MuscleCircuit.com

With a strenuous training program, supplements can be a useful tool to provide additional nutrients. I’ve outlined only what I feel are the essentials and what I’ve used and can vouch for. Don’t be fooled by advertisements and insane claims of “gaining 15 pounds of muscle in one month.” Here are some legitimate supplements.

Disclaimer: Supplements are only useful when your diet and training are intact. Focus on diet and training first, then use the following products to supplement additional nutrients.

1. SciVation Xtend

Ah, the wonderful, sweet taste of SciVation Xtend makes me recovery faster while satisfying my sweet tooth. This stuff is literally amazing. What makes this BCAA product so great?

• Proven science of Branch Chain Amino Acid (BCAAs) with respect to muscle recovery
• It includes Citrulline Malate which increases nitrix oxide production, reduces lactic acid buildup and increases aroebic performance
• L-Gluatmine which further enhances recovery
• Easy to mix with water and spoon
• It tastes freaking amazing!

I always take 2 scoops pre-workout and 1 scoop post-workout. I highly recommend the lemonade or watermelon flavor as well. Those two flavors blow me away and I haven’t gotten tired of them even though I used them everyday for around 65 days straight on different occasions.

1. Higher Power 100% Whey Protein

Higher Power Vanilla is a great blend of whey protein concentrate (the cheaper type) and whey protein isolate (the more expensive type). This makes for a nice balance of quality and price. Actually, it’s one of the best costing proteins I’ve found that contains whey protein isolate.

• A blend of whey protein concentrate and whey protein isolate
• Nice balance of quality and price, $34.99 with a reliable brand
• 25 grams of protein per serving
• Comes in Vanilla, Chocolate and Berry (I can only vouch for the Vanilla flavor)

Keep in mind, however, I recommend you get the majority of your protein from whole food and supplement the rest with 1-3 scoops of whey protein everyday.

3. Controlled Labs Geen MAGnitude

Finally, a cheap, quality creatine product that actually lasts more than 30 days. Green MAGnitude is essentially a creatine product using 2 creatines plus a few extra goodies. It uses Magnesium Creatine Chelate and Dicreatine Malate which are 2 forms of patented creatine. Why do I recommend it?

• Solid creatine formula with little to no gain in water weight
• Very economical at 50 cents a day
• Easy to mix with water and spoon (no blender or shaker cup necessary)
• Juicy Green Apple flavor tastes like candy

The science behind these two creatines is harder to find than its popular cousin creatine monodrate (which tends to increase water weight more than this product). However, the anecdotal evidence is overwhelmingly positive from my personal usage and from the reviews of others I’ve read in the past.

Plus, you can expect to gain a minimal amount of water weight from it!

4. NOW EcoGreen Men’s Multivitamin

I couldn’t make an “essential supplement” article without including a multivitamin! It may be a given, but you shouldn’t forget to take your vitamins. NOW EcoGreen is a capsule based men’s iron-free multivitamin. Here’s a rundown of why I recommend it:

• NOW brand makes exceptional products for dirt cheap
• Iron-free multivitamin
• Includes all essential vitamins AND minerals
• Capsule based, giving better and faster absorption than press tablets