The Best Supplements to Build Muscle

By Dr. Crionna Tobin, Phd, Optimum Nutrition, Head of Nutrition & Education

Key Learnings

• Why Should We Use Supplements? Convenience, filling nutritional gaps, and to address dietary restrictions.

• Protein Supplements: Whey protein, casein protein, and plant-based proteins can all form part of a successful muscle building journey.

• Factors to Consider When Choosing a Protein Supplement: The quality of the supplement, and protein content should be considered.

• The Best Protein for You: The key takeaway here is that the best protein source for muscle building depends on individual preferences and dietary needs.

• Creatine For Building Muscle: Whey protein is celebrated for its rapid absorption and high leucine content, making it an excellent choice for post-workout muscle growth.

Contents

1. Why Should We Use Supplements?
2. Protein Supplements
3. Factors to Consider When Choosing a Protein Supplement
4. The Best Protein for You:
5. Creatine For Building Muscle:

Why Should You Use Supplements?

When starting on a muscle building phase or journey, it’s essential to prioritise whole foods as the cornerstone of your nutritional strategy. However, supplements can play a role in complementing this whole food-based approach. They are particularly useful in filling nutritional gaps that might be challenging to address through diet alone, such as creatine; in situations where individuals require convenient nutrition, or when people have dietary restrictions that limit their intake of certain foods, such as dairy products. In this article, we will discuss how supplements like protein powders and creatine help you build muscle in a number of different ways.  

Protein Supplements

When it comes to building muscle, protein supplements support the repair and growth* process by providing the necessary building blocks, called amino acids.

Whey Protein

Whey protein is the powerhouse of protein supplements when it comes to supporting muscle growth for 3 main reasons.

1.     Rapid Absorption: Whey proteins are digested and absorbed quickly, making them an excellent choice for post-workout recovery.

2.     High Biological Value (BV): They boast a high BV, indicating their effectiveness in promoting muscle growth.

3.     Versatile and Convenient: They are available in various flavours and formulations, making them convenient for different dietary preferences.

 When it comes to choosing a whey protein shake there are 3 different types of whey protein supplements available; whey protein, isolates and hydrolysates. Each support the goal of muscle building to a similar extent from a physiological perspective but also have their own unique nutritional benefits, which must be considered.

However, Gold Standard 100% Whey Protein, is one of the most popular options and is known for its fast absorption rate1. It provides all of the essential amino acids to support muscle growth and repair. This makes it an ideal choice to take after your workout to support your recovery.

 Casein Protein

Another type of protein supplement is casein protein. Like whey protein, we get this from milk but the key difference Is that casein is a slow digesting protein and is ideal for providing a sustained release of amino acids, making it a great choice for night time use or when you need prolonged protein delivery. Gold Standard 100% Casein, fortified with zinc and magnesium is an excellent option to take 30 minutes before sleep for overnight muscle support and repair*.

Plant Protein

For vegetarians and vegans, getting enough high-quality protein can be a challenge, but it’s far from impossible. Vegan and plant-based protein supplements are also available for individuals who follow a vegetarian or vegan lifestyle. High quality vegan protein sources, such as ON Gold Standard 100% Plant Protein, provides all of the essential amino acids to support muscle grown and repair, when combined with an appropriate resistance training program.

Factors to Consider When Choosing Protein Supplements

When it comes to choosing the best protein supplements to build muscle, there are several factors you should consider. These factors can help you make an informed decision and ensure that you are getting the highest quality products that will support your fitness goals. Let’s take a closer look at some key factors to consider:

Quality of the Supplement: One of the most important factors to consider is the quality of the protein supplements. High-quality protein supplements will provide your body with the necessary essential amino acids.

Protein Content: Another crucial factor is the protein content and amino acid profile of the supplements. You want to choose products that contain a high protein content, with approximately 20 grams of protein recommended to stimulate the muscle building process.

The Best Protein for You

Power of Personal Preference

Discovering the best protein source to support your muscle-building goals is a personal process. Guidelines can provide valuable insights, but personal preference plays a significant role in making the right choice. The “best” protein is not only about its nutritional content but also about what suits your taste and lifestyle. Whether you opt for the rapid absorption of  Gold Standard 100 % Whey Protein, or Gold Standard 100% Plant Protein, ensuring that your protein choice aligns with your preferences can make your muscle-building journey enjoyable and sustainable. After all, the best protein for you is the one you look forward to consuming, ensuring consistent intake and greater success on your path to muscle growth. Read more about which protein from the Optimum Nutrition range may be most suitable to help you achieve your performance goals.

Weight Gainers

Weight gainers, also known as mass gainers, are supplements that are designed to help people gain weight, particularly muscle mass. For those trying to build muscle while having a highly active metabolism, a small appetite or an on-the-go lifestyle, it can be a real challenge to consume enough calories through whole foods alone. Weight gainers, such as ON Serious Mass, provide a convenient solution for these individuals, providing approximately 1267 kcal and 50g of protein per servings,  to support your muscle building efforts.

Creatine For Building Muscle

Creatine is one of the most well researched and popular supplements when it comes to muscle building. It’s a substance naturally found in food and in our muscles, where it helps produce energy during high-intensity exercise or heavy lifting3. Supplementing with 3 grams of  creatine per day, such as ON creatine monohydrate, can fill our muscles with creatine4 and improve physical performance during short-term, high intensity, repeated exercise bouts, which is reflective of a resistance exercise bout. In simple terms, it helps to improve the quality of your resistance training sessions, whether that is lifting more weight, or performing more sets and repetitions. If you want to learn more about what creatine is and what it does in the article, read more here.

Conclusion

The best protein for building muscle mass depends on your individual needs, preferences, and goals. Whether you choose whey or plant-based proteins, or a combination of them, ensuring an adequate intake of high-quality protein is essential for maximising your muscle growth potential. Your muscle-building journey is a personal one, and it should be enjoyable. Together, we can unlock your full potential and help you reach your peak performance.

*Protein supports muscle growth and maintenance in conjunction with weight resistance training.’

References

1. Kerksick, C. M., et al., (2018). ISSN exercise & sports nutrition review update: research & recommendations. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 15(1), 38.

2. Moore D.R., et al., (2009) Ingested protein dose response of muscle and albumin protein synthesis after resistance exercise  in young men. Am J ClinN utr, 89(1):161–8.

3. Kreider, R. B., et al.(2017) International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: safety and efficacy of creatine supplementation in exercise, sport, and medicine. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 14, 18.

4. Hultman, E., et al. (1996) Muscle creatine loading in men. J Appl Physiol (1985): 81(1):232–7.