No doubt there are more supplements out there than it’d be humanly possible to try, and more invented every day. Wouldn’t it be great if they could ban hype in advertising, so everything did exactly what it proposed to do, and, then we’d automatically get to see which are the real ‘essential’ supplements, rather than have every supplement claim to the secret, the key, the must-have, blah.
But, it’s never going to happen.
I want to make it known right now that I don’t necessarily believe that any supplement is essential to build muscle. I’d be lying if I said they were necessary. From Eugene Sandow and before, people have been able to build tremendous physiques without supplements, so it stands to reason they aren’t necessary.
But anyway, I digress. Some supplements do have benefits, depending upon your circumstances. Here I will go through a few scenarios in which supplements might be necessary to you to make your muscle building that much easier.
Whey Protein
Undoubtedly the most common supplement. Whey protein is extremely high grade protein with a biological value of 100 – equivalent to whole eggs, but because whey supplements are lower in fat and cholesterol, they are often more desirable.
You may find it necessary to include whey protein in your diet if you are having a hard time getting enough quality protein. Eating enough high quality protein can be difficult – and expensive – so whey protein supplements can often save the day on both fronts being extremely high in protein count and biological value, and, often cheaper per dose than actual food.
Another major factor of protein supplements which really do make them necessary for some is the convenience factor. Some people just don’t have the time to prepare and eat meals – and it’s not always convenient, so they opt for a protein shake instead, which takes only a minute to prepare, and is convenient enough to be carried anywhere.
Creatine
A lot of people have trouble working out due to low energy, or may find themselves hitting a plateau, which is incredibly frustrating. Not only this but people often can’t recover quick enough to train the next time putting their routines in jeopardy.
Creatine is not only an excellent supplement to provide you with enough energy to work out much harder, but, aids in recovery also. Creatine is also an excellent supplement for helping to bust through a plateau, and I highly recommend anyone try it for this purpose.
L-Glutamine
Surprisingly, very few people know of or use L-Glutamine, but it could very well be one of the most effective supplements of them all for some people.
Here’s why…
Glutamine is a naturally occurring non-essential amino acid. It circulates the blood and muscle tissue. It plays a very important role in protein synthesis.
With depleted glutamine in our muscles, comes depleted protein absorption, and decreased muscle repair and growth.
And… heavy training can sometimes exhaust the body so badly, that the immune system is compromised, so draws glutamine from the muscles to bolster it’s effectiveness.
Why would the immune system do this? Well, glutamine is the primary fuel source of the immune system.
So, if you’ve been feeling sluggish, lacking recovery and even feeling a bit ill, you could well benefit from glutamine supplementation.