Several supplements can be used to support muscle growth when paired with resistance training and a well-rounded diet. This includes creatine and protein supplements, among others.
If you exercise regularly, you likely want to be sure you’re getting the most out of it.
One important benefit of exercise is gaining muscle and strength. Having a healthy amount of muscle allows to you to perform your best during exercise and daily life.
Three main criteria must be met for maximal muscle gain: eating more calories than you burn, consuming more protein than you break down, and an exercise program that is challenging to your muscles (1Trusted Source, 2Trusted Source).
While it’s possible to meet all these criteria without taking dietary supplements, certain supplements may help you meet your goals.
The 6 supplements listed below may help you gain more muscle with your exercise program.
1. Creatine
Creatine is a molecule that’s produced naturally in your body. It provides energy for your muscles and other tissues.
However, taking it as a dietary supplement can increase muscle creatine content by up to 40% beyond its normal levels (3Trusted Source).
This affects your muscle cells and exercise performance, promoting muscle gain. In fact, a large amount of research shows creatine improves muscle strength (4Trusted Source, 5Trusted Source).
This is good news if you’re trying to gain muscle. Greater strength allows you to perform better during exercise, leading to larger increases in muscle mass over time (1Trusted Source).
Creatine can also increase water content in your muscle cells. This may cause your muscle cells to swell slightly and produce signals for muscle growth (6Trusted Source).
Furthermore, this supplement may increase levels of the hormones involved in muscle growth, such as IGF-1 (7Trusted Source).
Moreover, some research shows that creatine could decrease the breakdown of proteins in your muscles (8Trusted Source).
Overall, many researchers have studied creatine supplements and exercise, and one thing is clear — creatine can help increase muscle mass (Trusted Source3Trusted Source).
Creatine has also been studied extensively and has an outstanding safety profile (3Trusted Source).
If you are looking for a supplement to help you gain muscle, consider creatine first.
SUMMARY
Creatine is probably the single best supplement for muscle gain. Many studies have confirmed that it can help increase muscle mass.
2. Protein supplements
Getting enough protein is critical for gaining muscle.
Specifically, to gain muscle, you need to consume more protein than your body breaks down through natural processes (9Trusted Source).
While it’s possible to get all the protein you need from protein-rich foods, some people may struggle to do so.
If this sounds like you, you may want to consider taking a protein supplement.
There are many different protein supplements available, but some of the most popular are whey, casein, and soy protein. Other supplements contain protein isolated from eggs, split peas, rice, and hemp seeds.
Research shows that adding extra protein via supplements causes slightly more muscle gain in people who exercise than adding extra carbs (10Trusted Source, 11Trusted Source).
However, the effects are probably largest for people who aren’t getting enough protein in their normal diet.
In fact, some research shows that consuming very high amounts of protein supplements doesn’t help increase muscle if you are already following a high protein diet (12Trusted Source, 13Trusted Source).
Many people wonder how much protein to eat daily. If you are an active individual trying to gain muscle, 0.6–0.9 grams (g) of protein per pound (lb.), or 1.4–2.0 g per kilogram (kg), of body weight may be best (14Trusted Source).
SUMMARY
Consuming enough protein is absolutely essential for optimal muscle gain. However, if you are getting enough protein in your diet, taking a protein supplement is unnecessary.
3. Weight gainers
Weight gainers are supplements designed to conveniently help you get more calories and protein. They’re typically used by individuals who struggle to gain muscle, even when consuming large amounts of calories and lifting weights (15Trusted Source).
Although the calorie contents of weight gainer supplements vary, it’s not uncommon for some to contain over 1,000 calories per serving.
Many people think these calories come from protein since it’s so important for muscle building. However, most of the calories actually come from carbs.
There are often 75–300 g of carbs, 20–60 g of protein, and 0–15 g of fat per serving in these high calorie supplements.
While these products can help you consume more calories, it’s important to realize that there is nothing magical about weight gainer supplements.
Some older research in physically inactive adults has shown that drastically increasing calories can increase lean mass like muscle, as long as you eat enough protein (16Trusted Source).
However, research in adults who weight trained indicated that consuming a weight gainer supplement may not be effective for increasing lean mass (17Trusted Source).
Overall, weight gainers are only recommended if you are struggling to eat enough food and you find it easier to drink a weight gainer shake than eat more real food.
SUMMARY
Weight gainers are high calorie products designed to help you consume more calories and protein. However, they are only recommended if you struggle to get enough calories from food.
4. Beta-alanine
Beta-alanine is an amino acid that reduces fatigue and may improve exercise performance (18Trusted Source, 19Trusted Source).
Additionally, beta-alanine may help increase muscle mass if you are following an exercise program.
One 2011 study showed that taking 4 g of beta-alanine per day for 8 weeks increased lean body mass more than a placebo in college wrestlers and football players (20Trusted Source).
Another older study reported that adding a beta-alanine supplement to a 6-week, high intensity interval training program increased lean body mass by about 1 lb. (0.45 kg) more than a placebo (21Trusted Source).
However, one review of 20 studies concluded that beta-alanine supplementation is unlikely to improve body composition, regardless of the dosage used or whether it’s combined with resistance training (22).
Therefore, more research is needed to understand the potential benefits of beta-alanine supplementation.
SUMMARY
Beta-alanine is an amino acid that can improve exercise performance. Some evidence shows that it may also help increase muscle mass in response to exercise, but more research is needed.
5. Branched-chain amino acids
Branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) consist of three individual amino acids: leucine, isoleucine, and valine (23Trusted Source).
They are found in most protein sources, particularly those of animal origin like meat, poultry, eggs, dairy, and fish (23Trusted Source).
BCAAs are critically important for muscle growth and make up around 35% of the amino acids in your muscles (24Trusted Source).
Just about everyone consumes BCAAs from food every day, but it’s also very popular to take BCAAs as a supplement.
A small amount of research has shown that BCAAs may improve muscle gain or reduce muscle loss, compared to a placebo (25Trusted Source, 26Trusted Source).
However, other research shows that BCAAs may not preserve lean body mass in people following a weight loss program (27Trusted Source).
It’s likely that BCAA supplements may only benefit you if you are not eating enough high quality protein in your diet.
Although they may be beneficial if your diet is inadequate, more information is needed before BCAAs are recommended as a go-to supplement for muscle gain.
SUMMARY
Branched-chain amino acids are important for muscle growth. They are found in many foods, and it is unclear if taking them as a supplement is helpful when you already consume enough protein.
6. Beta-hydroxy beta-methylbutyrate
Beta-hydroxy beta-methylbutyrate (HMB) is a molecule that’s produced when your body processes the amino acid leucine.
HMB is responsible for some of the beneficial effects of protein and leucine in the diet (28Trusted Source).
It may be especially important for reducing the breakdown of muscle proteins (29Trusted Source).
While HMB is produced naturally by your body, taking it as a supplement allows for higher levels and may benefit your muscles (29Trusted Source).
Several studies in previously untrained adults have shown taking 3–6 g of HMB per day can improve the gains in lean body mass from weight training (Trusted Source30Trusted Source, 31Trusted Source).
However, other research shows that similar doses of HMB are probably not effective at increasing muscle mass in athletes or adults with weight training experience (32Trusted Source).
This may mean that HMB is most effective for those who are getting started with exercise or increasing the intensity of their workouts.
SUMMARY
HMB may help increase muscle mass in those who are beginning a weight training program, but it appears to be less effective for those with training experience.
Other supplements
Several other supplements claim to increase muscle mass. These include conjugated linoleic acid, testosterone boosters, glutamine, and carnitine.
However, the evidence is mixed.
- Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA): CLA refers to a group of omega-6 fatty acids that exert several effects on the body. Studies on CLA for muscle gain have produced mixed results, and it isn’t clear if it’s beneficial (33Trusted Source, 34Trusted Source).
- Testosterone boosters: Testosterone-boosting supplements include D-aspartic acid, Tribulus terrestris, fenugreek, DHEA, and ashwagandha. It’s likely these compounds only benefit those with low testosterone (35Trusted Source, 36Trusted Source, 37Trusted Source, 38Trusted Source, 39Trusted Source).
- Glutamine and carnitine: These are probably not effective at increasing muscle mass in young or middle-aged active individuals. However, some studies suggest that carnitine may have some benefits for muscle growth in older adults (40Trusted Source, 41Trusted Source, 42Trusted Source).
SUMMARY
Many types of supplements claim to increase muscle mass, but there is little evidence that they are effective for healthy, active individuals.
The bottom line
Supplements can’t provide you with maximal muscle gains if your nutrition and exercise programs are lacking.
To gain muscle, you need to eat enough calories and protein, as well as exercise, ideally with weights. Once your nutrition and exercise regimens are in check, you may want to consider dietary supplements.
Creatine and protein supplements are likely the most effective choices for muscle gain, but other supplements may be beneficial for certain people.
