Are muscle building supplements any good? and what benefits would you get from using them?
This article talks about the pros and cons of taking supplements to help you decide on whether you need them.
Are protein supplements for you?
That depends on a few factors like how serious you are about building muscle and getting fit, how much free time and spare cash you have.
If you are very serious about building muscle, maybe you want to become a fitness model, bodybuilder or just wanting to pack on muscle as fast as you can.
For the quickest and best results you will need to consume plenty of protein, having high levels of protein in your body will help with workout recovery and increase muscle growth. So using muscle building supplements can help to keep those protein levels high.
If you are more casual with your training and workout goals and if you’re already eating a well balanced diet with a few good sources of protein included, then you may not need to bother with a protein supplement. You are probably already giving your body enough protein to make moderate gains.
Again if you are a casual weight trainer and you struggle to get good quality sources of protein into your everyday diet due to time restrictions or other reasons why you cannot prepare a proper meal, then they’re a great way to boost your protein levels. However supplements still shouldn’t substitute a good solid balanced meal.
Are they any good?
There are many different makes and types out there as you probably already know, you should stick to well known brands to insure a quality product. They can aid you in your muscle building goals by increasing your protein consumption. The more expensive ones should have better quality protein with a higher protein percentage per 100 grams.
A major benefit of protein supplements is that when taking one shortly after your workout,(within one hour of working out) the protein is absorbed into the body quicker in liquid form, therefore getting protein into the muscles faster at that crucial time just after your workout.
Protein Supplements VS Real Food
Tuna for example has about 26 grams of protein per 100 grams, many protein supplements have 90+ grams per 100 grams, so on the surface it appears the protein supplement is far better for muscle building. In reality the protein from the tuna is far superior and it will benefit you a great deal more, not just because of the protein quality also because of all the other vitamins and minerals included.
