BCAAs
Testosterone boosters
Growth hormone boosters
Fortunately, research shows that you can accelerate muscle gain with supplementation, and three of your best options are creatine, beta-alanine, and citrulline.
Let’s talk about both the bad and good in more detail.
Branched-Chain Amino Acids (BCAAs)
BCAAs are a group of three essential amino acids:
Leucine
Isoleucine
Valine
As you know, leucine directly stimulates protein synthesis. Isoleucine also stimulates it weakly and improves glucose metabolism and uptake in the muscles.82 Valine doesn’t seem to do much of anything for muscle tissue compared to leucine and isoleucine.83
BCAA supplements aren’t top sellers because they work wonders in the body but rather because they’re easy to sell. For example, a number of studies seem to show several impressive benefits, “everyone” into fitness seems to drink them, and they make for some mighty delicious water.
If I wanted to sell you BCAAs, I could point to research that suggests they improve immune function, diminish fatigue, minimize exercise-induced muscle damage, and enhance postworkout muscle growth.84
What I wouldn’t tell you, however, is the bulk of this research doesn’t directly apply to the average healthy, physically active person following a sensible workout routine and high-protein diet.
First off, studies commonly cited as evidence of the muscle-related benefits of BCAA supplementation were done with people who didn’t eat enough protein.
For example, one study used by supplement companies to move a lot of BCAA powders was conducted by scientists at the Center for the Study and Research of Aerospace Medicine.85
It examined the effects of BCAA supplementation on a group of wrestlers in a calorie deficit, and after three weeks, found that the wrestlers who supplemented with 52 grams of BCAAs per day preserved more muscle and lost a bit more fat than the ones who didn’t.
If that’s all you were told, you might start reaching for your wallet. Before you do, however, you should know the rest of the story: these wrestlers weighed about 150 pounds on average and were eating a paltry 80ish grams of protein per day.
As you learned earlier in this book, that’s about half as much protein as these athletes should’ve been eating, so all this study really tells us is BCAA supplementation might mitigate muscle loss when restricting both calories and protein intake. And who knows what to think on the additional fat loss, as there’s no plausible mechanism whereby BCAAs can impact this. Color me unimpressed.
Other studies showing various muscle-related benefits of BCAA supplementation are almost always hampered by a lack of dietary controls and low protein intakes. And in almost all cases, the people are exercising in a fasted state, which affects the muscles and body differently than when exercise is done in a fed state.
I think an argument could be made for athletes training several hours per day possibly benefitting from BCAA supplementation, but for the rest of us, it’s far more sizzle than steak. We can get all the branched-chain amino acids we need to recover from our training and build muscle from the food we’re eating as a regular part of our diets.
In fact, research even suggests BCAAs obtained through food are more conducive to muscle growth than amino acid drinks.86
Finally, a recent review of BCAA research that was conducted by scientists at the University of Arkansas found that BCAA supplementation either has no effect on muscle growth or may even decrease it.87
Thus, the researchers concluded that “the claim that consumption of dietary BCAAs stimulates muscle protein synthesis or produces an anabolic response in human subjects is unwarranted.”
Testosterone Booster
With testosterone levels on the decline here in the West, natural testosterone boosters have quickly become one of the biggest sellers for supplement companies.
If we’re to believe even half the claims made to sell them, they’re basically natural alternatives to steroids that will quickly transform us into muscle-bound alpha males who make the ladies swoon and fellas tremble.
Too bad they’re all completely worthless. Yes, all, and yes, worthless.
Most of these products don’t just contain ingredients not proven to work, they contain stuff proven to not work. And in the rare case where they contain an ingredient or two shown to have positive hormonal effects, the changes are too small to make any kind of difference in the gym.
For example, three of the most popular ingredients in these supplements are the herb Tribulus terrestris, the mineral supplement ZMA, and the amino acid D-aspartic acid.
Multiple studies have shown Tribulus terrestris has no effect on testosterone levels, body composition, or exercise performance.88 There’s absolutely no question at this point that Tribulus is a dud as far as testosterone boosting and muscle building go.
ZMA is a combination of zinc, magnesium, and vitamin B6, and its story is about the same.
Studies show that unless you’re quite deficient in zinc, ZMA won’t increase your testosterone levels, and if you are deficient, you don’t need to supplement with ZMA per se—you simply need to increase your zinc intake.89
Thus, it’s disingenuous to call zinc a “testosterone booster” because it won’t boost anything for most people, and when it does, it’s not raising the absolute ceiling of natural testosterone production—it’s simply eliminating a micronutrient deficiency that was suppressing testosterone production.
D-aspartic acid is the most promising of the trio, but that isn’t saying much.
When research published in 2009 showed that D-aspartic acid could increase testosterone levels in both humans and rats, supplement companies had a field day.90
Bottles flew off the shelves, and D-aspartic acid was being heralded as the next creatine.
Well, several studies on it have been published since then, and they lend some much-needed perspective.91
We don’t need to wade through the physiology here, but what you need to know is yes, D-aspartic acid can increase testosterone production, but its effects are generally small, unreliable, and temporary.
If a relatively insignificant and temporary increase in testosterone production sounds “better than nothing,” allow me to continue.
Let’s say you saw a 20 percent increase in natural testosterone production with D-aspartic acid, or any kind of testosterone booster for that matter. That sounds pretty good, right?
It would be as far as efficacy goes, but it wouldn’t mean anything as far as strength and muscle gain go.
That’s because studies show that relatively small fluctuations in testosterone levels have little to no effect on body composition and performance. The effects only become pronounced when testosterone levels exceed the top end of what’s naturally achievable, and the only way to do that is with drugs.
For example, a study conducted by scientists at McMaster University had 56 young, resistance-trained men lift weights five days per week and follow a standard bodybuilding diet.92
After 12 weeks, researchers found that exercise-induced spikes in anabolic hormones like testosterone, growth hormone, and insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) varied widely in magnitude but had no effect on muscle or strength gain.
In other words, some guys responded more “anabolically” to the training than others, but this didn’t translate into more muscle or strength.
Another study worth reviewing was conducted by scientists at Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science, who used drugs to manipulate the testosterone levels of 61 young, healthy men.93
After 20 weeks, the researchers found a dose-dependent relationship between testosterone and leg strength and power, meaning that higher testosterone levels meant more strength and power, but the effects weren’t significant
until testosterone levels exceeded the top of the natural range by about 20 to 30 percent.
And just to gain more clarity on the matter, let’s review a bit of steroid research.
An extensive study conducted by scientists at Maastricht University involved an in-depth review of the steroid literature, and found that muscle gain in people lifting weights on steroids ranged from 4.5 to 11 pounds over the short term (less than 10 weeks), and the largest amount gained was 15.5 pounds of muscle in 6 weeks.94
So, if skyrocketing your testosterone with anabolic steroids doesn’t necessarily mean gaining “shocking” amounts of muscle, what do you think a pitifully weak natural testosterone booster could possibly accomplish?
Do yourself a favor and just skip these products. And skip the companies that sell them because they know everything we’ve just discussed yet still offer testosterone boosters to make a quick buck.
Growth Hormone Booster
Growth hormone boosters are just more of the same BS.
Most contain a mixture of amino acids and herbs with the occasional oddball “toss-ins,” and most have no effect on growth hormone production whatsoever. And those that do aren’t effective enough to make any real difference.
Take the amino acid gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA), which is in many growth hormone supplements.
Research shows it can indeed increase postexercise growth hormone levels, but this small and temporary boost won’t impact muscle growth.95
Another bestseller is deer antler velvet, used in Traditional Chinese medicine for various preventive health purposes.
It may have some valid applications, but hormone optimization and muscle building are not on the list. Studies clearly show that deer antler velvet doesn’t increase testosterone or growth hormone levels or enhance muscle or strength gain.96
Mucuna pruriens is another example of a flop found in many growth hormone supplements. The active ingredient in this bean—L-DOPA—can help reduce symptoms of Parkinson’s disease and may improve sperm quality, but there’s no good evidence it can raise testosterone or growth hormone levels to a meaningful degree.97
So, skip any natural supplement that claims to impact growth hormone production. You’re not missing out on anything.
Creatine
Of all the workout supplements on the market today, creatine stands out as one of the absolute best.
It’s the most well-researched molecule in all of sports nutrition—the subject of hundreds of scientific studies—and the benefits are clear:
It helps you build muscle faster.98
It helps you get stronger faster.99
It improves anaerobic endurance.100
It improves muscle recovery.101
And the best part is it does all these things naturally and safely.102
What is it, though, and how does it work?
Creatine is a molecule produced in the body and found in foods like meat, eggs, and fish. It’s composed of the amino acids L-arginine, glycine, and L-methionine and is present in almost all cells, where it acts as an “energy reserve.”
When you supplement with creatine, your total body creatine stores increase, with most going to your muscle cells.103 And what do you think happens when your muscle cells have significantly higher levels of readily available energy? You got it. Performance is enhanced.
Creatine also enhances muscle growth by increasing the amount of water in muscle cells.104 This makes muscles bigger, of course, but it also positively impacts nitrogen balance (a measure of nitrogen intake minus nitrogen loss, with a positive balance indicating muscle gain) and the expression of certain genes related to muscle building.105
Other research suggests that creatine also has anticatabolic effects, which further helps with muscle gain.106
Many people shy away from creatine because they’ve heard it makes you bloated. This used to be a problem years ago, but it has become a nonissue today since processing methods have improved. You shouldn’t notice any difference in subcutaneous (underneath the skin) water levels when you supplement with creatine.
Creatine comes in many forms, including creatine monohydrate, creatine ethyl ester, buffered creatine, and others.
We could discuss them one by one, but here’s all you really need to know: go with powdered creatine monohydrate. It’s the most researched form by which all others are judged, and it’s the best bang for your buck.
Beta-Alanine
Beta-alanine is an amino acid that our body combines with the essential amino acid L-histidine to form a compound molecule called carnosine, which is stored in your muscles and brain.
Carnosine does a number of things in the body, including helping regulate acidity levels in our muscles.
When a muscle contracts repeatedly, it becomes more and more acidic. This, in turn, impairs its ability to continue contracting, until eventually it can no longer contract at all. This is one of the ways muscles become fatigued.107
Carnosine counteracts this by reducing muscle acidity, thereby increasing the amount of work the muscles can do before becoming fatigued.108
This is why a meta-analysis conducted by scientists at Nottingham Trent University found that beta-alanine supplementation results in a slight improvement in endurance when exercise duration is between 60 and 240 seconds.109
Several studies also show that beta-alanine can enhance muscle growth.110
Scientists aren’t sure why just yet, but people who supplement with beta-alanine seem to gain more muscle than those who don’t. This effect doesn’t appear to be merely a byproduct of improved workout performance, either.
L-Citrulline
L-citrulline is an amino acid that plays a key role in the urea cycle, the process whereby the body eliminates toxic byproducts of digesting protein and generating cellular energy.
It’s called the urea cycle because these waste products are converted into a substance called urea, which is expelled from the body through urine and sweat.
And in case you’re wondering, the “L-” refers to the structure of the amino acid and denotes that it can be used to create proteins (the other type of amino acid is the “D-” form, which is found in cells but not in proteins).
L-citrulline is a popular workout supplement because it can improve both your resistance and endurance training and boost nitric oxide production.
For example, in one study conducted by scientists at the University of Córdoba, people who supplemented with 8 grams of L-citrulline before their chest workouts increased the number of reps they could do by 52 percent and experienced significantly less postworkout muscle soreness.111
In another study conducted by scientists at the Biological and Medical Magnetic Resonance Center, 6 grams of L-citrulline per day increased cellular energy production during exercise by 34 percent, resulting in a greater capacity for physical output and intensity.112
When you supplement with L-citrulline, your kidneys convert it into another amino acid, L-arginine, and this increases nitric oxide production.113
Nitric oxide is a gas produced by the body that widens blood vessels and improves blood flow.114 By raising nitric oxide production, you can improve exercise performance, lower blood pressure, and even harden erections (an easy way to impress your significant other!).115
Ironically, supplementing with L-citrulline accomplishes this better than L-arginine itself because it’s absorbed better by the body.
There are two widely available forms of citrulline to choose from:
L-citrulline
Citrulline malate
The only difference between these two forms is L-citrulline is the pure amino acid, and citrulline malate is L-citrulline combined with malic acid, a natural substance found in many fruits.
There isn’t much human research available on the potential benefits of supplementing with malic acid, but
it has been shown to improve endurance in animal studies.116 It may offer cardiovascular benefits as well.117
Thus, I recommend citrulline malate over L-citrulline for two reasons:
It’s the form used in most studies that found performance benefits.
There’s a fair chance malic acid confers additional health and performance benefits.
In other words, there’s no downside to citrulline malate, and it may be superior to L-citrulline.
•••
I wish someone would have taught me what you’ve just learned back when I started training.
It would’ve saved me who knows how much time and money I wasted researching and buying worthless pills and powders.
I hope you’ve found this information not only helpful but relieving, because let’s face it: supplementation is a complex and overwhelming subject, and it’s all too easy to wind up with cabinets full of expensive bottles and bags of stuff that delivers minimal if any bottom-line results.
If you follow the advice in this chapter, you’re not going to be one of these people, because you now know the absolute best choices for gaining more muscle and strength, losing more fat, and improving and maintaining health and vitality.
I should also mention that just because I didn’t bring up something here doesn’t mean it has no merits. It just means it’s not one of the 20 percent of supplements that will provide 80 percent of the benefits we’re most after.
If you want to learn more about the science of supplementation and how you can further optimize your mental and physical health and performance, head over to the supplements category of my blog at www.biggerleanerstronger.com/supplements.
Key Takeaways
Supplements aren’t nearly as important as some people would have you believe. The right ones, however, can help speed up your results.
A good protein powder meets a few criteria:It doesn’t have to taste like a milkshake, but it should taste good and mix well.
It should provide the most protein for the fewest calories and be as low in carbs and fat as possible.
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