The best supplements for bodybuilding

The best supplements for bodybuilding are used according to the objectives, being essential at all levels.

Many bodybuilders are fantastic in training and extremely smart, yet for some reason they need extra support when it comes to selecting the best supplements for bodybuilding .

Surprisingly, very few bodybuilders develop their instincts and begin objective testing with new supplements.

They just try it for a few days and assume it’s working and keep taking it, or they don’t feel like anything amazing life-changing happens after taking it for a period and they stop.

Now, if an athlete had unlimited time, unlimited funds and unlimited patience, he could select the best supplements for bodybuilding according to his goals, performing a blood test and double-blind studies using himself as a lab subject, but obviously that’s not going to happen.

The categories of supplements

Still, there are ways to tell if supplements are working, because certain product categories are supposed to elicit a very different response.

To give one supplement a fair chance, you should stop taking all the others with the possible exception of meal replacements or protein powders in general, which are base foods, but are foods.

Next, you should start taking the new supplement according to the directions on the label, and if that doesn’t work, experiment with caution by “increasing” the dose.

Do your best to eat regularly, sleep properly, and train according to your schedule, and if possible, do so at the same time each day. The most important thing is that you keep a record and take into account the intensities and feelings that you experience both when training and in the periods of peri-training, before and after training.

To start experimenting, we’ve broken down seven categories for the best supplements for bodybuilding , looking at what you might expect to feel and what their long-term effects should be.

You will notice that we do not include the category of vitamins and minerals; OK, they are important for the athlete’s overall health, but how they work and what they work for has already been shown, so they are part of your own life when you train.

The testosterone complexes

Obviously, testosterone complexes are among the best supplements for bodybuilding , since they are designed to directly or indirectly affect androgen levels in the body.

Some pro-testosterone supplementation directly supplies a testosterone precursor and others do so indirectly by increasing luteinizing hormone levels and manipulating the body’s feedback systems. In any case, remember to sleep well and maintain weight while fueling your systems with supplementation and whole foods.

Anyway, athletes expect testosterone balance to change after taking a pill or two, but the reality is that nothing works that fast … even chemistry takes several days to kick in …

What are the effects of testosterone complexes?

• They help metabolize fats.
• They are an ideal support to build muscle mass.
• They enhance libido.
• They elevate the mood.
• Increase performance.
• They motivate you to keep training.

How do the testosterone complexes work?

After a few days, you may notice that you have trouble falling asleep at night and you may have increased growth of facial hair, more irritability and a greater sexual desire. And again, you may not feel anything particularly different.

On the one hand, depending on the situation of each one, the absorption may be higher or lower, however there are state-of-the-art products that have different mechanisms, which reduces the risk that a part of the product becomes estrogen.

When to take testosterone complexes?

You would do it when you need to raise your hormone levels to address a specific deficiency and of course, transform your body composition while training heavy. It is just as useful in the definition period as in the volume period, depending on the type of product and personal objectives.

In any case, you should complete a cycle to avoid negative feedback (temporarily stopping your own testosterone production).

Thermogenics

The best bodybuilding supplements that fall into this category are designed to decrease appetite and increase energy expenditure, which causes you to lose fat.

Some of these fat burners use herbal equivalents of the famous ephedrine / caffeine / aspirin stack, while others contain only one or two of the components.

Essentially, these products kill the appetite and, in some cases, actually divert calories to the muscle. They also help mobilize fat and cause the body to release norepinephrine, which is a powerful stimulator of the nervous system, the more “excited” you are, the more calories you will burn.

Although these products are designed to kill your appetite, if you take them on an empty stomach, you will get a big drop in blood sugar, but you won’t feel like eating. We know it sounds contradictory, but it’s true; You won’t feel like eating, but your mind will know that you have to raise your blood sugar.

Others may not experience the same; however, if you are trying to gain muscle while losing body fat, you should eat at regular times.

What are the effects of thermogenics?

• They accelerate the metabolism.
• They reduce or suppress the appetite.
• They generate energy from fat.
• They burn calories through thermogenesis.
• Elevate your mental focus when training.

How do thermogenics work?

About 30-45 minutes after taking thermogenics, you will begin to feel more internally warm, initiating that key metabolic process, to feel more energetic and, although you will be a little euphoric, you will burn more calories and melt more fat than ever, thanks to the pace you’ll have in those hulking workouts with less fatigue and more stamina.

After about two weeks, you should notice a decrease in your body fat percentage, which may or may not be accompanied by a loss of body weight. If you work according to a serious training program, you would begin to define your muscles or notice a physique that is transforming to your liking.

When to take thermogenics?

You would do it if you are an athlete who trains hard, and, you would use it both to develop greater mental focus, which is crucial to get a better mind-muscle connection, as well as maximize your workouts thanks to the extra energy.

Thermogenics are essential to achieve your goals in the period of definition and, depending on the specific natural product, you can melt body fat like never before to get to rip your muscles and reach that ten body you want so much.

There are a number of risks associated with the abuse of some stimulants that can range from hypertension or cardiovascular problems; From this point of view you need to consult with your doctor before using them in certain circumstances.

Las anticatabolicos

Among the best supplements for bodybuilding are those designed to block or counteract the hormone cortisol. The problem is that cortisol is essential for the athlete because it facilitates the conversion of proteins in muscles and connective tissue into glucose and glycogen, being the main problem for bodybuilders.

Cortisol levels are activated after stress, which can be psychological or physiological. In this scenario, if you break your butt in the gym, you release more cortisol and unfortunately, this cortisol prevents new muscle from being built … a true paradigm within bodybuilding …

Cortisol also plays a role in how fat is used or distributed; There is even a theory that people who do high-stress work are fatter, precisely because the formation of cortisol-induced body fat around their waists is facilitated.

And, to make matters more complex, an elevated cortisol level is actually desirable before a sporting event. The higher the cortisol level before an event, the higher the correlation with athletic performance because it helps mobilize fatty acids for energy.

Trying to block or manipulate this hormone can be very difficult; in fact, many beginning or inexperienced athletes should look into things before using anti-catabolic supplementation .

What are the effects of anticatabolics?

• They break down excess lactic acid post-workout.
• Enhance tissue regeneration.
• They prevent muscle loss.
• They strengthen your muscles.
• They raise your power.
• They improve your mood.
• Regulate glucose.

How do anticatabolics work?

Taking a cortisol blocker probably won’t make you feel differently, but it can make you feel less sore. It does this by working on the metabolic reactions that occur in post-training, specifically those related to catabolism, when complex molecules are transformed into simple ones.

When to take anticatabolics?

To know whether or not to take anticatabolics will depend on your physiological state at a given moment; You should definitely take them if you feel irritable and want to improve your mood, which will improve your motivation at a given time where things get complicated in an intense training period.

On the other hand, if you are on a plateau or overtraining, you need to stimulate your muscles before and after training, thanks to the acceleration of the tissue reconstructive process and the inhibition of lactic acid that anti-catabolic formulas could give you.

 

Meal-substitutes

 

Despite the elaborate marketing strategies they are all about food. Okay, they are among the best supplements for bodybuilding , why? Where else could you get so much protein and other nutrients in a convenient, relatively affordable, and easy-to-digest form?

Unless you live day-to-day at home, have a personal chef cook you six meals each day, you probably wouldn’t benefit from meal replacements. These shakes not only allow you to supplement your diet with the right nutrients, but also allow you to skip a meal or two, leaving you satiated and allowing you to gradually lose weight.

What are the effects of meal replacements?

• They add more quality nutrients.
• They strengthen your body.
• They keep you satisfied.
• They increase your energy.
• They keep you away from cravings.
• They help in weight loss.

How do meal replacements work?

You won’t see big immediate differences, but meal replacements will allow you to stay consistent when it comes to diet, as well as improve your metabolic markers and a bit more energy if you use it as a dietary supplement, but never like basis of your diet.

When to take meal replacements?

If you are one of those people with a lot of activity, without time to cook and with activities outside the home, you can take one or two meal replacements to the office, which will be very useful if you follow a sports diet or on a weight loss diet.

Cellular volumizers

A few years ago, a scientist named Haussinger pointed out that critically ill patients almost always suffer from something called proteolysis. In other words, the protein in his cells was breaking down and, after researching it, he theorized that this cellular contraction occurred secondary to cellular hydration.

If the cells had little liquid, the breakdown of proteins occurred; if the cells were high in fluid content, the cell would shake and pump out additional proteins … Haussinger called this “cell volumization” …

Well, at some point along the way, a bodybuilding scientist took a big deductive leap over the best supplements for bodybuilding.

Across a very, very deep chasm, and he speculated that since creatine produces a huge gain in fluid, this fluid must leak directly into muscle cells, thus forcing them to pump more protein and consequently , grow.

So, he reasoned, creatine must be a cell volumizer, and therefore must be causing increased protein synthesis. No one knows for sure if this actually happens, but we do know that the compound increases anaerobic ATP production by about 5%, increasing work capacity.

• Creatine improves muscle development, improving volumization, retaining intracellular fluid, which improves performance, specifically in short-term events that require a lot of energy.
• HMB (a metabolite generated from leucine) makes cells better absorb proteins, which helps muscles greatly. This also allows for increased strength and accelerated recovery post-workout.
• Tribulus, also recognized for its invigorating functions, also allows you to gain more strength also improves recovery and fat burning. It does this as a volumizer that increases hormonal levels of testosterone.
• In addition to this supplementation, carbohydrates, arginine, BCAAs or some amino acids such as taurine, beta-alanine or glutamine are considered volumizers

What effects do volumizers have?

• They provide you strength and power.
• They delay fatigue.
• They increase your performance.
• Increase your recovery.
• They add volume to your muscles.

How do volumizers ?

In the case of creatine, it won’t really make you feel any different, but you will start to feel more voluminous in just a few days (assuming you’ve done the loading phase). You may, however, feel a little more weight on your pecs going down the stairs.

The scale will show that you have probably added more muscle weight in water, also your muscle bellies will look more rounded, which will motivate you to continue training hard, while you improve your performance, you recover faster and you are producing more hormones of growth.

When to take volumizers?

If you think about moving that annoying liquid that is in the extra-cellular zone with its physiological component represented in swelling and burning, you could use the correct volumizers, to bring those liquids to the intra-cellular zone to be used by your body while you train hard.

 

Fatty acids

Much of modern food is processed, so getting the fats you need is not always possible. The health of the systems, the vascularisation, the hormonal levels and the metabolic markers depend to a great extent on the fatty acids, including the process of weight loss or definition.

Some of all these effects may be mediated by the production of hormones controlled by fatty acids called eicosanoids.

It’s probably a good idea to take linseed oil or borage oil to make sure you’re getting the essential fatty acids you need, but let’s talk about something else.

Adequate amounts of the best bodybuilding supplements in the form of good fats improve insulin resistance, making you less likely to store carbohydrates as fat. In addition, they help stabilize blood sugar levels, which improves sports and biological performance.

A noteworthy point when we refer to fatty acids are PPARs (peroxisomes), which essentially work on lipid metabolism; PPAR gamma is the central compound specifically to distribute body fat in organs, bloodstream and adipose tissues

There are special categories of fats that are worth a look.

• Conjugated Linoleic Acid, or CLA is a healthy fat, with some powerful abilities for health, but much more for fat loss.
• Medium chain triglycerides, or MCTs, are interesting because they are not absorbed in the same way as fat. The theory is that these fats lead to increased energy expenditure, which is great for controlling body weight and stimulating muscle growth.
• Omega-3s, present especially in fish or chia, in addition to enhancing your mental focus, improving cognitive and brain capacity in general, reduces inflammation at certain times, improves cardiovascular capacity and gives you the energy that you need to stay healthy while training hard.
• Other compounds that facilitate fat oxidation would be flaxseed oil, evening primrose, olive, canola or coconut oil, each one has its well-established properties, however, it is a matter of experimenting and feeling their benefits.

What are the effects of fatty acids?

• They add the extra calories you need.
• They strengthen your cardiovascular system.
• They increase your mental focus.
• Increase fat burning.
• They provide you with extra energy.
• They reduce inflammation.

How do fatty acids work?

Again, you won’t notice much unless you have a deficiency; in that case, you will see improved skin and possibly feel more energetic. Yes, your cardiovascular system and your mind will work in unison, as you progress week by week while training hard.

When to take fatty acids?

If you are deficient in essential fatty acids, taking an extra two to three teaspoons a day can make you feel “better.” However, if you add them to your breakfast or protein shakes, you will improve your glycemic index and prevent you from feeling tired or sleepy between meals … in the long term, you could even reduce your muscle aches …

There is always the possibility of eating too much fat and altering the ratio of healthy essential fatty acids. On the other hand, if you consume them in peri-training, you could affect beneficial inflammatory processes, which are key to starting muscle hypertrophy.

 

The nootropics

The best supplements for bodybuilding that work on neurotransmitters are part of the new categories within sports nutrition.

Essentially, neurotransmitters are the hormones and chemicals that are largely responsible for how well you think, how well you feel, and how well you use your muscles.

The neurotransmitters that interest us are known as dopamine, norepinephrine, and epinephrine, collectively known as catecholamines. Now, if you could somehow increase the levels of these neurotransmitters through nootropic supplements, you can always take advantage of them.

What are the effects of nootropics?

• Increased muscle motor unit recruitment, which means more strength and endurance, in addition to all the other conditions that will allow you to have bigger muscles.
• Possible increase in testosterone, because as levels of the neurotransmitter dopamine increase, so do levels of testosterone.
• More energy and an almost euphoric feeling of well-being.
• Greater mind-muscle coordination.
• Possible increased pain threshold.

How do nootropics work ?

Taking a nootropic won’t necessarily affect you, like taking a stimulant. In fact, you may not feel particularly “energized” at all, however, if you are in a bad mood, it could help stabilize your emotions, while experiencing greater mental focus.

The great thing about nootropic supplements is that they work quickly; generally, strength gains occur within 30 minutes to an hour after taking them.

When to take nootropics?

If you want to ignite your brain and nervous system while requiring an increase in your mental and physical strength, it is time to try them. Unlike creatine, these nutrients that stimulate your neurotransmitters should help you work out with more reps and more weight. And doing more work, in the short and long term, will lead to additional muscle mass.

There are no known drawbacks to using nootropic supplements if you use them in the correct dosage; However, you should know what to use each formula for, from the point of view of having a better sleep or feeling relaxed on certain rest days.

 

Anyway, when it comes to bodybuilding or building muscle in general, our bodies are often limited by our nutrition. And no matter how hard we train, sometimes we simply cannot move forward as we lack important nutrients that help us achieve better results and the best supplements for bodybuilding are designed for them.

How do you use these supplements?