Bodybuilding Supplements
By Natalie Aranda

When it comes to gaining body mass, bodybuilding supplements are the most powerful weapons for any natural muscle-developing program that you can use effectively which come in an array of options ranging from whey protein to glutamine and protein bars.

Protein Supplementing

Most Professional trainers and fitness consultants agree protein is the staple supplement for bodybuilders and other athletes because of its wide number of benefits. In fact, whey protein is a complex ingredient made up of fat, minerals lactose and protein, which is its best component.

The protein in whey is made up or several smaller protein subfractions including bovine serum albumin (BSA), alpha-lactalbumin, glycomacropeptides, peptides, immunoglobulins (IgGs), Beta-lactoglobulin and other minor peptides such as lactoperoxidases, lysozyme and lactoferrin.

Furthermore, each of those protein subfractions found in whey has at the same time its own unique biological properties found recently because before modern filtering technology it was impossible, prohibitively and expensive doing it on a large scale for research purposes.

Protein powders have evolved from low protein to very high protein isolates required to building blocks of muscle.

There are other types of proteins such as casein protein, soy protein and egg protein but bodybuilders prefer whey, protein bars, protein powders, creatine and glutamine that generally can be purchased in different products according to each individual's requirements.

Trainers recommend the use of whey protein within the first 45 minutes after workouts to allow proper absorption of the protein, while creatine is an amino acid considered the fuel source for ATP, the energy system used by athletes for short bursts of power.

Creatine Supplementing

Creatine and Glutamine are basic for bodybuilding along with protein and perhaps some weight gainers depending on the body mass to work out, with additional benefits. Protein subfractions also prevent various diseases, improves immunity and overall health.

The component of skeletal muscle discovered in 1832 by French scientist Michel Eugène Chevreul later named creatine after the Greek word for flesh (Kreas). In the human body creatine is found in muscle and it is the energy source for muscle contraction.

However it was not until 1912 when researchers found that ingesting creatine boosts the creatine content of the muscle, and in the late 1920's that the intramuscular stores of creatine increases by ingesting creatine in larger than normal amounts.

On the other hand, the bodybuilding supplement glutamine is one of the 20 amino acids encoded by the standard genetic code used in nutrition therapy and also considered to be a brain fuel and used therapeutically for alcoholism and mild depression.

Whether you choose, whey protein, creatine, glutamine, or protein powders, Protein Bars include at least one of them in your daily workout bodybuilding program.