It’s not just bodybuilders and fitness fanatics who take supplements. In fact, XYZ people are deficient in various vitamins which are stopping them from XYZ. That’s why we’ve found the ones most crucial to keeping your mind and body as healthy as possible.
Gaining muscle and strength is a significant advantage of exercise. A healthy amount of muscle helps you to function at your best during exercise and in everyday life. For maximum muscle building, three major conditions must be met: eating more calories than you burn, taking more protein than you break down, and engaging in an activity regimen that is taxing to your muscles.
While it is possible to satisfy all of these requirements without using dietary supplements, certain supplements may assist you in reaching your objectives. So let’s explore the most important supplements for fitness, and why you might need them.
Our List Of Supplements For Fitness That Will Improve Your Muscle Gains
The number of supplements placed on the racks of a supplement shop might be bewildering. Some of these items’ labelling leads you to believe that you need to use pre-workout supplements, fat burners, BCAAs, and protein powders to achieve your fitness objectives.
That is why it is vital to understand which fitness supplements are genuinely worth purchasing. Even though there are many supplements for fitness that do not work, there are a few that do and have research to back them up. Use this advice the next time you’re at a supplement store looking for high-quality products.
1. Berberine
If there are high amounts of sugar in your diet, Berberine can help to reduce high blood sugar levels. In fact, one study found that 1 gram of berberine taken daily was able to reduce blood sugar levels from diabetic to normal levels.
Not only that but Berberine has also been linked to improved weight loss, lower cholesterol, and potentially lower risk of heart disease.
Of course, while using Berberine can help you become healthier, its effects are greatly improved when used alongside regular exercise. Due to the potency of Berberine, it is strongly advised that you consult a doctor before taking the supplement. This is especially important if you are already taking any other medications.
2. Beta-Alanine
Beta-Alanine is an amino acid attributed to an increase in exercise performance, and muscle mass and even reduces fatigue.
This is because Beta-Alanine is used in the body’s production of Carnosine.
There currently exists little to no scientific evidence that Beta-Alanine can be used to improve athletic performance; however, some athletes claim that consumption of Beta-Alanine has helped them more intensive exercise with greater ease.
We recommend that you do not consume high amounts of Beta-Alanine since tingling skin has been reported with excessive consumption. Moderate doses have shown no side effects. The suggested dosage for athletic use is 2.4-6.4 grams per day.
3. Creatine
Creatine is one of the most popular supplements for improving the effects of regular exercise.
Typically created naturally within your body, Creatine is responsible for both enhanced muscle gain and increased muscle strength, especially when compared to resistance training alone.
If your goal is to increase muscle mass, Creatine is potentially the best supplement for you to take.
This is because since it boosts muscle strength, you’ll be able to lift heavier weights, and consequently build more muscle mass over the same time period.
Taking Creatine supplements helps your body to create and store a high-energy molecule called ATP. It is the greater amount of ATP that lets your body perform better during exercise.
4. Magnesium
Magnesium is needed for over 300 bodily reactions and affects energy levels, bone strength, and blood sugar control to name a few.
That’s why it is essential to ensure that you’re getting enough. Commonly found in nuts, seeds, leafy greens and coffee, it shouldn’t be too difficult to get enough magnesium in your diet, especially as this is the preferred method of consuming it.
If you’re unable to consume enough magnesium naturally (daily guidelines suggest approximately 400mg for men and 310mg for women), then supplements are highly recommended.
5. Protein / Protein Powder
While this one is negligible if you’re already on a high-protein diet, it can be difficult and expensive to maintain a consistently protein-rich diet, especially if you don’t know how much to consume per day.
That’s where protein powders and supplements come in, though to take maximum benefit you should be aware of which may be best for you.
In fact, protein powders can help with more than simply improving the amount of protein in your diet. Your desired fitness goal actually determines the type of powder you should consume.
For example, Isolate helps your body to recover faster, since it contains over 90% pure protein, while glutamine is best for building muscle and should be taken after training. Alternatively, Carnitine powder is able to break down fatty acids and boosts fat loss.
6. Vitamin C
Vitamin C consumption is incredibly vital to maintaining the development, repair and continuous growth of our bodies and immune system.
It also aids the production of collagen, which is essential for keeping bones and joints strong and healthy. If you want to keep your
The reason why Vita-C rises above the other Vitamin C supplements is thanks to its liposomal delivery system.
Whereas tablets only allow a limited amount (roughly 20%) of the vitamin to be absorbed by your body, Vita-C has micro-coated the vitamin in lipids to ensure maximum vitamin absorption.
7. Vitamin D
As you may be aware, the easiest way to get Vitamin D is to simply expose your skin to sunlight.
Unfortunately, in this day and age, many people suffer from a Vitamin D deficiency – which is worrying when you consider how essential it is for the development of bones and muscles.
Governmental advice for UK citizens is to consume a 10-microgram supplement every day between October and March, due to the limited sunlight available.
If you want to make sure that your body is getting enough Vitamin D, then we recommend getting your own brand Vitamin D supplements, like these ones from Boots. There isn’t any reason why you should go for more expensive Vitamin D supplements, especially since own brand options contain the recommended dosage.
8. Vitamin K2
While Vitamin K1 is gained from leafy greens, K2 comes predominantly from animal sources, with livers holding the highest concentration. Vitamin K2 is responsible for decreasing the build-up of calcium in your blood vessels, which ultimately reduces your risk of having a stroke or developing heart disease.
Even if you don’t limit the number of animal products you consume, taking supplements for Vitamin K2 is still a good idea since it is mainly found in organ meats, which the general public does not consume. We recommend taking K2 supplements for their plethora of health benefits, including heart, dental and bone health.
The most important thing to remember is that simply taking supplements will have a limited effect on increasing your fitness unless you are also taking part in suitable and regular exercise. Since they are purely supplemental, they are designed to work in conjunction with exercise in order to improve your rate of progress.
What To Look For When Shopping For Supplements For Fitness?
When searching for supplements for fitness, you may notice that many of them have labels that include words like fat burners, BCAAs, or other sophisticated titles. Many of these labels are marketing ploys designed to entice you, and they are frequently too good to be true.
The first step is to look at the testing that a supplement firm has done on its goods. Ideally, the supplement business would provide test results demonstrating that their products are safe and correctly labelled. The second factor to consider is that the dose is based on medical research that has been published.
The Bottom Line
Supplements cannot deliver maximum muscle development if your nutrition and training regimes are inadequate. To grow muscle, you must consume enough calories and protein while also exercising, preferably with weights.
When your diet and exercise routines are in order, you may want to consider dietary supplements. Creatine and protein supplements are the most likely to be successful for muscle gain, although other supplements for fitness may be beneficial for some people.