Over 80% of American gym enthusiasts take workout supplements. From vitamins, protein to creatine and pre-workouts, they’re considered a key element to achieve your fitness goals. Workout supplements are known for helping the human body maximize the effects of exercise routines and fill nutritional gaps – especially for bodybuilders.
Seasoned athletes or those who participate in sports take workout supplements to help them unlock their full potential. As a bodybuilder, you depend a lot on what you consume.
However, taking workout supplements is not a one-size-fits-all solution. You need to know what to use as well as how and when to use them.
Let’s discuss the different types of supplements available, their benefits, and how to best use them for optimal results! Plus, we'll give you tips on how to choose the right supplements for your workout routine, so you can achieve your fitness goals.
Also Read: 19 Time Tested Workout Supplements for Men
The Role of Workout Supplements
Workout supplements are specially formulated products with a primary role to provide your body with additional micro and macronutrients, amino acids, stimulants and vitamins, and minerals to support various aspects of your fitness routine. But remember that they are not meant to replace a healthy diet with whole foods. After all, nothing in this world could top a grilled chicken taco. Period.
Another important role of workout supplements is to provide benefits including increased energy, muscle growth, improved endurance, developed enhanced recovery, and reduced muscle soreness.
Different Types of Workout Supplements and Their Benefits
We can all agree that workout supplements can be a game-changer, particularly if you explore their different types and find the right one for you. But with so many options available, it can be overwhelming to do that.
Worry no more because here we look at the different types of workout supplements and their benefits that might get the job done for your needs!
Protein Supplement
Protein supplements have gained immense popularity in the fitness world because protein is an essential component for muscle growth and recovery.
As a quick primer for beginners, a protein supplement is a product that contains a concentrated amount of protein – generally whey, casein or even plant, that is sold typically in powder form.! They’re perfect as an additional source of protein to help you hit your daily protein target. The following are the key benefits of protein supplements:
- High in Essential Amino Acids (EAAs) and in particular leucine – the key amino acid that triggers muscle growth.
- They’re ultra convenient – protein powders allow you to consume a large amount of protein quickly and easily.
- They’re low in carbs and fat.
- Boosting muscle recovery for intense physical activity e.g., HIIT and weightlifting.
- Promotes faster recovery.
- Supports muscle hypertrophy.
- When to use protein supplements to achieve your fitness goals?
To hit your daily protein target. If you’re trying to build muscle, you’re probably looking to consuming 1g of protein per pound of bodyweight – as a minimum. Every day. If you’re a 200lb bodybuilder, that’s a lot of canned tuna, chicken breasts, steak and eggs that you need to have on hand and ready to go day after day.
Sure, you can also get that extra protein in through cheaper restaurants and fast food, but for most adding a protein shake or two each day allows a lot more dietary flexibility when it comes to managing your total calories and keeping your diet clean.
Secondly, protein powders are cost effective way of getting more protein into your diet. The cost of high protein foods like eggs and beef have risen significantly in the last few years making bodybuilding and eating clean even more expensive than it already was. Plus, whey is a higher quality protein than those from a muscle-building standpoint, as it has higher biological value – making it a great choice for price-conscious athletes.
Lastly, if you're someone who is struggling to put on size or find it difficult to consume the extreme amount of calories that those with fast metabolisms have to support muscle growth, then the MuscleTech 100% Mass Gainer is a product that might be the perfect solution for you! This protein supplement offers 60g protein, 1,500 calories, 5g creatine, and 305g of complex carb blend when mixed with skim milk!
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Pre-Workout Supplement
If you're a fitness enthusiast or someone who regularly hits the gym, you may have heard of pre-workout supplements.
Pre-workout supplements are typically in the form of powders and often contain caffeine, L-citrulline, taurine, beta-alanine and numerous other ingredients to improve energy, mental focus and blood flow when you’re training
Pre-workout supplements are perfect for those early morning or late evening workouts when you may be feeling a bit sluggish and you need a boost of energy. A workout with big lifts is another great time to take a pre-workout The following are the benefits of the supplement:
- Heightened mental clarity.
- Enhance endurance and delay the onset of fatigue.
- Increased focus.
- Helps with muscle pumps and blood flow.
When to use pre-workout supplements to achieve your fitness goals?
If we go by the name itself, the ideal time to take a ‘pre-workout’ supplement is around 30 minutes before your workout session. This allows sufficient time for the ingredients to kick in and provide you with the desired effects. Always follow the direction on the label.
If you're looking for a pre-workout supplement that can take your fitness journey to the next level, look no further than EUPHORiQ Pre-workout supplement! This supplement is available in 4 different flavors and has a key ingredient of 300mg of paraxanthine!
Post-Workout or Recovery Supplement
Lifting heavy weight results in microtears in your muscles, which are critical to building muscle mass. During recovery, these microtears heal and help the muscle fibers rebuild. Your body adapts to the stress of training by rebuilding bigger and stronger to handle future stress so you can lift heavier the next workout session and repeat the process – growing bigger over time. That’s how progressive overload works.
Also Read: What Does Post Workout Mean?
This also is where post-workout or recovery supplements come into play. They are designed to optimize and speed up the recovery process of your muscles so you will be more than ready for tomorrow’s hustle and bustle at the gym!
The primary components of a post-workout supplement are amino acids, creatine and carbohydrates which both help restore the glycogen levels you need for muscle recovery, growth, and energy. Here are the main benefits of a post-workout or recovery supplement:
- Accelerates muscle recovery.
- Aids muscle protein synthesis or forming new muscle tissues.
- Convenient and easy consumption e.g. powder or ready-to-drink shakes
When to use post-workout supplements to achieve your fitness goals?
The ideal time to take a post-workout supplement is post-workout -a period when your body is primed to absorb creatine and replenish glycogen.
Creatine
Did you know that more than 40% of athletes in the National Collegiate Athletic Association use Creatine and 28% of gym rats incorporate the supplement into their workout routines? This fact came from good reason.
As it happens, Creatine is a naturally occurring amino acid derivative found in our muscles. In nature you can consume it through dietary sources such as meat and fish, but the most effective way is in supplement form. Creatine improves anaerobic work capacity by serving as a readily available store of phosphate groups (ATP).
By increasing this work capacity, it allows you to lift more weight for more reps. This make is perfect for sports like CrossFit, bodybuilding, weightlifting and sprinting. Creatine is used by athletes from all sports – including high school, college, and professional athletes such as wrestlers and gymnasts for more power, strength and to gain muscle size.
Plus, the supplement is tasteless – so it’s easy to mix with water or supplements like aminos and protein!
The following are the key benefits of creatine for athletes:
- Enhances muscle strength.
- Increases muscle mass.
- Has a number of other potential effects, such as better brain performance, glucose metabolism, and bone mineral density, when to use creatine to achieve your fitness goals?
It’s really hard to take creatine “wrong” – you just need to take it. And, while it seems intuitive to take creatine pre-workout, it’s actually post-workout that seems to be the consensus best time to take it for best results. In fact, a 2013 study found that taking creatine monohydrate lead to twice the lean muscle in those using it immediately after training compared to those using creatine pre-training.
Tip: You don’t have to stop taking creatine on rest days.
MuscleTech Platinum 100% Creatine is a game-changer when it comes to enhancing athletic performance and maximizing muscle gains. Get this top-notch creatine provider today!
Also Read: How Much Water Should I Drink While Taking Creatine?
Vitamins
Working out or not, vitamins play a vital role in our overall health. But they can also significantly impact our energy and will to do greater physical performance during workouts.
Surprisingly, regular, vigorous exercise can put stress on the immune system, making you more susceptible to illnesses and infections. This is where Vitamins A, C, and E come to play. These vitamins help to strengthen the immune system, so you won’t get sick every time you do out-of-breath exercises. Plus, it will allow you to stay on track with your fitness goals!
The following are the best benefits of taking vitamins as part of your supplement regimen:
- General health support
- Fill in nutritional gaps for micronutrients that you’re having trouble getting in your diet
- Support a healthy immune system
- When to use vitamins to achieve your fitness goals?
Always follow the directions on the label, but for most multivitamins, taking them with food in the morning is generally recommended.
Platinum Multivitamin from MuscleTech stands out as an excellent choice that delivers a comprehensive blend of nutrients without acid reflux. It has 18 different vitamins and minerals plus 865mg of amino support.
Final Thoughts
As you can see, for serious athletes and bodybuilders who push their bodies to the limits a comprehensive supplement stack can help boost performance and make the most of your workouts – while speeding up results! It’s key to remember though that solid nutritional foundation and training program needs to form the foundation of your fitness lifestyle.
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