Supplements such as NO2, creatine, ribose, HMB, CLA, glutamine, myostatin inhibitors, and others are flying off the shelves, being bought by those desperately trying to find something, anything, that will help them put on some serious mass.
Well, if millions and millions of dollars are being spent on all of these products, then why aren't we seeing bigger and more defined people in the gyms or walking on the streets?
If these supplements really worked liked they're supposed to, why are the individuals that buy and use them not looking any different in the mirror?
They still aren't gaining any real weight / muscle!
Let me ask you a question.
If you are spending anywhere from $30.00 to $200.00 a month, shouldn't you expect to visually see an increase in muscle and weight gain, week to week, month to month?
Take a real good look at prisoners. These guys don't use any supplements whatsoever.
The food they eat is "high school cafeteria"-like.
Yet, some of the most massive, most muscular, strongest individuals are prisoners.
As a matter of fact, the typical weight lifting prisoner gains way more muscle mass than your average gym member that stuffs themselves with all kinds of supplements!
(Think about that for a minute)
It seems that most skinny individuals feel that they need a special or certain supplement that will ?boost their testosterone levels, change their genes to become more anabolic, more aminos to increase protein synthesis, etc.?
They feel that they aren't reaching their goals of packing on muscle mass onto their frames because they are not taking the right supplement or the correct amount.
However, why aren't we seeing any difference in the people that take these supplements?
Here's something you need to know:
Many ads for supplements claim that their product will raise your testosterone levels, growth hormone levels, or other anabolic hormones ?300%?, ?675%?, ?129%?, or whatever.
However, a lot of times, these supplements don't raise the hormones by that amount.
Saying that, even if it did, that doesn't necessarily mean that raising a certain hormone by 300% is going to give you any additional muscle mass.
As an example, in an article I wrote titled ?Will Raising My Growth Hormone Help Me Build Muscle Mass??, I pointed out:
?The body's natural GH production is from 1 IU to 2 IU per day, at most, even during a weight training workout.
However, it takes at least 4 IU a day to see a real difference in any muscle you may build.?
Well, right now there are many supplements out on the market that supposedly will raise your natural growth hormone levels.
However, there is absolutely no GH-raising supplement available without a prescription that will help you raise that hormone to at least 4 IU per day??..which is the amount that's required to begin to see any type of change to muscle or body fat.
Sure, their may be a supplement that will raise a hormone level by 300%, but it may require you to raise that level 2000% to see any difference in the amount of weight / muscle you gain / build.
Again, think back to my example of prisoners.
So, next time you have to choose between either buying the latest muscle building supplement or paying this month's rent, I suggest you choose to keep the roof over your head.
Copyright 2006 Jonathan Perez
So the key is, to focus on increasing your strength in your workouts. When you get stronger, over time, you'll also gain more muscle mass.
And in order to get stronger, you must train and eat correctly. But even then, your body could use a little extra, to help supplement this training and eating.
So here are 5 simple, proven things you can use in your workouts that will help you increase your strength and gain more muscle mass.
1. A Belt: Belts are probably the most used weight lifting accessory. Belts help increase your strength by providing back and ab support during exercises.
The tighter the belt, the greater the ab pressure against the spine. This helps keep the spine and your entire torso tight, maximizing your strength and safety.
The belt can be used to increase your strength on deadlifts, squats, and overhead presses. Belts allow you to use more weight safely, therefore increasing muscle stimulation and growth.
2. Gloves: Getting blisters or calluses on your hands can prevent you from gripping the weights. They also can help prevent grip slippage.
They help you get a better grip on almost all exercises that require pulling or curling movements. A better, stronger grip means a stronger lift.
3. Wraps: Wraps are used to help support the knees. They are best used on maximal lifts and should not be used as a crutch.
Most powerlifters use wraps on the knees when squatting and deadlifting. They provide knee support, so you can use more weight in the squat. The key with wraps is to use them for only a few sets and a few reps, since they can stop circulation if used for too long.
4. Straps: When you start using heavy weights on your lifts, it's possible your grip strength will give out before the muscle you're training gives out.
When you have weak grip strength, it can limit how much weight you lift on lat pulldowns, deadlifts, and shrugs.
Straps can help you gain muscle mass because they allow your arms to act as hooks to lift the weight. Straps prevent grip failure from coming into play before reaching muscle failure on the muscle you're training.
You can use cotton straps, nylon straps, and even straps with hooks.
5. Chalk: Like gloves and wraps, chalk is meant to give you that little edge. It helps you grip the weights better, preventing grip slippage or failure.
Many times, just by using chalk, you can get 4 to 5 extra reps on an exercise. You can use chalk for your bench press, deadlift, squat, curls, and shrugs.
There you have 5 effective tools for increasing your strength and gaining more muscle mass. Any time you can give yourself an edge and allow yourself the chance to lift more weight, you will also gain muscle mass as a result.
Both Jonathan Perez & Shawn Lebrun are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Jonathan Perez has sinced written about articles on various topics from Lose Weight, Build Muscle and Cardio Training. How did a Cleveland Firefighter discover how to gain over 40 pounds of muscle weight WITHOUT using any supplements, no special diet, eating very low protein, and working out only 2 hours a week? Jonathan Perez has created the *ultimate* guide - "From Skin. Jonathan Perez's top article generates over 74000 views. to your Favourites.
Shawn Lebrun has sinced written about articles on various topics from Build Muscle, Body Building and Build Muscle. Learn how to gain more muscle mass weight in the least amount of time possible. Check out personal trainer and natural bodybuilder Shawn LeBrun's powerful weight gain workout and nutrition program:. Shawn Lebrun's top article generates over 1220000 views. to your Favourites.