Most people who are looking to grow their muscles are unaware of the dedication it takes to do so. Many believe that you can pop some pills, do a few bicep curls, and viola; they are transformed into musclebound, Mr. Olympia contestants! Well, this is not the case, and those who do live this lifestyle will tell you it takes dedication and determination to get the look you desire. While certain supplements have their place, there is a whole lot more to it, as this post will cover.
Use Supplements
Supplements go hand in hand with gaining muscle and can aid in many things, from assisting your body to recover faster to giving it the building blocks to rebuild the muscles you break down from exercise. One group of supplements that some people take will provide you with an advantage when looking to build more mass. According to the supplement specialists over at pharmagear.cc, these are known as anabolic steroids and are typically synthesized testosterone, the male hormone responsible for increasing muscle mass. You can either inject these or take them orally, with the oral versions clearing the body faster than injected options. However, these aren’t the only supplements you can take to build mass, with some of the more used such as:
Peptides
Use peptides to increase muscle growth even further. Peptides are small proteins that help your muscles grow by increasing the production of new muscle tissue. They are found in meat, fish, dairy products and legumes. Try to get around 20 grams per day.
For best results, try a combination of different peptides to see which works best for you. Some popular peptides include:
– B-12: This peptide helps the body produce energy, which helps the muscles grow.
– Glutamine: Glutamine is an amino acid that helps the body produce more protein. It also helps increase muscle growth.
– IGF-1: IGF-1 is a peptide that helps the body produce muscle cells.
Peptides.org is a website that provides information on how to use peptides for muscle growth.
Protein
Among all bodybuilding supplements, this may be the most popular. It is essential for rebuilding your muscles after your workout. The way you build muscles is relatively simple:
- You exercise, which causes micro-tears in the targeted muscles.
- You eat food and take supplements to rebuild the muscles.
- If you eat the right things, the muscles will repair themselves slightly more extensively than before.
- Repeat ad infinitum.
Increasing muscle mass requires consuming more protein than your body can digest. However, most people get enough protein via their food, those wishing to gain muscle need to consume amounts that make protein supplements, usually in the form of powder, necessary.
Creatine
For athletes and bodybuilders, creatine supplements are very popular to build muscle, increase strength, and improve performance. The body produces creatine naturally, but not in the quantities needed to build muscle significantly since it is not made in the amounts required. Creatine provides your muscles with more strength than usual, and this, in turn, allows you to lift incrementally heavier weights, thus breaking down more muscle. It affords the following benefits:
- Allows higher intensity workouts.
- Boosts water cell volumization.
- Increases your strength enabling you to lift heavier weights over more sets.
It would be best to use creatine in conjunction with protein because creatine essentially allows you to push harder while protein rebuilds your muscles.
Branched-Chain Amino Acids (BCAAs)
These are made up of three primary amino acids:
- Leucine: This amino acid is essential for protein synthesis, enabling your body to rebuild more efficiently. You also need this to gain benefits from HMB.
- Isoleucine: This one plays a vital role in protein stability, i.e., it allows your body to use more of the protein you provide it.
- Valine: This amino acid encourages tissue repair, vital if you are to build a large body.
Beta-Alanine
Beta-Alanine is a different type of amino acid, but one that is responsible for reducing workout fatigue. Bodybuilders use this supplement to enable them to push harder through a workout by not succumbing to tiredness. This is all about the dedication part, as mentioned earlier, because building lean muscle takes hard work, no matter what you do, and Beta-Alanine can give you the ability to go from pretty big to massive if you put in the effort.
Beta-Hydroxy Beta-Methyl Butyrate (HMB)
HMB has proven to increase lean muscle mass in those who take it daily and work out regularly. However, there is a caveat with this supplement: it seems to be most effective for those beginning their bodybuilding journey rather than those with more experience.
Train, Train, Train!
All the supplements and anabolic steroids in the world are not enough to build your body alone. To actually get the gain, you need to put in the pain; it’s as simple as that. You cannot build muscle if you aren’t breaking down your existing muscle tissue and losing body fat. When you are starting, it is often advised to focus on compound movements that target your entire body, such as:
- Squat: The granddaddy of movements that build tree-trunk legs and a solid core. It has other spillover effects on your upper body also.
- Deadlift: If the squat is the granddaddy, the deadlift is the daddy. However, you must be careful and practice properly throughout unless you want to be bed-bound for a week.
- Bench press: “How much can you bench?!” That is what people will ask you, and it can get annoying. However, this is still a vital movement that builds out your chest and anterior shoulders.
- Shoulder press: If you want the broad shoulders that tell people you mean business, the shoulder press is a must.
- Row: The aesthetically pleasing V-shape is achieved with this movement. Be careful with your form.
Eat Properly
Muscle is built in the kitchen. This has been well-established over the years, which means that you must eat cleanly and often. Although you will get many of the various vitamins and minerals you need from supplements, nothing beats the real thing. The key is to eat a lot and eat often, never allow your body to become starved. This means you should be looking to eat the following foods:
- Lean meat: This will provide your muscles with the protein and amino acids needed to regrow after an intense workout.
- Oily fish: Fish is excellent muscle-building food. The Omega oils are needed to maintain joint health (your joints will take some punishment during your workouts).
- Fresh vegetables: you will get lots of valuable vitamins and minerals from vegetables. They will also provide your body with fiber that helps to synthesize the protein and other things more efficiently.
- Complex carbohydrates: You need the energy to complete the workouts required to build serious muscle. Therefore, complex carbs like oatmeal and other whole wheat and grains.
Building muscle isn’t tricky, but it does take hard work and a lot of dedication. From taking the correct supplements to ensure each workout is intense, you will see some massive gains within a few months.
