What is the best time to take supplements?
Timing Matters: Unlocking the Full Potential of Health Supplemen...
If you are interested in going to the gym or working out, muscle supplements are probably something you’ve considered, or maybe even used already. If you head to any gym or workout space, chances are you’ll see people prepping their pre-workout or sipping their protein shakes.
It’s become part and parcel of the gym experience. The fact that muscle supplements have become so popular is testament to how important they are for people looking to build muscle and bulk up.
But people still have questions about them. What is in them? Do they actually work? Are they dangerous? Are they essential? We’re here to investigate.
Firstly, what are muscle supplements? Muscle supplements could refer to a number of different products, but essentially it refers to supplements that people take to improve their performance in the gym and stimulate and enhance muscle growth.
They usually come in powder form, which you add to water, shake up and drink.
If you were trying to cover every basis and have a complete collection of what you might need, it would probably include a protein shake, pre-workout, creatine and maybe a meal shake. These 4 would have you pretty much covered.
So, as we have established, muscle supplements are taken to improve physical performance and stimulate muscle growth, particularly for people undertaking resistance training.
The three stages that the supplements try to cover is to get your body ready for a workout, to help you push yourself further during your workout and finally to improve recovery after your workout so your muscles repair bigger and stronger.
Let’s take a closer look at what is in them and why they work.
Creatine is one that almost everyone will recognise. It is scientifically proven to be one of the most effective supplements for increasing muscle mass and strength. It is one of the fundamental supplements in the muscle building and fitness community.
Its primary function is that it energizes your muscles. It helps you produce more ATP energy to fuel your muscles more during high intensity workouts, so you can push harder for longer. If you are someone who is interested in resistance training and building strong muscle, creatine is a good supplement to take.
Pre-workout is the next thing you’ll want. The reality is you can’t expect to turn up to every gym session feeling 100% hyped, energized and ready to smash it. That’s just unrealistic. Sometimes you’ll have a workout planned and you might feel lethargic, unmotivated, tired or just generally not in the mood.
Lots of things negatively impact how you feel coming into a workout. Your diet and sleep in particular. Pre-workout helps you fight this, to ensure you make the most of the time you put in. It boosts your energy and improves your focus.
You want to make sure the pre-workout you go for provides a lot more substance than simply eating a banana or drinking an energy drink. Make sure to look out for these ingredients if you want a top-tier, effective pre-workout: Creatine, BCAAs, Taurine, NO2-Boosters (Arginine, Citrulline).
The next thing that can help you is a protein shake. This is the most efficient way to increase your intake of protein, which is essential in supporting muscle growth, along with a whole host of other body functions.
During exercise stress is placed on the body which results in small muscle tears. This is normal. Your body uses nutrition to rebuild your muscles. Taking protein after workouts is vitally important and allows muscles to recover and rebuild properly.
Finally, a meal shake is a great addition to the diet plan of anyone who is trying to build muscle. A meal shake is essentially an extremely effective way to make sure your body is getting a full spectrum of all the nourishment it needs to function in a good way. A Meal Shake is ready in 30 seconds, needs zero prep time and you can be sure you are feeding your body all the good nutrition it needs.
So, there you have it. Now you should have a good idea of what supplements suit you and why. Whether you are a relative beginner wanting to get into muscle building on the ground floor, or a muscle bound adonis reaching for Arnie levels of bulk, muscle supplements are a great way to help effectively with building muscle.
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Timing Matters: Unlocking the Full Potential of Health Supplemen...