Supplements to gain weight or muscle are often misunderstood. They are not a replacement for proper nutrition and exercise. In fact, you can achieve much better results with proper nutrition than by taking supplements alone. However, when you combine powerful natural supplements with proper diet and exercise, you can achieve truly explosive and exciting results.
Essentials
Essential supplements include vitamins, essential fatty acids, proteins and carbohydrates. You can obtain them from food, but supplements are more effective. For example, whey protein is a perfect post-workout supplement due to how fast it is digested. If you ate a chicken breast instead, your body would still get the needed protein, but it would take several hours to be digested, assimilated and delivered to damaged muscle cells. In other cases, athletes may simply require too much of these nutrients to be comfortably obtained from whole food sources.
Advanced
More advanced supplements cannot be obtained through nutrition. For example, the supplement known as creatine naturally exists in meat. However, you would need to eat a massive amount for a functional dosage. Creatine functions by providing more raw materials for making energy quickly inside of muscle cells. Another effective supplement known as L-glutamine helps to speed muscle recovery in several ways, according to "Good News on Glutamine" by Matthew Kadey, from the March 2010 issue of Muscle & Performance. Branched-chain amino acids also speed muscle recovery and directly provide energy to working muscles.
Benefits
One benefit of protein, carbohydrate and fatty acid supplements is that they are far more easily digested than their whole food counterparts. This makes for convenient on-the-go meals and allows trainees to avoid the stomach discomfort that can come from over-eating whole foods. For example, a protein shake between breakfast and lunch is far easier to stomach than a chicken breast and a cup of brown rice. More advanced supplements provide benefits such as increased muscle energy, decreased fatigue, more production of anabolic or muscle building hormones and faster muscle recovery. In addition, they can trigger protein synthesis, prevent muscle breakdown and increase muscle cell volume, according to "Supplements 101" by Jim Stoppani.
Misconceptions
Misconceptions about supplements abound and generally revolve around anecdotal theories that are rarely based on real science. There are very interesting double-blind, peer-reviewed and placebo-controlled studies being conducted on natural supplements. For example, creatine is the most studied sports supplement, according to "Natural Anabolics" by Jerry Brainum. Despite persistent negative rumors, creatine continues to be proved safe and effective in the vast majority of relevant research studies, says Brainum. Moreover, researchers are constantly finding new benefits of creatine supplementation, according to Stoppani. When you purchase a new supplement, you should always look for third-party research studies, rather than trusting the "science" that manufacturers do in-house.
Expert Insight
According to fitness expert Jerry Brainum, creatine monohydrate is the most effective sports supplement on the market. It exerts natural anabolic or muscle-building effects on the human body. Brainum also recommends branched-chain amino acids, beta-alanine, L-arginine and the use of both fast-digesting whey and slow-digesting casein proteins. "Homemade Supplement Secrets" author Jeff Anderson also recommends creatine, alone or with medium-chain triglycerides or MCTs, L-glycine, L-carnitine, L-glutamine and whey protein. "Xtreme Lean" authors Jonathan Lawson and Steve Holman regularly use and recommend creatine, beta-alanine and blended protein supplements containing both whey and casein.
References
- Muscle & Performance; "Good News on Glutamine"; Matthew Kadey, March 2010
- Muscle & Fitness: The Ultimate Supplement Handbook; "Supplements 101"; Jim Stoppani, January 2010
- "Natural Anabolics"; Jerry Brainum; 2006
- "Homemade Supplement Secrets"; Jeff Anderson; 2008
- "Xtreme Lean"; Jonathan Lawson and Steve Holman; 2005
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