The Only 5 Supplements You Need to Help Build Muscle

Supplement store salespeople would probably sell snake oil to their mothers.

Newsflash: most supplements are a complete waste of money. It’s an industry founded on using misleading claims to market products. These claims are often used out of context or without any real scientific evidence.

There are hundreds of brands across dozens of supplement categories.

Buying supplements can all become a bit overwhelming for somebody who doesn’t know what they are looking for.

Don’t make the mistake of taking the salesperson’s word for it, these are the only 5 supplements you need to buy to help you build muscle.

Some of these supplements are for our general health and well-being rather than directly impacting our performance in the gym. However, if we’re healthy, we can train harder and get better results. Hence why they make this list.

Spoiler alert: Testosterone Boosters, ZMA, BCAA, and Glutamine don’t make the list…

Protein powder

Protein is the supplement of choice for many athletes, gym rats and novices alike.

Why? Think of protein as the building block of muscle. It helps us recover from high-intensity exercise and grow muscle.

We get protein from food, such as meat. Food should be the source of most of our protein — but protein powders are a low-cost, well-absorbed, and convenient way to increase our protein intake. We should aim for a daily intake of protein of 1g of protein per lb of body weight (2–2.2g/kg).

A 5lb container of protein will cost you around $1 (USD) per serving (20–30 grams of protein). The convenience of adding a scoop of protein to a “shaker” of water (or milk) and quickly mixing it up and consuming is a big benefit.

Whey and Casein protein are the two most popular types of protein supplements, both made from cow's milk. Their popularity is due to their low cost, high protein quality, and generally good taste.

Whey is fast absorbing — so for in the morning or after a workout, and Casein is slow absorbing so best before bed.

“Cow milk protein is 80% casein and 20% whey protein. In your stomach, casein forms a gel and thus digests slowly. The protein in cheese is mostly casein.”

“Whey protein powder is extremely popular due to its high digestibility and well-researched benefits for both muscle gain and fat loss.”— Examine

For people who prefer dairy-free options, there are plenty of options for plant protein powders, such as pea protein. The amino acid profile isn’t quite as good in plant proteins, meaning whey is a higher quality, but it will still be sufficient for building muscle as long as you use a variety of sources of protein to ensure you consume all the essential amino acids in adequate amounts.

Read this review for a review of a variety of plant protein products.

Creatine

The most scientifically proven supplement to have a positive impact on muscle growth and improved performance in the gym is creatine.

Creatine occurs naturally in our bodies as a molecule found in our cells. It plays a crucial role in energy production, through the formation of adenosine triphosphate (ATP). ATP stores and transfers energy in our cells, but is depleted during high-intensity exercise.

Supplementation of creatine saturates our natural “phosphocreatine” stores. This increased ATP availability can delay fatigue, provide our muscles with a greater energy supply and enhance endurance.

“Creatine is among the most well-researched and effective supplements. It can help with exercise performance by rapidly producing energy during intense activity. Creatine may also provide cognitive benefits but more research is needed in that area.” — Examine

There are several forms of creatine supplements, varying in price, but we won’t get into that. All you need to know is to supplement 5 grams a day of Creatine Monohydrate, which also happens to be very cheap. Half a year’s supply should cost less than $50 (USD).

Creatine Monohydrate has been used in the majority of research that produced beneficial effects, such as improved exercise performance.

Pre-workout

Again, it’s not essential. You can still have a good workout without it, but it really helps you train with more energy, intensity, and focus to help you perform at your best in the gym for better results.

The main ingredient in pre-workout that helps us feel euphoric, hyped, and focused at the gym is caffeine. Caffeine supplementation has a fair amount of science behind its benefits as a powerful stimulant and nootropic, sensitising our neurons and enhancing mental stimulation.

Caffeine can help us push through the pain barrier for one or two extra reps, improving our physical strength and endurance.

If you’re cheap, you could take a caffeine pill for your pre-workout. It will set you back around $5-10 (USD) for 100/200 pills.

Pre-workout costs around $20–50 (USD) for 20–30 servings but comes with other beneficial ingredients such as Citrulline to improve blood flow and Beta-Alanine to reduce soreness and enhance muscular endurance. Pre-workout often contains Creatine which means you don’t have to buy it separately.

L-Citrulline is an amino acid. It is efficiently turned into L-arginine in the kidneys after supplementation, which makes it a good choice for increasing nitric oxide synthesis in the body. — Examine

Vitamin D & Multivitamin

Eat your vitamins!

This “supplement” is two products — but, I’m combining them into one. A really good multivitamin might have a suitable dose of Vitamin D. If yours doesn’t, you should consider buying it separately.

We get most of our Vitamin D from the sun. However, during winter we’re not exposed to as much sunlight. Hence, supplementation.

Vitamin D helps our body absorb calcium and phosphorus to keep on bones strong. Other benefits include increased cognition and immune health, and it could help maintain healthy levels of testosterone, which is essential to building muscle.

“Vitamin D is a fat-soluble essential vitamin that our skin synthesizes when exposed to the sun. It benefits us in many ways, from bone health to mood.” — Examine

We should be consuming micronutrients through whole foods such as fruit, vegetables, meat, dairy, or grains. These are the nutrients our bodies need such as vitamins and minerals.

The problem is, that many people don’t get the recommended levels of some vitamins, such as Iron or Calcium.

It’s not always easy to obtain these from food alone — especially if you’re on a specific diet.

Research suggests it’s especially for bodybuilders or other athletes on restrictive diets and/or in a calorie deficit, whose diets can often lack many essential nutrients.

There’s no direct scientific that taking a multivitamin WILL increase our ability to build muscle — but, to be at our best in general and optimise performance in the gym, a multivitamin supplement could be a good idea.

Fish oil

The final supplement for helping build muscle is Fish Oil.

A popular supplement for a variety of reasons, it’s not a muscle-building supplement as such. Yet, many people who exercise rigorously supplement Fish Oil because of its anti-inflammatory characteristics.

Supplementation helps keep our joints healthy, after the heavy impact of high-intensity exercise.

Containing a concentrated dose of Omega-3 Fatty Acids, Fish Oil tablets (or liquid) are far easier to digest than the amount of fatty fish required to eat for the same dosage.

The many benefits of Omega acids include reducing the triglycerides in our blood for better general health and decreasing anxiety.

Fish oil is a a source of omega-3 fatty acids. It reduces triglycerides, but does not seem to affect the rate of cardiovascular events. It seems to notably reduce the symptoms of depression and improve some painful, inflammatory conditions. — Examine

In Conclusion

This article has discussed the five supplements I think are most beneficial for helping us build muscle.

The five supplements are:

• Protein powder to repair and build stronger muscle fibre
• Creatine increases our body’s energy stores and delays fatigue
• Pre-workout to enhance focus and performance in the gym
• Vitamins for general health and wellbeing
• Fish oil for joint health

Most supplements sold to us with the promise of building muscle are a complete waste of money, with very little or no science behind them.

Don’t be fooled!

I hope you enjoyed the article and got some advice on what supplements are actually worth buying.

Thank you for reading.

If you enjoyed the content, you may be interested in this article about 6 common mistakes people make when trying to lose body fat.

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