What Are The Most Common Bodybuilding Supplements in Use Today?
Few athletes take their nutritional supplements as seriously as bodybuilders. Recognizing that you are in fact – to a high degree, at least – what you eat, bodybuilders make every effort to not only eat a well planned diet every day, but also take a number of supplements to help get an extra edge in terms of muscle growth and fat less. Ron Jonassis of VikingBodybuilding.com lists a few of the most commonly used nutritional supplements used by bodybuilders today:
- Protein Supplements. This should come as no surprise – bodybuilders have been using protein supplements on a very large scale since the seventies, and show no signs of quitting, proving that – contrary to what was believed by many in the past – protein supplements do work. Bodybuilders have been using an awful lot of different kinds of supplements over the past few decades, and only some have been kept in use – and protein supplements obviously belong in that category. The most commonly used protein supplement is still whey protein, but even some types of vegan protein (like this rice protein powder) are becoming more and more popular.
- Nitric oxide supplements. This is a fairly new kid on the block, but and enormously popular one. BSN’s N.O-Xplode is perhaps the best known product here. Nitric oxide supplements do not actually contain any nitrous oxide, but rather ingredients like the amino acid arginine, which help the body produce nitric oxide, which helps dilate blood vessels and improve blood flow, leading to fantastic pumps and often improved energy levels.
- Vitamin and Mineral Supplements. These types of supplements are considered to be important to anyone eating a modern diet, which is often woefully inadequate in many of the nutrients we need to sustain proper health. Certain specialized formulas, like Victor Conte’s ZMA, have been put together to elicit an ergogenic response (in this case boosting levels of anabolic hormones like testosterone and IGF-1).
- Creatine. Creatine supplements are heavily backed by science and proven to increase both muscle mass and strength, as well as body weight. Some 30% of users don’t respond to this form of supplementation, but for the rest of us it’s one of the most effective supplements we could ever take. Creatine comes in various forms, with Monohydrate still being the most popular one.
- Amino acid tablets. These aren’t quite as popular as they used to be, but still sell by the truckloads. Branched Chain Amino Acid tablets are the most popular.
- Essential Fatty Acids. These come in the form of fish oil or plant oil, and have both muscle building and health promoting effects. Flax seed oil and the specialized formula Udo’s Choice are the most popular plant derived EFA products, while various types of fish are being used, along with krill oil, which also contains a highly beneficial anti-oxidant.