Have you ever wondered how you can improve both your muscle mass and athletic performance without resorting to using Performance enhancing drugs (PEDs)?
Well, as a fitness enthusiast myself, I had always pondered on this question until I found the answer.
And no, there is no miracle pill that will suddenly leave you looking like a Greek god and there is no easy way to building muscle mass and improving your athletic performance, so if that is what you are looking for, well, you ain’t finding here.
However, if you are curious like me and you want to know how you can boost your performance while enhancing recovery and muscle gains all at once, then this article may be just what you need to get started today.
Here you will get to the best supplements for muscle growth, improved athletic performance and recovery.
But mind you, the supplements mentioned here are only dietary tools to help you achieve your fitness goals. These supplements cannot by themselves give you the fitness gains you desire, you still have to put in the work and spend a tremendous amount of time grinding in your local gym lifting weights.
In addition to this, you still have to plan out your daily diet and nutrition in line with your training routine. So if you are ready to put in the grind, eat clean and stay committed to a regimented program, then join me on this journey of discovery of the top supplements for muscle recovery and growth.
5 Top Natural Supplements for Muscle Growth and Strength
Alright, now without taking up too much of your time, let’s get down to the crux of the matter at hand. Here are five of my top picks for the best supplements for muscle growth, performance and recovery.
#1. Protein Powder Supplements
Protein powder is an all-time classic in relation to the top muscle building supplements for men and women. As you may already know, protein in itself is essential for muscle repair and growth.
So it goes without saying that if you include a highly concentrated form of protein by way of protein powder to your daily nutrition, you will in effect boost your body’s ability to repair itself, especially after a gruelling day of intense workouts.
Protein powder will provide your muscle tissues with the C4 and C1INH protein needed to promote protein synthesis in your muscle tissues which leads to the rapid repair of microtears, quick recovery, and muscle growth.
You can take advantage of the myriad of protein powders available in the open market like casein protein and whey protein.
#2. Creatine Monohydrate Supplements
Remember when I said you need to put in the grind?
Well, in order to do so, you will need a tremendous amount of energy. While creatine monohydrate occurs naturally in your body, you can be certain that your body system can’t generate enough to sustain your daily training activities.
In its natural setting, creatine monohydrate provides the energy that your muscles require to lift weights with regularity during your strength training program.
However, as mentioned earlier, the creatine monohydrate generated by your body is usually not sufficient for your training drive and you more often than not would need to supplement on exogenous creatine monohydrate.
Do not forget that in order to build muscle mass, you will need to take progressive overloads seriously, this is where you progressively increase your weights during the course of your training.
By doing so, you allow your muscles to breakdown, repair, grow, and adapt to the stress provided by the weight class that you have progressively move onto. So if you want to enhance your overall energy, strength, power, and stamina, then creatine monohydrate supplement is a sure bet.
#3. Beta-Alanine Supplements
Have you ever experienced muscle fatigue during your lifts? Heavy lifting is one way to increase the buidl you of lactic acid in your muscle tissues which then leads to muscle fatigue.
However, you can slowdown the build up of lactic acid in your muscle tissues and significantly reduce your susceptibility to muscle fatigue with beta-alanine supplements.
Did I hear you ask – how does it work?
Well, there is a compound in your muscles that help to delay the onset of muscle fatigue by delaying lactic acid buildup. This compound is known as carnosine.
What beta-alanine supplements do is to increase the level of carnosine present in your muscle tissues. When the level of carnosine in your muscle tissues is on the high side, your overall muscle strength, energy, power and endurance will improve.
You will be able to engage in lifting heavy weight with intensity for much longer than before with more sets and reps to show for it. Indeed, beta-alanine is one of the best supplements for muscle gain and bodybuilding performance that you cannot and should not ignore.
#4. Branched-Chain Amino Acids (BCAAs) Supplements
BCAA supplements are certainly one of my favorite supplements for muscle gain and bodybuilding. These supplements are well known to promote quick muscle repair and recovery, and muscle growth.
BCAAs are also known to significantly reduce your muscles exposure to soreness and pain due to high-intensity, progressive overload weight training. BCAA supplements provide your body with three different essential amino acids vital to the quick recovery and growth of your skeletal muscles. These amino acids are valine, isoleucine and leucine.
#5. L-Glutamine Supplements
The last, but not the least of five of my best supplements for muscle growth, quick recovery, and performance gains is L-glutamine. Like BCAAs, L-glutamine offers your body an amino acid that will go a long way towards boosting your muscle recovery time while also reducing your exposure to muscle soreness during and after your strength training sessions.
Personally, I find L-glutamine supplements to be very effective during my bulking phase and I recommend it, as well as the other supplements mentioned in this article to anyone in need of a multipurpose supplement that will see their muscles and athletic performance soar quickly.
Honourable Mentions:
Now while these are five of what I consider the best supplements for muscle growth, it must be said that there are other supplements worth mentioning.
- HMB (beta-Hydroxy beta-Methylbutyrate): As a metabolite of leucine, HMB is a supplement known to promote a number of performance-related benefits including decreased muscle damage and quick muscle recovery, anf growth.
- L-Arginine Supplement: L-arginine is a supplement made up of an amino acid that promotes blood circulation to all parts of your body including your muscle tissues. This leads to increased oxygen supply to your muscles which in turn promotes greater muscle pump and growth, increased strength and stamina. In addition to this, L-arginine can help to reduce your blood pressure to within a normal range.
- Nitric Oxide Boosters: These supplements will quite literally boost your body’s production of nitric oxide which promotes increased blood circulation to your muscle tissues. Like L-arginine, nitric oxide boosters will improve your pumps and muscle growth while also promoting performance-based gains.
- Mass Gainers: With mass gainers, you have a supplement capable of boosting your macronutrient requirement. Healthy fats, carbohydrates and proteins are macronutrients that are all necessary for building and sustaining muscle growth. Mass gainers will help to supplement your daily consumption of these three macronutrients to ensure that your day to day calorie requirement is met.
Conclusion
As you can see, I don’t play around when it comes to my health and fitness program. While I spend an enormous amount of time in the gym and eat clean, health meals, I also balance your training and diet with the five natural supplements for muscle growth and strength highlighted in this post.
Now, if you want to start using supplements for your fitness journey, I suggest you take time out to discuss with an expert first. We offer free coaching on not just the training schedule that will help you achieve your fitness goals, but also the nutrition and supplementation plan that will support your strength training.
So, my advice to you is to take advantage of this free coaching with an IFBB PRO today and watch your muscle growth, recovery and athletic performance improve drastically.
