If you’re interested in supplements for Bodybuilding, you will need to first identify your goals and objectives. This will help you make the most gains and avoid wasting time, effort and money. Gym enthusiasts should be aware that a supplements primarily function is to support a basic diet founded on solid nutrition. Nutrition, training and rest are the 3 vital elements for your program so choose the right items to use.

Supplement Information

Supplements are products that are taken to help individuals achieve their recommended nutrients and muscle-building elements on a daily basis. Since Bodybuilders have special requirements when it comes to protein, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals, calories etc, it might be difficult and inconvenient to eat a meal for every requirement. Supplements come in forms like tablets, capsules, powders, liquid drinks, bars and gels that can quickly be consumed any time of the day.

Another advantage of supplements for Bodybuilders is that you can get the necessary element without taking in extra calories. You can build muscle without unwanted fat. Products have various actions in the body and can be categorized according to the basic and accessory.

Basic supplements primarily help provide the necessary amounts for building muscle, while accessory supplements are intended to improve the performance of basic supplements and add more polish to physiques. Examples of basic supplements for Bodybuilders are protein powders, BCAAs and multivitamins. Examples of accessories are creatine and nitrous oxide.

Available Products

Bodybuilders need to consume at least 1 to 1.5 grams of protein for each pound of bodyweight. Some bodybuilders are not able to eat 5 or more times per day so protein supplements are a convenient way to help fill in the gaps. Protein powders and bars can be consumed as snacks or as full meal replacements. Each serving can contain around 20 to 50 grams of protein.

There are different types of protein depending on the source. Whey protein is one type that can either be a concentrate or isolate. Isolates are absorbed faster and better compared to concentrates. Casein protein is slow-digesting and ideal before going to bed. Your body will continue to build and repair muscle as you sleep, preventing any catabolic activity.

Multivitamins are vital for the body to function properly and prevent disease. Every mineral and vitamin leads to a biochemical reactions. Multivitamins are best taken in the morning after breakfast.

BCAAs or branch chain amino acids are helpful for building muscle and improving activities inside the body. The body cannot naturally create amino acids so you need to take them in an artificial form. The 9 essential amino acids are leucine, isoleucine, histidine, lysine, tryptophan, valine, methionine and phenylalanine.

More Supplements

Creatine is naturally produced in the body and provides energy for quick powerful movements. Creatine phosphate is created as well, which breaks down then restructures to create ATP, leading to more energy for longer-lasting and high intensity workouts. Creatine is important for maintaining energy as you due heavy and difficult sets. It helps you recover quickly during and after your workout.

Experts recommend that individuals should take 5 to 10 grams of creatine per day. Those over 200 pounds should take more. There are plain creatine monohydrate supplements and micronized creatine supplements. These generally serve the same function but some people may not notice any gains.

You do not need to load up oncreatine when starting; it is also advised to cycle usage every 4 to 6 weeks. Water rushes to the cells and muscles as you take the supplement. You may notice losing some weight once you stop taking creatine because of the reduced water content in muscles and cells.

Bodybuilders also take fish oil since it is a good source of omega-3 fatty acids and essential fatty acids that lower bad cholesterol and enhance muscle growth.

Other benefits include maintenance of joint flexibility, visual acuity, nerve function and brain function. These are available in pills, capsules and liquid drinks. Nitrous oxide works by providing a greater pump as blood is rushed into the muscles more effectively. The product works best when taken together with protein. There are some protein supplements that already contain nitrous oxide.

Experts say that bodybuilding is 15% exercise and 85% nutrition. Your diet is one of the core pillars of building and maintaining quality muscle. This is why you should consider all the important foods, as well as the ones that can ruin your physique and dampen progress. It is vital to rely on basic and natural foods that will yield the most productive results. The diet plan will differ depending on your actual body type.

The 3 Essential Items

1. Carbohydrates.

These are the main energy source of the body to perform various tasks, functions and activities. The pancreas releases insulin, a hormone after carbohydrates is taken in the body. Insulin is vital for Bodybuilders since it takes the carbohydrates then stores them in the muscle or as fat. Insulin takes the amino acids or protein to be sheltered within the muscle for repair and recovery. Carbs should be taken in adequate amounts, or else you risk storing a lot of fat from the surge of insulin.

Complex carbohydrates are good sources of energy and are classified into either starchy or fibrous. Starchy carbs tend to be digested very quickly, more likely being stored as fat.

Examples of complex carbohydrates are oats, wheat and brown rice. Starchy carb examples are pasta, breads and white rice. Fibrous carbohydrates include carrots, broccoli and spinach which are good for digestion. It is recommended that bBodybuilders eat about 1.5 to 3 grams of carbohydrates for each pound they weigh daily.

2. Protein.

This is the most important element for building muscle. Every tissue in the body is created from protein such as muscle, skin and hair. Protein boosts metabolism by 20% when consumed, plus creates a timed release for carbohydrates so that energy is sustained sufficiently for a variety of activities.

Experts recommend Bodybuilders to eat at least 1 to 1.5 grams of protein for each pound they weigh daily. Good protein sources should be low in fat such as tuna, selected red meats, turkey and chicken breast.

3. Good fats.

Hormones are created from fats and all cells in the human body contain fat. It is important to consume adequate amounts of healthy fats to ensure that chemical reactions and hormone production are optimal. There are 3 fat types namely saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated. Saturated fats should only be consumed in very small amounts since it can lead to heart and cardiovascular problems.

Examples are coconut oil and palm oil. Monounsaturated fats contain essential fatty acids that help lower cholesterol levels. Examples are natural peanut butter, fish oils and olive oil. Polyunsaturated fats do not affect cholesterol levels. Examples are corn oil, sunflower oil and soybean oil.

Rules to Live By

A Bodybuilders diet should comprise of small frequent meals. Calculate how much protein, carbohydrates and fats you need on a daily basis, and then spread them out evenly among the number of meals per day. Fats should comprise no more than 10% to 15% of each meal.

Ideally, meals should be eaten every 2.5 to 3 hours. Taking in small frequent meals will help your body digest food better, prevent hunger pangs, as well as boost metabolism which enhances fat burn. Large meals of 1 to 3 times a day can cause insulin spikes.

Get your nutrients and essential elements from whole solid foods. If you plan to take supplements, these should only function to fill in any lacking item to complete your recommended dietary allowance, and not as a staple meal. Take a vitamin supplement as well. Drink 8 to 12 glasses of water per day. You may store a whole gallon then consume it throughout the day.

About Calories

Determine your lean body mass with the use of a caliper or other known methods or devices. Calculate your daily base caloric intake by multiplying your lean body mass by 12. The Divide the total into the number of meals you plan to consume per day.

You can then evenly spread out the foods you have selected to ensure that you are taking equal amounts of calories per meal. Keep a log book about your diet and make the necessary changes as necessary. It is advised to cycle your calorie intake over the week or month to boost metabolism and enhance fat loss.

Advanced Bodybuilders are an elite group of individuals who have successfully overcome the odds and remained consistent in their training. At this level, almost everyone has already gained quality muscle mass, as well as lost significant amounts of body fat. Their physiques may already be close to their ultimate goals. With a little polish, time and patience, you will be a symbol of symmetry and sexuality.

The Advanced Bodybuilder

Advanced Bodybuilders are usually defined by experts as those who have already mastered both basic and complex movements. These are consistent gym enthusiasts who can easily get a feel of the muscles working. To be considered in the advanced level, you should already have known well your muscle-mind connection, levels of tolerance to stress and recovery rate.

You should be able to identify on your own if your diet is in par with your training, if you have reached a plateau or are overtraining. Others classify Bodybuilders as advanced according to the number of years they have been working out. Most will only consider you advanced if you have been working out consistently for 2 to 3 years at least.

Individuals in the advanced level are able to recover faster and will need to isolate each muscle group further to attain definition and cuts. While most beginners and intermediates aim for size, advanced Bodybuilders aim to refine the muscle mass they have gained.

The initial two phases may be referred to as bulking stages, while the advanced phase may be referred to as the cutting phase for some individuals. Advanced bodybuilding may also be the maintenance phase wherein individuals maintain the muscle size and only intend to create a more symmetrical appearance.

Mapping Your Routine

The common practice among Bodybuilders is to increase the intensity of their workouts by adding more days, more sets, more repetitions and more exercises in their routines. Natural Bodybuilders, however, may find that working out 4 to 5 days per week is sufficient, while others may benefit from a 6-day-a-week workout.

Always consider the possibility of overtraining so spread out the exercises, muscle groups and intensity levels evenly throughout the allowable days every week. Since you will be doing more sets, exercises and repetitions for each body part, you should also give enough time for these to recover.

Many trainers recommend adding 1 to 2 more exercises for a total of 4 to 5 per body part. The exercises will be comprised of 2 to 3 compound movements and 2 to 3 isolation movements. An example for quads or the thighs would be the barbell squat, leg press, barbell lunge, leg extension and hack squat.

Smaller muscle groups like the biceps, triceps and abs can be efficiently targeted with fewer sets to avoid overtraining. A total of 2 to 4 exercises for the minor groups are adequate.

Other trainers recommend changing the intensity of workouts per week to prevent overtraining. Weeks or days may be classified as light, moderate or heavy. Light days are described as lifting lighter weights or loads or reducing the number of exercises and sets. Moderate days are described as lifting fairly heavy weights, while heavy days are described as lifting up to 85% to 95% of maximum. Cycle the intensity among the given weeks or days.

More Techniques

To add intensity to your routine, you may now incorporate techniques that produce new kinds of stress to the muscles. Proper form is essential as well as maintaining the mind-muscle connection with each rep.

Make sure you extend and contract your muscles fully for optimum gains. Supersets are excellent for saving time and stressing two muscles simultaneously. More blood is pumped to the area, spurring new growth such as doing bench presses and pull-ups alternately.

Another method is doing tri-sets. These are similar to supersets but you do one exercise after another for a total of 3 sets for the same body part. An example would be doing a set of barbell curls, followed immediately by a set of preacher curls then finish off with a set of concentration curls. The approach will cause a burn like never before.

There is also the pre-exhaustion technique wherein you fatigue your target muscle group by doing one set of isolation exercise to failure, followed by one set of 10 to 12 reps of a compound exercise for the same muscle. The opposite is post-exhaustion where you first do a working set of the compound exercise, followed by an isolation movement to failure. Remember to give as little rest time as possible between exercises to maintain the pump and burn.

At this time, you should already have mastered the basic exercises and strict and proper form for consistent period of 16 to 24 weeks. There are several definitions for the intermediate Bodybuilder, but the most important thing is that you should already be prepared to take on bigger challenges and levels of stress that starters cannot tolerate. Routines will incorporate new movements that reveal more muscles.

What It Means to Be an Intermediate

Time is the first factor to consider if you have successfully moved on from beginner to intermediate level. Some experts believe that an individual should at least have worked out consistently for a minimum of 6 to 12 months before being categorized an intermediate Bodybuilder.

Others may consider an individual graduating from starter class after a period of 2 to 3 years or after 100 to 200 workout sessions. Others use particular strength levels such as being able to bench press your actual weight, curl 50% of actual weight, shoulder press 75% of actual weight, etc.

Other experts are more concerned about quality than the period of time or strength. They believe that an individual should only move on to the intermediate class after he or she has successfully improved the mind-muscle connection.

You should be able to control muscle movement accordingly by hitting the fibers specifically. You will be more prepared to do isolation movements by getting to know the feel when lifting instead of basic repetitions.

An individual’s capacity to recover should improve before taking an intermediate routine. Beginners can risk overtraining if they train muscles too often. You will know how quickly you recover by assessing your strength level when working out the same body part again.

The Routine

The intermediate phase should be a time for Bodybuilders to incorporate a number of isolation movements to better stimulate the available muscle fibers. Workouts will now consist of both compound and isolation movements.

However, intermediates should remember not to neglect the basic movements that build quality muscle mass. The compound exercises are the most ideal for gaining strength and mass since these stimulate your body to produce vast amounts of testosterone that leads to growth and development.

This is the period when you can add more weight, more sets, more exercises and incorporate machines and angular movements that hit deep-lying muscle fibers more effectively. You may even add 1 to 2 days per week depending on your activity tolerance and rate of recovery.

It is vital that you continue to prevent overtraining by limiting your workouts to no more than 45 minutes per session and no more than 4 days per week. You may now divide body parts among workout days to conserve energy and enhance recuperation. This method is called split-training.

What to Do

Start by identifying the muscle groups you’re going to target namely chest, back, shoulders, biceps, triceps, quads or thighs, hamstrings, abs and calves. Next, divide these according to the number of days per week you plan to work out. For example, for a three day a week schedule, you can assign chest and back on Monday, shoulders, biceps and triceps on Wednesday and legs and abs on Friday.

If you can recover between workouts faster, you can add more days such as working out 3 consecutive days, taking 1 to 2 days off, and then repeating the cycle again. Always listen to your body through signs like muscle fatigue, willingness to return to the gym for another workout and food cravings.

Most intermediates find it most effective to split the muscle groups over 3 days then using the 4th day to work out problem muscles a 2nd time. Some muscles tend to respond poorly except if you frequently stimulate it to new growth. You may also use the 4th day to work out minor muscles such as forearms, calves, traps, lower back and abs.

When choosing exercises, it is advised to select 1 to 2 compound movements, plus 1 isolation movement. An example for the chest would be bench press, incline dumbbell press and dumbbell flye. The compound movement will let blood flow through the entire area and related muscles, while the isolation exercise will hit the entire body part specifically, adding more definition and form.