Best Muscle Building Supplement

INTRODUCTION

The best muscle building supplement will depend on

• Finances
• Physical reaction of your body to the individual type of nutrition and brand
• Potency / Availability
• Preference as to the types of nutrition and method of ingestion
• Time and effort you wish to devote to this aspect of nutrition
• Workout - type, intensity, frequency, duration

The information on this page is based on my opinions and circumstances. Hopefully it will be of value to you. As a minimum, it should assist you in determining your own ratings list.

A related page with more neutral information exists elsewhere in this section.  

FINANCES

Most people do not have unlimited income and have to prioritise how the money is spent. I believe the best muscle building supplement to spend any available money on is branched chain amino acids (BCAAs) and if possible on the individual BCAA, Leucine. 

Many people emphasise that other animal based protein powders contain all the amino acids. This is true but milk and eggs

• are relatively inexpensive
• contain many other vitamins, minerals and fatty acids

and so can provide the benefits of whey etc as part of food intake.

Rice and pea protein are often combined to supply a complete protein profile but this would entail greater cost.

PHYSICAL REACTION

Intolerance to milk and dairy products and their derivatives is very common and therefore would exclude whey, casein, milk protein and egg powder from the position of best muscle building supplement.

POTENCY / AVAILABILITY

Essential amino acids (EAAs) cannot be made within the body and so must be obtained through diet. Within this category, BCAAs are held to have the most potency. Within these 3 (Leucine, Isoleucine & Valine) Leucine is increasingly being seen as the premier one and, the best muscle building supplement when muscle building (protein synthesis) is the goal.

Many suppliers make claims that their brands are the best. Even if they are their price will higher than the "middle of the pack". Whether you choose them will largely be dependent on your finances and your training goal. Full time sports people may decide that performance improvements justify the extra cost.

PREFERENCE re
BEST MUSCLE BUILDING  SUPPLEMENT

Each of the supplements require differing efforts to prepare them to be ingested. Also, people vary widely in their reaction to the taste, texture etc. For this reason it would be wrong to attempt to sway you towards any of them.

All I would state is that some perseverance can overcome an initial distaste or negative view.

TIME & EFFORT

Does anyone enjoy carrying bottles around with them?

Even more so, isn't it irritating having to shake and shake and shake....until the powder seems thoroughly mixed in with the milk or water?

For me, being able to put a couple of spoons of powder into my mouth and wash it down with a cup of water is the way to go. So much easier and any taste is soon rinsed away. This seems to dictate BCAAs or Lecine as the best muscle building supplement.

WORKOUT

As a workout increases in duration and intensity

• protein breakdown increases
• muscle glycogen (intra muscular energy reserves) is utilised

There are differing views as to the best way to combat these 2 processes. The central areas of discussion/contention are focused on the

• " Workout Window "
• Management of insulin - short term spike or gene expression allowed

I recommend you to read about the subject and decide for yourself.

The path I follow is

• BCAAs/Leucine approx 15 mins prior to exercising
• 1-2 hours gap post workout before eating to encourage gene expression

Apart from the occasional treat this is the only time I eat insulin spiking food (oats and milk). I try to mitigate the spike by adding Hemp protein powder (for fibre) to slow digestion. It is unappealing to look at but tastes ok. I do not know if my theory is correct but possibly it is as I do not feel hungry for hours. 

In regard to workouts, I would rate BCAAs as the best muscle building supplement because it is less insulin raising than whey etc. I recognise that many people will have a different opinion to mine. 

As always, personal experimentation seems a reasonable approach.

CONCLUSION re
BEST MUSCLE BUILDING SUPPLEMENT

It is possibly obvious as to my choice for best muscle building supplement but I will list the supplements I use with my reasons.

1. BCAAs / Lecuine mixture - I have experienced more and better results with these than with whey, egg etc. Even though the cost is greater the "effect/money" appears better, at least for me. If finances permitted however I would also use a mixture of the others also.
2. Cod Liver Oil / Fish Oil - not directly a muscle builder but it has been shown to increase insulin sensitivity (along with many other health benefits). Ongoing lower insulin levels predispose the body to use any food & drink to build muscle (in association with workouts) rather than for fat storage. High long term insulin has also been seen to negatively aftect health and longevity. 
3. Hemp Protein - although primarily to discourage insulin spikes, it has many vitamins and seems to be the only plant source providing a complete protein profile.
4. Creatine - I tried this some years ago without result but that was only for a short period. I intend to start again for a reasonable period and re-assess.

If the information here encourages you to think and re-assess your approach, it will have served some purpose, even if you conclude that you will continue with your program.

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Site under construction - apologies for any gaps or apparent inconsistencies. In time as more information is added the whole site should "hang together".

Initially the focus will be on general information which should assist with achieving results regardless of the approach you take in working out.

Later I will provide more detailed information.