Best Supplements to Get Ripped, Top Pills for a Lean and Ripped Body | Ask The Experts | dailyuw.com

2022-09-16 19:48:19 By : Mr. William Wang

Overcast. High near 65F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph..

Cloudy. Low 53F. Winds light and variable.

So you want to get a ripped body and have been researching which supplements can help muscle building and also a reduction in body fat percentage. This article aims to simplify which supplements to get ripped you should consider if you want to build muscle and get that lean look with 6 pack abs.

Ultimate Stack (for Building Muscle and Cutting)

CrazyNutrition Fitness Stack (Protein Powder & Creatine)

The above muscle supplement products contain all natural ingredients and are available to purchase directly from the manufacturer.

This is the main component of what you will need to build muscle and cut body fat. In simplistic terms the aim here is to gain muscle mass and then reduce body fat around the muscle growth - allowing the lean muscle to show through.

The Ultimate Stack from Crazy Bulk contains a complete muscle building stack.

CLICK TO VIEW ULTIMATE STACK FROM CRAZYBULK

CLICK TO VIEW TESTO PRIME PRICE

Another part of the equation is testosterone. You may have read that as we age we lose testosterone - it's absolutely true and for men it is absolutely true. But with the correct diet and supplementation there is no need to worry.

Testo Prime is a natural testosterone supplement that contains all the right ingredients. It is arguably the number brand worldwide.

CLICK TO VIEW FITNESS STACK

A vital part of achieving a ripped and lean body is protein and creatine. We have elaborated about this further down in the article.

We recommend the Fitness stack from CrazyNutrition as it contains everything you will need to form the building blocks of your new muscular and ripped body.

Building muscle, strength, speed and explosive power while keeping your diet under control is one of the most challenging and rewarding lifestyles you can pursue.

That doesn't mean you can't use all the tools at your disposal, and supplements and training programs fall squarely into the category of tools.

Food, training and sleep are the most important aspects of this game, and supplements can add between 5 and 10% to your progress. And a good training program is invaluable.

We've written this article to tell you about the products we think are the current leaders in their categories. Achieving your goals may have just gotten that little bit easier.

When professional weight lifters, bodybuilders, boxers, or MMA fighters have to hit their weight class for a competition, they have to cut the fat pretty quickly, without losing the muscle mass they have built in the off season.

It’s probably the toughest part of any weight category sport, and we’ve seen some of them weigh in to be told they haven’t made the cut in time.

We’ve even seen fighters taking clothes off to get a few grams taken off the reading.

One thing is for sure, they don’t do it all by themselves - they need a team of support including trainers, coaches, nutritionists, dieticians and loved ones to help them through.

Most of the cut is about food, a lot’s down to training, and some is due to supplements like fat burners and appetite suppressants.

Clenbutrol is that type of fat loss supplement: a fat burner and appetite suppressant rolled into one. 

The company that makes Clenbuterol tells us that the formula started out in bodybuilding circles, it was something the pros found useful when it came to cutting body fat, possibly the toughest aspect of their training season.

The Pre-Workout Supplement That Gets You Ripped

Take a moment to think about what you want out of a pre-workout drink. A lean and ripped body? Is muscle endurance important? Do you want a skin splitting pump? Do you like feeling a zen-like mind-muscle connection?

Of course, it’s a hard yes to all of those questions, and all the ones we didn’t ask. Ultimately, you want a pre-workout to send you directly into “the zone” without passing GO.

For us, as analysts of this sort of supplement, the things you need the most are a direct source of performance enhancers in the form of various nutrients, vitamins and other ingredients; and you need a transport mechanism to get said performance enhancers to the muscles, and fast.

A good vasodilator, nitric oxide booster, muscle pump activator…whatever you want to call it, is an absolute must. Currently, the leading supplement for this is Citrulline Malate (or Di-Malate), and 6 grams of it. That’s your transport network sorted

Once you’ve got your muscle pump on, you need great ingredients to add to the additional oxygen you are now shuttling to the working muscle tissue.

We’re not really talking about creatine here, you should be taking that everyday anyway, allowing it to accumulate and saturate your cells. Creatine’s effect is not something that is dependent on timing (although pre-workouts tend to contain some).

No, we’re talking about energy boosters, anti-fatigue agents, electrolytes, special fatty-acids, nootropics and nitrates.

In our opinion, the current best pre-workout supplement, which satisfies all of the above requirements is the fitness stack from Crazy Nutrition.

Crazy Nutrition Fitness Stack  contains great ingredients, like Citrulline Di-Malate, Red Beet extract, Rhodiola rosea, ALCAR and a Caffeine-L-Theanine combo, but it’s the inclusion rates/dosages that make it so effective.

There Are only two things that matter when you formulate a supplement: ingredient selection, and dosage.

Quality, effective testosterone boosters are rare. Partly because there haven’t been that many ingredients found to significantly increase a person’s testosterone levels, and even less that can boost it in healthy, resistance-trained men.

A lot of the research has involved infertile men or men with low testosterone levels, and so it’s difficult to extrapolate any results to men who have normal levels but want to increase them for bodybuilding or sports performance.

That’s part of it. The other reason is that current supplement manufacturers have a tendency of putting unproven compounds, or compounds which only have preliminary supporting evidence (like in vitro studies), in their products.

They do this for marketing reasons - unheard-of exotic-sounding herbs draw the intrigue of potential buyers - keeping the industry moving instead of always putting the same old ingredients in.

Sometimes however, and it’s definitely the case with testosterone ingredients, the old reliable ones are best.

Basically, you need some ingredients to support your testosterone production for normal healthy function (examples include Zinc, Magnesium, Vitamin D3), and then you need to add those ingredients which elevate the hormone (e.g Boron, D-AA, Mucuna Pruriens).

The most effective product we have found for this is Testo Prime, a testosterone supplement by Wolfson Brands Ltd.

Testo Prime contains all the right ingredients at excellent inclusion rates, from those that get to work in the first couple of hours, to those that build up and support your test levels over the long-term.

Men who work out regularly, and those in their 40s, 50s and beyond are particularly likely to benefit from Prime Male. It can help increase low testosterone levels, increase muscle gain, burn fat and aid muscle recovery after a workout.

Workout programs are a good idea for every level of strength athlete, from the casual gym member to the gram measuring professional.

For some people, a program is the difference between success and failure in their goals. For most people a good workout program adds huge dollops of efficiency to their schedule as a whole.

And for everyone, a good workout program will help significantly in achieving a time effective physical transformation.

Programs add the element of measurability, so that you can track targets and goals, weights and fitness levels, body mass and biometrics.

They are key to your visualization of progress and, ultimately, success. They cut out all wasted time, and they promote balance, synergy and symmetry in your physique, health and wellness.

The best programs will even take it further and help you with your nutrition, supplements and diet needs, and the ultimate programs will be malleable to your individual needs.

If you’ve read all of the above and STILL don’t think you need, or will benefit from, a workout program, we can’t help you.

However, if you are interested, we’ve found the best professional grade, portable, high definition video, future-proof workout programs available.

There are so many supplements available these days; all promising different benefits and each offering something unique which sets it apart from the crowd.

If you want to get cut, defined, dry, bulky, massive, strong, hard, swole or just healthy, there are a million pills and powders to help you out.

This article and the following article is about muscle supplements, and how to get the basics right before moving on so you get the most out of the more advanced products.

First, I want to cover some important ground. Supplements are one thing but if some questionable lifestyle choices are taken, there may be little point in even picking up a barbell.

People ask me whether they should get this bottle of pills or that pre-workout. Before I offer too much advice, I like to find out one thing: Have they got the basics right ?

Lifting weights and building muscle - whether it’s definition or bulky mass - is a very rewarding pursuit. It’s one of the most positive transformations you can witness in yourself.

Supplements can either help the process to varying degrees, or they can be a waste of money. They can also be unhealthy, or simply unsuitable for the person’s goal or physical constitution.

There are a few, however, which most people can tolerate and which have been extensively proven via both scientific research and empirical evidence.

Yet still, beginners and experienced bodybuilders and gym-rats overlook them in favour of some untested crap in a bottle that costs a day’s wages.

I’ve had guys a week into their new life on the squat rack asking me whether steroids are a good idea, because they “wanna get huge.”

While trying to remain calm, I tell them to lift weights for a year…and then come and ask the same question. It’s not that I’m going to advise them on steroids in a year’s time - but beginners need to understand one very important thing...

Provided your lifestyle is fairly clean and you have no medical conditions that prevent it, the physical and neural adaptation within the first 6 months of lifting weights is steep.

And if you continue to adapt with the changes, a full year of improvements can be made before the first plateau is hit. Many people don’t get this far - they give up long before. I don’t have to worry about those guys.

The ones that do make it have generally seen such an improvement, and learned a few things along the way. They might have long forgotten the idea of steroids.

Even boutique supplements can wait, at least until the explosive advancements of the first 3 or 4 months are in the bag.

The thing that frustrates me the most is to see someone trying to live two lives. On the one hand they want to look good, get fit, strong, big, whatever. And on the other hand they want to keep going out two or three nights a week and getting tanked until 3am.

Booze and sleep deprivation are completely counterproductive to physique enhancement.

What’s even worse is when these same people shell out $$$ on expensive supplements to try and help their goals, only to get upset when they see very little, or no, gains.

All they have to do is cut down the nightlife and alcohol and they’ll see them. They’ll save money on two fronts as well!!!

Don’t fight your lifestyle. There is nothing wrong with partying and getting hammered, it’s your own body after all, but don’t expect anywhere near optimal results from the gym sessions.

The previous section brings me nicely to my final point before we get into the next piece about the actual base supplements.

There are many many bodybuilders in excellent shape who don’t touch supplements, and work with nutrition and quality sleep alone.

It takes discipline but it’s achievable. If you are able to live totally clean, get at least 8 hours sleep a night and can afford the time and money to shop for the leanest meats and the highest quality produce, then I would suggest you try it.

There is a message in there for everyone though. You can achieve so much without looking to supplements, but you must start with your diet and sleep - a proper diet and proper sleep.

Supplements are not a replacement or substitute for cutting corners with nutrition and sleep. They should be a bonus to them.

Diet, sleep and training account for 60% of your progress when you strike a good balance. Muscle building supplements, fat burners and pre workout supplements might add 40%.

You have your diet sorted, you get loads of sleep and your training is dialed in. That’s when you can look at supplements to boost your gains and push you through energy slumps.

There are so many products though, where the hell do you start?

The answer: With the basics.

Beginners will get more out of an article like this, but some experienced lifters might learn a thing or two.

Protein is the obvious place to start. Everyone that goes to a gym ought to know that proteins are the building blocks of muscle, and that maintaining an anabolic environment in the muscles will help them recover and grow.

There are a few different types, and there have been a bunch of theories about which ones are the best.

In the end, your decision on which protein powder to buy should come down to:

Your Dietary Intolerances (if you have any)

Sure, money comes into it as well, but I hesitate to say it should be a determining factor because these days you have to pay for quality in a protein powder, and going cheap might be a waste of money.

Personally, I find Optimum Nutrition’s line the safest bet as they are widely regarded as being one of the highest in quality and they have access to the source product (the huge dairy conglomerate Glanbia owns them).

Also, a blend of casein, egg and whey might be a good choice if you want to have a variation of release times and amino acid spikes. This could help your body to keep a steady uptake of the proteins.

The advice used to be that you must take your protein shake immediately after your workout, during the ‘anabolic window’ or else it would be wasted and all your hard work in the gym improving you muscle tissue was pointless.

In truth, this has been largely debunked as bro-science. Most people still drink theirs straight after a workout, and I would advise it as well. This is more about creating a habit of remembering to do it than anything else. Also, it helps keep your hunger at bay until you get home from the gym.

A lot of people are lactose sensitive, or flat out intolerant.

For the ‘sensitive’ crowd, whey protein with whey protein isolate as the primary ingredient should be fine. For lactose intolerant people, pure whey protein isolate or something totally non-dairy is necessary.

I mentioned cheap. That would be Whey Protein Concentrate - and not high grade at that. The cost to benefit should be taken into account. Not many people can drink them without experiencing gas!

Also, there has been a large spiking scandal throughout the protein industry. Nothing too dramatic but some companies add some cheap amino acids to make up the percentage of protein. It’s best to stick to a brand you know has been tested thoroughly and is proud to show it.

You will pay for those ones, but they will also work.

Here’s perhaps the most affordable, most proven ergogenic aid in the world. And yet, the supplement industry has tried to make it super complicated, to turn more profit or some cases make people think it is bad for you so you buy their snake oil instead.

Make no mistake, creatine works. It increases levels of Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP) in your cells. They use it for energy, which provides your muscles with energy, allowing you to lift more, which elicits bigger overcompensation and thus, growth.

There’s been a lot of nonsense over the last few years which has put a lot of people off creatine.

The first thing to be aware of is creatine that is called anything other than creatine monohydrate. This simple version is the one that is the most readily absorbed in the body.

Any other type e.g. creatine malate, is the supplement industry trying to make more money by claiming it is better. That’s because monohydrate has saturated the market and is now cheap.

The other fuss is to do with how it works.

Creatine works by being absorbed into cells, which can store a maximum amount to be used in moments of explosive energy expenditure.

Many sources still explain the need to “load’ creatine. “Loading” entails taking 20g a day for five days and then continuing a “maintenance dose” of 3-5g per day thereafter.

These same sources often go on to explain the need to cycle creatine, i.e. come of it after a number of weeks, take a break, and then resume - once again with the fabled “loading’ procedure.

Is all of this necessary? - Nope.

With creatine, the cells will saturate whether you load it or not. They can take a maximum before you are just straight peeing creatine.

You can take 3 - 6g a day (depending on their energy usage) and within a week or two the cells will get close to being saturated anyway. After that, the same dose is merely topping up the levels.

As for cycling, that’s unnecessary also. Your body gets creatine from your diet, it is a natural thing, you are merely supplementing to optimize your own levels. So, you see, you cannot “cycle off” creatine.

NOTE: some people are creatine non-responders, which means they could eat the stuff all day and they will just have expensive bathroom breaks (plus, just don’t do that).

Luckily, the results of creatine within the first two weeks of taking it are quite obvious, you notice a strength spike and possibly some size gain from the initial water retention.

What about the water retention? - Yes, some supplement manufacturers say their product is ‘creatine free’ so that you don’t get that awful water retention. To them, I say this “well done, you have excluded the world’s most proven muscle supplement. You must be pleased!”

Oh, and the water retention goes away anyway.

NOTE: be aware of pre-workouts that include creatine in some form. Often the dose is crappy (like 1g or 500mg), and people are left confused as to why they aren’t getting creatine-like results.

Advice: Buy quality bulk creatine monohydrate - it’s a squillion times cheaper than that pre-workout and it doesn’t taste awful.

Anyone remember betaine? Its first go round the supplement industry didn’t get much traction, but it appears to be here to stay now, and with the support of a few scientific studies.

Originally discovered in sugar beets (hence betaine) this natural chemical compound can be found in a few healthy foods, including spinach, wheat germ and shrimp.

Its primary function is to protect the integrity of cells (balance of water), making them tougher in the face of oxidative stress.

Secondly, it reduces homocysteine levels via the donation of a methyl group (Betaine’s fancy name is Trimethylglycine, which means it’s trimethylated).

Homocysteine is a biomarker for cardiovascular health. However, not being content with simply providing information as a marker, it appears to cause the problems as well by increasing levels of gunky plaque on the interior walls of the arteries.

Basically, lower levels of homocysteine is a good thing.

Other problems are being linked to homocysteine, including osteoporosis and cancer. Lower levels is a REALLY good thing.

…but what the fudge does that have to do with cranking out a personal best?

Well, the third effect of betaine is the ability to raise Nitric Oxide levels in the blood, which can assist short term muscle power and long term gains. In the gym, it gives you ‘the pump’.

Actually, all three of the above effects can positively impact performance levels by enhancing aerobic output and yes, strength and muscle growth.

Dosage: results have been recorded with just 500mg per day but studies show trained athletes get the most out of 2.5g per day.

Czapla, Swensen and Craig - Effect of betaine on cycling sprint power - Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition20107(Suppl 1):P23 DOI: 10.1186/1550-2783-7-S1-P23

Hoffman et al - Effect of betaine supplementation on power performance and fatigue - Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition 20096:7

This will sound unnecessary to many of you, and indeed will be. However, for guys getting into their late 30s and early 40s, there may be a case for it.

Testosterone is our natural anabolic steroid hormone, and some men have got oodles of it to spare, while others have less.

Note: If you are in a state of low testosterone, then there are some fairly unpleasant symptoms and the best advice is to go and see a doctor if you haven’t already - because a booster is likely not enough.

For the man who feels he has lost some of his pep (more of us than you might imagine), you can certainly benefit from a good testosterone booster to optimize your production and reverse a bit of that lacklustre feeling you have holding you back.

These supplements are not messing with your hormones or causing you to need any kind of treatment. For the most part they are simply encouraging your endogenous system to increase the production of testosterone.

In fact, some of the ingredients will only improve virility but this can certainly translate into training aggression and feelings of androgenicity in the gym.

The best Test booster supplements tend to include D-AA, an ingredient which has been shown to increase even the testosterone levels of elite athletes.

This class of athletes exercises so much that their testosterone can become depleted. The same can happen to you if you are working out in the gym nearly every day and have all the stresses of life to deal with as well.

There are a lot of these muscle supplements to get you ripped available, but not many are worth the container they come in. Luckily, I have found some of the better ones. 

To sum and conclude, if you want to get ripped you should do three things, all with equal importance.

Firstly, a proper diet with the right foods is essential. 

Secondly, your exercise regime and workout routine - whichever one you choose do it the maximum.

Combine the two previous points with premium supplements that can build muscle and also aid fat loss (fat burning).

If you follow this guide sensibly and choose a supplement to get you ripped your ideal body will be within reach.

Best Supplements for Muscle Growth

Testosterone Boosters for Muscle Gain

Best Legal Steroids in the US

Your comment has been submitted.

There was a problem reporting this.

Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language. PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK. Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated. Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything. Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person. Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts. Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.

Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device.

Subscribe to our weekly newsletters covering the news, arts, and sports.

Serving the UW community since 1891.

Please disable your ad blocker, whitelist our site, or consider donating to support The Daily