Building muscles requires putting time and effort into a workout routine and being intentional with your diet. However, if you want to grow muscles faster, you might also want to use muscle-building supplements.

Contrary to what most people believe, muscle-building supplements are not meant for athletes and bodybuilders alone. In fact, anyone trying to build muscles and stay fit can derive many benefits from these products.

If you are in the market for the best muscle gain supplements to complement your workout routine, you’ve come to the right place. Let’s explore the essential supplements needed to gain muscle within the shortest time possible.

Whey Protein Supplements

Whey is a protein derived from milk, once fat and carbohydrates have been filtered out during processing. It comes in three varieties:

• Whey protein concentrate

• Whey protein hydrolysate

• Whey protein isolate

Whey protein concentrate typically undergoes basic ultrafiltration processing and only yields a protein composition of about 70-80%, with the rest being fat and carbohydrates. It is also the cheapest of the three types.

On the other hand, the production of whey protein isolate involves longer ultrafiltration and more advanced processing, such as ion-exchange chromatography and cross-flow microfiltration. As a result, it yields a higher protein composition of about 95%.

Whey protein hydrolysate undergoes the most processing out of the three types, and is, therefore, the most potent and expensive. It also has a rapid uptake rate, making it a favorite for many bodybuilders and athletes.

With that said, whey protein supplements are vital for muscle gain, since they deliver essential amino acids. These are effective muscle recovery aids and also help facilitate muscle protein synthesis.

Casein Supplements

Like whey, casein is a protein found in milk. It is also one of the commonly used proteins for muscle gain supplements.

While it contains the same essential amino acids found in whey, casein is a slow-digesting protein. As such, muscle gain supplements that contain this protein typically have a longer active period than those that are rich in whey protein.

Casein not only boosts muscle growth and delays muscle breakdown, but also aids muscle recovery and keeps you feeling full for longer. As a bonus, it contains high amounts of calcium, providing the energy needed for high-intensity and prolonged resistance training.

Creatine Supplements

Creatine is one of the most important supplements for muscle gain. While it does not provide muscle gain directly, creatine enhances endurance and performance during resistance training.

As such, since creatine pumps your muscles with high amounts of energy, taking it before workouts can help you work out for longer, thus speeding up your muscle growth rate. This supplement is available in powder form, as well as in capsules.

Caffeine Supplements

According to the National Library of Medicine, caffeine has been shown to boost endurance and performance. It also promotes the breakdown of body fat and delays the onset of muscle fatigue during resistance workouts.

Mass Gainers

Mass gainers, also known as weight gainers, are a must-have if you want to build muscles rapidly, but have a slender build and struggle to gain weight. These supplements typically contain high amounts of carbohydrates and proteins. They work by delivering a greater number of calories when compared to your regular diet, thus facilitating effortless weight gain.

Beta-alanine Supplements

Beta-alanine is an amino acid that’s commonly used in most muscle gain supplements. Unlike essential amino acids that synthesize proteins, beta-alanine stimulates the production of carnosine in the body. 

Carnosine reduces the level of lactic acid in the muscles during workouts, which delays the onset of fatigue. Consequently, using beta-alanine supplements before workouts enables you to clock in more time during resistance training, thereby facilitating rapid muscle gain.

Branched-Chain Amino Acids (BCAAs) Supplements

BCAAs are essential amino acids that help to reduce muscle breakdowns, reduce soreness, and improve muscle recovery. They are often added to protein supplements and can also be taken as a standalone supplement. Common BCAAs include:

• Isoleucine

• Valine

• Leucine

Conclusion

If you are planning to incorporate muscle gain supplements in your fitness journey, it is crucial to find the right product. Fortunately, all the supplements discussed here have proven to offer numerous benefits for people seeking to build muscle.

Whether you want to boost endurance and stamina or increase mass, investing in these top muscle-building supplements will help you power through your workout and gain muscles faster than you would with diet and exercise.