Bodybuilding Supplements

The increasing popularity of bodybuilding, both amongst men and an increasing number of women, has given a great impetus to bodybuilding supplements in order to increase muscle size, aid in fat loss, increase strength, improve performance in sports, and also to make recovery after training or events faster. By its very definition, bodybuilding supplements implies taking something in addition, and hence does not mean that they should replace a nutritionally rich diet and exercise. However, as athletes and weight training enthusiasts who use bodybuilding supplements will tell you, they certainly do help in building muscles much faster.

Many people are under the misconception that bodybuilding supplements comprise of anabolic steroids, which some sports people use in order to boost their performance by making changes to their body’s natural hormone levels. However, the bodybuilding supplements that athletes and bodybuilders usually use do affect the natural hormone levels in the human body.

Bodybuilding supplements are also distinguished between exercise and dietary supplements. Dietary supplements like amino acids, meal replacements, and protein are used to provide the body with the essential nutrients it may not be getting enough of from food. Whereas exercise supplements are meant to increase the level of certain nutrients far beyond what a human can consume normally in order to enhance the effect when it is taken in combination with weight training. For instance, an example of an exercise supplement is creatine, which occurs naturally in the body, but is taken in much larger quantities than is normally required in order to bulk up muscles.

There are several types of bodybuilding supplements that athletes and bodybuilders use such as protein powder, prohormones, glutamine, creatine, testosterone boosters, thermogenic products, and meal replacement products. In addition, essential fatty acids and multiple mineral and vitamin products are also used. Here are a few of these bodybuilding supplements in detail:

Protein: Being an essential building block of muscle, protein is one of the most common bodybuilding supplements used by bodybuilders. It is usually taken in a powdered form, and is usually taken directly after exercising. Sometimes, it is also consumed instead of a meal. When sufficient amounts of protein are consumed regularly, muscle tissues grow and repair themselves efficiently. Apart from the powdered form, there are other types of protein supplements, such as: whey protein, which is absorbed very fast; casein protein, or milk protein; soy protein, used by vegetarians; egg white protein, which is free of lactose; and hemp seed, which is a high source of digestible protein and is also a good source of essential fatty acids.

Creatine: As has been mentioned above, creatine occurs naturally in the body, and is used for supplying muscles with short energy bursts, such as required when lifting heavy weights. Creatine supplements therefore can build muscles, making them stronger, thus enabling the user to lift much heavier weights. It is also said to improve the functioning of the brain by alleviating mental fatigue. According to some reports, creatine also causes water retention and also causes stress to the kidneys, hence, it’s best to take it under medical supervision. There are several types of creatine available, such as creatine malate, creatine ethyl ester, and creatine monohydrate.

Glutamine: Glutamine is an amino acid that occurs abundantly in the body. Glutamine supplemts are taken by bodybuilders because it is claimed that the reserves of natural glutamine gets depleted when anaerobic exercises are performed. Hence, it is thought that in bodybuilders it can lead to a deficiency of glutamine, which can lead to wasting of the muscle tissue and weakening of the immune system, therefore the requirement of glutamine supplements.

Meal Replacement Products: These are available as edible bars and drink mixes in powdered form. Bodybuilders usually use them as replacements of regular meals. They usually are low in carbs and fat and high in protein, along with minerals and vitamins.

Some of the other bodybuilding supplements used are thermogenic products, which are said to help in increasing the temperature of the body and the metabolic rate, thus increasing the rate of burning body fat. Then there are testosterone boosters and prohormones that are used to increase hormone levels, with the efficacy of their claims still not proven scientifically. In fact, some of the ingredients used in these products are banned in several countries.

Although bodybuilders and athletes who use these products, and of course their manufacturers, claim that such bodybuilding supplements help in all these claims of building muscle, burning fat, increasing hormone levels, and so on, the critics of these products are of the opinion that many of these are quite ineffective, while some may even have various harmful effects on the health. Hence, it is best to take the advice of a sports doctor before using any of these bodybuilding supplements.