Supplements For Bulding Muscle

Q: After whey protein and a multivitamin what are some muscle building supplements that should be included in a male nutrition plan?

A: There are so many products on the market today to meet specific needs when it comes to sports nutrition and overall good health in general. I've always believed that you need to supplement your normal diet with supplements to reach your nutritional goals because you simply can't eat enough food to reach the levels of vitamins, amino acids, and minerals that a normal active person should be consuming on a daily basis. After the standard whey protein and multivitamin I recommend the following supplements to be added to your diet to ensure that your body is staying primed for muscle growth.

Creatine Monohydrate - I just wrote an entire article on creatine a couple of days ago and in short it's the most effective lean mass building, strength and energy enhancer that is available at a relatively small cost. It helps supply energy to your cells in the form of ATP and a small dosage of 5 grams is all that's needed to increase creatine levels in the muscles.

BCAA's - Branch Chain Amino Acids are the basic building blocks of our muscles. These cannot be create in the body and we must consume them through our diet. Taken before, during , and after your workout, BCAA's regulate your ph levels in your body and prevent muscle breakdown. It helps keep your body in an anabolic state and helps in recovery of muscles post workout.

Glutamine  -Is another amino acid that our body cannot create, so we must consume it from our diets. This amino acid is primarily used in recovery and the sooner you can recover, the sooner you can push harder again.   

Omega 3 -Fish oil helps to regulate the cholesterol in your blood stream and keep all of your systems functioning well. The added healthy fat will ensure that your heart and circulation in flowing smoothly.

These are the main supplements that I'd recommend taking for muscle building. Of course if you are serious about bodybuilding i'm sure these are already in your diet. For the beginners, this is a great place to start and you must understand that each product listed above is important and you can't take one or the other. They all have different purposes and will support different areas of muscle growth and/or recovery. Other supplements that you could look at after you have the above ones in your diet would be vitamin D, vitamin C post workout along with a carb based product such as waxy maize.