Building lean muscle mass has always been a challenge and people always wonder what supplements will help them in adding the right mass to their physique and will be a perfect partner to top up their workout routine.
There are different point of views regarding usage of supplements. Some people spend thousands of bucks a month over random supplements without giving much thought to it. There are some who think that investing in supplements is a total waste and they won’t at all benefit from it. Lastly, there are people who know what they are taking and how it will add to their growth goals.
Some supplements are a must and are known enough because they help people improve their overall health and fitness. They form the strong baseline for propelling growth further. Athletes, models and fitness enthusiasts who train hard and keep their health quotient high with greater immunity didn’t do it without right supplementation.
Here, we have listed absolutely essential supplements with no unnecessary jing-bang. All supplements are experts in their fields. Let us find out how.
1. Whey Protein
For many years now, the protein allowance has been scaled on 0.8 grams per kilogram per day. However, this measure falls short when the goal is to maximize health and lean body mass. The above scale was designed to let you know that below that your body will be deficient in protein and not recommended for gaining muscle mass.
For optimizing lean mass, bone health and overall health of an individual, this amount will not suffice and much higher than this will be suitable. The more recent studies suggest a range off 1.2 to 1.6 grams per kilogram per day for active people. Many of us cannot achieve this level of protein intake because of many factors like availability and time etc. There comes the requirement of whey protein supplementation.
Whey protein is not for replacing natural food sources when it comes to wholesome nutrition, it is a filler where you lack them or is a top up, hence, isn’t food or medicine. It is purely a supplement.
2. Vitamin D
This probably the most common deficiency found in people throughout the nation. In western countries it is all the more because of inadequate sunlight. Vitamin D is processed in the body with the help of sunlight. Indoor lifestyle, latitude, genetics and poor micronutrient diet are the most common factors affect this condition. You can say that you have low vitamin D in your body when there are higher rates of upper respiratory tract infections, low performance in athletes, pain in bones because of poor bone health.
Since vitamin D directly influences your bone health and good performance, it is proven necessity for your body. You can use a vitamin D3 supplement from 2000 to 5000 IUs a day if you have low blood levels of vitamin D ie. less than 25 ng/mL
3. Creatine
Creatine Monohydrate has stood many years of extensive research on its effects on reliable results for improving training capacity and aiding in training volume based muscle gains. Creatine’s main function in the human body is to provide a phosphate source to replenish ATP rapidly during short, intense spans of training. During the same, the stores of phosphate in the body deplete quickly, limiting your ability to create ATP and contract your muscles.
Creatine accumulates in muscle tissue and then works. It takes time to do so. According to studies, there are two main ways to take creatine. Take creatine 15-20 grams per day for 3-5 days and then 5 grams a day, thereafter. Take 5 grams per day from day 1.
Since creatine stores take several days to fully saturate, either of the way you take it, it will eventually saturate your muscle creatine stores. The first way, however, will accelerates the saturation process. Some people may experience gastrointestinal issues taking 15-20 grams per day.
4. Fish Oil
Fatty acids not only provides energy but also regulates a lot of body’s biological functions, including inflammatory processed and intracellular signaling. People have heard a lot about Omega 6 and Omega-3 fatty acids. We often get more Omega-6 fatty acids than we need and not as many omega-3 fatty acids as we need. Fish, specially their oily fats, are an excellent source omega-3 rich fatty acids.
You cannot eat salmon daily because of availability and expense involved, therefore, it becomes important to take fish oil supplementation to top up your diet.
5. ZMA
Zinc, Magnesiu, Aspartate, and Vitamin B6 or ZMA is a natural supplement. Zinc supports immune system and muscles. Magnesium plays crucial role in regulating metabolism and muscle health; it also helps manage sleep. B6 may boost energy.
ZMA’s role in increasing muscle strength and stamina, muscle recovery is however, not directly connected but logically if your immune system is in place and you sleep well, your performance and stamina will automatically increase which will in turn help in increasing your muscles strength as you progress.
Talking of sleep, apart from taking ZMA supplementation what you can do is to sleep timely, switching off all your gadgets and try meditation.
In a nutshell, if you supplement your diet smartly, keep yourself in a strategic workout schedule, you can gain the most in terms of overall health and fitness. The supplements mentioned above are based on the most common deficiencies or additional requirement of the body nowadays for delivering desired performance and muscle strength.
Whey protein helps people reach their protein requirements while Vitamin D helps in maintaining adequate vitamin D levels, especially, during winters. Creatine is safe and effective way to increase your training capacity. Fish oil can help provide essential fatty acids for people who don’t have access to good source of it in their diets. ZMA tops it all as it helps supporting immune system and helps in regulating sleep.
References
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26960445
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3942730/
Vitamin_D_supplementation_to_prevent_acute_respiratory_tract_infections_Systematic_review_and_meta-analysis_of_individual_participant_data
About The Author
Rajul Tiwari is the Editor-in-Chief at bodyandstrenth.com and has 18 years of experience in media, content, publishing and education. She has worked with media houses like Daini..
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