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Three main criteria must be met for maximal muscle gain: eating more calories than you burn, consuming more protein than you break down and an exercise program that is challenging to your muscles (1, 2, 3).

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While it’s possible to meet all these criteria without taking dietary supplements, certain supplements may help you meet your goals.

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The two supplements listed below may help you gain more muscle with your exercise program.

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1. Creatine:

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Creatine is a substance that is found naturally in muscle cells. It helps your muscles produce energy during heavy lifting or high-intensity exercise.

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Taking creatine as a supplement is very popular among athletes and bodybuilders in order to gain muscle, enhance strength and improve exercise performance (4).

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Chemically speaking, it shares many similarities with amino acids. The body can produce it out of the amino acids glycine and arginine.

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Several factors affect your body's creatine stores, including meat intake, exercise, amount of muscle mass and levels of hormones like testosterone (5).

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About 95% of the body's creatine is stored in muscles, in the form of phosphocreatine. The other 5% are stored in the brain, kidneys and liver.

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When you supplement, you increase your stores of phosphocreatine. This is a form of stored energy in the cells, as it helps your body produce more of a high-energy molecule called ATP.

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ATP is often called the body's energy currency. When you have more ATP, your body can perform better during exercise (5).

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Creatine also alters several cellular processes that lead to increased muscle mass, strength and recovery, being very effective for short-term and long-term muscle growth (6).

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It has benefits for a variety of people, including sedentary individuals, the elderly and elite athletes (7, 8, 9, 10).

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One 14-week study of the elderly found that adding creatine to a weight training program significantly increased leg strength and muscle mass (10).

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A 12-week study in weight lifters found that the supplement increased muscle fiber growth two to three times more than training alone. The increase in total body mass also doubled, along with their bench press one-rep max (11).

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A large comparison of the most popular supplements found creatine to be the single most beneficial supplement available for adding muscle mass (12).

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-Different Types of Creatine Supplements:

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The most common and most researched form is called creatine monohydrate.

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Then there are many other forms available, some of which are claimed to be superior. However, there is no evidence that the other forms are better.

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Creatine monohydrate is very cheap and is supported by hundreds of studies. Until new research shows otherwise, this seems to be the best option.

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-Dosage Instructions:

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Many people who supplement start with a "loading phase." This strategy leads to a rapid increase in muscle stores.

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To load with creatine, take 20 grams per day for 5–7 days. This should be split into four 5-gram servings throughout the day (13).

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Absorption may be slightly improved with a carb or protein-based meal due to the release of insulin (14).

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Following the loading period, take 3–5 grams per day to maintain the elevated levels within the muscle.

 

There is no benefit to cycling creatine, so you can stick with the 3-5 gram dose for a long time.

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If you choose not to do the loading phase, you can simply consume 3–5 grams per day. However, it may take three to four weeks to maximize muscle stores (15).

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As creatine pulls water into the muscle cell, it is also advisable to take it with a glass of water and stay well hydrated throughout the day.

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2. Beta-Alanine:

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Beta-alanine is an amino acid that reduces fatigue and may increase exercise performance (17, 18).

Additionally, beta-alanine may help increase muscle mass if you are following an exercise program.

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Unlike most amino acids, it is not used by the body to synthesize proteins.

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Instead, together with histidine, it produces carnosine. This is then stored in your skeletal muscles.

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Carnosine reduces lactic acid accumulation in your muscles during exercise, which leads to improved athletic performance (19).

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In muscles, histidine levels are normally high and beta-alanine levels low, which limits the production of carnosine.

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Supplementing with beta-alanine has been shown to elevate carnosine levels in muscles by 80% (20, 21, 22).

Carnosine's mechanism of action during exercise is as follows:

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• Glucose is broken down: Glycolysis is the breakdown of glucose, which is the main source of fuel during high-intensity exercise.

• Lactate is produced: As you exercise, your muscles break glucose down into lactic acid. This is converted into lactate, which produces hydrogen ions (H+).

• Muscles become more acidic: The hydrogen ions reduce the pH level in your muscles, making them more acidic.

• Fatigue sets in: Muscle acidity blocks glucose breakdown and reduces the muscles' ability to contract. This causes fatigue (23, 24, 25).

• Carnosine buffer: Carnosine serves as a buffer against the acid, reducing the acidity in muscles during high-intensity exercise (26, 27).

 

Since beta-alanine supplements increase carnosine levels in muscles, they help the muscles reduce their acid levels during exercise. This leads to reduced fatigue.

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The top food sources of beta-alanine are meat, poultry and fish.

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It is a part of larger compounds, mainly carnosine and anserine, but breaks free when they are digested.

Because they avoid animal flesh, vegetarians and vegans have about 50% less carnosine in their muscles compared to omnivores (28).

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Although most people can get sufficient amounts of beta-alanine from the diet, supplements raise its levels even further.

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-Dosage Instructions:

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It is generally advised to take 2–5 grams daily (29).

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A 40–60% increase in muscle carnosine concentrations are often seen after 4 weeks of supplements (30).

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Consuming beta-alanine with a meal can further increase carnosine levels (31).

 

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1. Caffeine:

 

For many people, a morning without caffeine means a sluggish start to the day. Caffeine is a nervous system stimulant that clears drowsiness and gives you an energy boost.

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Caffeine is such an effective stimulant that many people are using a highly concentrated caffeine powder, or caffeine anhydrous, to stimulate athletic performance or weight loss. 

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Caffeine is a natural substance found in the seeds and leaves of certain plants. The caffeine in coffee comes primarily from Coffea arabica, a shrub or tree that grows in high-altitude subtropical and equatorial regions of the world.

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Caffeine anhydrous is made from the seeds and leaves of coffee plants. The word “anhydrous” means “without water.” After harvesting, caffeine is extracted from the plant matter and dehydrated. This produces a highly concentrated caffeine powder.

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When you ingest caffeine, it hitches a ride to your brain via your bloodstream. There, it mimics adenosine, a compound that’s present throughout your body.

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Adenosine works like a depressant, slowing you down and making you sleepy. Caffeine mimics adenosine so effectively that it’s able to take the place of adenosine in your brain and liven things up.

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The stimulant properties of caffeine are increased further because it enhances the effects of natural stimulants, including:

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• dopamine

• norepinephrine

• glutamate

• adrenaline

 

After enjoying a caffeinated beverage, the full caffeine jolt usually occurs within an hour. The effects of the caffeine will wear off in three to four hours.

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Research has shown that taking caffeine before exercise increases the release of stored fat by 30% (1).

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Another study found that caffeine supplements significantly increased the release of stored fat before and at the end of a workout (2).

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Caffeine can also increase the amount of fat you burn during exercise. It increases heat production and epinephrine, which helps burn additional calories and fat (3, 4).

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Nevertheless, caffeine is a diuretic so it flushes out water. When you flush out water, you also flush out calcium and other minerals in the water. You also flush out water soluble vitamins as well. Caffeine also impairs absorption of some vitamins and minerals, so make sure to use caffeine wisely and in the correct doses (5).

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-How to supplement with Caffeine:

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If you consume coffee or dark chocolate, you may experience less benefits from supplements. This is because your body has developed a tolerance to caffeine (6).

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Caffeine anhydrous seems to have the most benefits for exercise performance, but coffee is a good option too. Coffee also provides antioxidants and various health benefits (7).

 

Dose is often based on body weight, set at around 1.4–2.7 mg per lb of body weight (3–6 mg per kg). This is about 200–400 mg for most people, although some studies use up to 600–900 mg (8).

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Start low, at 150–200 mg, to assess your tolerance. Then increase the dose to 400 or even 600 mg, in order to maintain a performance benefit.

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If you wish to use caffeine for athletic performance, you should also save it for key events or races, in order to maintain sensitivity to its effects.

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For optimal performance, take it about 60 minutes before a race or event. However, make sure to test this protocol first if you're not used to taking caffeine.

 

 

2. MCT Oil:

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MCT stands for medium-chain triglycerides, which are fats found in foods like coconut oil. They are metabolized differently than the long-chain triglycerides (LCT) found in most other foods.

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MCT oil is a supplement that contains a lot of these fats, and is claimed to have many health benefits.

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Triglyceride is simply the technical term for fat. Triglycerides have two main purposes — they are transported into cells and burned for energy, or stored as body fat.

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Triglycerides are named after their chemical structure, more specifically the length of their fatty acid chains. All triglycerides are made up of a glycerol molecule and 3 fatty acids.

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The majority of fat in your diet is made up of long-chain fatty acids, which contain 13–21 carbons. Short-chain fatty acids have fewer than 6 carbon atoms.

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In contrast, the medium-chain fatty acids in MCTs have 6–12 carbon atoms.

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Because of the shorter chain length of the fatty acids, MCTs are rapidly broken down and absorbed into the body.

Unlike longer-chain fatty acids, MCTs go straight to the liver.

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There they can be used as an instant energy source or turned into ketones, which are substances produced when the liver breaks down large amounts of fat.

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Unlike regular fatty acids, ketones can cross from the blood to the brain. This provides an alternative energy source for the brain, which ordinarily uses glucose for fuel.

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Because the calories contained in MCTs are more efficiently turned into energy and used by the body, they are less likely to be stored as fat.

 

There are two main ways to increase the amount of MCT in your diet — through whole food sources or supplements such as MCT oil.

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These foods are the richest in medium-chain triglycerides, shown as the percentage of fatty acids that are MCTs:

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• Coconut oil: Greater than 60%.

• Palm kernel oil: Greater than 50%.

 

Although the sources above are rich in MCTs, their compositions vary. For example, coconut oil contains all four types of MCTs, plus a small amount of LCTs.

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However, its MCTs consist of greater amounts of lauric acid (C12) and smaller amounts of the "capra fatty acids" (C6, C8 and C10). In fact, coconut oil is about 50% lauric acid (C12), making it one of the best natural sources of this fatty acid.

 

MCT oil is a highly concentrated source of medium-chain triglycerides.

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It is man-made, through a process called fractionation. This involves extracting and isolating the MCTs from coconut or palm kernel oil.

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MCT oils generally contain either 100% caprylic acid (C8), 100% capric acid (C10) or a combination of the two.

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Caproic acid (C6) is not normally included due to its unpleasant taste and smell. Lauric acid (C12) is often missing or present in only small amounts.

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Given that lauric acid is the main component in coconut oil, be careful of manufacturers who market MCT oils as "liquid coconut oil," which is misleading.

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The source best for you depends on your goals and the amount of medium-chain triglycerides you want.

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It is not clear what dose is needed to obtain potential benefits. In studies, doses range from 5–70 grams (0.17–2.5 oz) of MCT daily.

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If your aim is to achieve overall good health, using coconut oil or palm kernel oil in cooking is probably sufficient. However, for higher doses you might want to consider MCT oil.

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One of the good things about MCT oil is that it has virtually no taste or smell. It can be consumed straight from the jar or alternatively mixed into food or drinks.

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There are several ways that MCTs may help with weight loss, including:

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• Lower Energy Density: MCTs provide around 10% fewer calories than LCTs, or 8.4 calories per gram for MCTs versus 9.2 calories per gram for LCTs (9).

• Increase Fullness: One study found that compared to LCTs, MCTs resulted in greater increases in peptide YY and leptin, two hormones that help reduce appetite and increase feelings of fullness (10).

• Fat Storage: Given that MCTs are absorbed and used more rapidly than LCTs, they are less likely to be stored as body fat (9).

• Burn Calories: Studies in animals and humans show that MCTs (mainly C8 and C10) may increase the body's ability to burn fat and calories (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17).

• Greater Fat Loss: One study found that an MCT-rich diet caused greater fat burning and fat loss than a diet higher in LCTs. However, these effects may disappear after 2–3 weeks once the body has adapted (17).

• Low-carb Diets: Very low-carb or ketogenic diets are a effective ways to lose weight. Given that MCTs produce ketones, adding them to your diet can increase the number of carbs you can eat while staying in ketosis.

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-How to supplement with MCT Oil:

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It is not clear what dose is needed to obtain potential health benefits, but many supplement labels suggest 1–3 tablespoons daily.

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There are currently no reported adverse interactions with medications or other serious side effects. However, some minor side effects have been reported and include nausea, diarrhea and an upset stomach.

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These can be avoided by starting with small doses, such as 1 teaspoon, and increasing intake slowly. Once tolerated, MCT oil can be taken by the tablespoon. 

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I would recommend taking it 30 min before exercise to get fuel for your workout.

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Supplementing with sodium from unrefined salt and potassium, phosphate, and magnesium from mineral rich foods and supplements may be necessary for you to avoid excess mineral loss caused by ketogenic diet and fasting.

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However, you need to consider when you want to take the supplements, as this could interfere with the results of your fasting.

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You may wonder if you should take creatine or other supplements during your fasting periods. This is primarily due to a concern that these periods will negatively affect your muscles.

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However, short periods of fasting are probably not a concern for muscle loss.

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What’s more, some of the health benefits of intermittent fasting are probably due to the fact that your body is not receiving any nutrients (1).

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This mild stress on your body may strengthen it to fight off larger threats, such as disease, in the future (2).

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If you take supplements containing amino acids or carbs during your fasting periods, you are signaling your body that you are not fasting (3).

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Additionally, if you get enough protein in your feeding period, fasting for 16 hours does not appear to be detrimental to your muscles, compared to a normal diet (4).

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Overall, it is unlikely that you need to take dietary supplements during your fasting periods. Some supplements, like creatine, may even be more beneficial when taken with food (5).

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Caffeine might be the only supplement I would recommend for fasting periods as it can blunt hunger.

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