Best 5 Supplements For Weight Loss And Muscle Gain
If you’re trying to lose weight, and also happen to exercise regularly, then you want to make sure you’re getting the most out of it. Essentially, when you gain muscle you naturally burn fat in your body first. Your muscles require more work from your metabolism to burn than fat which causes your body to burn fat to sustain itself. Muscle gain, therefore, corresponds directly with fat loss, helping you lose weight while acquiring a muscular physique in the process.
To help you on that journey, you can consider taking supplements. These supplements will not only help build your muscles, which will, in turn, burn fat but will also give you the energy boost you need to perform your exercise routines to the highest level.
There definitely are a lot of different supplements out there that you could try. In fact, there are so many that it’s easy to feel overwhelmed with all the available options. To help you choose, we did the research and put together this list of the 6 best supplements for weight loss and muscle gain on the market.
1. Creatine
Creatine is naturally produced in the body and is the protein that provides energy to different tissues in your body, especially muscle. When you include it in your diet as a supplement, it can boost energy production in the body by 40%. This will make your muscle cells even more energetic during exercise by enhancing muscle recovery as well as muscle gain.
If you’re looking to gain muscle, creatine is a great choice. Since it makes your muscles stronger, it will give you the ability to do more exercise than you would normally. This is turn will help you obtain greater muscle gains than you would without the help of supplements. Since creatine provides all of these amazing benefits we have also put it in our best supplement stack for weight loss list and our best preworkout for weight loss list.
Creatine also increases the water in your muscle cells, making them swell a little more than normal. This causes your muscles to look larger and firmer than they normally do. Another major advantage of creatine is that it reduces the breakdown rate of protein in your muscles, while also increasing the levels of hormones that assist in muscle growth.
Since creatine has been studied extensively it has a good safety profile and can be taken without the fear of adverse side effects. However, we still recommend that you consult your doctor before you start taking this supplement if you have any moderate or serious health conditions.
Optimum Nutrition Micronized Creatine Capsules
Our Top Recommended Creatine Supplement
About
- 2.5g pure creatine monohydrate per serving.
- Supports muscle size, strength, and power when combined with high intensity activities.
- Convenient capsules 2 cap serving size makes taking creatine quick and easy without the need to mix a powder into a liquid.
2. General Protein Supplements
If you want to lose weight and gain muscle, you need to ramp up the amount of protein in your body while reducing the amount of fat. In fact, when it comes to muscle gain protein is critical and cannot be ignored. If you want to gain a substantial amount of muscle, you need to consume more protein than is broken down naturally by your body. Couple this with a reduction in sugar and carbohydrate consumption and you will also lose weight in the process.
You maybe be able to get all your protein requirements from natural foods rich in protein, but the reality is that most people struggle with this. Not everyone finds it easy to watch what they eat, and even when they do, it’s hard to find foods that have the nutrients that they need and this is where protein supplements come in.
There are lots of protein supplements on the market, including whey protein and casein. Others include protein isolated from specific sources, such as chicken, beef, or eggs.
While you’re advised to eat more and exercise in order to gain muscle, this won’t necessarily work when you’re trying to lose weight. Eating more carbs is certainly going to make your weight loss journey longer than it has to be. Eating more protein will not only lead to more muscle gain but having a deficit of carbs will definitely help you lose weight and cut faster.
Gold Standard Whey Protein Powder
Our Top Recommended Protein Powder Supplement
About
- 24g blended protein consisting of whey protein isolate, whey protein concentrate, and whey peptides to support lean muscle mass.
- Help build lean and strong muscles with naturally occurring BCAAs.
- 3-4G CARBS, 1-3G SUGAR, AND 1-1.5G FAT, GLUTEN FREE
3. Beta-Alanine
Beta-Alanine is an important amino-acid that reduces fatigue in the muscle cells. As such, it can significantly boost exercise performance by making it harder for you to get tired. When you’re following an exercise program, beta-alanine can also help you to gain muscle.
Studies have shown that just 4 grams of beta-alanine a day taken for 8 weeks can increase your lean muscle mass significantly, provided you are on a consistent resistance training regime. It also works excellently for high-intensity interval training, also known as HIIT.
The best way to reap the benefits of beta-alanine is to use it in conjunction with an exercise program. Only then will you reap the greatest benefits.
NOW Sports Nutrition Beta-Alanine
Our Top Recommended Beta-Alanine Supplements
About
- Vegan/vegetarian capsules provide endurance for hard workouts and are proven to delay muscle fatigue.
- NPA A-rated GMP certification means that every aspect of the NOW manufacturing process has been examined.
- Non-GMO, Steriod Free, Kosher, Vegan/Vegetarian.
4. Branched Chain Amino Acids
Branched-chain amino acids are also known as BCAAs, and consist of three important amino acids: valine, leucine, and isoleucine. These amino acids are found in most animal proteins, including meat, fish, poultry, eggs, and dairy.
Branched-chain amino acids are pretty important for muscles as they aid muscle growth, making up about 14% of the total amino acid content of the protein in your muscles. Because these amino acids are found in most protein sources, you likely eat them every day. However, taking them as a supplement is also a popular way to increase BCAA in the body.
BCAA has been shown by studies to reduce muscle loss, improve muscle recovery, and boost muscle gain. If your diet isn’t very rich in protein, or if you would like to increase your BCAA intake, BCAA supplements are a good idea. When combined with a regular exercise regime, they can help you gain muscle fast.
Optimum Nutrition Instantized BCAA Capsules
Our Top Recommended Branched Chain Amino Acid Supplements
About
- RECOVERY take your training efforts to the next level by supporting endurance and recovery.
- ACTIVE LIFESTYLE help your active lifestyle by supplementing with ON BCAA capsules.
- BCAAs 2:1:1 ratio of leucine, isoleucine, valine
5. Beta-Hydroxy Beta-Methyl butyrate (HMB)
HMB is a molecule that is produced whenever your body processes the BCAA leucine. It is what ultimately gives the benefits of leucine to the body and it slows down the breakdown of muscle protein in the body.
This chemical is produced naturally in your body. However, when you take it as a supplement, you boost its concentration in the body and obtain more of its benefits. HMB is shown by studies to help in gaining lean muscle mass, especially when combined with a consistent weight training exercise regime. It is, therefore, most effective if you’re increasing the intensity of your workout, or if you’re just getting started.
Nutricost HMB
Our Top Recommended Beta-Hydroxy Beta-Methyl Butyrate Supplement
About
- 1000mg Of HMB Per Serving.
- High Quality HMB Capsules.
- Non-GMO, Gluten Free.
- Manufactured In a GMP Compliant, FDA Registered Facility