Many people like to take their creatine in a shake as it most often comes in the form of powder. You can mix the creatine powder with some skim or soy milk and even add some fresh fruit for flavor.
It is generally a good idea to have your creatine after you workout so that the glycogen in your body is replenished and recovery can be enhanced.
Glutamine
Another popular supplement among body builders is glutamine.
Glutamine is a non-essential amino acid that is produced naturally by the body. Sixty percent of glutamine is found in the skeletal muscles.
The remainder is in the lung, liver, brain, and stomach tissues.
Over 60% of our amino acids come in the form of glutamine. Under normal conditions, our body can produce more than enough.
However, during times of stress, glutamine reserves are depleted and must be replenished through supplementation. This includes stress that the body is under during periods of exercise.
If you have too little glutamine in your system, it can result in muscle loss.
This amino acid is essential to muscle building because it helps nitrogen in the body move around to where it needs to be. You have to have a positive nitrogen balance in order to gain muscle mass.
Creatine is also thought to prevent sickness, promote healing, prevent sore muscles, and speed up growth hormone production.
The typical American diet provides 3.5 to 7 grams of glutamine daily which is found in animal and plant proteins. Many people are choosing to supplement daily due to the long growing list of benefits.
Research shows levels of supplementation from 2 to 40 grams daily. Two to three grams has been found to help symptoms of queasiness.
This two to three gram dosage used post workout builds protein, repairs and builds muscle and can induce levels of growth hormone found in the body.
If you want to build a ripped body, you’ll need both creatine and glutamine alike. Again, it usually comes in powder form, so you’ll want to take it with milk or in a shake.
Protein
The importance of protein to a body builder is a no-brainer. It is the single most important nutrient in a body-building regimen.
Protein is what makes up and maintains most of the stuff in our bodies. Protein has been shown to have the best effects on the body when combined with carbohydrates.
Much of your protein will come from your diet, but if you really want to grow your body mass, increasing protein through weight gainers or protein powders is necessary.
Of course, you’ll need to be careful not to overdo it and monitor the amount of protein you are consuming.
The best type of protein supplement on the market is whey protein because it is the highest yield. Whey is the best investment because of its capacity as a post-workout recovery supplement.
This is a critical time after severe physical stress when the cells will act like a sponge and take in almost anything. The extreme hunger of the cells and the fast-acting properties of whey will make sure you use the best window for recovery to the fullest.
If not, the body will hunt the stored reserves of nutrients and when on a diet for example that will cause them to rob other muscle-tissue of glutamine.
So whey is the best protein, especially on a diet. It also supplies the most amino acids that bodybuilders use.
Its unfortunate high cost however makes me advise you to use it sparingly. Whey protein is the only choice when on a diet however.
When on low-carb diets whey can function as an alternate source of energy, sparing hard-earned muscle protein and glutamine stores within the body.
As with creatine, the best time to take your protein supplement is post-workout. As we said before, it’s good to combine your protein with some form of carbohydrate for maximum results.
Combine the powder with some eggs, low-fat milk, ice cream, and olive oil. You can also add in some fruit for flavor.
