Muscle Building Supplements

INTRODUCTION

Muscle building supplements are add-ons not mainstays of diet and nutrition.

The fundamental pillars of all workout routines e.g.

• muscle building workouts
• home workout routine
• gym workout routines
• fitness routine

are

• Diet (amount and type of food / liquids)
• Sleep
• Rest / Recovery / Repair
• Workout planning and design

If these pillars are sufficiently catered for the

• presence of muscle supplements can provide the stimulus which helps to speed the growth of lean muscle tissue.
• absence will at worst, slow the muscle growth.

Having put some perspective into the topic, the information presented here will hopefully be of interest and supportive for your goals.

TYPES OF
MUSCLE BUILDING SUPPLEMENTS

There are several ways of classifying the supplements

DIRECT

Protein is the main building block of muscle. Its growth properties are released when it is broken down into its constituent parts called amino acids. The main "non food" supplement sources of protein are

1) Animal

• Whey - fast acting, anabolic, assists protein synthesis (process forming new muscle cells)
• Casein - slow acting, anti-catabolic, prevents protein breakdown
• Milk Protein - whey and casein combination in the ratio found in cow's milk. Its properties are therefore in between those of standalone whey and casein.
• Egg Protein - speed of digestion is between whey and casein

2) Plant

• Hemp - perhaps the only individual plant protein source to provide the full amino acid profile
• Soy - usually the cheapest but some people have concerns that it has an estrogen like effect on the body (it is thought that a high level is not optimal even for females)
• Rice
• Pea

These protein supplements are often combined e.g.

• Whey + Casein in varying ratios
• Whey + Casein + Egg in an attempt to provide a short -long term supply
• Whey + Milk Protein
• Rice and pea proteins are often combined to supply the full amino acid profile. 
• 
  

3) Pharmaceutical

• Essential Amino Acids (EAAs) - these cannot be made internally by the body form other compounds and so must be obtained from food or supplements
• Branched Chain Amino Acids (BCAAs) - 3 of the EAAs which have been identified as playing an important role in muscle growth. The BCAAs comprise Leucine (L), Isoleucine (IL) and Valine (V).
• Leucine - recently identified as the most important of the 3 BCAAs. Initially the ratio of L-IL-V supplied was 2:1:1 but increasingly this is being changed to 4:1:1. To emphasise its importance, Leucine is also supplied separately
• Semi Essential Amino Acids (SEAAs) - can only be made by the body in small amounts and must be obtained mostly through food.

INDIRECT

Consists of substances which help muscle growth by

• priming the body
• enabling more intense workouts
• assisting the body to use the protein ingested / work better in general

1) Creatine Monohydrate

• Assists in the energy producing process
• Contributes to more intensive muscle contractions and so the handling of greater loads
• Aids recovery

2) Multivitamins

3) Specific vitamins

• Zinc - plays a role in the level of testosterone in the body. Testosterone play a major role in muscle growth as well as overall health.

4) "Greens"

• combined and condensed source of helpful vitamins, minerals, trace elements, anti-oxidants etc found in many vegetables and fruits

5) Fish Oil / Cod Liver Oil

• Omega 3 Essential Fatty Acids - the modern diet often produces a high inflammatory causing ratio of Omega 6 to Omega 3. Inflammation around the body reduces the insulin sensitivity of tissue (especially muscle), which in turn hinders or even stops the muscle growth process.  In addition to grass fed animals, fish oil and cod liver oil provide a cheap and effective means of alleviating this negative situation (along with many other health promoting properties). 

OBJECTIVE

1) Recovery

• All-in-one - the protein supplement is combine with carbohydrate to replenish the muscle's level of glycogen

2) Optimise the " Workout Window "

• Pre/During/Post Workout Nutrition - physical exercise makes muscles much more sensitive to insulin. The " Workout Window " theory states that as a result, carbohydrates ingested at this time will be stored as muscle glycogen (aiding muscle growth). There are opposing views on the validity of the theory.

3) Convenience

• Protein Bars
• Replacement Meals

FORM SUPPLEMENT INGESTION

1) Powder

• Concentrate
• Isolate
• Instantised
• Hydrolysed

2) Capsule

BIOAVAILABILITY

The ease with which the body can avail itself of the benefits of each type of protein ingested for any given amount. 

WHEN TO TAKE
MUSCLE BUILDING SUPPLEMENTS

PROTEIN

There are opposing views as to the optimal time to take protein supplements. The debate focuses on the extent to which the insulin is raised and the existence/overall benefit or not of the workout window.

Milk based muscle building supplements are thought to be insulin raising along with the various amino acid supplements. The latter have a marked lower effect, probably due to being more concentrated resulting in fewer grammes being required for the same amount of the BCAAs.

NON-PROTEIN SOURCES

There is still some debate regarding the timing but with less serious impact.

CONCLUSION

This page is intended to give an neutral outline of muscle building supplements. My views on the best are provided on a related page.

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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.