The big supplements: the top 26 muscle-building supplements

Flex, May, 2004

3,6,17-ANDROSTENETRIONE RATING: ****

Category: Estrogen blocker

Benefits: Allows your body to maintain high testosterone levels without converting to estrogen. Studies show a doubling of testosterone levels in normal men.

Action: It binds to aromatase (the enzyme that converts testosterone to estrogen), holding it until it is destroyed.

Cautions: There are no known side effects.

Use: The suggested amount is 300-600 milligrams (mg) per day. It's best taken at night with your last meal.

ALPHA GPC (GLYCERYLPHOSPHORYLCHOLINE) RATING: **

Category: Growth-hormone booster

Benefits: Alpha GPC is a naturally occurring phospholipid that enhances growth-hormone secretion by up to 20% following workouts.

Action: Alpha GPC is believed to work by inhibiting somatostatin, a brain chemical that signals the body to shut down growth-hormone (GH) release. By getting in the way of this inhibitory signal, alpha GPC can promote the continued secretion and circulation of GH.

Cautions: Minor side effects may include diarrhea, dizziness, heartburn, insomnia and restlessness in a small percentage of users.

Use: Take 200-600 mg per day in two separate doses, one 30 minutes before training and the other before bed.

ARGININE RATING: ****

Category: Functional amino acid

Benefits: Arginine is the basic ingredient in most nitric oxide (NO) products. It helps to increase blood flow to muscles and therefore nutrient delivery, muscle pump and ultimately muscle growth. It is particularly beneficial for bodybuilders with hypertension and insulin resistance due to hypertension.

Action: Arginine supplementation enhances NO production. NO is a multifunctional molecule that enhances blood-vessel dilation, nerve conduction and even muscle growth.

Cautions: None reported.

Use: Take three to five grams (g) of arginine as L-arginine, arginine alpha-ketoglutarate or arginine-ketoisocaproate two or three times daily on an empty stomach; take one of those doses with antioxidants 30 to 60 minutes prior to exercise.

BCAAs (BRANCHED-CHAIN AMINO ACIDS) RATING: ****

Category: Functional amino acid

Benefits: BCAAs provide a host of benefits for bodybuilders, including maintenance of lean muscle mass while dieting and promoting muscle growth and recovery.

Action: Leucine, valine and isoleucine are the branched-chain aminos. These are crucial essential amino acids for anticatabolic and anabolic effects within muscle cells.

Cautions: Avoid taking more than 20 g a day; that amount or more can cause gastrointestinal discomfort.

Use: Take 5-10 g two or three times per day on an empty stomach; consume one dose before and/or after workouts.

BOVINE COLOSTRUM RATING: **

Category: Unique

Benefits: Bovine colostrum is the fluid secreted by cows in the first few hours after they give birth (it precedes the flow of milk). Large doses have been shown to increase levels of growth factor IGF-1, a powerful anabolic peptide. One study found a muscle-building effect; most others suggest it may help with endurance, such as getting more reps during a set.

Action: Colostrum is rich in anabolic peptides, protective antibodies and immune messengers that help the gut heal. Once digested, these factors become fragments that may bolster IGF-1 production in the liver. The protein in colostrum is also a bit more anabolic than that in whey, gram for gram.

Cautions: Avoid bovine colostrum if you are allergic to dairy products. (Lactose intolerance shouldn't be an issue, however, as commercial forms are generally lactose-free.)

Use: Effective doses are not firmly established, but recommendations are for 1-60 g per day in several divided doses.

CASEIN RATING: *****

Category: Protein

Benefits: Provides a steady stream of amino acids over a long period of time. Particularly effective while sleeping and when your meals are several hours apart.

Action: Casein is the insoluble protein fraction of milk. It is digested and absorbed more slowly than whey and provides the body with amino acids over an extended period (up to seven hours) in comparison to whey protein, the quickly absorbed soluble protein fraction in milk.

Cautions: Better used as a meal replacement than as a postworkout protein source.

Use: Take 20-50 g as a meal replacement, between meals or before bed.

CREATINE RATING: *****

Category: Functional amino acid

Benefits: Creatine boosts power output and increases lifting performance by about 10%, even in highly trained lifters. Recovery between sets is also improved. Due to its muscle-cell volumizing effect, gains of two to four pounds of lean body mass in as little as a week are common. Some lifters can gain up to 10 pounds.

Action: Creatine helps bolster levels of creatine phosphate, which in turn boosts adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the ultimate energy source for muscles. It also works to draw fluid into muscle cells, which adds immediate size, and it appears to directly stimulate pathways that turn on muscle protein synthesis.

Cautions: Take it with plenty of water. Creatine has an excellent safety record; you should avoid it, however, if you have a kidney disorder.