The 3 Best Muscle Building Supplements - The Only Supplements You Need to Build Muscle Mass

When it comes to muscle growth there are three main criteria that must be met: eating more calories than you burn, consuming more protein than you break down and an exercise program that is challenging to your muscles.

It is possible to meet these criteria without taking supplements, so you must know that you don't have to buy any of them. Still, some of those supplements may help you gain muscle mass faster and easier. 

You must know one thing before you buy any dietary supplement - the vast majority of supplements do absolutely nothing. That said, not all muscle building supplements are worthless. There are some of them that are scientifically proven to help you build muscle. Of course, they can't change proper diet and training and can't give you results as fast as anabolic steroids, but they are still worth buying if you want to gain muscle mass.

In this article, I will mention only muscle building supplements and three of them that are scientifically proven that they work. Many people wasted a fortune on supplements that didn't work, so don't make the same mistake. 

1. PROTEIN SUPPLEMENTS

Your muscles need more protein than you break down and beside protein-high diet, protein supplements can be very helpful when it comes to muscle building. 

Protein supplements can make a fast and easy snack and can spare you much time. Of course, whole foods can give you all the protein that your body needs but it is faster and easier to make a protein shake. Especially after hard and intense workouts when you don't have much time before your muscle tissue starts breaking down.

The best type of protein powder is whey protein because of its fast digestion which is very important for your muscles after the workout. Casein protein is very good for consuming before bed because it digests slower and it fuels your muscles with high-quality protein while you sleep.

2. CREATINE

Creatine is a substance that naturally occurs in our muscle cells. As a supplement creatine has been popular since the 1990s and has been the subject of hundreds of studies since that time. 

Hundreds of scientific studies have proven that creatine:

- Support Muscle Growth

- Improves Muscular Strength 

- Improves Muscle Recovery 

- Improves Performance During High-Intensity Training 

The best part is that creatine does all these things naturally and safely.

Creatine can be found in many forms including monohydrate, hydrochloride, ethyl ester and others. Still, the most proven and cheapest form of creatine is Creatine Monohydrate. Even it is the cheapest one, it is probably the most effective one amongst all forms of creatine.

All of these facts are backed by research. You can check out results of some studies as a proof that creatine works:

1. Earnest, C. P., Snell, P. G., Rodriguez, R., Almada, A. L., & Mitchell, T. L. (1995). The effect of creatine monohydrate ingestion on anaerobic power indices, muscular strength and body composition.a> Acta Physiologica Scandinavica, 153(2), 207.
2. Kilduff, L. P., Pitsiladis, Y. P., Tasker, L., Attwood, J., Hyslop, P., Dailly, A., ... & Grant, S. (2003). Effects of creatine on body composition and strength gains after 4 weeks of resistance training in previously nonresistance-trained humans. International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism, 13(4), 504-520.

3. BETA-ALANINE

Beta-alanine is a naturally occurring non-essential amino acid that comes into a body through foods that are high in protein. Although it is on this list Beta-Alanine Supplements can't compete with Protein and Creatine supplements when it comes to building muscle mass. 

So why I put Beta-Alanine on this list? It has many benefits that help muscle building:

- Improves physical endurance 

- Increases effectiveness of creatine

- Delaying fatigue during intense training

Those are some of the benefits of supplementation with Beta-Alanine but it still on the 3rd place on this list for a reason. Even it can help you build muscle mass you should first have whey protein and creatine monohydrate and if you think about another supplement to break muscle plateau I recommend buying Beta-Alanine.

3 Best Full-Body Workouts to Build Muscle Mass Fast

There are plenty of training programs for muscle growth or weight loss out there. When it comes to muscle building the most effective way is to follow a full-body workout routine. If you are a beginner in lifting, full-body workouts will give you the best results in strength and muscle gains. Full-body training is the best and the fastest way to naturally build muscle mass.

Why are Full-Body Workouts the best for building muscle mass?

For decades, many bodybuilders built their muscular physiques with simple, three-day-per-week workout programs. They didn't split their training days into chest days, back days, arms days and so on. Old-school bodybuilders trained all muscle groups three times per week and they grew very big and strong.

Just look at guys like Arnold Schwarzenegger and Reg Park. Before he used steroids Arnold built his body with very popular Reg Park's 5x5 Workout Program and his own "The Golden Six" Workout. 

Full-body training gives the best stimulus to our HGH (Human Growth Hormone) and ramps up the protein synthesis. 

1. StrongLifts 5x5

Stronglifts 5x5 Workout is one of the most popular strength workouts on the web. People all over the world tried to build their body with this workout routine and some of them shared their results on Stronglifts website:

https://stronglifts.com/results/

This very popular workout program is not invented in the last few years, it is actually inspired by original Reg Park's 5x5 technique from the 1960s.

Stronglifts 5x5 is probably the simplest and most effective workout to build muscle and gain strength. For those who didn't hear about it, this workout will probably look too simple but you must know that complicated isn't always the best option.

On Stronglifts you have three training days per week and only equipment that you will need are barbell and weight plates. You will perform only 5 exercises - Squats, Bench Press, Deadlift, Overhead Press and Barbell Row. Those 5 exercises are the compound movements that are the most effective in muscle building and together they work your whole body. These 5 exercises would be performed in 5 sets of 5 reps on each training day.

The main rule of this workout is to pursue a progressive overload by adding 5lb each workout. That will trigger your body to get stronger which leads to muscle growth. The progressive overload is the most important thing in building muscle mass. Without giving your muscles a reason to grow, they will stay the same, so by increasing the weight on each workout, you are forcing your muscles to grow bigger and stronger. 

StrongLifts 5x5 Week 1
Monday - workout A	Wednesday - workout B	Friday - workout A
Squat 5x5	Squat 5x5	Squat 5x5
Bench Press 5x5	Overhead Press 5x5	Bench Press 5x5
Barbell Row 5x5	Deadlift 1x5	Barbell Row 5x5

StrongLifts 5x5 Week 2
Monday	Wednesday	Friday
Squat 5x5	Squat 5x5	Squat 5x5
Overhead Press 5x5	Bench Press 5x5	Overhead Press 5x5
Deadlift 1x5	Barbell Row 5x5	Deadlift 1x5

Read more https://stronglifts.com/5x5/

You see how simple it is? There is no simpler workout program and probably no more effective workout than this one. Try it out for 8 weeks and see will it work for you. 

2. German Volume Training

Workout routine like StrongLifts 5x5 and many other full-body workouts can give the best results to beginning lifters but GVT provides the best results in muscle gains for advanced lifters that are trying to break the muscle growth plateaus. 

German Volume Training has been used by bodybuilders, powerlifters and Olympic lifters in order to reach new training goals and pack on more muscle. It is a time-tested training system which can help you to achieve massive muscular growth.

The main principle of GVT is simple, subject your muscles with enough volume to force them to grow. 

Other basics of German Volume Training are:

• Go hard with compound movements (Bench Press, Squat, Overhead Press, Deadlift, Rows)
• Perform 10 sets of 10 reps for each primary exercise
• Do not train to failure on any of the sets
• Start with 60% of your 1 RM (rep max) and only add weight if you are able to perform 10 reps for each 10 sets
• Train the antagonistic muscle groups (Chest and Back, Biceps and Triceps, Quads and Harmstrings)
• Slow and controlled eccentric phases (3-4 seconds depending on the exercise)

The following is the sample GVT program:



Monday - Chest and Back


Bench Press - 10 sets of 10 reps
Chin Ups - 10 sets of 10 reps
Incline Flyes - 3 sets of 10-12 reps
One Arm Dumbbell Rows - 3 sets of 10-12 reps



Tuesday - Legs and Abs


Squats - 10 sets of 10 reps
Leg Curls - 10 sets of 10 reps
Weighted Sit Ups - 3 sets of 15-20 reps
Calf Raises - 3 sets of 15-20 reps



Wednesday - Rest



Thursday - Arms and Shoulders


Dips - 10 sets of 10 reps
Dumbbell Curls - 10 sets of 10 reps
Dumbbell Lateral Raises - 3 sets of 10-12 reps
Bent Over Lateral Raises - 3 sets of 10-12 reps



Friday - Rest



Saturday - Repeat the cycle starting from Day 1 (Monday)





3. Arnold's "Golden Six" Workout Routine

When you search for Arnold Schwarzenegger's workout routines on the web you can find many body part split routines but that is not how this legend of bodybuilding built his impressive physique. Before Arnie started experimenting with steroids he used only full-body workouts to build muscle mass. He was a huge fan of Reg Park and his already mentioned 5x5 workout program and later he created his own full-body workout called "The Golden Six". 



The Golden Six is a workout program that is based around six main exercises and it was often prescribed by Arnold Schwarzenegger for his clients that wanted to build muscle mass fast.



Check out the sample Golden Six Routine:


Barbell Squat - 4 sets of 10 reps
Barbell Bench Press - 3 sets of 10 reps
Chin Up - 3 sets of maximum reps
Behind The Neck Press - 4 sets of 10 reps
Barbell Curls - 3 sets of 10 reps 
Sit Ups - 3 sets of maximum reps



Perform a workout 3 times a week by using exactly these 6 exercises and these numbers of sets and reps. That is the whole schebang, much simplier than later workout routines published by Arnold. Don't forget about progressive overload so when the weight starts to become light add more weight plates. 



All these three Full-Body Workouts are good for muscle hypertrophy and you should try each of them for some amount of time. My personal recommendation for beginners is the first one, StrongLifts 5x5, but you should experiment with all three workouts.

Stimulate Muscle Growth with this Muscle Building Workout Routine

There are a lot of Workout Programs for all people that want to Gain Muscle Mass. Some of them are split routines (for example, Monday – Chest and Triceps, Tuesday – Back and Biceps, Thursday – Shoulders, Friday – Legs and Calves), and some training programs are full-body workout routines. Some bodybuilders prefer a high number of reps for better muscle pump to stimulate growth and others like to train with lower rep range (for example 6-8 reps per set).

All of these programs will give you some results and you have to decide which program will fit you most. Adapt your workout program to you. If you are a very busy man then you probably have time for only two training days for a week and you don’t have to quit training because of that, try adapting your workout program to your free time and train two times a week. 




By following the right workout routine, you can gain muscle even if you train just two or three times for a week. Also, eating 8 meals a day as many Fitness instructors advises is not necessary, I had good results in lean muscle growth with only 4 – 5 meals and 2 of that meals are consumed in shakes so I have 3 big meals and two good protein shakes for a day and all of that differs from day to day. 

The most important things for muscle gain is consuming all nutrients that are necessary for muscle growth and progressive overload to stimulate it.




You can split all nutrients into 10 small meals, or you can eat 5 bigger meals that consist of all nutrients that muscles require to grow, that doesn't make such a big difference. You will grow as long as you force your muscles to grow with progressive overload and feed them will enough calories and nutrients that your muscles need for growth.

ALSO READ:


How to Gain Muscle Mass - 5 Principles of Muscle Hypertrophy

Just focus on lifting heavy with compound movements and consume a lot of proteins, carbs, and fats, have a good night sleep and you will gain lean muscle mass. By following these tips you will gain at least one pound of lean muscle every week and that is enough. Gaining one pound of lean muscle every week will lead you to gain 4 pounds of lean muscles for a month and so on, keep calculating. 




Nobody can gain 10 pounds of lean muscle for a week or even for a month without using anabolic steroids and just by proper training and nutrition plan. So, focus on little gains every week and try to eat clean and train hard.

The Muscle Building Workout Routine:

Monday:  (Push Workout)

Exercise	Reps	Sets
Incline Bench Press	8-10	4
Military Press	8-10	4
Bench Press for Triceps	8-12	4
Dumbbell Flies	10-12	4
Dips (Chest)	12	4
Seated Shoulder Press	10-12	4
Triceps Overhead Press	10-12	4

Wednesday: (Pull Workout)

Exercise	Reps	Sets
Dead Lift	8	4
Bent-Over Row	8-12	4
Chin Up	12	4
Biceps Curls	8-12	4
Bent-Over Laterals	10-12	4
Hammer Curls	10-12	4
Lat Pulldowns on Machine	10-12	4

Friday: (Legs Workout)

Exercise	Reps	Sets
Barbell Squat	6-8	4
Dumbbell Lunges	12	4
Leg Press	12	4
Lying Leg Curls	12	3
Leg Extensions	15	3
Standing Calf Raises	12	4

This Workout Program for Mass is created as Push, Pull and Legs split and it is great for hypertrophy (muscle growth). Try this workout routine for one month and you will see results in strength and muscle mass.