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<\/p>\nThe best supplements for muscle building include a protein powder, creatine, beta-alanine, and HMB for age-related muscle loss. I currently use Shakeology for my protein powder, creatine, and beta-alanine and just learned about HMB in this article. Scroll down to learn more about each.<\/p>\n
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When it comes to finding the best muscle-building supplements, there\u2019s a big difference between efficacious supplements\u00a0that can move the needle and those that merely deliver marketing hype.<\/p>\n
Depending on a number of factors, which include age, genetics, and training state, experts contend that the average amount of muscle you can\u00a0legally<\/em>\u00a0pack onto your body (read: no steroids) is\u00a0one to two pounds per month<\/a>. Can you build more than that? Perhaps. But it takes the right combination of consistent workouts,\u00a0proper diet, and targeted supplementation to push beyond average.<\/p>\n What are the best muscle-building supplements? The list of ingredients that really work is shorter than you might think. But, if your goal is high performance, here\u2019s where supplementation can make a real difference.<\/p>\n Protein powder<\/a>\u00a0is the foundation of your muscle-building supplement plan.<\/p>\n Strenuous exertion of muscle can\u00a0cause damage, and protein is needed to help your body\u00a0recover and repair\u00a0that damage, a process known as muscle protein synthesis. When you repair muscle fibers broken down by\u00a0strength training<\/a>, that\u2019s when they grow.<\/p>\n That\u2019s why\u00a0high-quality\u00a0protein powder<\/a>\u00a0is so beneficial. Taken in sufficient amounts, it provides your body with the nutrients you need to support the growth of muscle.*<\/p>\n All proteins are comprised of\u00a0amino acids, and some of them \u2014 like\u00a0leucine\u00a0(one of the three\u00a0BCAAs) \u2014 are more important to help support muscle growth.\u00a0The International Society of Sports Nutrition<\/a>\u00a0recommends\u00a0protein sources\u00a0that are high in leucine and include a balanced array of\u00a0essential amino acids, so-called because they\u2019re not naturally produced by the body and thus must be consumed through food.<\/p>\n In general, you want to eat about\u00a01.4<\/a>\u00a0to\u00a02.2 g<\/a>\u00a0of protein per kilogram of your current body weight per day. So, if you weigh 180 pounds (roughly 82 kg), you should eat about 115 to 180 g of protein daily.<\/p>\n This is why protein powders are the foundation of your muscle-building plan: They offer a concentrated amount of protein that\u2019s convenient to consume.<\/p>\n Your best options, depending on dietary preference, are\u00a0whey protein\u00a0and\u00a0pea protein.<\/p>\n Whey is derived from milk and is the fastest-digesting form of protein. It comes primarily in\u00a0two formulations: concentrate and isolate, with whey protein isolate being the purer of the two and also the form used in\u00a0Beachbody Performance Recover<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n If you follow a vegan or vegetarian diet, or if you are sensitive to dairy, pea protein (like the type used in the plant-based formulation of\u00a0Beachbody Performance Recover<\/a><\/strong>) is your best bet because of its high leucine content. Most other plants \u2014 like rice or hemp \u2014 offer less\u00a0complete protein profiles.<\/p>\n Aim for about\u00a020 to 40 g of protein per meal\u00a0from any source. Protein powders are most convenient about two hours before or after your workout.<\/p>\n You can also take a slow-digesting protein \u2014 like\u00a0casein\u00a0or milk protein isolate \u2014 before bedtime to help promote muscle growth while you sleep.<\/p>\n Different supplements take different approaches to the end goal of muscle growth. Here are the top ingredients and their various mechanisms of action.<\/p>\n A compound usually found in meat,\u00a0creatine\u00a0helps boost strength, endurance, and power and supports muscle growth. Maybe most importantly, it\u2019s the most clinically tested performance supplement you can buy.<\/p>\n Creatine is found in many foods, including beef, chicken, milk, and cheese, but in amounts so small you\u2019d have to eat\u00a0two to three pounds of meat per day<\/a>\u00a0to derive the same benefit of about one teaspoon of the powder form.<\/p>\n How does creatine work?<\/strong><\/p>\n Creatine provides extra energy during brief, intense bursts of\u00a0anaerobic\u00a0activity, lending additional phosphate to the cycle that produces ATP, your body\u2019s primary fuel source. And that additional energy can make a meaningful difference for your strength: In a\u00a0review of 22 studies<\/a>, participants who used creatine showed an eight percent increase in strength compared to those who didn\u2019t.<\/p>\n And the boost that you enjoy during strength training also appears in short-burst activities like\u00a0sprints, yielding improvements in speed and\u00a0recovery between efforts<\/a>. It may even help\u00a0speed the process by which you regain lost muscle<\/a>.*<\/p>\n How best to consume creatine<\/strong><\/p>\n Your\u00a0best option is creatine monohydrate<\/a>; no other form even comes close in terms of clinical research. In general, aim for 5 g per day, and\u00a0up to 10 g<\/a>\u00a0if you have more muscle mass. It also doesn\u2019t matter\u00a0when you take the supplement\u00a0as long as you take it consistently every day.<\/p>\n Some favor a\u00a0\u201cloading\u201d period\u00a0during which larger amounts of creatine are initially taken daily for a brief period before switching to an ongoing schedule of regular servings.*<\/p>\n You can mix creatine in hot or cold liquids, but the hotter the temperature, the quicker the creatine will degrade before consumption. Creatine remains stable in liquid for just a\u00a0short period of time<\/a>, making its powdered form most reliable.<\/p>\n If you want to build more muscle, there are three primary ways to do it:\u00a0muscle tension,\u00a0metabolic stress<\/a>, and muscle damage. All three are triggered by working out harder and longer. That\u2019s where\u00a0beta-alanine\u00a0is your friend.<\/p>\n How does beta-alanine work?<\/strong><\/p>\n Beta-alanine\u00a0aids in the production of carnosine, which helps reduce muscle fatigue and improves endurance during intense, burst exercises like weight training.*<\/p>\n How best to consume beta-alanine<\/strong><\/p>\n To see the effects of beta-alanine, you need to consume\u00a0at least 1.6 g per day, with an upper limit of\u00a06 g daily. It will take some time to build up in your system so it\u2019s important to\u00a0take beta-alanine consistently<\/a>. Noticeable benefits may require four to eight weeks of regular consumption.<\/p>\n For some people, beta-alanine can trigger a mild\u00a0\u201ctingle\u201d effect\u00a0that some people find unusual. The more beta-alanine you take, the more likely you are to experience this tingle.<\/p>\n To help overcome that effect, you can consume a time-released beta-alanine formula, split your dose, or take it with food and additional water. For instance, when taking\u00a0Beachbody Performance Energize<\/a><\/strong>, if you don\u2019t like the tingling sensation, simply mix it with more water and take it with food.<\/p>\n Hydroxymethylbutyrate (HMB) is a compound that results from the metabolization of\u00a0leucine<\/a>\u00a0in the body. Often taken to help curb muscle lost to aging, HMB supplementation<\/a> taken for exercise\u00a0has also been found<\/a>\u00a0to positively impact muscle mass, performance, and recovery.<\/p>\n How does HMB work?<\/strong><\/p>\n The\u00a0effects of HMB<\/a>\u00a0are twofold: On one hand, it helps promote muscle protein synthesis, the process by which protein becomes muscle following exercise, and on the other, it helps decrease muscle protein breakdown.<\/p>\n The\u00a0result<\/a>\u00a0is increased muscle growth, strength, and power with enhanced recovery. However, HMB requires a level of activity sufficient to cause muscle damage \u2014 either high intensity and\/or high volume \u2014 in order\u00a0to be most effective<\/a>.*<\/p>\nWhat Is the Best Supplement for Gaining Muscle?<\/h2>\n
![\"Protein](\"https:\/\/bod-blog-assets.prod.cd.beachbodyondemand.com\/bod-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/22111706\/muscle-building-supplements-600-protein-powder.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nWhat does protein do?<\/h3>\n
How much protein should you consume?<\/h3>\n
What\u2019s the best form of protein?<\/h3>\n
How best to consume protein<\/h3>\n
What Other Muscle-Building Supplements Actually Work?<\/h2>\n
1. Creatine<\/h3>\n
![\"Creatine\"](\"https:\/\/bod-blog-assets.prod.cd.beachbodyondemand.com\/bod-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/22111721\/muscle-building-supplements-600-beta-alanine.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n2. Beta-alanine<\/h3>\n
![\"Beta-Alanine\"](\"https:\/\/bod-blog-assets.prod.cd.beachbodyondemand.com\/bod-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/22111714\/muscle-building-supplements-600-creatine.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n3. HMB<\/h3>\n
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