Which Bodybuilding Supplements Actually Work?

The training supplement market is a multi-billion dollar industry, promising the billions who regularly visit the gym all kinds of muscle-building and weight-loss benefits. As a supplier of delicious vegan protein powder, we understand the importance of supplements in achieving fitness goals. Arguably the best-researched stimulant out there, caffeine tops the list when it comes to supplements you can trust. Caffeine consumption increases the release of endorphins that make you feel good, which can help you exceed the exercise-related threshold, in addition to improving neuromuscular function, alertness and alertness, and reduces the perception of effort during exercise.

Another pre-workout heavyweight, creatine is probably the most discussed supplement in the gym community. It increases muscle creatine stores and increases the rate of phosphocreatine resynthesis (PCr), since PCR represents the most immediate reserve for the rephosphorylation of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), which provides energy to drive many processes in living cells, such as contraction muscular. Research has found that creatine supplementation improves maximum isometric strength, as well as performance in single and repeated episodes of high-intensity exercise, with the effect that is most felt during tasks of about 30 seconds. Creatine will also help with long-term physiological changes in response to training, including increasing lean mass.

It is recommended to increase creatine intake at first, taking about 20 g a day for the first week, before dropping to about three or five grams thereafter for maintenance reasons.

Protein

is best known for its effect on muscle protein synthesis, a natural process in which proteins are produced to repair muscle damage caused by intense exercise (and causing grow big and strong again). In addition to being a vital macronutrient responsible for all types of body functions, from hormonal balance to bone health, protein is essential for athletes looking to build muscle mass.

Sodium bicarbonate

, also known as baking soda, helps maintain our acid-alkaline balance when our muscles are put under stress from exercise. Alkaline is the key term here, since we work best when our acid-alkaline balance is kept close to a neutral level.

Exercise does everything possible to change this balance, and that's where baking soda can be useful for athletes by helping to maintain their pH levels.

Beta-alanine

is a non-essential amino acid that occurs naturally in the body and helps the production of carnosine. Our muscles naturally contain the compound that helps regulate acid buildup, the main cause of fatigue, allowing our muscles to perform stronger and longer.

Dietary nitrate

, which is most commonly found in our diets, dark green leafy vegetables and beets, is converted to nitric oxide under conditions of low oxygen availability, where it can play a number of important functions in vascular and metabolic control. It is under this guise of nitric oxide that nitrate supplementation can also play an important role in modulating skeletal muscle function and the functioning of our type II muscle fibers. In addition to other Branched Chain Amino Acids (BCAA), these are the muscle-building supplements that actually work. Creatine is the most researched supplement and probably the most popular.

Creatine provides energy to working muscles and delays fatigue. Beta-alanine can combat fatigue and increase muscle endurance. Whey protein is ideal after strength training as it is rapidly absorbed and has a high concentration of branched-chain amino acids to feed muscles quickly. Caffeine provides real physiological benefits: it delays the onset of fatigue, decreases the perception of pain, suppresses appetite and increases the use of fats as an energy source. A better approach is combining these supplements together for greater muscle mass gain, better strength and better endurance.

High levels of creatine will help you get the last repetitions of a tough series or overcome a series of sprints or metcon. Beta-alanine dampens lactic acid and balances pH levels in active muscle so you don't “feel the burn” so quickly. And just like creatine, it can help you do a few more repetitions or finish a high-intensity sprint with strength. In addition to being extremely effective for athletes looking to build muscle mass or increase their performance levels, these supplements are also cost-effective and practical when consumed correctly. High-quality whey protein powder tastes good and tends to provide a lot of protein for every dollar spent.