8 BEST SUPPLEMENTS FOR MEN!!

Whey protein powder

Whey tops the list of mass-gain supplements because it’s the most crucial for pushing protein synthesis. Whey is a milk protein that has a high level of branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs, No. 4 on our list). Bottom line: Whey takes the crown because it digests fast and gets to your muscles rapidly to start building muscle. Whey also contains peptides (small proteins) that increase blood flow to the muscles. This is why we always recommend consuming whey protein immediately after training.

Casein Protein

Casein is a protein found in milk and other dairy. Due to its slow digestion rate, it’s been shown to prolong increased muscle protein synthesis (MPS) compared to whey protein.

It’s also been shown to reduce muscle protein breakdown, which is when muscle protein is broken down to be used for energy. This is important as it’ll help your body to preserve the positive muscle protein turnover required for muscle gain.

Due to this, casein has been touted as a beneficial protein to have pre-bedtime, as it’ll maintain increased protein synthesis even whilst you sleep.

Protein Blends

Protein blends are shakes which contain both whey and casein and will, in theory, give you the best of both worlds. Whey protein will provide the initial high spike in muscle protein synthesis and the casein will help to prolong this increased rate of synthesis.

In a study that looked at 10 weeks of resistance training, those who used a protein blend of casein and whey built more muscle than those only using whey protein.¹⁶

Creatine

Creatine is considered one of the best supplements available when it comes to building muscle.¹ The evidence suggests that creatine supplementation can help you gain nearly twice as much muscle mass than if you didn’t use it.

The exact mechanisms for the increase in muscle mass are unclear when using creatine, however, it’s speculated that these gains may be due to an increased capacity to perform a larger amount of high quality training.¹⁷

With full creatine stores, you will be able to push out extra reps and improve recovery between sets. In time, this will amount to more muscle gain. 

BCAA

BCAAs, also known as branch-chained amino acids, contain leucine, which acts as a ‘trigger’ to enhance muscle protein synthesis rates.

BCAAs have also been shown to ‘rescue’ a meal low in protein and provide a similar increase in muscle protein synthesis rates if taken alongside a meal low in protein.

This makes BCAAs a great option for those looking to gain muscle whilst following a vegetarian or vegan diet.

HMB

HMB, also known as beta-hydroxy-beta-methylbutyrate, is naturally produced in the body following leucine consumption. Supplementing HMB alongside resistance training has been shown to increase muscle between 0.5kg and 1kg during 3-6 weeks of training.

The current view is that HMB speeds up the muscle regeneration process following high-intensity and long-duration training and, like casein, helps to reduce muscle protein breakdown.

The effects appear to be more pronounced in those with less training experience. This is due to it taking less training to damage the muscle tissue in a way that will be noticeable with HMB supplementation.

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