Let’s Get Started…
Supplements have become a large part of the bodybuilding process. They provide us with energy, help us gain weight to convert into muscle, keep us lean, keep us strong, and so much more. It’s a sad fact, but if we configure what is left of actual bio-active nutrients in the long list of processed foods that we consume every day, we’d find that we’d need to eat a ridiculous amount of calories to take the necessary steps towards growth. This is where supplements come into play. They help us fill in the gaps. While taking supplements, we can turn our focus towards training, calories, and sleeping, rather than what we are missing.
While supplements seem to be a gift from the gods, it’s important to be aware of what you are putting into your body. In today’s market, it seems that the supplement industry is putting any substance that has even the slightest relation to muscle growth into their products. They do this whether the substance is good for our bulking process, won’t work at all, will be wasted, or go against what our bodies need. These factors make it difficult to choose the right products and many people end up wasting money or putting their health at risk.
We are talking about bulking here. These means it’s senseless to spend money on fat burners, glutamine, or HMB. Pro hormones and similar supplements are pointless as well unless you are a crazy intense body builder with 10+ years of training under your belt.
Now we’re left with one question. What should you buy?
Honestly, there’s a simple answer that’s good for your bank account. We have created a list of the best supplements for bulking and included what they are, how they work, why you need them, the recommended dosage, and the recommended timing. These supplements will not empty your wallet. They all make sense for your bulking goals and have been proven effective. Time to pack on that muscle and size! Are you ready?
Best Supplements For Bulking:
A Multivitamin
What Is It?
Having a goal and sticking to it is important, but it’s equally important to not lose sight of other things that matter. For example, multivitamins. When creating a diet that’s strictly based on gaining mass, it’s easy to lose sight of the necessary vitamins, nutrients, and minerals your body needs in order to remain healthy. Vitamin deficiencies can lead to hindered growth and get in the way of your normal body functions. Deficiencies often arise in times of bulking, which is why we made making a top notch multivitamin the first recommended supplement on our list.
We need vitamins and minerals. Minerals are building blocks that create cellular actions, build strong bones, transport nutrients and more. Vitamins provide enzyme related functions that help us digest food and protect our bodies from internal and external damage. If we don’t keep our mineral and vitamin levels at a certain level, problems can arise. We need them to maintain good health and keep our bodies functioning properly so that we can achieve our bulking goals!
Our bodies know what they need. The best multivitamins contain at least 100% of the FDA minimum necessary daily amounts to keep us deficiency free. Our bodies handle these vitamins and minerals differently, depending on what they need. For example, large amounts of calcium can affect the way our stomachs absorb magnesium, zinc, and iron. Our bodies love calcium because we need it to remain healthy, but if there is a deficiency with one of the other mentioned vitamins, our bodies will make up for it and get more.
Why You Need It:
The human body just loves multivitamins. We eat them up! Just about everyone should be taking them, but if you’re looking to bulk up, you need them even more. A proper multivitamin will handle all of the categories you’re not focusing on!
Dosage:
One pill with 100% of the daily recommended vitamin dosage.
Timing:
Should be taken once a day. Timing is not a big deal but most people take them in the morning, after breakfast, to avoid a deficiency throughout the day.
A Weight Gainer
What Is It?
This one seems pretty straight forward, right? You’re looking to bulk up. This means you need to gain some weight with a weight gainer! Packing on the calories is one of the most important steps in the bulking process. This can be difficult to do strictly through your diet, which is why a weight gaining supplement is on our list.
These weight gainer supplements typically range from 3000 to 6000 calories and allow you to intake some serious extra calories without feeling like you’re going to explode. They are typically casein or whey based and come in powder form. They are easy to prepare because they are simply mixed with water or milk and they provide a hearty helping of fat, extra vitamins, and extra minerals.
Why You Need It:
Bulking up through your diet alone is nearly impossible. Preparing 8 nutrient packed meals a day is basically the only way to bulk up without supplementing. Who’s got time for that? No one! Going back and forth to the grocery store all the time can get pricey too! This is why you need a weight gainer.
Dosage:
3000 to 6000 calories each day is the typical dosage.
Timing:
Most effective when used as a post-workout meal or a pre-bed meal. Could be used as a meal during the day if crunched for time!
Vitamin B-Complex
What Is It?
There are many B-vitamins and all of them have helpful anabolic properties. They are all commonly used in supplementation and it’s very clear why. Many people spend too much money trying to specifically choose the right B-vitamins so that they can take them separately. The trick is to buy a B-complex!
A B-complex combines all of the B-vitamins in optimal doses. Taking this supplement helps to harness the way B-vitamins work in our bodies. This means better digestion, better absorption of carbs, protein, and fat, and become helpful enzymes that are used in bodily functions.
Also, you can’t overdose on these! They are water soluble and are dismissed by our bodies if we consume too much.
Why You Need It:
B-vitamins work in the stomach by releasing and controlling gastric juice and helping to absorb and digest nutrients. Both of these factors contribute to helping us get more out of the food we consume. B-vitamins also have individuals benefits! For example, B6 is a liver protector, B9 absorbs things in the cells, and B12 promotes energy. A B-complex supplement is the perfect tool for bulking.
Dosage:
One serving of 50-100 milligrams of all B-vitamins.
Timing:
These are best when taken with a meal but not along with a multivitamin. One serving immediately after a meal will give the best results.
Desiccated Liver
What Is It?
Desiccated liver has been around since the 1950s. Vince Gironda, the late Iron Guru, saw how much liver can change bodybuilders’ lives. It’s a great source of amino acids, rich in vitamins (specifically B-complex), a potent source of iron, and is great for people on high calcium diets. Typically while people are bulking, they consume a crazy amount of calcium. There is a liver protective enzyme found in desiccated liver called P450, which is why it’s great for people looking to bulk up. The supplement also has a water retaining effect which allows more nutrients to be stored and then used in the body.
Why You Need It:
Desiccated liver works by delivering high amounts of amino acids, P450, and B-complex vitamins to help you store the proper nutrients, retain weight, and ultimately reach your bulking goals. Not a bad deal, right? Exactly. This is why persons looking to bulk needs desiccated liver in their diet.
Dosage:
Desiccated liver is most frequently measured in grains. It’s important to find a supplement that marks the contents of each pill in grains, which allows you to know how many grains per gram. The most common dosage is 30 grains per tablet. It’s recommended to take 3 of these tablets each day.
Timing:
For optimal nitrogen retention, it’s best to take the supplement with or between meals. Doses and timing can both be bumped up as you continue to take the supplement and feel results.
Vitamin C
What Is It?
The most useful benefit of vitamin C during bulking is its effect on muscle protein. Vitamin C does this by rendering tyrosine inactive and not allowing a conversion to catecholamines. These have a terrible effect on muscle protein. Aside from this, vitamin C also has a long list of anabolic benefits that ultimately produce more energy, more power, and more mass. Vitamin C is also known to be a healing supplement. It has been known as a common cure for conditions ranging from cancer to a simple cold. It is an extremely powerful antioxidant that, in our opinion, should be given much more credit. There is no other supplement that can be so protective and anabolic at the same time!
Why You Need It:
Vitamin C is necessary for the proper development of cells, healthy calcium absorption, tissue growth and repair, preventive blood clotting, and more. So basically, you have every reason to take a vitamin C supplement if you care about your body .
Dosage:
The recommended dosage is 1 to 3 grams daily. 3 grams is considered pretty high so we don’t recommend this unless you are taking your bodybuilding and bulking very seriously. 1500 milligrams is a fair dosage to start with.
Timing:
Vitamin C should be taken throughout the day in 2 to 3 doses. They should be spread out evenly. Be sure to take one of the doses after your workout.
Essential Fatty Acids (EFA’s)
What Is It?
Essential fatty acids, or EFA’s, are components of clean fats. These are poly-unsatured fats and we need them in our diets. They are actually considered a vitamin, known as vitamin F, and according to the FDA, they should be about 10-20% of our diets. The thing is…most people don’t even get 5% in their diets.
Fats help to digest protein. When you are consuming large amounts of protein at once, which is what you do during bulking, fats are necessary in order to properly digest what you’re consuming. Fats are stored inside our bodies as cholesterol which is why the steroid hormones, vitamin D and male sex hormone testosterone exist and why they are so crucial to bodybuilders. Also, even though fats have a high calorie count, they are a great assistant for body fat burning. Consuming more fat than carbs teaches the body to burn fat as fuel, thus increasing the chance of adipose tissue being burned in times of catabolism instead of muscle protein. We need muscle protein to bulk up!
Also, taking EFA’s can set aside any carb cravings during working out and dieting. Diets high in fats help you achieve a level of satiety sooner, which means no cheating! This is always a plus.
One more thing. Fats are mostly all stored in the skin and have a large effect on the health of skin, hair, and nails. This is why it’s so wonderful that EFA’s are responsible for transporting fat soluble vitamins such as vitamins A, D, E, and K within the body fat.
Why You Need It:
We’ve pretty much covered every reason why essential fatty acids are so crucial during a bulking period. If you need any more reasons, you should have no trouble finding them. We love EFA’s.
Dosage:
Pills are not the best way to consume EFA’s. Using a healthy, fresh source of the supplement is the best way to get results. A bottle of bio-grade flax, canola oil, olive oil, safflower oil, or sunflower seed oil will do the trick. It’s important to take several tablespoons each day. The most common dosage is 2 tablespoons, three times a day.
Timing:
It’s best to consume EFA’s daily with food or before working out. It can be taken before or after the meal, unless you’re daring enough to mix it in with your meal. Your choice.
ZMA
What Is It?
The mineral formula ZMA is blowing everyone’s minds. It contains zinc and magnesium, two minerals that surprisingly enough, just about every athlete is deprived of. There are many reasons why athletes are ZMA deficient. Calcium is one of the main reasons. Athletes consume a lot of calcium, but calcium is a mineral that blocks the upkeep of zinc in our bodies. Scientists have bonded zinc with an amino acids methionine and aspartate. Bonding these together in supplement form facilitates the absorption and helps the minerals with their intended functions. These functions include improving recovery time and raising natural hormonal levels in our bodies.
Methionine is necessary to get zinc out of the blood and into the cells. This creates an absorption system right away which raises the accuracy and efficiency. Methionine is also effective because it frees and uses cholesterol to provide the zinc with enough raw material to produce more testosterone. Interesting fact! With ZMA, testosterone levels increased by almost 100% overnight.
Methionine is one of the amino acids used to create creatine. If you’re looking to bulk, you know creatine. Magnesium is in there because it promotes muscle synthesis and fatty acids, which are needed to transport fat soluble vitamins in order to create cholesterol. Magnesium makes more blood cells, creates ATP, and is crucial for every athlete.
Oh! It also secretes insulin, controls adipose storage, and acts as an enzyme in a long list of bodily functions.
Why You Need It:
When bulking, it’s important to make sure you’re not damaging your body. ZMA allows you to recovery quickly and effectively so that not only are you ready for another workout once morning rolls around, you’re improving the overall strength of your body. It also keeps your internal levels in check, which is one less thing to worry about during a bulking period. Many bodybuilders eat a ridiculous amount of calcium while bulking. Help your body handle that the safe way with ZMA.
Dosage:
One single dose of ZMA should be 30 milligrams of zinc monomethionine aspartate, 450 milligrams of magnesium aspartate and 10.5 milligrams of pyridoxine.
Timing:
ZMA is the most beneficial when taken at night because zinc tends to make you sleepy. It also promotes the quality of sleep. The nightly dose should be taken about half an hour before bedtime on an empty stomach and without any calcium.
Creatine
What Is It?
Creatine is an all natural compound that can regenerate ATP stores in the body. ATP, which stands for adenosine tri-phosphate, is the main source of energy currency in the body. When short term anaerobic energy is produced, the ATP splits into ADP, (adenosine-diphosphate) as well as an extra phosphate ion. Creatine can recycle the ADP into ATP again. This allows a short burst of energy that can increase strength levels up to at least 20%.
Creatine also retains water. This means that for every bit of creatine stored in your cells, a hefty amount of water is also stored. This temporary increase is great because the stored water also attracts more nutrients in the cells which can lead to long term muscle growth.
Why You Need It:
So what we’re saying here is if you’re looking to bulk up, creatine is always a good idea. You need creatine while bulking because it promotes energy, increases strength, increases your size, and draws more nutrients to your cells.
Dosage:
When looking to buy a creatine supplement, it’s important to really read the label. Many of the supplements on the market contain a lot of sugar. No one loses weight by increasing their sugar intake. It’s important to find a highly reviewed and micronized brand that offers top quality creatine monohydrate.
It’s best to slowly increase the amount of creatine you consume when first starting out. Doing so will saturate the areas surrounding the cells and allow more to be absorbed during homeostasis. Also, in the first few days, much more is absorbed. For fast gains, experts recommend you load with 3 doses of 7 grams evenly spread out for 5 full days. After these 5 days, creatine should be taken in 2 daily doses of 5 grams for 6-10 weeks. This should be followed by a 4 week break to give the receptors a chance to upgrade again. This might sound a little confusing, but creatine can be a great way to bulk when taken properly!
Timing:
As discussed above, creatine is taken throughout the day. Aside from that, the last dose of creatine should be taken immediately after a workout and a post workout shake should be taken half an hour later.
Amino Acid Formulas
What Is It?
Amino acid supplementing has been popular in the bodybuilding and bulking world for awhile now. Dietary proteins contain a lot of different amino and metabolites, but they’re not always in the ratios bodybuilders prefer or need. This is why supplementing with amino acids is so common!
While we can find amino acids in our dietary proteins, amino acids supplements are much better. Not only are they a set dose that you can control, they’re extra absorbable, digestion free, and free form. Amino acids will reconnect and form tissue proteins, thus creating new tissue, including muscles. This is key because muscles will be the first target after a strenuous workout breaks them down. For people who struggling with maintaining a proper diet, amino acids are crucial.
Why You Need It:
Amino acids are the building blocks of all tissues. It’s extremely important to get a complete formula of amino acids to help you get the essentials. These in turn will synergistically increase the effects of non-essentials as well. When is that ever a bad thing?
Dosage:
Amino acids come in many different forms but the liquid forms are usually the best bet because of the amount you need in order to bulk. For people who prefer short and intense sessions, 5-15 grams is recommended. If you prefer long sessions and a good amount of cardio or you play a lot of sports, 10-20 grams is recommended to promote recovery.
Timing:
It’s best to consume a couple grams of amino acid formula before or after workout sessions to boost recovery times and and avoid any possible deficiencies. If you prefer short and intense sessions, take your supplement with your post workout meal. If you prefer long sessions, take your supplement half an hour before you work out or during your workout.
BCAA’s
What Is It?
BCAA’s or branched chain amino acids are most commonly known for their anabolic and anti-catabolic properties. The three similar amino acids the term refers to are – Leucine, Isoleucine, and Valine. Muscles cannot grow without protein and proteins consist of 20 different amino acids. Each amino acid has different effect on our bodies and we focus on each one for different reasons. Leucine, isoleucine, and valine are the amino acids associated with BCAA that help us increase muscle growth and delay fatigue, as well as a few other benefits. Isoleucine is used for increasing glucose levels in the cells. Leucine is used to improve muscle protein synthesis. Valine necessary for protein intake and is crucial for health and growth.
Why You Need It:
BCAA’s can be found in any foods that contain protein such as eggs and meat. However, supplements are created to give us the extra push we need. BCAA’s are important for anyone bulking. They are crucial for lovers of strict workouts and muscle mass gains.
Dosage:
Many doctors say that BCAA dosages are based upon workout goals as well as diet. Some people decide to intake the different BCAA’s separately. However, a dosage of 20 grams of combined BCAA, with a balanced ratio of leucine and isoleucine is recommended. BCAA supplements are consumed in either pill or powder form. The powder is mixed with a liquid.
Timing:
Taking BCAA before and during a workout will give you the best possible results. This is because BCAA enters the body much faster than any other amino acids. They actually account for 90% of the sum amino acid intake within the three hours post meal time. The supplements should be taken within 30 to 60 minutes after an intense workout. This will help with muscle regeneration as well as create premium anabolic conditions.
Conclusion:
We strongly believe in all of these supplements when it comes to bulking. Bulking isn’t just a single step process. To do it right, many factors must be considered.
How can you work out every day if you don’t have an energy?
How can you only rely on your diet when there’s going to be voids in it no matter what?
How can you drastically increase your calorie intake and not consider its long term effects on your body?
How can you stick to a workout regime if you have no strength?
How can you continue on if your muscles aren’t recovering?
How can you bulk up and remain healthy if you’re not even considering normal every day vitamin deficiencies?
All of these questions are answered with the correct supplements for bulking. It’s that simple.
Sources:
bodybuilding.com
muscleandfitness.com
strongsupplements.com
jackedfactory.com
myprotein.com
