Working out, particularly strength training, strains your muscles—this is how your body knows it needs to build more of them. However, if you’re not consuming enough protein, you won’t have the necessary amino acid building blocks to support that muscular growth. And after that, you’re working extremely hard for nothing. 

According to Yash Birla, “I generally believe that you should strive to receive protein from complete food sources if possible.” However, if you just don’t enjoy protein-rich foods or lead a hectic lifestyle and lack the time to sit down and eat a large meal, a protein shake to ensure you’re fulfilling your needs is a good idea. Supplements for muscle strength or gain in such cases can prove to be beneficial.

Creatine is another excellent option for muscular building. Creatine is great, explains Yash Birla. There are several misconceptions concerning creatine, such as the ones that claim it damages your kidneys and causes dehydration. But he warns it doesn’t mean you should anticipate night-and-day improvements.

  • Are Diet and Exercise Enough?

Short answer: Yes. According to Mr Yash Birla, if you follow a well-balanced nutrition plan with a well-structured and well-thought-out workout regimen, you will achieve great results regardless of your goals (muscle gain, fat loss, or strength gain). As their name suggests, the goal of supplements is to Supplement your food plan.

Of course, that necessitates a solid nutrition strategy. If you don’t already have one, stay away from supplements because they probably won’t work for you. It’s like buying expensive running shoes without understanding how to run. They are useless to you in any way.

  • Which supplements should you choose?

Knowing which supplements are beneficial to you might be challenging and truly depends on your DNA. Every dietary supplement won’t work the same way for every person. Let’s take a closer look at two of the above-mentioned supplements for muscle strength or gain that Yash Birla recommends in his fitness book “Building The Perfect Body“:

  • Whey Protein

It is best to think of whey protein as “food” rather than a supplement. It is a meal replacement. It will help you reach your daily protein goals. You should be aware of how many grams of protein you need to eat each day if you’ve already planned your diet. Whey protein is only used for convenience since it could be difficult to meet these needs by eating simply conventional food. It is not complicated or even required to gain strength or muscle.

  • Creatine

Since creatine has been the subject of most research on any nutritional supplement, everyone is in agreement that it is effective. Again, don’t expect miracles. It is likely that using creatine supplements will increase your strength in the weight room by 5-20%, which does lead to greater gains in muscle mass.

Do you require supplements to build or increase your muscle strength? “In my opinion, supplementing is not necessary for any fitness goals,” Yash Birla replied. He goes on to say, “You may maintain and achieve your fitness objectives by eating natural, vegetarian, and healthy foods that provide enough amount of protein. Regular consumption of dairy products is more advantageous because milk proteins like those in paneer or cottage cheese and whey proteins are sufficient. A vegan plant-based protein drink can be added to this because it is all-natural. You don’t require any further supplements besides this. Protein from natural sources is always sufficient.”