Top 5 Supplements Essential to the Body

Wondering what supplements are important for gains?  In this article, you’d be able to see the right supplements for you and see the science behind it.

Many people might think that supplements are not needed, that to be ripped, just a good diet is needed.  Sure, that is possible, but if you have the tool that can help your training and just disregard it, then a lot of gains are just left out on the table.

The dilemma lies however with the number of supplements around in the market nowadays. To add up to that, is the inability to know when to take it, what works and how they work, can add to the burden.
To make the most out of your training and help you build muscles, there are 5 supplements that are most beneficial to people.

1.    Creatine

Creatine is a legal supplement that can be found in just about every supplement store.  It can be claimed that it is the most popular and most effective bodybuilding supplement presently available.  One of its many positives is that it’s 100% natural and can be found in many foods so it is unlikely for it to be found illegal in sports or competitions.

Though creatine is produced naturally in our bodies to help supply energy to the muscles and can be found in certain foods, supplement is still needed because the process of cooking food destroys most of the creatine content in it. Creatine can be found in 90% of the body’s muscles. The liver can also produce smaller amounts of creatine and kidneys from amino acids. Protein synthesis which aids in muscle growth could also benefit from the help of creatine.
From a bodybuilder’s point of view, creatine is a big factor in building lean muscle quickly, improve performance in high intensity exercise, elevate energy levels and accelerate recovery rates.
There are 2 ways to take creatine, one of them is by loading the muscles with with 20 to 30 grams of creatine per day for four to seven days. At the end of the phase, as a maintenance a regular intake of 5 to 15 grams per day should be taken. The second one is more gradual in nature, the loading up stage is skipped for just a supplement of 5 to 15 grams per day for an extended period.
To get bigger, faster and stronger, creatine is a must!

2.  Beta-Alanine

Beta-alanine is a non-essential amino acid that is produced naturally in the body.  Carnosine, a compound that plays a role in muscle endurance in high-intensity exercise is produced with the help of beta-alanine. This is how beta-alanine works, since carnosine can be found in the muscles, when there is high level of carnosine, muscles are able to perform for longer periods of time before they become burnt out.  Carnosine does this by regulating acid buildup in the muscles, leading cause of muscle fatigue.

Since beta-alanine is one of carnosine’s main component, beta-alanine supplements are instrumental in boosting the production of carnosine, thus enhancing sports performance. Other benefits of beta-alanine as backed by Scientific Studies include: increases aerobic endurance, enhances muscular strength and power output, increases muscle mass, promote muscular anaerobic stamina and elevates exercise capacity so you can train harder and longer.
The ideal dose for beta-alanine is 2-5g/day, which just like creatine is not dependent on timing, it can be taken at any point during the day, but it would be more advisable to take it with a meal to make it more effective.

3.  Caffeine

Caffeine has long been used by athletes to help increase energy and endurance.  It is also considered to be the best pre-workout supplements for focus, training capacity and it is also able to increase aerobic capacity and improve sustained power output.

While caffeine helps in decreasing the perceptions of fatigue and muscle pain, it also works on the nervous system by promoting spinal cord excitability and muscle fiber recruitment.  It has been shown that it improves physical performance in all method of sports at the same time delaying mental exhaustion.

Some of the most popular sources of caffeine are: coffee, canned/bottled coffee drinks, tea, soft drinks, caffeine capsules, energy drinks/shots, dark chocolate, gels, caffeinated mints/gum, green tea extract, pre-workout supplements/fat burners.

Effects of caffeine can be felt with as little as 20 mg (0.3 mg/kg of bodyweight). Its benefits can be maxed out at around 200 mg (3 mg/kg of bodyweight).  When taken at very high doses (6 mg/kg of bodyweight or 400 mg4), it may start to decrease performance and increase anxiety level.  Caffeine should be taken 1 to 2 hours prior to training as caffeine levels in the bloodstream peak approximately 60-90 minutes after consumption.

4.  Whey Protein

Your body can benefit greatly when whey protein supplementation is combined with appropriate exercise.  Some of these benefits are:

a.)  It improves your immune system

Vigorous exercise could adversely affect the immune system, research however, showed that consuming whey protein reduces the effect of exercise on the nervous system and helps keep you protected.

b.) It helps you lose fat while preserving muscle
If you’re trying to get ripped, you can extremely benefit from whey protein.  Research has also shown that when you consume whey while cutting down the calorie intake, more muscles are retained and body fats are lost. So you can add the pounds in muscle while getting rid of unwanted body-fat.

c)  It helps to reduce stress
One way of relieving stress is through exercise but according to research, consumption of whey protein also makes the person less stressed than those who don’t. This is due to the change of serotonin levels in the brain.

d.) Helps to increase size and strength

There’s also another study that showed that people who take whey an hour before a workout, managed to boost their fat-free mass and muscle strength compared to those who took a placebo.
The amount of whey protein to supplement depends on the person’s goals. For example:
-    an athlete or highly active person who wants to lose body fat while retaining lean muscle mass, a daily intake of 1.5-2.2g/kg bodyweight (0.68-1g/lb bodyweight) is a good goal.

-    an athlete or highly active person who wants to lose body fat while retaining lean mass, a daily intake of 1.0-1.5g/kg bodyweight (0.45-0.68g/lb bodyweight) is a good goal.
5. ZMA

ZMA is a supplement that consist of zinc, magnesium and vitamin B6, all of which are vital for biological processes. ZMA was developed to try to provide athletes and bodybuilders other means to prevent the loss of these vitamins and minerals while exercising. When nutrients are lost during exercise, may it be through perspiration or metabolism, ZMA then works to replace these nutrients. Which, in turn, could facilitate a number of processes that may improve athletic performance.

Other benefits of ZMA to athletes and body builders include: increased endurance and strength, as well as higher testosterone levels; better sleep and faster recovery.  Additionally, since ZMA is a natural testosterone boosting supplement, it can be legally used by athletic organizations and is therefore a much preferred substitute for athletes who wants to improve their performance without having the fear of facing legal issues.