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The 3 Supplements You Must Have In Your Supplement Stack
This article was originally posted on FitnessGeared.com, one of the leading fitness and bodybuilding forums on the web.
A lot of people out there talk about supplements. Time and time again, supplement companies are promising us results that in reality are just complete BS.
The truth is, supplements will never replace proper nutrition. What they can do though is help you hit your fitness goals faster. Supplements complement your diet and help cover nutrient gaps, ensuring that your body has what it needs for peak performance. No matter what your training goals are, the right supplements can help improve your health, performance and physique.
The important thing to know though is that there are only a few that are actually beneficial. Whether you’re trying to gain muscle or lose fat, here’s what you need in your supplement stack NOW.
Protein
When it comes to supplements, there are a few staples that everybody who works out should be using. One of them is protein powder. It is the single best supplement investment you can make because your body needs enough protein in order to repair, maintain and build muscle. Depriving your body of protein (especially when you have a training program that consists of heavy lifting), or to just assume you eat enough protein, will lead your body a catabolic state - a state where you are actually losing muscle.
Before you take into account the extra demands of breaking down and building up muscle tissue through the training and recovery processes, it’s important to take into consideration the amount of protein your body needs. This is because protein makes up the greatest portion of our body weight next to water, so the body requires adequate protein daily to help maintain and carry on the processes of life. Taking in extra protein allows you to maintain an anabolic state - a state where you are building and repairing new muscle.
Protein powder comes in many different kinds and are sold by many different companies. The biggest thing to keep in mind is to get a product that’s high quality and doesn’t have a lot of fillers. Whey protein is the highest quality protein out there. Other good sources are 100% egg, egg, and casein (milk) protein.
Of course, just buying protein isn't enough, you have to know when and how much to take. The simplest guideline to remember is to consume at least one gram of protein per lb of body weight. So if you weigh 190lbs., you need to take in 190 grams of protein.
Now the question is, when should you be taking protein?
The best times to consume protein is around your workout. So pre and post-workout. You want to consume protein with some form or complex or simple carbs - like fruit - about 1 to 2 hours before you train and you should take in a similar meal after the workout. The amount of protein you’re consuming should be around 30-50 grams, which can easily be supplemented with protein powder.
Creatine
Creatine is considered to be one of the most popular and most effective supplements, and for a good reason. It’s the one supplement out there that has the most studies done on it. When creatine was first introduced, it was touted as a muscle builder because it forced water into the muscle cells causing them to grow bigger (super-hydration).
We suggest that you use it for that very purpose - to build muscle.
How do you take creatine?
Most people would tell you to “load up” on it by taking extra dosages for about a week, but studies have shown that taking 5g of creatine pre-workout will suffice and will actually have the same effect as when you’re loading up on it.
One thing you do want to do though is to cycle off of it. There’s a lot of mixed info out there about cycling creatine (staying on it for 6-8 weeks then going off for 4-8 weeks), but it will allow your body to "de-adjust" to it and you see better results from it when you go back on it again.
Which creatine should you buy? Stick with your basic creatine monohydrate. There are a lot of overhyped creatine supplements out there that’s being marketed right now, but to tell you the truth there have virtually been no studies done to support that special kinds of creatine is superior to creatine monohydrate. Stick with what has been working for decades.
Multi-Vitamin
The last staple supplement that you should be taking is a multi-vitamin. Doesn’t sound so much like a hot bodybuilding product, but guess what? If you’re not eating enough fruits and vegetables, a multi-vitamin is critical to ensuring your body is not suffering from any nutritional deficiencies.
Any lack of nutrients could completely halt your bodybuilding progress. Many of the nutrients found in a good multi-vitamin are involved in the processes that allow you to work out and recover from your workout. and to grow from it, and are also involved in the absorption of your food.
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