The Best Supplements For Muscle Growth

Nutrition within a sound diet plan is a critical element of muscle growth for athletes. Consuming adequate amounts of proteins, fats and carbohydrates increases a strength training athlete's muscle growth. The sheer number of calories necessary to gain muscle weight, though, requires an inordinate amount of whole foods. Sports nutritionists have managed to develop nutrition supplements to help overcome this by making it simpler to consume the requisite calories and to help use the calories you consume more efficiently.

Whey Protein

Whey protein is created as a result of cheese production. When dried to a powder consistency, whey can be blended with milk or water to form a healthy source of pure protein calories. It is the single best nutritional supplement available, as it has no negative effects, according to Dan Benardot, Ph.D., a sports nutritionist and the author of "Advanced Sports Nutrition." Whey protein provides 4 to 5 calories per gram and a single serving can provide as much as 60 g of protein. Because protein is the most critical macronutrient for muscle growth, Benardot points out, the fat-free whey protein shake is the single best supplement an athlete can add to her diet program.

Creatine Monohydrate

Nancy Clark, a sports nutritionist and registered dietitian, explains in her book "Nancy Clark's Sports Nutrition Guidebook," that creatine is almost a "super-supplement." Clark explains that creatine has been the subject of more clinical research studies than any other nutritional supplement in history. Not a single scientific study of the product has shown any negative side-effects to creatine, despite numerous anecdotal stories to the contrary. Athletes' tales of muscle cramping and dehydration are, apparantly, a result of poor hydration practices, not the use of creatine.
Creatine is a natural substance found in all red meat in varying amounts. Consumption of recommended doses, in combination with a sound diet program and steady strength training, has been shown to provide an exponentially great increase in muscular strength and size.

Multivitamins

While often overlooked as a muscle growth bodybuilding supplement, Benardot explains that multivitamins should be the first supplement an athlete chooses, if he is interested in muscle growth. Even a minor imbalance of a seemingly unimportant vitamin can preclude muscle growth, despite the best training and nutrition programs. Benardot explains that, in most cases, one multivitamin is as good as the next, whether you purchase it at your local nutrition store or the grocery store. Nevertheless, adding a multivitamin to your supplement program is critical to muscle growth.