Whey Protein

Whey protein notably whey protein isolate is one of the most popular and commonly used supplements. It's fast-acting, convenient, handy, easy to prepare and versatile. Whey is derived from milk which consists of 80% casein and 20% whey. During the cheese manufacturing process, whey is collected. Due to its ease of use, many people tend to overuse it but the truth is the single most important time to use whey protein is post-workout mixed with some dextrose. Pure dextrose powder is available for sale but you can also use grape juice or gatorade powder as both of them contain some dextrose.

Post-workout is the time when your body is hungry for nutrients and a fast-digesting liquid meal is advised to recharge your starved muscle cells. Other than that, there is really no need to use it as you can stick to solid foods. In some instances when you can't follow your nutrition plan to the letter, you can use whey protein as a meal replacement. It's better than missing a meal.

It's important to remember that consuming excess protein is never good as this will make your kidneys work harder to process the amino acids thereby increasing the risk of kidney disorders like kidney stones. Anyway the amino acids surplus won't be utilized by your muscles for protein synthesis but instead go to waste by the urine, so think twice before using scoop after scoop of whey protein. Usually 1-2 scoops of pure whey protein isolate (26-52 grams of protein) is enough per protein shake depending on your weight and protein needs. The heavier you weigh, the more protein you'll need per meal, for example a 200 pound bodybuilder will need 200 grams of protein per day, so that's 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight. If you divide that number by 6 meals, that's about 33 grams of protein per meal.

Casein Protein

This is a favorite supplement used mostly pre-bed. Casein protein is a slow-digesting protein as compared to whey, this is why it's preferred at night when your body will be without food for several hours. Casein will provide a sustained release of amino acids to your muscles making your body stay anabolic. Casein protein supplements are optional as you can also eat casein-rich foods like cottage cheese and greek yogurt.

Creatine Monohydrate

Creatine is an effective supplement when used correctly. More is not always better as taking more than the recommended dosage can have side effects like bloating, stomach cramps and can even cause undue stress on your kidneys. For the average joe, all you need is 5 grams per day and the ideal time to use it is post-workout mixed with your whey protein/dextrose shake. There is really no need to do the creatine loading phase.

Creatine is a cell volumizer and will hydrate your muscle cells, making your muscles look fuller and stronger. Since it has the effect of drawing water from the rest of your body to your muscle cells, it's of utmost importance to drink lots of water when taking creatine.

The best kind of creatine you can buy is micronized creatine monohydrate by Creapure. When you see the word Creapure or its logo on the label, you know it's of the highest-grade and source.

Eating whole foods regularly and using bodybuilding supplements sparingly are enough to build solid muscle mass fast.