by John Mckinsey

Created on: August 12, 2009

Most men would love to look like those guys you see on the cover of every fitness magazine. Bulging biceps, cut Pecs and huge shoulders. Intimidating, impressive and admirable. Even after hours and hours at the gym, lifting weights until you feel like one's arms will fall off, the muscles aren't there. There are several reasons that men struggle building muscle, the most common is that they are not using the correct workout and rest schedules. But when the routine is perfect and every rep is done with precision and the results still aren't there, supplements are probably needed.

The human body is an incredible machine, it is capable of many impressive (and unmatched feats), but like anything else, it cannot grow without proper fuel. Ten minutes browsing through a fitness magazine and a new body builder would be convinced that if they rush to a nutrition store and buy some of the hundreds of supplements, they'll be shredded in weeks. As many men have found, it's not that simple. Supplements can, and should, be introduced into a regular diet in stages or as a pyramid.

The first, and most important piece of a pyramid is the foundation. For muscle development the most crucial part is Protein. For the first year, the average bodybuilder should take nothing more than a multivitamin and protein powder. Aside from a high protein diet, this is all their body will require to sustain muscle growth.

After about a year of weight lifting and conditioning, the body will be ready to handle the introduction of another key supplement in body building: Creatine. Creatine is typically sold in powder similar to protein mix. It is already a part of a regular diet (found in fish, steak etc) but is needed in much larger quantities to keep up with strenuous weight lifting.

At the top of the pyramid are the non-essential amino acids, most notably Nitric Oxide or NO. Nitric oxide is helps increase blood flow which is essential to carry the Creatine and proteins to repair muscle tissue damaged by long, heavy weight lifting sessions. For the average adult, enough Nitric Oxide is consumed in their regular diet and is not needed as a supplement. However, most experts recommend it for conditioned athletes undergoing strenuous training programs.

This is a simple pyramid to help suggest which supplements a body builder should take and when to start taking them. Remember that if one takes a supplement before the muscles are conditioned, the muscles will not absorb it. Also, wasted supplements can build up in your body creating problems later. Also, never take steroids or testosterone boosters. There is no reason to believe that the benefits of such drastic supplements outweigh the damage they will cause.

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