Proteins, BCAAs, and Multivitamins: The Key to Any Muscle-Building Supplement Program

So your New Year’s resolution was to hit the gym and put on some muscle. You went out and got your gym membership, new workout clothes, and all the latest accessories. You are now inside a large supplement/vitamin retail chain and completely overwhelmed by all the “miracles in a bottle” around you, wondering, “What do I need? What works? What is safe to use?” ?all this cost???” Relax, whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned pro, every muscle-building supplement program consists of three key ingredients: protein, branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs), and multivitamins.

Protein is known as “The Building Blocks of Muscle”. Every cell in the human body requires a continuous supply of protein to survive. If you are trying to build new muscle mass, you should increase your protein intake, typically consuming 1g – 1½g per pound of body weight (150lbs of body weight = 150g – 225g of protein per day). Consuming large amounts of protein through your whole food diet can be both challenging and expensive; Often the easiest way to do this is to add a protein supplement to your diet. There are many different protein supplement options on the market, but in general, whey is the most effective. The average protein supplement contains approximately 20g – 25g of protein per serving, so by adding 2 – 3 servings to your daily diet, you can effectively meet your protein needs for the day.

Branched-chain amino acids, or BCAAs, refer to three of the nine essential amino acids, leucine, isoleucine, and valine. BCAAs play a vital role in both building and repairing muscle and therefore should be consumed before and after your workout. Consuming 10g of BCAAs before a training session can give you the fuel you need to complete your workout. 10g of post-workout BCAA supplementation can help boost muscle protein synthesis and reduce muscle breakdown, leading to faster recovery.

Multivitamins consist of many very important daily nutrients that your body needs in general, but are even more important when it comes to adding muscle. It can be very challenging to keep up with all the vitamins and minerals your body needs, a good multivitamin can solve this problem, serving as a safe and cost effective platform to achieve your fitness goals. With multivitamins, I generally recommend a generic brand; They are generally less expensive and provide the same quality as high-priced brands. To ensure you are purchasing a high-quality product, always look for the USP (United States Pharmacopeia) symbol on the bottle.

Now you are ready to start. Eat healthy, supplement properly, work hard, get enough rest and you’ll be growing in no time!