Choosing Effective Bodybuilding Supplements

When the average person thinks of bodybuilding, the dangers of anabolic steroids, muscle-bound giants (Arnold, The Hulk, and others), and the “no pain, no gain” philosophy always seem to come to mind. But anyone who wants to look trimmer and feel stronger can become a bodybuilder.

Bodybuilding is for women, too. In fact, a record number of health-conscious women are avid bodybuilders. Weight and strength training can enhance bone mass at any age, preventing osteoporosis. Exercising to build stronger muscles decreases body fat percentage at the same time, thus lowering the risk for breast cancer and heart disease.

A little-known fact about bodybuilding is that the benefits of anabolic steroids can be duplicated by using natural food supplements without life-threatening side effects. This is where people get utterly confused—and with good reason. One 53-year-old woman, very knowledgeable in diet and fitness, recently consulted me on what supplements she could take to build up her muscles for better endurance in competitive swimming. She had visited the health food store and was overwhelmed by the number of supplement choices available. What supplements do you choose and why?

While over 50 different natural supplements are advocated for bodybuilding, in practice, one has only so much time, money, and room in the stomach. This article lists the supplements I recommended for this woman. She found them extremely effective and has continued to use them on and off intensively a month or two prior to competitions.

In my experience, this is the most cost-effective list of supplements for anyone wanting to build muscle, burn fat, and enhance endurance. Yes, both men and women can take these supplements, and they are all generally regarded as safe for both sexes.

1. Whey Protein—One gram of protein per pound of lean mass or more is required daily for maximum muscle strength and growth, as well as to prevent muscle deterioration and loss of lean body mass. The highest-quality proteins, in descending order of amino acid composition, are:

• lactalbumin (from hydrolyzed whey protein concentrate)
• egg albumin (from egg white)
• meat, fish, and poultry
• casein (from milk)
• soy protein
• vegetable protein (half the muscle-building protein quality of lactalbumin)

The right kind of protein optimizes lean tissue health and mass, boosts metabolism, maximizes fat loss, minimizes recovery time and muscle soreness, boosts immune function, and helps prevent muscle and bone damage consequent to weight training.

2. Glutamine (l-glutamine)—Take 6,000–18,000 mg daily in powder or capsule form after workouts or before bed. Glutamine is the most abundant amino acid in the body and makes up more than 50% of the amino acids found in muscle cells. Glutamine enhances stamina and exercise performance. The usual aches and pains we feel after heavy exercise are significantly reduced by regular use of this supplement.

3. Arginine (l-arginine)—At 6,000–12,000 mg daily, arginine is another effective amino acid supplement for improving athletic performance of just about any kind. Arginine is an essential amino acid that works by stimulating the release of prolactin, glucagon, insulin, and growth hormone. Growth hormone helps reduce fat, improves healing, and increases muscle mass. The body uses arginine as a base for making nitric oxide, a chemical that relaxes the muscles in the walls of arteries and thereby increases blood flow and tissue oxygenation.

4. Ornithine (l-ornithine)—Take 3,000–6,000 mg daily. Like arginine, this amino acid stimulates the release of growth hormone, which increases muscle mass while decreasing the amount of body fat. Ornithine boosts the immune system and promotes healthy liver function and liver regeneration by detoxifying ammonia. Ornithine is used for bodybuilding and for improving athletic performance and wound healing.

5. Valine, Leucine, and Isoleucine—Take 1,500–6,000 mg of leucine and 800–3,000 mg of valine and isoleucine daily in divided doses. Valine, leucine, and isoleucine are usually called the branched-chain amino acids because of their common chemical structure; they make up 35% of the amino acid content of muscle. Found in proteins, they are important for mental vigor, alertness, blood sugar control, muscle coordination, muscle damage repair, and calm.

6. Creatine Monohydrate—Take 20 grams per day (or 0.3 grams per kilogram of body weight) for five days followed by a maintenance dose of 2 grams (or 0.03 grams per kilogram of body weight) daily. Creatine monohydrate has been the victim of much unwarranted criticism, moralizing, and political debate. It is not a steroid and is found normally in the body. As a supplement, it is a natural, tasteless, and safe nutrient found in animal protein (about 5 grams per kilogram of steak, salmon, tuna, lobster, or lamb).

Creatine monohydrate is especially popular with competitive bodybuilders because it can cause them to look about 5–10 pounds more muscular. This is because creatine attracts water into the muscles. This should not be confused with the bloating and fluid retention caused by allergies, congested organs, or other suboptimal states of health in which the fluid accumulation is outside the muscles. Creatine also acts as a buffer against the buildup of lactic acid and neutralizes the free radicals produced by heavy exercise. During creatine supplementation, your water intake should be at least 64 ounces per day.

For more information, see my previous blog entitled "Why Take Creatine Monohydrate?"

7. Bovine Colostrum—A special non-milk breast secretion produced by all mammalian mothers during the first 48 hours after they give birth. Bovine colostrum has health benefits for bodybuilders because it contains many muscle-building complex proteins and growth factors, including growth hormone. Colostrum contains insulin-like growth factors and insulin-like growth factor I, hormones that can improve athletic performance. The usual effective dose of colostrum is four to six 500 mg capsules twice daily on an empty stomach.

8. Chrysin—Take 500 mg twice daily. Chrysin is the chemical name for a type of isoflavone (bioflavonoid) that minimizes the conversion of testosterone to either estrogen or dihyrdotestosterone by blocking an enzyme known as aromatase. Too much estrogen can cause increased fat gain, water retention, and breast enlargement in males, while too much dihydrotestosterone can cause prostate enlargement and accelerated male pattern baldness.

Chrysin is a naturally occurring chemical extracted from a plant called Passiflora coerulea. Several studies conducted on chrysin have shown it to increase natural production and blood levels of testosterone by 30% without the usual conversion into estrogen or dihydrotestosterone.

9. Tribulus Terrestris—Take 750–1,500 mg daily in divided doses. Also known as gokhru, nature’s Viagra, and puncturevine, tribulus terrestris naturally increases luteinizing hormone, a pituitary hormone that stimulates the manufacture of testosterone. It contains diosgenin and other not-yet fully identified saponins, which are thought to be the active ingredients.

Tribulus can increase testosterone by 30% or more within five days and without any clinically proven toxic effects. Since testosterone promotes protein synthesis and positive nitrogen balance, the benefits for the bodybuilder or any athlete are muscle cell growth and increased body strength. In addition it offers faster recuperation and recovery from muscular stress. Tribulus also has a mild diuretic effect, increases muscle size and lean body mass, boosts immunity, lowers cholesterol levels, boosts libido, and enhances mood.

Each and every one of the supplements discussed here will help both men and women lose excess body fat while gaining lean body mass, provided they exercise at least one hour 4 times a week. They are all best taken before and/or after heavy exercise for several months at a time, depending on your bodybuilding goals. If you want more information about these and other supplements, see my book, Supplements for Natural Body Building (Alive Books).

Dr. Zoltan Rona