The Best Supplements for Muscle Gain and Natural Supplements for Muscle Growth

Food supplements are sometimes sold as the quick fix to gain weight. It should not be considered as such because we know that no legal product will make you build 5 pounds of muscle in 1 month.

However, some supplements are still effective and can give you the little boost that will optimize your quest for muscle mass.

We have compiled the top 10 natural supplements for muscle growth. The list is sorted in order of priority, starting from most essential to least important.

Take a look at this list of the top supplements for muscle gain:

10 Best Supplements for Muscle Gain

1. Whey protein powder

   
   
   

   How does whey protein powder work?

   Whey is at the top of the list of supplements for muscle gain because it is the most important supplement for increasing synthesis of protein and building muscle mass. Whey is a dairy protein that contains a large amount of branched amino acids (BCAAs, No. 4 in our list).
   
   

   Suggested use

   Whey powder should be taken 60 minutes after your workout. If you cannot eat a protein breakfast, you can also take 20 to 40 grams of whey after waking up every morning. It would be best to find this natural supplement for muscle growth that consists of smaller fragments for faster digestion.

2. Casein protein powder

   
   
   

   How does casein protein powder work?

   Another natural supplement for muscle growth, casein is placed right behind the whey in our list. Casein has always been second because of its very slow rate of digestion. However, it is ideal for a snack before going to bed because it slows down catabolism when you sleep by emptying in a very slow manner.
   
   Casein also gives you the feeling of having a full stomach, making it a perfect snack for athletes that want to build muscle. New research has shown that casein gives whey a hard time: when taken after a workout, casein boosts protein synthesis as whey does.
   
   

   Suggested use

   Take 20-40 grams of casein protein that have micellar casein, which is most slowly digesting casein, in the night before going to bed. After a workout, add 10 to 20 grams of casein to your whey protein.

3. Creatine

   
   
   

   How does Creatine work?

   Creatine includes three major amino acids for muscle growth. These are arginine, glycine, and methionine. Creatine helps build muscle mass in many different ways. In particular, it boosts and increases fast energy in muscles that is required to perform rehearsals at the gym.
   
   When an athlete has more fast energy, he can do more reps with a given weight. This, in turn, allows them to grow and strengthen in the long term. More recently, creatine has been shown to increase insulin as a growth factor in muscles, which is essential for stimulating growth.
   
   

   Suggested use

   Take 2 to 5 grams of creatine every day in the form of creatine monohydrate at any time of the day. This will help you keep your muscles saturated with creatine and will produce the fast energy they need to achieve more repetitions. You do not need to cycle your creatine intake or to do a loading phase as we sometimes hear.

4. Branched-chain amino acids (BCAA)

   
   
   

   How do branched-chain amino acids work?

   The term "branched-chain amino acid" or "BCAA" refers to leucine, isoleucine and valine, the top important amino acids for repairing and developing muscles. Moreover, Leucine is the best of these three. Research has shown that it can stimulate protein synthesis in muscles.
   
   However, it is better to ingest all three together because they work synergistically to provide a good deal of benefits, including muscle development, increased muscle energy in the gym, the attenuation of cortisol (a hormone that inhibits testosterone and increases muscle breakdown) and prevents muscle pain.
   
   

   Suggested use

   Take 5 to 10 grams of BCAAs with your breakfast and before and after your workouts. Opt for BCAAs that offer leucine at a ratio of 2: 1: 1 per dose of isoleucine and valine. For example, if you take a dose of 5 grams of BCAAs, about 2.5 grams should consist of leucine, 1.25 grams of isoleucine and 1.25 grams of valine.

5. Beta-alanine and Carnosine

   
   
   

   How do Beta-alanine and Carnosine work?

   In the body, the amino acid beta-alanine is mixed with histidine, another amino acid, to form carnosine. Studies have shown that when the muscles contained greater levels of carnosine, they were stronger and more enduring. Carnosine seems to improve the ability of muscle fibers to contract with more force, longer and without getting tired.
   
   Several studies have shown an increase in muscle strength and power in athletes taking beta-alanine. A recent research found that people who were ingesting beta-alanine and creatine gained more muscle mass and lost more fat than those who took only creatine.
   
   

   Suggested use

   Take 2 grams of beta-alanine or carnosine immediately before a workout. On other days, take 2 grams with your breakfast and creatine.

6. Nitric Oxide Boosters

   
   
   

   How does Nitric Oxide Booster work?

   Nitric Oxide (N.O.) is an element found throughout the body that is involved in many processes. The one bodybuilders are looking for, is the power to dilate the blood vessels, allowing more blood to flow to the muscles to increase the delivery of nutrients, hormones, and water. (The blood is mainly composed of water).
   
   This gives bodybuilders more energy during workouts, a muscle boost and better recovery and muscle growth after a workout. Research has shown that subjects who ingest nitric oxide booster have increased muscle strength and development.
   
   

   Suggested use

   Take a Nitric Oxide booster that gives you 3 to 5 grams of arginine (as L-arginine). Also, think of supplements for muscle gain that offer ingredients like citrulline, pycnogenol, and ginseng that improves ability of arginine to increase N.O.
   
   Take a dose of each at the following schedule: in the morning before your breakfast, then 30 to 60 minutes before training, right after your workout and 30 to 60 minutes before going to bed. Whenever possible, take Nitric Oxide booster without food and mix it with vitamin C that can help you maintain your N.O. levels longer.

7. Glutamine

   
   
   

   How does Glutamine work?

   This amino acid has been the best choice for bodybuilders for years. Glutamine offers many benefits for bodybuilding such as helping muscle growth by boosting the leucine level in muscle tissues, which helps to lower muscle breakdown and strengthens the immune system to prevent diseases.
   
   Glutamine is taken before training sessions; it can help reduce muscle fatigue and boost growth hormone levels.
   
   

   Suggested use

   Take 5 to 10 grams of glutamine in the morning for breakfast, in your shakers before and after your workouts and with your evening snack.

8. ZMA

   
   
   

   How does ZMA work?

   ZMA is a mixture of 2 essential minerals: zinc and magnesium aspartate, in addition to vitamin B6. These are important natural supplements for muscle growth because both athletes and bodybuilders who train hard often lack these essential and important minerals to maintain levels of their hormones and help them sleep and rest - these are important aspects of muscle recovery.
   
   Intense workout can compromise testosterone and growth hormone levels. According to scientific researches and studies, bodybuilders who took ZMA supplements significantly increased levels of their testosterone and growth hormone in less than eight weeks. On the other hand, those who took placebo saw decrease of these hormones. Of course, increasing the levels of testosterone and growth hormone can have a very big impact on muscle gain.
   
   

   Suggested use

   ZMA supplement usually includes approximately 30mg of zinc, 450mg of magnesium and 10.5mg of vitamin B6. Take 30 to 60 minutes before going to bed on an empty stomach. If you choose to take ZMA without any food, it will increase its absorption and results. This will also improve the quality of your sleep for best recovery.

9. Carnitine

   
   
   

   How does Carnitine work?

   In addition to being a well-known supplement for slimming and weight loss, carnitine is known to improve muscle development through several mechanisms. This effect has been well researched in different clinical studies.
   
   For example, Carnitine is known to increase blood flow to the muscles. As a result of this, it increases levels of testosterone after workouts and the amount of T-receptors located inside the muscle cells. This, in turn, allows a greater amount of testosterone to stimulate more muscle growth. This offers similar benefits to Nitric Oxide boosters. Moreover, carnitine supplements for muscle gain have been shown to increase growth hormone levels, too.
   
   

   Suggested use

   Take 1 to 3 grams of L-carnitine or acetyl-L-carnitine with your breakfast, the shakes you ingest before or after a workout and your dinner.

10. Beta-ecdysterone

    
    
    

    How does Beta-ecdysterone work?

    It's a phytochemical compound found in plants like spinach. The main function of beta-ecdysterone is to shield plants from insects. Scientists have discovered for several years that beta-ecdysterone has anabolic properties. Its structure is comparable to it of hormones found in insects and crustaceans. However, beta-ecdysterone doesn't behave like a hormone within the body.
    
    Natural supplements for muscle growth that contain beta-ecdysterone work by stimulating protein synthesis. Reports counsel that it's extremely effective at increasing the scale and strength of the muscles.
    
    

    Suggested use

    To enjoy advantage of beta-ecdysterone, make sure to take a high dose and take it 2-3 times throughout the day. Take supplements for muscle gain that give at least 100mg of beta-ecdysterone and take them together with your breakfast, before and after your workouts to absorb 400 to 500mg total daily.

Summary

This list is intended to help decide which muscle building supplement to buy - especially if you are on a low budget. If money is not a problem, use them all as directed. After all, you're never too muscular.

Best Supplements for Muscle Growth

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