How to Choose the Best Supplements for Your Fitness Regimen

A nutrition plan and fitness program are just the start of a successful fitness regimen. If you are planning to truly become bigger, better and leaner, you will also need a solid plan along with supplement pool. This may seem easy, but note that you should find the right supplements for you among all the hype and the bad rep. It is important not to fall for some fitness guru’s promises about miracle working products that will make your muscles grow over night. Supplements should be safe, supported by science and serve as an appropriate addition for your fitness regimen.

Know Your End Game

In order to determine which supplements you should take to support your fitness routine, you have to be sure in your goal. Do you want to gain weight? Lose weight? Build lean muscles? These are the things you should discuss about with your instructor (if you have one). The supplements should compensate for the nutrients you are not getting in a sufficient amount from your diet plan. It would be wise to consult with your physician to see if you are suffering from some condition which would make supplements dangerous for you. Before deciding, you should get informed about the most frequently used supplements and their purpose.

Creatine

According to a study published in 2003, creatine supplementation is an effective aid for exercise performance and enhanced results. One of the most frequently mentioned cons of creatine is that it increases the water weight inside the muscles. Although that is true, the story doesn’t end there. That fluid triggers a process that results in long-term muscle growth, instead of remaining a part of your muscles. Creatine is also a crucial source of muscle energy, so it is great when you need to complete more reps with a given weight. Depending on the form of supplement you are using and the advice from your trainer, you should take 1 to 5 grams before and after workout.

Whey Protein

When you are trying to build a muscle, you need to consume a lot of protein rich foods, but when that is not possible, you should complement your usual diet with supplements. Whey protein makes up 20% of milk protein. This is one of the best selling protein powders today, and there is a good reason behind it – it builds lean muscles. Besides, it is easy to digest, taking only 60 to 90 minutes to deliver amino acids to the bloodstream. It is an important supplement to take before and immediately after workouts. Pure-edge fitness supplements and many other suppliers sell it as a powder, but it can also be found in tablets. The recommended dose of whey protein is around 20 grams upon waking, within 30 minutes of your workout session and within 30 minutes after.

Casein Protein

The prevailing milk protein component is very slow-digesting. In fact, it can take seven hours for it to deliver amino acids to the muscles. Because of that, it is not recommended to take it immediately before or after a workout session. Instead, you should take it before bedtime to give it time to work. Still, you can add a small amount of casein powder to whey protein you’re taking after workouts to further increase muscle growth. You can take 20 grams of casein with post-workout whey powder, 20 grams in the evening or mix it up with Greek yogurt or low fat milk.

Fast Carbs

Carbohydrates are not necessarily a bad thing, and they are especially useful after workout for fast recovery and restoring of the muscle glycogen. The fastest way to recover is to get a dose of complex fast carb (40 to 60 grams) within 30 minutes after you are done with exercising.

Supplements are useful, but you should know that you will not get anywhere without hard work and devotion. They are just there to enhance the results of that work.