If your intentions are building muscles, lifting just heavy weights will not help, it requires the support of the right nutrition to grow muscles. 

That’s where bodybuilding supplements come in. 

These supplements act as the right tool for growing muscles and support muscle hypertrophy, improve recovery times, and encourage overall strength and endurance. But the truth is, that not all supplements are created equal and give the same results. 

That’s why in this article we have created a list of the top 10 bodybuilding supplements that provide consistent support to muscle gains. So whether you are a beginner or halfway through your muscle-building journey, these essentials can speed up your journey to fitness goals.  

Type of Bodybuilding Supplements

There are a variety of muscle-building supplements, backed by science and substantial research for their effective results. These supplements are enriched with ingredients like creatine, whey protein, and BCAAs for post-workout recovery and supporting faster gains. Let’s have a look at these ingredients, one by one: 

1. Creatine

Creatine is a naturally occurring compound, containing arginine, glycine, and methionine, stored in the muscles. Generally, our body produces it in small amounts, and it serves as a fuel booster by increasing the availability of ATP. Creatine supplements are formulated to enhance the availability of creatine in the body, which significantly enhances workout outcomes. 

When creatine is consumed, it improves ATP production, providing instant energy to the body during high-intensity exercise. When your body has enough fuel as ATP, you can push through reps and lift heavier weights, resulting in muscle gains over time. Creatine also can draw water into your muscle cells making them appear fuller and pumped. Due to muscle hydration, you can feel a faster reduction in muscle fatigue which supports long-term repair and rebuilding of muscle fibers.   

When To Take Creatine?

The best time for creatine consumption is pre-workout, to make sure creatine is readily available in the muscles during heavy exercise.  

2. Branched-chain amino acid

BCAAs are branched-chain amino acids, which include leucine, isoleucine, and valine, playing a significant role in muscle gains. Our body does not produce these amino acids and therefore we need to obtain them through diet and supplementation. Amongst these three amino acids, leucine is the most powerful, which activates muscle protein synthesis and is directly involved in the muscle-building process. 

The BCAA supplement offers these three amino acids together and their combination works to reduce muscle breakdown and promote faster tissue repair. This supplement acts as a quick energy source and helps ease muscle soreness for prolonged training. Additionally, BCAAs help to lower cortisol levels which can interfere with muscle recovery. 

When To Take BCAAs?

BCAAs are perfect for consumption either before or during the exercise to provoke the muscle synthesis process and protect against muscle breakdown. BCAA supplements are especially useful for those having limited protein intake or are on restricted diets.

3. Whey Protein

Whey protein has gained the highest position in the top 10 bodybuilding supplements for all the right reasons. It is a complete protein supplement, derived from milk, and contains all the nine essential amino acids, necessary for muscle building and development. Due to its high protein content, it is useful for those having difficulty meeting their daily protein requirements from food alone.

Whether you are a beginner or training hard to bulk up, whey protein is a supplement that fits into any fitness routine. For hardcore gym trainers, who are pushing their limits, the muscles undergo micro-tears during the training, requiring prompt repair. And whey protein, filled with amino acids and branch-chain amino acids speeds up the rebuilding of muscle fibers, helping you gain muscles and strength. What’s best is whey protein supplements are available in a variety of ranges, such as Hydrolysed whey, whey concentrate, and whey isolate. For those with budget constraints whey protein concentrate or whey blends are the affordable options.

When To Take Whey Protein?

Whey protein is highly bioavailable, allowing faster and quicker absorption, especially after workouts when your body needs the protein most for recovery and growth. 

4. Glutamine

Glutamine is the most abundant protein in our body. However, during intense workouts, glutamine levels significantly drop, resulting in slower muscle recovery, increased muscle soreness, and compromised immune function. The L-glutamine supplement helps in recovering the lost glutamine, supporting the body to bounce back and perform better in future workout sessions. 

Glutamine supplements work by reducing muscle catabolism, strengthening immune functions, and promoting muscle recovery. As well as it is important for those training hard, it is equally important for those, who are new to training and are adjusting to the physical stress. For beginners, glutamine supplements help in faster muscle recovery and enhance the body’s defense system so they can push their limits and train more frequently. 

When To Take Glutamine?

You can take glutamine supplements at bedtime or post-workout to support muscle recovery and promote muscle growth. 

5. Beta-alanine

Till now we were talking about essential amino acids, but beta-alanine is one of the non-essential amino acids that plays an important role in bodybuilding. Beta alanine binds with the histidine in the body to form carnosine (carnosine is found in muscles) and delays muscle fatigue allowing you to perform longer. 

Hence, this amino acid is not involved directly in muscle building but creates the environment for effective workouts and improves endurance for long training sessions. It is especially beneficial for those involved in high-intensity training since it pushes through early fatigue, allowing you to train harder. 

When To Take Beta-alanine?

Beta-alanine comes as a standalone supplement as well as in combination with other ingredients such as creatine. You can take it before a workout or after a workout, both work fine. However, there is a loading phase for this ingredient close to 28 days that maintains the carnosine levels in the muscles and amplifies the growth. 

6. Fish oil

Fish oil is the richest source of omega-3 fatty acids that offer more than just generic health benefits. It is especially beneficial for muscle-building, and recovery, reducing muscle inflammation and preventing exercise-induced damage, encouraging muscle preservation. 

Omega-3 contains EPA and DHA where, EPA reduces inflammation in the body, allowing quick recovery after heavy workouts. DHA supports cell repair and brain function which improves focus during workouts for better outputs. Moreover, omega-3 fatty acids play an important role in promoting heart health crucial for athletic performance. 

When To Take Fish Oil?

For bodybuilding, it is best to take at least 1 capsule of fish oil every day with any meal, for quick recovery and support to lean muscle mass development. 

7. L-arginine

L-arginine is one of the amino acids that boosts nitric oxide production, essential for maintaining blood flow during workouts. Proper blood circulation is important to deliver oxygen and nutrients to the muscles involved in the workout for better performance and endurance. 

For someone who has just begun their workout routine, L arginine supplement can play a supportive role by improving workout endurance and faster recovery. It can delay fatigue so you can train longer and gain the muscles faster. 

When To Take L-arginine?

Whether you are new to the bodybuilding journey or a trained athlete, taking an L-arginine supplement before 30 minutes of a workout can help you level up your gains. 

8. Protein

Protein is the foundation of a muscle-building process and its consumption is nonnegotiable. Intake of enough protein is important to promote new muscle protein synthesis to build new muscle fibers after exercise. 

It is very much possible to meet protein requirements through whole foods, dairy, and animal products for the general population. However, when you are into muscle building, the protein requirement of the body increases which can be met through protein supplements. Protein supplements are available as whey protein, which is fast-digesting, casein protein, which is a slow-digesting protein, and plant-based protein supplements that are suitable for vegans and vegetarians. 

When To Take Protein Supplements?

Active individuals should consume around 1.4 to 2.0 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight. For example, someone with a weight of 85 kg, should consume 85 X 1.4 - 2.0 gm protein = 119 - 170 grams of protein per day. You can drink protein supplements after the workout or at night time before bed.

9. Gainer

Weight gainers are high-calorie supplements (sometimes offering almost 1000 calories). Most of the calories come from carbohydrates (75 - 300g) and fat while some amount also comes from protein (20-60g). It is specially designed for individuals with high metabolism who struggle to gain weight and muscle, even after eating large amounts of food. 

It also supports individuals who need calorie surplus during the bulking phase to support muscle growth. According to research, it is also found that a high-calorie diet can lead to improved lean mass growth. 

When To Take Gainer?

Unlike protein supplements, you can consume gainer supplements at any time of the day. You can drink it at bedtime, as a snack, or as a meal also. 

10. Multivitamin

Yes, multivitamin comes under the top 10 bodybuilding supplements. It doesn’t get you to do the heavy lifting but fills the nutritional gaps in your diet that affect the process of muscle building. The multivitamins improve energy, provide vitamins and minerals that regulate hormones, and speed up the muscle recovery process.

Nutrients in multivitamins, such as vitamin C, magnesium, or vitamin D, play an important role in strengthening the immune system, and bone health, without which it is impossible to perform intense training. 

When To Take Multivitamins?

Those who have vitamin deficiency should definitely consume multivitamins as well as athletes performing heavy workouts or recovering from injury. You can consume multivitamins with meals for better absorption. 

Closing Thoughts

Building muscles is a multi-step process. It requires good nutrition, strengthening training and support of extra nutrients. These top 10 bodybuilding supplements, involve BCAA, weight gainers, fish oil capsules, and whey protein. These supplements work alongside your workout routine to speed up muscle recovery and enhance muscle gains. 

If you have queries regarding bodybuilding supplements or which one suits your requirements, consult our health experts. Here you will get assistance from choosing the best supplement to getting the desired results from these supplements.