ANABOLIC SUPPLEMENTS.

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A supplement is an ingredient added to something to make it complete or enhance it. Anabolic supplements commonly referred to as bodybuilding supplements is a hotly debated topic whenever questions arise about their use. This is due to cost matters, efficacy, safety, benefits and alternative ways of circumvention of the same.

Three main criteria must be met for maximal muscle gain:

  1. Eating more calories than you burn.
  2. Consuming more protein than you break down.
  3. The exercise program is challenging for your muscle.
While it’s possible to meet all these criteria without taking dietary supplements, certain supplements may help you meet your goals.


TYPES

Commonly used supplements are.

  1. Creatine. Produced naturally and stored in the muscle of your body. Energizes your muscles and other body tissues. It is RESPONSIBLE for massive muscle growth. Research shows that greater amounts of creatine increase muscle growth.
Creatine is produced in the body. It increases muscle strength and subsequent use of strengthened muscle, will deliver in terms of muscle hypertrophy(enlargement) also creatine allows the muscle to swell due to water deposition in the muscle.
If you are looking for a better supplement for quick muscle growth consider creatine.

  1. Protein. Sourced from various foods and easily available to everyone. However, some people struggle to do so and may need to supplement. I.e. soy protein, casein and whey.
If you are not able to get a variety of protein in your diet or afford the services of a nutritionist consider protein supplementation.
  1. Weight gainers. Supplemental calories and protein.
  2. Beta-alanine. An amino acid that reduces fatigue and increases performance. It seems like psyche support but still no conclusive studies yet.
  3. Branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs). They are: leucine, isoleucine and valine. They are found in the protein of animal sources such as beef, chicken, fish, dairy products and eggs. Are very important and constitutes 14% of your muscle amino acid.
  4. Beta-hydroxy beta-methyl butyrate (HMB). This is a molecule produced when your body processes the amino acid leucine. Prevents muscle breakdown during training, especially for beginners however, studies of experienced weight trainers do not show actual benefits.
  5. Other supplements; there is no sufficient research backup showing actual benefits for the use of these supplements which include; Glutamine and carnitine, Testosterone boosters and Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA).


Take home summary.

Having seen the classifications of the supplements above it persuades us into believing that CREATINE, is a supplement of great benefit for your body and value for your money. Many studies have concluded that creatine sparks muscle growth. In this view, creatine is the single best supplement for muscle gain.

The other supplements are naturally occurring and can be easily found in various foods as explained.

I will keenly explain the creatine because of the following key reasons:

  1. It is purely manufactured and cannot be found on diet supplementation on desirable doses.
  2. It is proven to give massive muscle growth spurt.
  3. Improves performance by increasing strength and power during physical aerobic training.
  4. It has other numerous health benefits.
Pharmacology.

Creatine is a dietary supplement purported to improve exercise performance and increase fat-free mass. Recent research on creatine has demonstrated positive therapeutic results in various clinical applications.

The dosage is as follows:

For loading dose; 20g was taken orally four times a day for five days.

For maintenance dose; 2-3g is taken 4 times daily till the desired result are achieved or otherwise indicated.

Expected side adverse are;

Abdominal pain, arrhythmias, cardiac arrest, cardiomyopathy, dehydration, diarrhoea, hypertension, ischemic stroke, muscle cramping, nausea, renal dysfunction, rhabdomyolysis, seizures, and weight gain.

Don’t use if pregnant, suffering from diabetes or have a kidney problem.

The complexity of the body supplement business.

One of the most thriving businesses is that of anabolic supplements. It is, however, key to note that; marketing slogans, misconceptions and the desire to make great profits have led our many aspiring bodybuilding champions to believe that every supplement is necessary and hence think that supplementation is expensive.

If the seller will tell you what is necessary for a bodybuilder, they will only sell that product alone and lose on the rest. On this view am still open for persuasion into believing that supplementation is expensive and multiple products should be used.

REFERENCES.

  1. PUBMED, Clinical pharmacology of the dietary supplement creatine monohydrate: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11356982/
  2. MEDSCAPE, dietary supplementation in sports science; https://reference.medscape.com/drug/amidinosarcosine-creatine-citrate-creatine-344561#5
  3. THE 6 BEST SUPPLEMENTS TO GAIN MUSCLE, https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/supplements-for-muscle-gain
 

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