The path to more muscles needs to be well planned. Building muscle works particularly well if you coordinate your exercise and nutrition program. Many athletes like to use a muscle building preparation to optimally supply themselves with vital substances or more protein. There are also special muscle building products.
Some of them make promises that cannot be kept. In some cases they can endanger health. If you choose your muscle building supplement correctly, you may be able to increase your training success.
But what is the best way to build muscle and what do you have to pay attention to when buying muscle building supplements ?
How muscle building works
Muscles are made up of many different bundles that are formed from muscle fibers. During strength training, the weights create a great deal of mechanical stress.
This results in minimal injuries and tears to the muscle fibers. This is physically noticeable through sore muscles .
The body reacts immediately and starts repairing. But that's not all. At the same time, more muscle mass is built up in the areas injured from training.
This means that the amount of muscle fibers can increase. In addition, the muscles thicken due to the retention of water, but also proteins.
During training, your body learns step by step that the stress is continually increasing. With stronger muscles he prepares for the next stress. This is exactly the effect you take advantage of with your training, which you continually increase to build muscle .
By the way, your body gains the new muscle mass from proteins, which consist of amino acids. He cannot produce some of them himself and is therefore dependent on a suitable diet.
Since this cannot always fully cover the needs, athletes and sports enthusiasts like to use nutritional supplements to optimally support muscle growth .
Building your muscle mass therefore depends not only on your training effort, but above all on a nutritional plan for building muscle that is tailored to your needs.
Proteins and the right amino acids as the basis for healthy muscle building
As a rule, a special preparation is not necessary to build average muscles. A balanced, healthy and protein-based diet is usually enough to supply the body with all nutrients, vitamins and minerals
But covering protein requirements is a challenge for some strength athletes. Because this is about defining the body and muscles .
Protein shakes are a classic dietary supplement when it comes to building muscle . They are available in different flavors, so the shakes are also suitable for a small snack and especially for strengthening after training.
Protein powder has the advantage of supplying the body directly with proteins. It is usually low in calories and gives the body the muscle building material it needs.
The basic building blocks of proteins are amino acids . The body can produce some of these itself, but the essential amino acids responsible for important functions must be supplied through food.
However, this can be a challenge, because there are a total of eight different essential amino acids , the combination of which must be precisely coordinated to achieve the desired effect.
As a rule, however, it is not possible for you to understand exactly which amino acid profile is contained in a dietary supplement or food.
The solution could then be to supply the body with a preparation that contains all the essential amino acids in a precisely coordinated concentration.
amino4u , which is available in powder form or as pellets , can help ensure that your organism receives exactly the amino acid profile that is crucial for building muscles . The preparation is designed to guarantee absorption into the blood within 23 minutes.
Keep in mind that a lack of essential amino acids could cause the body to start breaking down muscle. However, this is exactly the effect you want to avoid.
When a muscle building supplement makes sense
Strength athletes have their goal of building muscle clearly in mind. However, since not everyone's muscles build up at the same speed and the entire process requires some patience, the desire is obvious: to build muscle quickly .
Maybe you have already researched on the Internet what you take to build muscle and have come across one or two muscle building preparations .
These supplements are designed to increase muscle mass in combination with intense training.
These remedies can also be an option if you want to compensate for one or two omissions in strength training or diet.
However, keep in mind that muscle building supplements are big business. While a study at the University of Arkansas has shown that amino acids actually promote muscle growth , there are also some products on the market whose effectiveness could be judged to be inadequate.
Or where the manufacturer cannot provide evidence that muscle growth is actually specifically promoted by taking it.
Nevertheless, there are some substances that could potentially help you get closer to the desired goal of stronger muscles .
Muscle building preparation - an overview
In some situations, it may make sense to take special preparations to promote muscle growth - these are the means that have proven themselves in practice:
1. Muscle building preparation: creatine monohydrate
Creatine was first discovered in meat broth in 1832 and has enjoyed growing popularity in strength training circles for several years. The body's own substance is mainly contained in the bones, brain and heart muscles .
One kilogram of muscle contains around four grams of creatine. The substance is produced in the pancreas, liver and kidneys. Creatine is made up of the amino acids arginine, glycine and methionine. Your body produces around one to two grams of creatine per day.
To understand why creatine might help you, it's helpful to look at energy production in muscles . This occurs when the so-called adenosine triphosphate (ATP) is broken down in the muscles into adenosine diphosphate (ADP) and phosphoric acid.
After just a few seconds, the existing ATP is used up. When creatine is consumed, the body is able to produce new ATP. The result: More intensive training that specifically promotes muscle building can be possible in this way.
The body can only cover half of its daily creatine needs. Dietary intake is possible, but is often not enough for strength athletes. In order to guarantee the increased need for creatine, supplementation can therefore make sense .
The quick energy provided by creatine can not only have a supportive effect during training, but may also help with regeneration.
The Pennsylvania State University has extensively studied the effects that taking creatine can have on athletes.
2. Muscle building supplement: Beta Alanine
Beta alanine is one of the amino acids. It is a non-essential amino acid . This means: with a balanced diet, your body is able to produce its own food. For an optimal supply of beta alanine, animal proteins are recommended, especially meat.
Since athletes' goal, among other things, is to increase muscle endurance, additional supplementation with the muscle building preparation beta alanine can make sense. This is also confirmed by a meta-analysis from the University of Nottingham .
Taking beta alanine should then lead to more repetitions being possible when lifting weights. This could indirectly support muscle building .
Beta Alanine is able to increase the levels of carnosine in the body. A high level of carnosine, which is made up of the two amino acids alanine and histidine, is important for the lifespan of muscle cells and the general supply of energy.
Carnosine ensures that the production of lactic acid is reduced, which could reduce the risk of muscle fatigue.
Many athletes who want more performance like to combine creatine and beta alanine. The aim is to increase performance and at the same time support muscle recovery .
This should enable longer training and at the same time a shorter regeneration phase . In order for beta alanine to be absorbed by the body, it must be taken for a longer period of time. The first results should appear after eight to 16 weeks.
It is advisable to follow the dosage on the package. Most manufacturers of beta alanine specify a dose of three grams per day.
You should stick to this, otherwise side effects such as diarrhea cannot be ruled out. When purchasing, make sure you choose a product that is as pure as possible and has no additives.
3. Weight gainer as a muscle building preparation
If you have already dealt intensively with muscle growth , you know that you need to create a positive calorie balance of 200 to 500 calories extra per day.
Several studies have found this, with the studies from the University of New Zealand in Auckland and the California State University being among the most informative for athletes.
If you are a hardgainer, meaning you are one of those people who have a very fast metabolism and therefore find it difficult to gain weight, you should ideally eat a meal every two hours.
This is hardly manageable in normal everyday life. In this case, so-called weight gainers are ideal as muscle building preparations . These are shakes that can have 1,000 to 2,000 calories per serving.
A weight gainer consists of a precisely coordinated composition of carbohydrates and proteins. Important: If you are doing bodybuilding and are currently in the mass phase , i.e. want to gain weight, these weight gainers are also suitable for you if you are not a hard gainer.
As an amateur athlete with an average metabolism, you should keep an eye on the scales and your calorie balance - otherwise the indicator will go up too quickly.
The weight gainers available on the market are made up of 50% carbohydrates and 40% proteins. However, there are also products with a different composition.
How do you consume weight grainers?
To start with, you can use a mixing ratio that corresponds to your normal diet. Also pay attention to the fat content of a weight gainer . 100 grams of powder should not exceed the 5 gram mark.
The carbohydrates in weight gainers often consist of oat flour, which can provide you with valuable fiber. The sweetness comes from various types of sugar such as fructose or maltodextrin, which add flavor but contain few nutrients.
It is therefore recommended that you ensure sufficient intake of vital nutrients with vegetables. The protein is obtained from milk, eggs or whey. There are now also products that are suitable for vegan muscle building .
Depending on the product, the weight gainer could also have beta alanine or creatine added to it. If you plan to use the other muscle supplements for targeted building, you could kill all the birds with one stone with a shake like this.
When buying, make sure you have a sufficient amount of fiber. You can increase the calories, fats, carbohydrates and proteins if you mix the weight gainer with milk instead of water
Drink the weight gainer with breakfast, directly before or after training. If you use these products regularly, it can cost a lot of money. You can also gain mass with homemade shakes.
For this you need:
- 400 Milk - either low fat, half fat or full fat milk
- 100 grams of fine oat flakes, which you chop in a blender
- 150 grams of low-fat quark or cream quark
- an overripe banana
- 1 tbsp honey or agave syrup
- 1 tbsp almond or cashew butter
- 40 grams of protein powder
Put all the ingredients in a blender and stir the shake until frothy. Use an app to calculate calories and protein, carbohydrate and fat content.
Also think about your amino acid profile and also take a supplement like amino4U to specifically promote muscle growth .
4. Vitamins
If you are busy fine-tuning your muscles , you should also take a look at the adequate supply of vitamins.
With this list you can control what you need:
- Vitamin B1 : When vitamin B1 is lacking, your body produces more lactic acid. This can lead to exhaustion. During intensive training, make sure you eat enough meat, nuts, oatmeal and sunflower seeds.
- Vitamin B6 : The intake of protein and vitamin B6 has an interesting interaction. The more protein you consume through your diet, the higher your need for vitamin B6 will be. You can get this by eating avocados, bananas, lentils and nuts.
- Vitamin C : In addition to the positive impact on your immune system, vitamin C acts like a health police. Because it can neutralize free radicals that arise when muscle groups are under heavy strain. You can meet your needs with citrus fruits.
- Vitamin E : This vitamin could also be useful for keeping free radicals at bay. Good sources include fish, high-quality vegetable oils and whole grain products
Good to know: In principle, your vitamin requirements can be met through a balanced diet.
If you have the feeling that you are deficient in a vital substance, you should have a blood analysis carried out by your doctor. The doctor can prescribe a suitable product for you.
If you want to supply yourself with a product, you should not rely on goods from the drugstore or supermarket. In this case, look for special vitamin supplements for athletes that are tailored to strength and endurance athletes.
Muscle building supplement: Be careful before buying from the Internet
Reviews continue to appear on social media in which athletes praise the sensational effects and the best muscle building products .
The funds come from overseas and seem to far overshadow the success of domestic preparations . No wonder it can be tempting to order pills and powders online to boost your training success in the long term.
But the Federal Institutes for Risk Assessment (BfR) and Medicines and Medical Devices ( BfArM ) issue a clear warning .
Authorities' investigations have shown that some of the glossy products found online, where they are sold as dietary supplements, contain anabolic steroids .
As a rule, the doping agent is not even listed in the list of ingredients, if they are declared on the packaging at all.
Anabolic steroids
Anabolic steroids are hormones that can have various effects on the human body. If taken over a longer period of time, liver function disorders may occur and the salt balance may become unbalanced.
Anabolic steroids could also trigger or worsen acne and the administration of hormones may make behavior more aggressive.
Other side effects that have been observed with anabolic steroids include infertility, shrinkage of the testicles in men and a higher risk of prostate cancer.
In women, taking anabolic steroids can lead to masculinization. A team of researchers at New Jersey College intensively examined the effects of anabolic steroid consumption and came to the conclusion that the side effects could be significantly increased with certain hereditary factors, but also with the diet chosen.
Muscle building preparations: The situation in Germany
Germany is very strict with this muscle building supplement . Anabolic steroids are not approved to promote muscle growth or as dietary supplements.
Please keep in mind that products that you order online from outside Europe are rarely subject to quality control and are not checked by EU authorities.
Since the information leaflets are often very sparse, you only have a few opportunities to find out about the exact composition and possible risks of the ingredients.
If a muscle supplement seems opaque to you, you should therefore refrain from purchasing it.
Muscle building preparation SARM
One case that made headlines was the muscle-building drug Sarm , which was highly praised in bodybuilding circles in the United States. The abbreviation Sarm stands for selective androgen receptor modulators. The manufacturer promises to only deliver the best muscle building products .
Sarm is said to act like anabolic steroids, but does not lead to the corresponding side effects. The Food and Drug Administration, the US counterpart to the BfArM, warns urgently about Sarm.
Sarm is said to help increase an individual's risk of stroke and heart attack and contribute to liver damage.
A research team made up of scientists from various universities in the USA warned urgently against drugs like Sarm in the specialist magazine Jama. Many of these muscle building supplements contain a high concentration of hormones.
If you are thinking about buying a foreign product, you should always find out whether the authorities in the country have approved the product as a medication or dietary supplement .
If the paths are not transparent, you should stay away from such black market products for the sake of your health.
Pay attention to the right timing
The fitness market is a billion dollar business. Therefore, always carefully consider whether you really need additional products or whether a simple calorie surplus together with the intake of amino acid powder and proteins is enough for you.
The most important thing is the time of recording. Especially in the first two to three hours after training , your body is in a state in which an optimal supply of proteins, carbohydrates and nutritional supplements can be particularly profitable for building muscle.
This is made possible by a combination of carbohydrate-related insulin release and the high availability of amino acids .
When building muscle, make sure you have a consistent supply of protein, as the effect of a protein-rich meal lasts around five to six hours.
At the same time, you have the ideal intervals for your meals and the body can be permanently encouraged to build muscle mass thanks to the continuous availability of nutrients.
When taking a muscle building supplement , follow the manufacturer's recommendations.