There is no doubt that some bodybuilding supplements can help you build your body to a higher level of perfection and peak performance - if you are actively involved in the sport of bodybuilding. If you are a competitive bodybuilder, supplements are an absolute must. Getting the whole truth about what a particular bodybuilding supplement does is not so clear cut.

For any supplement to help build maximum muscle tissue requires that you put out maximum effort. You can down all of energy drinks on the market, gorge yourself on protein and carbohydrates and without a lot of work on your part, you will just get fat! No magic pill or bodybuilding supplement out of a chemical lab will change that.

Some of the muscle magazines and web sites would have you think otherwise, but they are wrong. If you take time to check, you will find that most of the mags and sites giving glowing reviews to a magic pill or formula are owned by the same people who own the pill.

So, with literally hundreds of bodybuilding supplements on the market how do you choose? It can be confusing. Just be sure that the supplements you take help you reach your bodybuilding goals. And stay away from the over-hyped miracle pill that does it all.

There are several supplements that you really do need to help build and tone your body. These are legal and affordable and without harmful side-effects:



Protein

Glutamine

Creatine

Nitric Oxide



Protein

Every bodybuilder needs to supplement with protein. It is an essential building block and helps build muscle mass that is toned and fit. Whey protein, which comes from cows milk, is an ideal source of protein. It contains little if any fat, or lactose and is delivers essential amino acids. Look for whey protein isolate which is the purest form.

Creatine

Creatine helps supply energy to the muscles. It is synthesized in the liver and is found naturally in skeletal muscles. The liver produces adequate amounts for normal activity but studies have shown that ingesting creatine does increase the amount in the muscles. Creatine not only helps in building strength and muscle mass but also increases performance by combating fatigue. If you are a competitive bodybuilder, be aware that while creatine use is not considered ‘doping’, certain forms are banned from sale in several countries.

Glutamine

L-Glutamine is an amino acid, and like creatine, it is normally produced in sufficient quantities by the body itself. However, when you place your body under stress with hard workouts, your body cannot keep up with the demand. Glutamine helps to restore your energy level and rebuild muscle tissue. It also helps to strengthen the immune system and fuel the brain. Glutamine also encourages the production of Human Growth Hormone. Many suppliers mix it with other supplements to mask the bitterness of pure glutamine.

Nitric Oxide

Nitric oxide increases the flow of blood throughout your body. This increases the supply of muscle building agents to the skeletal muscles. This can boost your overall performance and your power output. Nitric oxide is produced naturally during hard exercise and is what gives you that “pumped” feeling. Supplementing with nitric oxide can give you that “pumped” feeling without the effort of exercise, but it is a false feeling. Unless you work your muscles, they will not grow no matter what bodybuilding supplements you take.



Thanks to Gerry W Marsh for contributing this article to our Bodybuilding blog:

Good Bodybuilding Diet

There was a time when being a female bodybuilder was unheard of and certainly taboo. Unfortunately, it is still viewed as going against society norms and “unfeminine” if a female bodybuilder has a great deal of muscle. For these reasons alone, many females who may want to become bodybuilders and who may in fact have the genetics and dedication to become great bodybuilders, shun away from even trying. However, female bodybuilding came along and brought some equality in the sport among both genders.

All things being equal, a female will have significantly less muscle mass than the male. Furthermore, the manner in which the female body metabolizes differs from the manner in which males do. Female bodybuilders have to be even stricter because of their higher levels of fat and it is an equally strict and tough routine as for male bodybuilders. With women requiring more work than men in burning fat, many women use low carbohydrate diets and seek out foods that help increase metabolism to overcome some of the physiological disadvantages that females have.

Of course, the exceptional dedication, demands and commitment to the development of the physique is required by both males and females and regardless of whether a bodybuilder is male or female; they handle and work through the same physical challenges. Among recreational bodybuilders, there is a tendency for females to focus more on “toning” and shaping their bodies.

Training

Training at the competitive level between the two sexes is more similar than different. Training angles for all exercises are the same for both genders and both need the same amount of muscle contraction to stimulate muscle growth. Women bodybuilders at the competitive level tend to include more cardio and high rep training to aid them in tightening up certain areas of the body, this is more easily achieved by their male counterparts who burn the excess fat more efficiently.

Calories

A 260 pound professional male bodybuilder requires consumption of greater calories and protein than a 160 pound female bodybuilder to maintain and gain further muscle mass. The diet for both men and women still requires the necessary calories and macro/micronutrients to achieve anabolic growth, and getting proper amount rest to grow, except, the body masses involved differ, although males do have a significant advantage in making progress due to testosterone advantages.

It’s clear that you should reduce your consumption of fat in order to decrease your body fat level, because fat is a highly concentrated source of calories. There are 3500 calories in one pound of fat. That means that by reducing your food by 500 calories per day, you should lose one pound of fat per week, right.



Thanks to Paul Rodgers for contributing this article to our Bodybuilding blog:

Female Body Building Video

Can you answer Corbin’s question about Bodybuilding?:

I work out regularly and have a healthy diet but I’d like to lose more weight and increase my muscle mass as much as possible with the aide of a supplement. Any tips? Recommended supplements?

Organic Bodybuilding Supplement