Top 5 Body Building Supplements

There are thousands of different bodybuilding and fat-loss products out there, and most of the time they all claim that they are the best or superior to that of other products. Well based on reviews from many users as well on ingredient comparison here are the top 5 supplements. I have chose the best out of the following categories:

1. Whey Protein Power - Optimum 100% Whey Protein - 


Optimum Whey Protein has been the leader in protein production for the past four years, earning both supplement of the year and protein powder of the year from 2005-2008. They have one of the highest pure protein percentages, as well as 4 grams of glutamine and 5 grams of BCAA's per scoop and it comes in 16 different flavors.

2. Creatine - AllMax Nutrition Micronized Creatine Monohydrate


Numerous studies have shown that Creatine Monohydrate is the best type of creatine for the average body builder. It will increase strength and power, improve ATP production, stimulate protein synthesis and result in improved cell volumization.

3. Nitric Oxide - BSN NO-Xplode 


BSN produces a variety of great bodybuilding products. If your looking for a powerful pump and the energy to lift more then you ever could before taking NO-Xplode. NO-Xplode provides extensive pre-training energy and will amp up your performance. It has achieved many awards such as Muscle Builder product of the year from 2005-2009, Nitric Oxide product of the year from 2005-2009 and Pre-Workout supplement of the year in 2009.

4. Glutamine - Prolab Glutamine Power


Prolab Glutamine offers great value for your money, it has a lower cost per gram then its computers. It has also achieved the award for best... See the complete post here!

The Number 1 Supplement: Protein

The first thing I ask anyone that is looking for assistance at the gym or is trying to build size at the gym is "Are you supplementing with protein?"

Why do i ask this you may wonder, well protein is the most important supplement a body builder or gym goer can take. Protein is amino acid complex that is required for muscle repair and development. It can be found in many foods that we consume every day such as meat, milk products, and smaller amounts in grain products.

So if I can eat normal foods to get protein in my diet why should I bother supplementing with protein?
Well simply because it is too hard or impractical to get the required amount of protein from regular food. Meet for example contains lots of fat, cholesterol and calories that you may not want or need in your diet.  To calculate the amount of protein you need to build muscle you need to know your lean body mass and multiply this amount in pounds by 1 (if using kg multiple by 2). The number you find is the amount of protein you should obtain each day.

For example Bob weights 150 pounds (72kg), he is relatively lean and estimates a low body fat percentage of about 8 percent. 92 percent* 150 pounds = 138 pounds lean mass, or 138 grams of protein per day.

The average serving of whey protein is 25 g of protein. Therefor 50 g of protein can easily be obtained by taking this supplement, without all the added calories and fat of other foods. This allows you to build muscle wile staying lean.

Another benefit to protein supplementing is you can quickly and easily mix a shake right after your workout, this is the time when your body is ready to absorb the protein. With this protein the body will begin to repair the damaged muscle tissue.

How Weight Lifting Builds Muscle

You may have wondered why lifiting weights causes you to build muscle. Well like any other tissue of the body when damaged it heals, and not only heals but heals to a higher level then befor the damage.

Take your skin for example you fall, you cut your self, after a few days it heals. If you examine the healed skin it will usually apeare slightly higher, as it contains more layers of cells then previously.

As you lift weights, primarally high weight, the stress produces micro tares in the muscle tissue. These tairs are so small that you should not feel extensive pain after your workout or you may have worked out to hard. Give your body a few days and it will repair and build new muscle and therefor with time your muscles will increase in size.

This is why its important that you do not overtrain, and do not work a muscle in consecutive days. You must allow your muscles time to repair. It is recommended that you work different muscle groups from day to day.

Myths About Creatine

I don't know what it is about creatine that has everybody so freaked out. There are so many people that say don't take creatine its bad for you or it changes your mood, etc. Well I'm going to try and set things straight and provide some helpful information for those new to taking supplements.

What exactly is creatine?
Creatine is an organic acid found naturally in the body and aids in energy production, or acts as an energy source. (I will go into detail of energy systems in another post)

As creatine is an organic acid, unlike steroids, creatine does not affect the mind in anyway, so that slashes all the myths about it causing you to get angry or have mood swings.

Why take creatine?
Creatine aids in ATP energy production, Muscle volumeization and Muscle Repair.

ATP is a form of energy that is produced an-aerobically, meaning with out the use of oxygen. ATP is used as the first source of energy during a muscle contraction and lasts for up to 30 seconds before the energy stores are generally depleted and you then move on to other energy sources. This is primarily the source of energy that is used during the lifting of heavy weights, therefor taking creatine increases ATP, which increases the amount you can lift, resulting in bigger gains.

Creatine increases muscle volumeization because it reacts with water and causes your muscle cells to absorb more water. It is known that cells function better and increase growth in a more hydrated environment

Finally Creatine functions in dehydration reactions (the joining of two substances) and therefor the synthesis of many muscle repair compounds.

A few more things:
Its important that you maintain a high level of hydration when taking creatine, as its reaction with water and muscle volumization reduces the amount of water in the bloodstream. This can result in headaches and other symptoms of dehydration. Depending on your body size 8 to 10 glasses a day are recommended. Also maintain hydration before during and after your workout.

In my opinion I would recommend creatine to anyone looking to improve performance in sports or build a stronger physique. I see it as the second most important supplement over weight protein.

Feel free to comment, ill do my best to answer any questions you may have.