Which bodybuilding supplements are safe

You also can read the articles below about some of these ingredients: Whey protein Creatine supplements Caffeine for performance However, keep in mind that ingredients in bodybuilding and performance-enhancing supplements vary, and some are potentially problematic.

Updated 26 February A brand-name product? A different ingredient? More details? Know the risks The side effects of taking anabolic steroids include some serious health risks, such as liver failure, dangerous changes to blood cholesterol levels and an increased risk of heart attack and stroke.

Men can experience breast enlargement, testicle shrinkage and hair loss. Women can become more masculine, getting increased body hair, disrupted menstrual cycles and a permanently deeper voice. Children who take them risk stunted growth. In addition to the physical health risks, taking performance-enhancing drugs can also seriously impact mental health.

People who use steroids regularly can display extreme irritability, delusions, paranoia and jealousy. Taking excess testosterone can make people feel invincible, leading to seriously impaired judgment and risky behavior. How can you know if a supplement you want to take is safe? Even the FDA says it can be hard to tell.

You can check the current list of tainted supplements at fda. Should I try protein powders? Long-term creatine supplementation appears to enhance the quality of resistance training, generally leading to percent greater gains in strength and performance. Recommended dose: The fastest way to increase muscle creatine stores is to follow the loading method of 20 grams per day for days, followed by the standard maintenance dose of 5 grams per day.

However, a lower dose of 5 grams for 28 days will also increase creatine stores without causing the pound weight gain typically seen with a loading protocol. Caffeine may be the most widely used stimulant in the world, and for good reason. It has repeatedly been shown to be an effective ergogenic aid in both endurance exercise and high-intensity activity.

However, when it comes to strength performance, the effects of caffeine are a little muddier. While there's some research suggesting caffeine consumption prior to resistance training can increase one-rep max 1RM for the bench press, other studies have found no strength benefits from caffeine. That being said, caffeine has been shown to decrease rates of fatigue and lower perception of effort, which may be of benefit during high-intensity, high-volume workouts, or if you just need a little pick-me-up before hitting the weights.

If you're a strength athlete or bodybuilder, we can't think of a single reason not to take BCAAs during your workout. Besides the fact that they taste delicious, sipping on BCAAs between sets may help speed up the recovery and repair processes after a tough workout.

A study published in the International Journal of Sports Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism found that participants who ingested BCAAs at milligrams per kilogram of bodyweight, or about 9 grams for a pound individual, experienced significantly less muscle soreness and damage following a high-volume squat protocol. It appears that BCAAs, especially leucine, help to regulate protein metabolism by promoting protein synthesis and suppressing protein degradation, which may improve recovery of muscles damaged during resistance training.

Citrulline malate CM was originally marketed as an "antifatigue" supplement. In fact, if you were to travel back in time about 40 years, you'd find CM being prescribed to treat both mental and physical fatigue in post-surgery patients. More recently, CM has become popular for its performance-boosting effects. The benefits seen with CM supplementation are most likely attributed to the synergistic combination of both L-citrulline and malate, which may help to increase rates of ATP during exercise, followed by increased rates of PCr recovery after exercise.

Previous investigations have shown that a single dose of CM 8 grams increased the number of repetitions performed during an upper-body resistance training protocol and reduced soreness at 24 and 48 hours post-exercise compared to a placebo.