This article will discuss the key Weight Lifting Supplements that are geared toward muscle growth. Before taking these supplements, you should know the proper weight lifting techniques and what foods to eat. Without this knowledge, the supplements listed below are useless.
Supplements are just that, a supplementation to your diet and workout routine. They can not produce muscle gains just by taking them alone.
The following is a list of weight lifting supplements and a brief description of their benefits to your muscle building goals.
BCAA
Branch Chain Amino Acids (BCAA) are made up of three of the seven key amino acids (leucine, isoleucine, and valine). These three amino acids are found a lot within the muscle. What effect the three key amino acids have during a workout is the ability to allow your body to use blood sugar as a source of fuel by stimulating insulin production.
Arginine
Arginine is found in most pre workout supplements. Arginine dilates your blood vessels. When your blood vessels are dilated, you are getting more protein, carbohydrates, vitamins, creatine, and minerals into your muscles. This will help with fatigue and soreness plus, you will have a more intense workout. Arginine will also shuttle carbohydrates and stored fat into your muscles for energy.
Creatine Monohydrate
Like arginine, creatine monohydrate is also very popular as a pre workout supplement. What creatine monodydrate does is create ATP. ATP is the fuel that your muscles use and your muscle creates this ATP on their own. But, you only have a limited supply when produced by the body by itself.
When taking creatine monohydrates as one of your weight lifting supplements before a workout, you will be able to push out more reps and lessen your rest intervals between sets.
Glutamine
There are a bunch of different things that glutamine does to help the body during weight lifting. Some of the benefits you will find by taking this supplement is…
- Decrease simple carbohydrates cravings
- Balance blood sugar
- Improve immune system
- Decrease muscle recovery
- The synthesis of protein will be increased.
This is one of the top post workout weight lifting supplements. The average consumption of glutamine after a workout would be around 5 to 10 grams.
Whey Protein
Whey protein is a fast absorbing protein that is great for immediately after a workout when your muscles are in the most need of protein.
When picking a whey protein, make sure you try to pick the one with the lowest amount of carbohydrates. Some companies add simple carbohydrates in with their protein.
The benefit of buying a whey protein as one of your weight lifting supplements with little carbohydrates is you can have the choice of adding your own carbohydrates like oatmeal or a banana to control the amount that you need for your situation.
ZMA
ZMA is a combination of three different vitamins and minerals. It consists of…
- Zinc
- Magnesium
- Vitamin B6.
Zinc is a very important element in body building. It does many little things that helps the muscles grow. Zinc effects your…
- Growth hormone
- Insulin
- Testosterone and
- Estrogen.
Magnesium like zinc has many different functions within the body that helps the process of muscle growth. It helps the break down of carbohydrates and sugars into lactic acid. It helps turns the food that you eat into fuel for the body. It also helps protein synthesis.
Vitamin B6 helps use carbohydrates as energy and it helps boost testosterone.
It has been researched and shown that the combination of zinc, magnesium and vitamin B6 will help in athletic performance, which makes it one of the better weight lifting supplements you can buy.
Henry Chervenka
