There are thousands of supplements available to you as a member of the bodybuilding or fitness community. If you walk into a GNC or Vitamin Shoppe, the walls and aisles are lined with products guaranteeing to help you lose weight, build muscle, gain mass, or do whatever else you may want to your body. It’s easy to get lost among these aisles if you don’t know what you’re looking for. So here is a list of the supplements I consider to be the most vital if you want to build muscle. This is not meant to be a comprehensive list of supplements, only a list of what I believe to be the most beneficial for your goals.

Multivitamins

I recently wrote an article about the importance of multivitamins in your workout program, so I’m not going to go into great detail here. Just know that they are the most essential supplement you can take and are recommended by almost every doctor out there. Click here to read the article: Read This If You Aren’t Taking A Multivitamin

Protein

There are literally hundreds of brands out there, and you will have to do some label research to figure out exactly what you are looking for. They will vary based on the type of protein (whey, soy, casein, etc.), the amount of protein per serving, calories, and some other nutritional values. Be sure to do your research to make sure you are getting the most for your money, as well as the best protein to meet your needs. In general, protein helps you because your muscle fibers use it to rebuild themselves after you have torn them apart in your workout. I would recommend protein powder over bars because it is usually cheaper, easier to consume, offers more grams per serving, and allows you to combine it with milk, which is also a decent source of protein.

I will post an article in the coming days detailing the different varieties of protein, and the benefits of each, to help you make your decision.  Updated: click here for the article: Protein Types

Omega 3 / Fish Oil

This is becoming increasingly popular among weight lifters, but it is still an uncommon supplement in most people’s lives. And this is unfortunate because most people do not eat as much fish as they should. Omega 3 has a variety of benefits on your body, including:

• Increased blood circulation - this has a number of benefits. More blood and nutrients to your muscles helps in performance and recovery. Also helps to act as an anti-inflamatory, reducing swelling and pain in your joints, and can help with tendinitis.
• Helps burn body fat so your muscles look more defined.
• Reduces the risk of heart disease.
• Some evidence of reduced depression.

As I said, there are thousands of other supplements out there, and you could make a case that many more of them are important for your workout. Creatine and NO2 have millions of supporters who will tell you that you need to take these as well. I’m not telling you that you shouldn’t experiement with these other (legal) supplements. All I’m saying is that I’d recommend you build your nutritional regimen around the core supplements I have outlined above, in addition to a healthy regular diet and an intense workout schedule.