Table of Contents
- 1 The 6 Best Supplements for Muscle Growth
- 1.1 #1 D-Bal MAX: Best Muscle Builder Overall
- 1.2 #2 TestoPrime: Best Supplement for Increasing Testosterone
- 1.3 #3 CrazyBulk: Best Bulking Stack for Muscle Gain
- 1.4 #4 HyperGH 14X: Best for Increasing HGH Production
- 1.5 #5 TestoFuel: Best Pills for Bodybuilding
- 1.6 #6 PrimeShred: Natural Bodybuilding Supplement
- 2 Additional Muscle-Building Supplements to Consider
- 3 Types of Muscle-Building Supplements
- 4 What to Look for in Good Muscle-Building Supplements
- 5 Final Thoughts on Workout Supplements to Gain Muscle
* If you’re unsure whether muscle-building supplements are right for you, consult your primary care physician.
(Ad) If you’re looking to build lean muscle mass and improve strength, taking a muscle-building supplement is one option to consider.
The best muscle-building supplements contain natural ingredients that can help promote muscle growth, boost physical performance, and improve body composition for a shredded physique.
There are dozens of supplements for building muscle on the market, but unfortunately, not all of them are trustworthy and reliable.
To help you find the best muscle-building supplements for your needs, we have reviewed over 20 of the top supplements for muscle growth available in 2021. Each brand was evaluated on its ingredients, dosage, effectiveness, reviews, and price.
If you’re ready to build muscle faster, here are the six best supplements for muscle mass and strength.
The 6 Best Supplements for Muscle Growth
#1 D-Bal MAX: Best Muscle Builder Overall
Marketed as a natural alternative to steroids, D-Bal Max is our top choice for muscle gain, strength, and performance.
D-Bal MAX is a dietary supplement that bodybuilders use to maximize their workout performance. This product can create the following benefits for your body:
- Fast muscle gains
- Increased strength overall
- Faster muscle recovery
- Impressive workout performance
D-Bal MAX produces these benefits through its powerful formula of natural ingredients.
First, it helps to increase protein synthesis in your body. Protein synthesis is the process your muscles go through post-workout to restore any damaged fibers and rebuild your muscle cells stronger.
Without D-Bal MAX, your muscles may require a day or two of rest between workouts to recover from muscle soreness. However, D-Bal MAX’s ingredients increase muscle protein synthesis, allowing you to get back into the gym faster so that you can lift weights every day.
Next, this product includes ingredients that can reduce your serotonin levels. Serotonin is the primary neurotransmitter involved in sleep. When your serotonin levels are high, you experience muscle fatigue more frequently and need to take longer breaks between workouts. However, lowering serotonin levels can help improve exercise performance and reduce tiredness.
Finally, D-Bal MAX boosts the levels of two essential hormones for building muscle mass: testosterone and insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1). Testosterone contributes to muscle growth, while IGF-1 triggers the production of new, stronger muscle cells. Keeping both of these hormones high is an important factor in improving muscle strength.
D-Bal MAX contains the following natural ingredients:
- Whey protein complex
- Pro BCAA (branched-chain amino acids) complex
- 20-hydroxyecdysterone (20E), a plant steroid
To experience the best results from D-Bal MAX, be sure to take three capsules each day. If you do not begin seeing impressive gains in 60 days, you can receive a full refund of your original purchase price.
We recommend D-Bal MAX for anyone looking to build muscle mass quickly and effectively through a tried-and-true natural supplement.
Click Here for the Lowest Price on D-Bal Max
#2 TestoPrime: Best Supplement for Increasing Testosterone
TestoPrime is the best muscle-building supplement for men who want to increase their testosterone levels, improve their physical energy, and boost their confidence.
Testosterone is the primary male sex hormone. While this hormone plays a wide range of roles within the body, one of its main jobs is maintaining muscle mass.
Unfortunately, many men experience low testosterone at some point in their lives, often as they begin to reach middle age. According toHarvard Health Publishing, low testosterone can lead to several side effects, including loss of muscle mass.
Thankfully, TestoPrime is a natural solution for increasing testosterone levels and for beginning to up your muscle performance. This supplement can produce benefits such as:
- Faster muscle recovery
- Increased energy levels
- Increased muscle strength
- More body fat loss
TestoPrime produces these benefits through its natural ingredients that boost testosterone levels.
One of TestoPrime’s most potent ingredients is D-aspartic acid, an amino acid that contributes to the production of luteinizing hormone. This hormone helps boost testosterone levels, thus creating firmer muscles and enhancing weight loss.
Next, TestoPrime contains green tea extract, which can help to prevent testosterone from breaking down into dihydrotestosterone in the body, keeping your T-levels high as a result. Green tea extract is also high in antioxidants, so that it reduces oxidative stress and fights free radicals. Because it contains a small amount of caffeine, green tea can also boost your energy levels.
TestoPrime also contains several ingredients that target other areas of muscle gain aside from testosterone. Panax ginseng, for example, is a Chinese root that can boost your energy and prevent muscle fatigue. Additionally, fenugreek is an ancient extract that can boost your metabolism, making it easier for you to burn fat.
The TestoPrime creators carefully crafted the supplement’s formula so that it has only effective, trustworthy ingredients for muscle gain and testosterone production. This supplement includes the following ingredients:
- D-aspartic acid
- Fenugreek
- Ashwagandha extract
- Panax ginseng
- Green tea extract
- Zinc
- Vitamin D
- Pomegranate extract
- Vitamin B6
- Black pepper extract
- Garlic extract
- Vitamin B5
The TestoPrime creators recommend taking four TestoPrime capsules each morning before eating breakfast. The supplement is designed to not cause indigestion or an upset stomach, allowing you to feel confident taking them each day before your first meal.
Altogether, we recommend TestoPrime for any man looking to increase his testosterone levels and boost muscle gain naturally.
Click Here for the Lowest Price for TestoPrime
#3 CrazyBulk: Best Bulking Stack for Muscle Gain
CrazyBulk is a muscle-building stack with four different supplements in one complete package.
You may have heard that pro athletes sometimes take several steroids at the same time to boost their overall muscle-synthesizing effects. However, steroids can cause a range of adverse side effects and are illegal without a prescription. If you’re looking for a stack of muscle-building supplements that can produce similar benefits to those of steroids, we recommend CrazyBulk Bulking Stack.
CrazyBulk is a leading supplement company that produces several steroid-like supplements for athletes. CrazyBulk Bulking Stack can deliver multiple benefits for your workout performance, such as:
- Increased muscle mass
- Boosted testosterone levels
- Faster muscle growth
- Increased endurance
- Better exercise performance
This stack includes four CrazyBulk supplements for improving muscle gain: Testo-Max, Trenorol, DecaDuro, and D-Bal.
Testo-Max increases your testosterone levels through a powerful formula of D-aspartic acid, zinc, vitamin D, and several other effective components. These ingredients can stimulate luteinizing hormone, which tells your body to raise its testosterone levels.
Next, Trenorol helps your muscle tissue and muscle cells retain more nitrogen than they would naturally, allowing you to burn fat more quickly. This supplement also increases your red blood cell production, which may give you more energy during and after a workout.
Meanwhile, DecaDuro also allows your muscle cells to retain nitrogen, helping your body increase muscle mass faster. The supplement also strengthens your connective tissues, such as your ligaments and tendons, to reduce muscle soreness and joint pain post-workout.
Finally, D-Bal has several effective ingredients that contribute to muscle bulking and fat reduction. Additionally, this supplement lowers your cholesterol and increases your VO2 max, which is the maximum oxygen consumption your body can use during exercise.
Each component in the bulking stack contains a unique blend of natural ingredients. You can read more about each supplement’s formula on the CrazyBulk website.
To see the best results, follow this schedule for when to take each pill:
- Take Testo-Max in the morning
- Take DecaDuro and Trenorol as pre-workout supplements
- Take D-Bal post-workout
Be sure to combine these supplements with an intense training exercise program and a healthy diet.
Overall, we recommend CrazyBulk Bulking Stack for any athlete looking to bulk up and build muscle quickly.
Click Here for the Lowest Price on CrazyBulk Bulking Stack
#4 HyperGH 14X: Best for Increasing HGH Production
HyperGH 14X is the top-rated supplement for increasing HGH levels, making it a popular choice among bodybuilders and athletes.
Human growth hormone (HGH) plays a major role in regulating body composition, bone density, cholesterol, and fat storage. Adults who have a HGH deficiency often experience higher body fat levels, fatigue, and lean body mass, all of which may make it challenging to increase muscle mass and achieve muscle gain in the gym.
If you’re looking for a way to boost HGH production, HyperGH 14X could be your perfect solution. This natural dietary supplement can provide benefits such as:
- Faster workout recovery
- Reduced body fat
- Increased muscle gain
- Higher energy levels
HyperGH 14X contains an effective formula of fifteen HGH precursors, each of which jumpstarts your HGH production and provides additional benefits for your muscles.
One of the supplement’s primary ingredients is L-arginine, an amino acid that can boost your HGH levels, improve workout performance, and build muscle tissue. Because your body does not produce L-arginine independently, you can obtain this substance only through a normal diet or a supplement like HyperGH 14X.
The supplement also contains L-glutamine, an amino acid that your body uses during times of stress and high exertion. L-glutamine helps you maintain healthy muscle tissue, increase your energy levels, and produce new muscle cell growth.
Another critical ingredient in HyperGH 14X is gamma-aminobutyric acid or GABA. This amino acid stimulates HGH production and promotes a healthy nervous system.
HyperGH 14X’s extensive ingredient list includes:
- L-glutamine
- L-arginine
- L-tyrosine
- Tribulus terrestris extract
- L-glycine
- L-lysine
- GABA
- Astragalus root extract
- Deer antler velvet
- Colostrum
- Anterior pituitary powder
- L-valine
- GTF chromium
- Phosphatidylcholine
- L-ornithine
The HyperGH 14X creators recommend taking one dose of the supplement twice each day. Spreading out your doses in this way will optimize your body’s absorption of the supplement’s ingredients, creating an ideal release of HGH throughout the day. In addition, unlike other supplements, HyperGH 14X uses a special system to increase absorption by 80% to 90%.
Overall, we recommend HyperGH 14X for athletes looking to increase HGH production during muscle and strength training.
Click Here for the Lowest Price on HyperGH 14X
#5 TestoFuel: Best Pills for Bodybuilding
TestoFuel is one of the highest quality supplements for men who want to gain muscle, increase testosterone levels, and reduce body fat.
Bodybuilders need the right balance of protein and nutrients in their diets to maximize their strength and muscles. If you’re looking for a supplement that can help you sculpt a defined physique while increasing muscle mass, TestoFuel is an excellent option to consider.
TestoFuel is a natural supplement that aims to increase low testosterone levels and was developed with bodybuilders in mind. Taking this supplement each day can produce benefits such as:
- Increased muscle growth
- Boosted strength
- Reduced body fat
- Improved mood and self-esteem
The TestoFuel creators know how challenging increasing your muscle mass can be, even when you regularly participate in strength training and high-intensity exercise. The company created this supplement to help athletes achieve faster muscle gains and see the evidence of their hard work in the gym.
One of the primary ways that TestoFuel helps bodybuilders is by stimulating testosterone production. The supplement contains several ingredients that can raise your T-levels, including D-aspartic acid, vitamin D, and others.
Increasing your T-levels can speed up protein synthesis in your body, allowing you to gain muscle mass more efficiently. Testosterone may also limit the effects of the catabolic hormone cortisol in your body, reducing muscle breakdown.
TestoFuel also contains ingredients that target other areas of muscle gain. For example, ginseng, a primary contributor to the TestoFuel formula, can boost muscle mass by increasing nitric acid levels in your blood. This ingredient also enhances your insulin sensitivity, allowing you to shed excess body weight and fat faster.
Additionally, TestoFuel contains an effective dose of magnesium. This mineral can regulate the enzymes within your body, increases your energy levels, and promotes faster muscle recovery from a challenging exercise program.
TestoFuel contains the following natural ingredients:
- Oyster extract
- Vitamin D3
- Fenugreek seed
- Vitamin K2
- Asian red panax ginseng
- Vitamin B6
- D-aspartic acid
- Magnesium
- Zinc
To experience the best results from TestoFuel, be sure to take four capsules each day. The creators recommend taking the supplement for at least two months to see the most benefits.
All in all, we recommend TestoFuel for bodybuilders looking to improve their muscle gain by boosting testosterone production.
Click Here for the Lowest Price on TestoFuel
#6 PrimeShred: Natural Bodybuilding Supplement
PrimeShred is one of the most effective supplements for increasing muscle mass while shredding fat.
Burning excess fat is an essential step in building stronger, bigger muscles. However, getting rid of stubborn fat can be challenging, even if you are eating healthily and working out each day. One way to aid your fat-burning processes is to take a supplement with special ingredients that help you to shed body fat faster.
PrimeShred is a dietary supplement that can help you achieve the lean, muscular body of your dreams. Taking this supplement can produce benefits such as:
- Faster whole-body fat burning
- More energy to complete workouts
- Better focus and mental clarity
- Improved mood
PrimeShred produces these benefits by boosting your body’s fat-burning processes, allowing you to burn fat faster and more efficiently.
One way PrimeShred helps you burn fat is by increasing the release of norepinephrine and epinephrine in your body. These hormones trigger lipolysis, or fat breakdown, which can enable you to burn more fat than you could through diet and exercise alone. Several of PrimeShred’s ingredients, such as L-tyrosine, green tea, and the capsaicin in the cayenne pepper, increase the production of norepinephrine and epinephrine.
Next, PrimeShred can help reduce belly fat by boosting lipase levels in the abdomen. Lipase is an enzyme that breaks fat down into glycerol and fatty acids. As a result, increasing your lipase level tells your body to burn more fat.
Additionally, PrimeShred contains several ingredients that increase your adiponectin levels, another hormone that boosts the fat-burning processes. Caffeine, green tea, and green coffee each increase adiponectin.
Finally, PrimeShred contains several ingredients that can give you an energy boost and mayl help you to complete intense workouts. The supplement’s formula includes pure caffeine, along with green coffee and green tea, which each contain small amounts of caffeine. Additionally, PrimeShred includes L-theanine, which enhances the effects of caffeine within the body.
Altogether, PrimeShred’s ingredient list includes the following:
- DMAE
- Green tea extract
- Green coffee
- L-tyrosine
- L-theanine
- Vitamin B complex
- Bioperine
- Rhodiola rosea root
- Caffeine anhydrous
- Cayenne pepper
PrimeShred packs all of these ingredients into a vegetable capsule suitable for vegetarians and vegans.
To see the best results, plan to take three capsules daily about 20 minutes before eating breakfast. Be sure to take these capsules every day, whether you plan to work out that day or not.
Overall, we recommend PrimeShred for anyone looking to boost their fat-burning processes to lose weight and build muscle.
Click Here for the Lowest Price on PrimeShred
Additional Muscle-Building Supplements to Consider
Some athletes choose to supplement their diets with specific proteins, amino acids, and compounds to promote targeted effects for their muscles. These supplements contain a less diverse range of ingredients compared to the products we reviewed above. Still, their effects are more specialized, allowing athletes to choose a few different supplement options to target their needs more precisely.
Here are a few popular supplements that produce more specialized effects for your strength training goals.
Whey Protein
If you’ve been weight training for long, you probably know that your protein intake is essential for building muscle mass and increasing strength. However, you may not realize that some protein sources are better than others.
Whey protein is one of the most beneficial protein sources for building strength and muscle. It is a combination of proteins from whey, which is the liquid in dairy products.
Athletes often take whey protein supplements because the protein has numerous effects on weight training. Whey protein promises to:
- Increases muscle growth
- Releases anabolic hormones
- Stimulates protein synthesis
- Is absorbed faster than other protein sources
If you’re having trouble consuming enough protein in your diet to give an increase in muscle mass, taking whey protein supplements or whey protein powder may give you the boost you need.
Creatine Monohydrate
Creatine is an essential substance that aids workout performance. The most common and effective form of creatine is creatine monohydrate.
Creatine promises a widerange of benefits for athletes, including:
- Increased muscle mass
- Improved strength
- Better exercise performance
- Lower blood sugar
Several of these benefits occur because creatine increases your body’s capacity to create ATP.
While creatine exists naturally within your muscle cells, many people do not generate enough creatine independently to produce their desired muscle gain. As a result, creatine supplementation is common among athletes looking to boost strength and gain muscle.
You can find creatine supplements and creatine powders across the market. Many athletes add creatine to protein shakes along with whey protein and other protein supplementation.
Branched-Chain Amino Acids
Branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) consist of three essential amino acids: leucine, isoleucine, and valine. You must obtain essential amino acids through your diet, as your body cannot produce them naturally. These three amino acids have branched chains because of their specific chemical structures.
Athletes often take BCAA supplementation to boost muscle growth and increase muscle mass. Taking BCAAs can also aid muscle recovery post-workout, making it easier to achieve gains in the gym with fewer breaks between training days.
BCAAs may also prevent muscle breakdown. BCAAs make uparound 35% of the amino acids in muscle proteins, so taking these amino acid supplements may prevent you from losing muscle mass when you cannot work out.
Beta-Alanine
Beta-alanine is an amino acid that athletes take to improve workout performance, boost their energy, and improve endurance overall. Unlike BCAAs, beta-alanine is a non-essential amino, because your body produces it naturally and you do not need to rely on food to provide it. However, athletes still take beta-alanine supplements to aid their body’s natural production and optimize the benefits of the substance.
One of the primary benefits of beta-alanine is that it contains carnosine, a compound within your muscles that helps them perform longer without tiring. As a result, when you take beta-alanine amino acid supplements, you give your muscles the nutrients they need to work out longer, boosting your endurance.
Increasing your carnosine levels may require weeks of regular beta-alanine supplements. If you plan to try this supplement, be sure to take it for several weeks before deciding whether it produces your desired results.
Types of Muscle-Building Supplements
The supplements on our list increase muscle mass and enhance exercise performance in several ways. Some of them target your T-levels, others increase HGH production, and some give you the energy to get through intense workouts.
Because so many types of supplements are on the market, you may be unsure which one is right for your needs. Let’s discuss the four main types of muscle supplements and how they benefit your muscle training.
Testosterone Boosters
As we have discussed, testosterone is an essential hormone needed for bulking up. However, many men experience a decrease in their T-levels as they age, making it more challenging to achieve the gains in the gym they once did.
As a result, many muscle supplements on the market focus on boosting your T-levels. These supplements contain ingredients such as D-aspartic acid and green tea extract, which act as hormone precursors.
Taking testosterone-boosting supplements is an effective way to raise your T-levels naturally, making it easier to increase muscle mass through a strength-focused exercise program.
HGH Releasers
Human growth hormone (HGH) is another essential component for bulking up. Athletes often take HGH supplements to aid their workout performance and ensure that their muscle tissue is healthy and strong. HGH can also boost your metabolism, helping you burn fat faster.
Several natural ingredients act asHGH releasers. They do this by signaling the release of HGH in the body. L-arginine and GABA are two ingredients commonly seen in HGH releasers.
If you are having trouble ridding your body of excess fat, you may want to look for a supplement that increases HGH levels.
Pre-Workout Supplements
Several of the best supplements for gaining muscle are pre-workout supplements, which are pills with special ingredients to improve your performance during exercise. Companies design these pills to offer the best benefits during your workouts, promising results such as:
- Better workout endurance
- Faster muscle recovery
- Increased energy levels
Pre-workout pills contain a wide range of ingredients that target workout performance in different ways. Some ingredients, likeL-arginine, are known to increase your nitric oxide levels and boost oxygen transport to your muscles. Others, like caffeine, keep you alert and focused during your exercise program. Some, like creatine, can increase ATP production.
The most popular pre-workout products come in a protein powder or protein shake, but you can also find these products in pill or capsule form.
Mass Gainers
Mass gainers are supplements taken with the sole purpose of increasing muscle mass. Many athletes take these kinds of protein supplements when they are looking to gain weight in the form of muscle. As a result, mass gainers are often high in carbs and protein, giving athletes the added calories they need to bulk up and gain muscle.
If you’re looking to lose weight or burn excess fat, a mass gainer protein shake or protein supplement probably won’t suit your needs. However, if your fitness goals include putting on more weight as you gain muscle, a mass gainer supplement may be the perfect fit.
What to Look for in Good Muscle-Building Supplements
Muscle-building pills come in all shapes and sizes. While many of these products are effective, some include cheap ingredients that do nothing for your fitness goals. Unfortunately, discerning between these two types of products can be a challenge.
One way to identify if a supplement is high quality and effective is to analyze its components and also the overarching company. Specifically, we recommend studying the following factors needed by a well-rounded muscle supplement.
Natural Ingredients
The best supplements contain only natural ingredients found in foods and plants.
Supplements do not have to pass an FDA inspection to be sold, so companies can include a wide range of ingredients. Looking for products with only natural ingredients can help you weed out scam companies and feel confident in a product’s safety and effectiveness.
Clean Labels
Sometimes, supplement companies claim that their formulas are effective with powerful components, but use only minuscule amounts of each ingredient. These companies often release “proprietary” formulas, listing the ingredients in the product without specifying the dosage.
Typically, if a company uses a “proprietary” formula, then it is trying to hide something about the product or its ingredients. On the other hand, companies that produce the most effective workout supplements are proud of their ingredients and dosages, displaying this information clearly on their labels and websites.
Non-GMO
A genetically modified organism (GMO) is a food substance whose genetic makeup has been modified in a laboratory. Ingesting GMOs regularly can possibly lead to a wide range of health problems, such as cancer and severe allergies.
When you take workout supplements, you want to feel confident that they are healthy and beneficial for your body. As a result, the best muscle supplements do not contain any GMOs that could cause you harm down the line.
Refund Policy
High-quality supplement companies often provide refunds or guarantees to help their customers feel confident when purchasing their products. These policies allow customers to return any unopened capsules within a specific time to receive a full refund.
If a company offers a money-back guarantee or full refund, you can rest assured that your money will not go to waste when purchasing its products. Alternatively, if a company does not offer any sort of refund, it may be trying to scam its customers.
Positive Reviews
One way to receive good information about a product is to read customer reviews. Customers often review products when they have had a positive or negative experience, so you can gain accurate information about a product’s effectiveness from these reviews.
Typically, thebest muscle supplements have more positive reviews than negative ones. If you find that a product has an overwhelming number of negative reviews and ratings, you may want to look for another supplement instead.
Discounts for Buying More Than One Bottle
Some supplement companies offer discounts for purchasing more than one bottle at a time. While this offer does not necessarily indicate a product’s quality, it does show that the company cares about its customers.
Final Thoughts on Workout Supplements to Gain Muscle
Like most workout supplements, muscle-building pills are not magical solutions that help you gain muscle instantly and give you endless energy in the gym. Instead, these products provide the most effective results in conjunction with a healthy diet and frequent high-intensity fitness training.
You should view supplements as an adjunct to your own muscle-strengthening efforts—not a standalone solution.
*This article is provided by an advertiser. Statements made are not meant to offer medical advice nor to diagnose any condition. Any studies cited here may be preliminary, and may or may not be peer reviewed, and may or may not have sufficient participants to be statistically relevant. Anecdotal accounts should not be taken as scientific results. Products discussed in this article are not designed to diagnose, treat, prevent, or cure any disease. The FDA does not evaluate dietary supplements. Consult your doctor about possible interactions, allergies, and if you are considering using a natural and/or dietary supplements for any condition. Individual results will vary.