as after a hard workout or when preparing for one, you can get a healthy amount of protein from a protein supplement.
Protein supplements are most commonly drink powders. They are mixed either with water or milk and come in a variety of different flavors. While Protein powders and drinks can help you gain weight in the nourishment of your muscles, weight gainers can help with body mass in general.
Although there are plenty to choose from, whey protein, which comes from milk, is probably the best and can be a major help to those who need that perfect boost. Whey protein is made up of chains of amino acids. This makes it very easy to digest and be absorbed into the body.
Although there are many different kinds of protein powders, such as soy, egg, milk, and combination products, each one has their own set of advantages. For example, for the vegetarians out there, soy protein is very cheap as well as an all-vegetable product.
Soy protein is not only a complete protein, but also it has very little flavor so that it can be mixed with almost anything. For many years, egg protein was considered the best source of protein and although it is still the best natural source, it has a protein profile that is complete and is easily absorbed and digested.
Although egg protein is one of the most beneficial, it is fairly expensive and tastes terrible compared to the other choices available today.
Milk
Milk is very popular in gaining mass. It is the most convenient and easily used supplement available other than water. It also contains complete protein that is digested and absorbed very slowly making it an ideal day-to-day-use protein for consumption between meals.
You also get plenty of amino acids into your bloodstream throughout the day. The convenience of using milk as a supplement is great because when you don’t have time to make a protein shake or eat a balanced meal, you can get a liter of milk just about anywhere and instantly have a great snack.
That single liter of milk has 48 grams of carbohydrates, 32 grams of protein, and you can buy an assortment of fat content depending on your needs. Milk is also available in powdered form, but since it is so conveniently available everywhere and is not expensive, why bother with it?
Multi-Vitamin Supplements
A good multi-vitamin supplement is really more than anything else, an insurance policy. Although you may not need all of what they provide, there is sure to be something in them that your body does need.
Simply because of diets that are restricted and repetitive consumption of the same foods, bodybuilders are at risk of developing certain deficiencies. A multi-vitamin can help eliminate that risk all together.
Creatine
Creatine is probably the most popular “actual” supplement available on the market today. This is simply just because creatine actually works! Creatine monohydrate, which is a component of the supplement, is converted to creatine phosphate and is mainly absorbed into the muscles.
If creatine is consumed in supplemental form, more of the Creatine phosphate is then stored allowing you to train longer and harder. Also, because your muscles have more creatine stored, it allows more water to be stored as well in the muscles.
This will also cause the muscles to appear bigger which is what most people are lifting weights for in the first place. Starting off though, this added mass is almost purely water weight gain, but if the creatine is taken on a continued basis, your body will start to compensate to the new balance and start to build muscle.
Glutamine
More expensive than most of the other supplements, glutamine can be a really good addition for you. It is the amino acid found most in muscle tissue. With most weightlifters, glutamine can become depleted because your muscles are in a constant stage of repair.
Because of this problem, a glutamine supplement can decrease the time it takes you to recuperate, in turn, getting you back to the gym faster. This will give you better gains as a result. Although this could be a major help in your muscle’s healing process, pay attention to your body.
If it is telling you that you need to rest longer, then rest longer. You could avoid a lot of injuries by doing so.
Others?
Listing all of the different supplements can go on forever, literally, so if you think you are in need of anything else specific, contact your doctor first, then a local supplement store or gym trainer. They may be able to help you find exactly what you need.
