Best Supplements to Support Your Body Building Program!

"Hey, what is the best supplement for my bodybuilding program?"

We have received many questions similar to that. There are 5 supplements on our list that hopefully help you to fulfill your needs in purpose to reach your goal. Therefore in this article, we will break down what are the best supplements that may fit your body and your bodybuilding program.

• Pre-Workout Supplements

  Imagine this; you wake up at 6 A.M., feel so lazy and sleepy, barely sober and you have to go to the gym. But once you take this "magic powder", suddenly you feel like you never feel sleepy and ready to lift a school bus. It might sound too hyperbolic but  Yes, that's what pre-workout supplement does to you.
  
  
  
   We can say that this supplement is kinda underrated in the bodybuilding world (well, at least for beginners). Most people think that the only supplement that can help you to have an effective workout and grow muscle is whey-protein. Well sorry if we burst your bubbles but no, it's not.
  
  Pre-workout supplements do have ingredients on it. Carbohydrates, caffeine, beetroot juice, and creatine monohydrate (a popular muscle-building supplement) are all common pre-workout supplement ingredients that have been shown to improve exercise performance. Does it safe for your health? Of course, it is. But we strongly recommended that you don't take it more than the dose. The dose per use is only 1 small scoop. With the dose that mentioned, the supplement will "pump" you, including your heart. That's why we said that don't over-exceed the given dose. And we don't recommend such a supplement for people that have a heart problem.
  
  Should you take it? Well, depend. Do you prefer this modern way to boost your progress at the gym or you prefer the traditional--banana, honey, and egg--way?
  
  

• Whey Protein

  Undisputedly that this supplement is the most popular supplement that ever existed in this world. Seems too much? Well, that's the reality folks.
  
  
  Whey protein is a mixture of proteins isolated from whey, which is the liquid part of milk that separates during cheese production. Whey protein is a mixture of proteins isolated from whey, which is the liquid part of milk that separates during cheese production.
  Milk actually contains two main types of protein: casein (80%) and whey (20%). Whey is found in the watery portion of milk. When cheese is produced, the fatty parts of the milk coagulate and the whey is separated from it as a byproduct. If you ever opened yogurt container to see liquid floating on top, that’s whey. Cheesemakers used to discard it before they discovered its commercial value. After being separated during cheese production, whey goes through various processing steps to become what people generally recognize as whey protein a powder that is added to shakes, meal replacements, and protein bars.
  
  
  Whey doesn't taste so good on its own. Therefore it's usually flavored. Chocolate, Vanilla, Strawberry and many more. Depend on the producer.
  
  
  There are, of course, type of whey protein. Which is; 

  Whey Protein Concentrate; The amount of protein in whey protein concentrate can vary between 25-89%.  The whey protein powder supplements that you find in health and nutrition stores often list whey protein concentrate on the label.  This type of whey protein is usually 80% protein.  The rest of the product consists of lactose (4-8%), fat, minerals, and moisture.

  Whey Protein Isolate;  WPI is the purest form of whey protein available and contains between 90-95% protein.  It is a good protein source for individuals with lactose intolerance as it contains little or no lactose.  WPIs are also very low in fat.  The cost of a WPI will be slightly higher than WPC due to the purity and higher protein content of the product.

  Hydrolyze Whey Protein; The long protein chains in the whey protein have been broken down into shorter chains called peptides.  This makes this type of whey protein more easily absorbed by the body and may reduce the potential for allergic reactions. Hydrolyzed whey protein is often used in infant formulas and sports and medical nutrition products. Hydrolysis does not reduce the nutritional quality of the whey protein. 

  Do you need it? Again, it depends. Basically whey protein needed when you struggle achieved your daily protein goals. You have to consume certain amount of protein a day. To count your daily protein needs you can use this formula;
  
  
  0.8-1 Gram (protein) X your current body weight (LBS)
  
  
  One scoop of whey protein consist of approximately 120 calories, 26 gram of protein, 130 mg of carbs, 1 g of sugar and many more. The amount of the ingredient may vary because each brand of whey protein has different kind and amount of ingredients. Usually they also has Creatine and BCAA on it.
  
  
  
  

• Creatine  

  You can't build your house without a cement. Well, you can't build your muscle without  Creatine.
  
  
  I know some of you thought that whey protein is the only supplement that can grow your muscle. Well, you can be wrong or right, since the main purpose of whey protein is to fullfill the amount of protein that you need per day for your body, in case when "real food" itself is not enough. But creatine, undeniable, is a science-prove supplement to help you to grow your muscle even bigger. Many people said that consume creatine can cause acne, bloated-feel stomach and even hair loss. But again, they're wrong. Many athletes use creatine on their daily basis because not only adding muscle mass, but it also adding strength so your body and your muscle can take tough work in the training fields. What creatine basically does is it can help you grow your muscle without adding fat into it. There are a lot of types of creatine. But the most popular one is  Creatine Monohydrate. This form is made up of a creatine molecule and a water molecule, though it can be processed in a few ways. Sometimes, the water molecule is removed, resulting in creatine anhydrous.The removal of water increases the amount of creatine in each dose. Creatine anhydrous is 100% creatine by weight, whereas the monohydrate form is about 90% creatine by weight. Other times, the creatine is micronized, or mechanically processed to improve water solubility. In theory, better water solubility could improve your body's ability to absorb it.
  
  Do you really need it? If you want to make your body muscular and lean, then yes you definetely need to take creatine. Usually creatine that exist in the market doesn't have any taste so basically it's unflavored unlike whey protein that has wide choice of flavor. You can take creatine as is, with no mix at all. or you can mix it with your whey protein powder. Maximal result will show if you mix it with any kind of juice because your body absorb fruit or vegetables faster than any other kind of nutritions since it has fiber in it.
  
  
  
  

• BCAA

  When working out, it's important to maintain our muscle strength and growth. That's exactly what BCAA does.     
  Protein is composed of amino acids and BCAAs refer to three of the 20 amino acids – leucine, isoleucine and valine, each of which cannot be synthesised by the body and must therefore be provided in the diet. BCAAs constitute approximately 1/3 of skeletal muscle protein. BCAAs are a rapid supplement which are metabolised primarily in skeletal muscle, meaning they skip your liver and directly enter your bloodstream to provide your body with these essential amino acids. They are the building blocks of protein. BCAA  come with two variants, pills and powder. It can be taken up to 3 times a day including during your workout or after your workout routine. Depend on the BCAA.  The powder variant comes with fruity flavour so it's one enjoyable supplement. It smells good as well even after you finish it unlike whey that has some sort of "weird" smell that left your shaker smells not good.  But we really do suggest that you don't take this supplement too much because what basically BCAA does is to "lock" water on your muscle, and if you consume BCAA too much, your muscle will surely looks bloated.

• "Real Food"

  Last but not least, Real Food.
  
  People (mostly beginner), tend to forget that they also need real nutrition for the sake of gain muscle. Chicken, read meat, fruits, veggies, you name it, also needed to be consume along WITH the mentioned supplement. you can't replace "Real Food" with only supplement or you will have problem
  
  
  with your kidney since they don't have enough nutrition that supplement don't have. Healthy Life team does not agree to does who still replace their meal with only supplement. You still can have protein from chicken, salmon, milk, eggs and tempeh. You can have creatine on a steak alone. BCAA contain in every dairy product such as milk and yoghurt. And don't forget fruits and vegetables. because it containt with fiber. Fiber is needed to "transport" other nutrition to our body. So, why bother switching your meal to only supplement when you can make so-called "Real Food" and supplement that mentioned above work together to help you to achieve your goals?


• CONCLUSION
Pick nutrition source that you think it will suit yourself well. Because every supplement that mentioned above have different reaction in every person or body type. Some may feel enough with only consuming Whey Protein and Real Food. Some may struggle with only consuming Whey Protein as an additional protein source so they need Creatine. Or maybe they need BCAA just to make sure they won't lose any muscle mass. Much time to choose, much time to learn. But there are no time or reason to those who still have an excuse to not to live healthy. Remember. Live healthy, live life.