Best Supplements for Muscle Growth

When it comes to building muscle, you know that a great deal of training is on the cards, and that’s because the constant use and toning of your muscles is how they grow stronger. So training and physical exertion is the fundamental tool for building a strong body, but there are certain things that can help the process along. In this blog, as well as examining what happens when muscles are worked hard, we’ll look at the nutritional boosters that give your body that extra edge when it comes to gaining muscular strength.

Anatomy and Function

Understanding how the structure and fibres of your muscles work is helpful in learning the best way to increase their effectiveness and efficiency. Muscles consist of lots of individual fibres and inside each fibre are strands called myofibrils. The myofibrils, known as sarcomeres, consist of two different types of protein filament called actin and myosin which interact with each other, and it is this interaction which is responsible for causing your muscles to contract.

Each time you move a limb your brain fires off a signal to your muscles and this signal triggers actin and myosin filaments to slide past each other. This sliding motion causes the sarcomeres to become shorter and this is the way your muscles contract and it is this process that facilitates the working of your muscles.

How Muscle Growth Occurs

When you exercise there is a sort of chain reaction process which comprises:

1. Muscular strain
2. Muscle damage
3. Inflammatory response
4. Cell activation
5. Protein synthesis
6. Muscle recovery

The smooth running and success of this process is dependent upon a consistent level of resistance training and appropriate nutrition.

Exercise such as weightlifting or resistance training cause slight damage to muscles. This gives rise to inflammation which triggers the process of natural healing and cells known as satellite cells are activated to help repair and rebuild the damaged muscle fibres.

Your body needs protein to help with this repair process so having enough nutrients is vital. Hormones such as testosterone and growth hormones help with controlling the protein synthesis to help muscle growth. There is also a need for sufficient rest and recovery as part of the process so that your muscles can repair themselves and grow stronger.

In summary, when you work out your muscles get slightly damaged. Your body then sets to work to repair them and make them stronger and this is helped greatly if you eat properly and give your muscles time to rest. So, if you wish to build muscles and make them stronger, you need to make your workouts increasingly challenging.

The Importance of Retaining Muscle Mass

Recent research has found that retaining muscle mass is important for overall health. After thirty years of age humans begin to see a gradual loss of muscle mass which represents about 10% of body weight for each passing decade. This loss effects both physical strength and stamina. It can also result in a lowering of the metabolic rate which may lead to the development of metabolic diseases. This suggests that preserving muscle health with regular physical activity and a healthy lifestyle and diet is essential for fitness, longevity and good mobility. It is also important to maintain muscle mass to avoid such conditions as osteoporosis which can arise in many women after menopause.

It can be confusing, particularly to non-fitness fanatics, that there is a difference between physical activity and exercise. Activities which help with our overall health and longevity and which we tend to factor into our everyday life such as walking around as we visit shops, do housework and gardening, light jogging, or simply walking the dog, are excellent but do not contribute to muscle growth. Even spending time swimming or cycling are activities which help our cardiovascular health but don’t promote muscle development.

It would seem the way forward in developing and maintaining muscle mass is by incorporating some form of regular resistance training into your daily life. This means activities that bring muscle groups into play such as bodyweight movement or by performing exercises using additional weights, and these need to be carried out at least twice a week to be effective.

Dietary Tips to Help Build Muscle

If you are keen to build muscle mass and strength you need to eat more calories than you burn, but your foods need to be carefully chosen to help increase muscle rather than gain excess fat. Research suggests that your body can add approximately half a pound of muscle mass each week with a daily increase of 250 to 500 calories.

Everyone’s metabolism is different and if you tend to gain fat easily then you should keep to the lower end of the range but if you are someone who finds it hard to gain weight, you may wish to aim for the higher end. Trial and error will be necessary to find your best level.

Sports nutrition scientists recommend eating lean protein 15 to 20 minutes before, and within one hour of working out to help increase muscle mass. It’s probably most convenient to make this a protein drink or supplement rather than tucking into a lean meat meal so close to your exercise session.

Findings show that protein is not the only food group necessary for building muscle, losing fat, and getting stronger. A balanced diet is essential to provide you with the nutrients needed to keep you healthy.

Here is some advice from sports nutritionists to help you increase muscle mass:

• Eat breakfast – This will provide an instant burst of energy and sustain you until your next snack or meal. Great muscle-building foods that will not cause you to store excess fat are smoothies, cottage cheese, and omelettes.
• Eat every three hours – light, well-chosen snacks in between your three main meals each day help with gaining muscle. When you keep your food intake up it will prevent hunger because smaller meals will decrease your stomach capacity. This means you feel full more quickly, you will eliminate cravings, and your waist size will decrease.
• Include protein with each meal – Choose beef, pork, lamb, chicken, turkey, salmon, tuna, sardines, mackerel, lentils, tofu, seeds, nuts, eggs, milk, cheese, cottage cheese, quark, yogurt.
• Have some fruit and vegetables with each meal – Fruit and vegetables are nutrient dense but low calorie and high in vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and fibre to help your digestive system.
• Eat healthy fats – Because they digest slowly this food group helps you lose excess stored fat and encourages muscle mass. The kind of fats you need are found in extra virgin olive oil, oily fish, nuts, seeds, avocados.
• Drink lots of water – Working out causes water loss through perspiration and this will hinder muscle recovery. It’s important to keep well hydrated for your strength training to be effective.
• Eat carbohydrates – complex carbs are necessary for energy as well as recovery. The kind of carbs you need are brown rice, brown pasta, wholemeal bread, potatoes, quinoa, oats. Try to avoid white carbs wherever possible.
• Avoid processed foods – For best results stick to a wholefood diet and avoid factory produced items which are often packed with sugars, trans-fats, nitrates, sodium and chemicals.

Best Supplements for Muscle Growth

When considering taking supplements to help with building muscle it’s relevant to consider that achieving increased muscle mass is not only for those wishing to develop a body builder physique but it is also effective for weight loss and endurance training. Muscle growth is an important part of keeping fit and supplements can be suitable for both men and women.

Whey Protein

Possibly one of the most frequently used supplements for muscle building is whey protein. Sourced from milk, whey is rich in essential amino acids, particularly leucine which helps with muscle protein synthesis. Many studies have verified whey protein for muscle growth and the findings of a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition show that supplementing with whey protein significantly increases muscle protein synthesis compared to other protein sources.

Beta-Alanine

An amino acid which, when combined with histidine forms carnosine in the muscles. Carnosine helps to reduce a build-up of lactic acid when exercising and this helps with endurance and may help you to train for longer periods of time. It is also a good supplement for those who wish to improve muscle mass but do not wish to build muscle in the style of a body builder.

Branched-Chain Amino Acids

Commonly referred to as BCAAs, these are a group of three essential amino acids: leucine, isoleucine, and valine. The body can’t produce them itself so they must be obtained from protein foods such as meat, dairy, and legumes. These amino acids are important for protein synthesis and play a part in muscle growth. Although they are usually obtained by eating a wholefood diet which includes high quality proteins, they can also be taken in supplement form which may give extra support, particularly during intense training. A study published in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition found that BCAA supplementation reduced muscle soreness and speeded recovery after resistance exercises.

Ashwagandha

A root extract known to be an adaptogen often used for stress, anxiety and cognition. It is believed that the adaptogenic properties of Ashwagandha could a beneficial ergogenic aid as exercise strain could be viewed as a form of stress. Studies have shown that Ashwagandha can increase muscle mass and muscle strength as well as speeding up recovery.

We use KSM-66 Ashwagandha root extract in our capsules. It is the high concentration, most bioavailable, full-spectrum extract on the market.

Creatine

A compound found in small amounts in certain foods, creatine is a popular supplement if you are wishing to enhance muscle-mass. The most well researched form is creatine monohydrate which has been found to boost adenosine triphosphate (ATP) stores in muscles leading to increased strength during resistance training.

Creatine has the most positive research findings of all fitness supplements on the market and following an analysis of many studies, the International Society of Sports Nutrition stated: Creatine monohydrate is the most effective ergogenic nutritional supplement currently available to athletes with the intent of increasing high-intensity exercise capacity and lean body mass during training.

Women can particularly benefit from taking creatine as they have naturally lower stores than men which means they respond even better to supplementation and can gain much higher performance levels for this reason. In addition to the boost to performance and muscle growth, creatine also helps greatly with the symptoms of PMS, and boosts fitness during pregnancy, postpartum and menopause.

Research has shown that creatine supplementation has anti-inflammatory and anti-catabolic properties which may help with muscle and bone recovery following exercise.

Creatine has been found to increase water content in muscle cells which may assist muscle growth. It has also been noted that this supplement may increase levels of the hormones responsible for muscle growth.

Research has verified creatine to be most effective in increasing muscle mass. It has also been acknowledged to have a good safety profile.

Our Creatine Monohydrate Powder provides the following benefits for anyone engaged in high intensity and/or repetitive exercise:

• Ergogenic aid – enhances exercise performance
• Improves endurance during anaerobic exercise
• Increases lean body mass
• Improves strength
• Increases energy production
• Aids recovery
• Prevents muscle damage
• Reduces mental fatigue

Creatine can also ease the symptoms of mild to severe depression as well as enhancing the effects of antidepressant medication.

More Reading on Creatine

See our blog: Can Creatine Make You Gain Weight?

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When it comes to keeping you informed on health and nutrition, we’re here for you and aim to help where we can. If you would like to discuss any aspect of using natural supplements, or would find advice helpful, please feel free to contact us on 01297 553932.