The concept of perfection has reached new heights in the context of physique with the leisurely status of keeping fit long been traded away for specialized disciplines of body sculpting and physique training.

The leisure activity has evolved into a lifestyle backed by billion dollar pharmaceutical industries and a wide range of professions stemming from the simple concept of maintaining the ideal physical form.

From Taylor Lautner to Ronnie Coleman body sculpting has spread its wings far and wide in a competitive society that demands optimum standards of physical and mental wellbeing.

Supplements are almost synonymous with the concept of physical development with pharmaceutical giants pumping difficult to quantify amounts of finances into developing and marketing a range of products that range from proteins to creatine to hormone balancers.

Among the clutter that is available to the mass public it’s easy to find you investing in products that are at best useless and at worst harmful to an individual. This quick list of basic supplements is enough to fuel the newbie enthusiast and the moderate builder at a reasonable cost.
 

 

Protein Powder

Protein is the building block of muscle building and is the primary constituent of muscle tissue. The sheer range of available types of protein powders baffle even the seasoned shoppers, a few pointers to keep in mind are that primarily there are three types of protein supplements

Whey Protein - Characterized by its quick digestive property, Should be taken 30-45 minutes prior to or following a workout.

Casein Protein – Is a night time protein that takes up to 6 hours to digest.

Protein Matrixes – Are combinations of different types of protein that digest at different rates providing a long lasting supply of protein to the muscles.

Protein Mixes are the most essential out of all supplements and is seen in the emphasis given by supplement manufacturers to their protein based products. The amount of protein necessary to support muscle growth differs from individual to individual, but a rule of thumb is to calculate daily protein intake necessity as 0.5g – 0.8g per pound of body weight.

Weight Gainer Powder
 

In essence a weight gainer is a dietary supplement taken with the intention of making up for the gaps in an individual’s diet. The composition of a standard weight gainer usually involves a steady ratio of protein and carbs providing a suitable replacement for a meal depending on the serving size.

The importance of a weight gainer is felt during a muscle building phase when a caloric surplus is critical for building muscle. The weight gainer also allows for a quick convenient replacement for a mid day meal.

 

Creatine

Creatine is a controversial supplement that is still largely debated about for its strain on the kidneys. However considering that the supplement is legal universally and is administered to sports teams worldwide it’s sensible to consider Creatine as a safe supplement. Creatine primarily occurs in two variations.

 

Creatine Monohydrate

Creatine Complexes

 

Regardless of the product that you use it’s of utmost importance to increase daily water intake to ease the strain on the kidneys while also strictly adhering to the dosage recommendations. Creatine assists muscle building by breaking down into the basic energy source of muscle tissue and by increasing water retention of the muscle thus increasing overall size. An added benefit is the increments in strength users experience following Creatine supplementation.

 

 

 

Multi Vitamin

Vitamins and minerals are essential to any individual regardless of whether or not s/he is engaged in physical activity. Vitamins alleviate recovery of tissue and improve absorption of nutrients to the body. A multi vitamin capsule will go a long way in preventing exhaustion and burnouts.

Glutamine

Glutamine is one of 20 amino acids that occur in the human anatomy and is used following injury, surgery and heavy workouts as a recovery agent. Quick recovery is critical in building muscle to ensure that continuous growth is achieved in the shortest possible time and that you can hit the gym much faster following a workout.

In conclusion however no amount of supplementation will replace the value of a wholesome meal and as the name implies supplements are to be used as an additional edge to an already balanced diet. There’s no quick fix to building the ideal physique the above products will merely assist you in attaining your results sooner.

 

 

 

(By Dilshan Seneratne)