As we get older, you might find yourself looking in the mirror and wondering what happened. You’ve added a few pounds of fat and lost a few pounds of muscle. Now you’re in your forties you might be looking at losing the fat and adding some muscle. You might start thinking about what are the best muscle building supplements for men over 40? I know I did.
- Protein Powders
- Creatine
- BCAA’s
- Multivitamins
These are the best muscle building supplements for men over 40, you don’t need any other muscle building supplements. Especially weight gainers as these tend to be full of sugar.
It can be a minefield out there with so many supplements on the market. It can be daunting knowing which ones to buy and which ones to avoid.
Can You Build Muscles in Your Forties?
I’m not going to lie to you, it takes a lot of effort, willpower, training, and nutrition. Yes, you can build muscles in your forties you just have to remember you’re not 20 anymore.
There are no shortcuts and you have to work hard, but the results will come. I’m seeing the results myself. I’ve also learned it has taken me longer than I first expected.
How to Build Muscles in Your Forties
One of the hardest parts of building muscle in your forties is actually starting a training program.
You just need to stop putting it off and saying I will start next week. As soon as you start training you will wonder why you put it off for so long.
To help you start building muscles supplements will give your body the additional nutrients that it needs. I’m not saying if you don’t use supplements you won’t build muscles. That is just not true.
Also, what is not true is believing that all you need to do is take supplements and you become big. Supplements are there to supplement your nutrition and give your training an extra boost.
Taking supplements will help optimize your training, nutrition, and help your body recover from your workouts.
What are the Best Muscle Building Supplements for Men Over 40?
In this article, we will give you the information you will need to know about the best muscle building supplements for men over 40.
We will go into a bit more detail about each of the supplements.
Protein Powders
There’re many types of protein powders available today. It can be quite confusing what to use.
- Whey Protein
- Paleo Protein
- Milk Protein
- Egg Protein
- Casein Protein
- Vegan Protein
- All in One Protein
- Special blends of Protein
The list goes on, it can get very confusing and expensive.
If you’re not dairy intolerant you should just stick to Whey and Casein protein powders.
As we get older we naturally start to lose muscle. Studies have shown that to help maintain our muscles we are required to make sure we eat enough protein.
Please note that all references used in this article can be found at the end of the article.
Whey Protein
What is whey protein? It is the mixture of proteins isolated from whey. This is the liquid part of milk which is separated during cheese production
The biological chart which rates the absorption rate of proteins has given Whey protein a score of 104. The biological chart rates the absorption rate of proteins from slowest absorbed and utilized by your body to most quickly absorbed and utilized by your body– 104 being quickly absorbed by your system and utilized.
This means your body absorbs whey protein very quickly. Also, whey protein is a complete protein and contains all 9 of the vital amino acids for your body.
Protein is the building block of the body. It is required for building and repairing muscles.
It can be very hard to consume all of your protein intake by food alone. That is why taking in extra protein via a shake will help you hit your protein target. To help build those muscles.
The best times to take whey protein is in the morning, pre and post-workouts. On average Whey protein contains 20 – 25 grams of protein per serving.
Recommended Whey Protein Powder
THE PROTEIN WORKS™ whey protein is one of the best on the market. I use this daily, as I just love the taste, and it does not upset my stomach. I can even drink the unflavoured whey mixed in with Unsweetened Almond Milk. 21G of protein per 25G of powder. You can find out more on my Recommended Supplements page or THE PROTEIN WORKS™ website.
Casein Protein
Casein is another great source of protein, it also comes from milk. Milk contains 2 types of proteins Casein and Whey. 80% of milk protein is casein.
Casein also is a complete protein containing the 9 amino acids just like Whey protein.
On the biological chart, Casein has a score of 77, which is a lot lower then Whey. This makes Casein a slow absorbing protein.
Because it is a slower absorbing protein, it will provide your body with protein over a longer period of time.
It’s recommended to take a Casein shake before bed. This will help your muscles to repair and build whilst you’re asleep. On the packet, it might suggest taking it up to 3 times a day, but there is not much point if you’re consuming protein on a regular basis. For example every 2 -3 hours.
Recommended Casein Protein Powder
THE PROTEIN WORKS™ Casein protein again is one of the best on the market. I have 1 shake before bed. I get the Mint choc Brownie, it’s soo creamy. Again it doe not upset my stomach. 23G of protein per 30G of powder. You can find out more on my Recommended Supplements page or THE PROTEIN WORKS™ website.
What are the Benefits of Taking Creatine?
Creatine is one of the most widely used supplements when it comes to building muscles. You will understand why in a minute.
I notice the difference when using creatine from when I take a break from using it.
When it comes to research around supplements, creatine is one of the most tested supplements out there.
A study carried out back in 2003 showed that Creatine promoted greater gains in strength, fat-free mass and performance.
Creatine is great for helping to increase your strength and muscle gains.
Creatine can be found in meat and fish, also it is formed naturally by your body. This is achieved by using 3 amino acids.
If you’re wondering, can you still get ripped on creatine the answer is yes? I talk about creatin and getting ripped in my article can you still get ripped while taking creatine?
How is Creatine Created by the Body?
For your body to create creatine it requires 3 amino acids Methionine, Glycine, and Arginine. It also requires 2 enzymes L-arginine: Glycine Amidinotransferase (AGAT) and Guandinoacetate Methyltransferase (GAMT).
How and When to Take Creatine
There are different theories on when to take Creatine. Before workouts, after workouts or both.
The most common suggestion is to perform a Creatine load phase. This has the maximum effect by loading your body with Creatine.
In the load phase, you need to take 20 grams per day for 5 days. Split this up into 4 x 5-gram doses throughout the day.
Next up is the maintenance phase, which only requires 3 – 5 grams per day. I like to take my creatine before and after my workout. I find that it is easier for me to include this in my protein shake.
Benefits of BCAAs (Branched-Chain Amino Acids)
BCAA’s are one of the most important and best supplements for helping to rebuild and repair muscles.
There are 1000’s of different proteins in your body. These are made from 20 different Amino acids
Out of these 20 amino acids 9 of them are considered essential amino acids. These cannot be made by your body and must come from your diet.
BCAA’s which are Leucine, Isoleucine, and Valine are 3 of the essential amino acids.
BCAA’s for Muscle Growth
This is one of the main reasons to take BCAA’s is to increase muscle growth.
The reason it helps to build muscle is that it increases muscle protein synthesis. It’s recommended to take BCAA’s with a protein shake, for example, Whey protein.
BCAA’s for Reduced Exercise Fatigue
No one likes to lose energy in the gym, I know I don’t. I hate it if I start to lose energy toward the end of my training session.
Whilst we exercise our muscles use BCAA’s this contributes to the development of fatigue during exercise.
Please don’t think that taking BCAA’s will make you stronger and be able to lift more weights. You will just have more energy to last the entire training session.
BCAA’s for Decreased Muscle Soreness
After exercise you might feel a bit sore, this is not uncommon especially when you first start working out. This is called DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness) which you start to feel between 12 -24 hours after exercise.
Sometimes DOMS can last up to 72 hours.
BCAA’s have been shown to help reduce DOMS, I notice when I take BCAA’s my DOMS are not as bad.
When to Take BCAA’s?
As BCAA’s help with protein synthesis and reduces fatigue during training, it’s recommended to take them before and after training.
This way you will have more energy for your training session and help build those muscles.
What Vitamins Should I Take in my Forties
Making sure you get all your vitamins can be difficult. But vitamins are essential for your overall health.
Vitamins help ensure your body functions correctly, not enough vitamins can impact your health.
It’s best to take a multivitamin designed for the over forties or targeted towards people that do exercise. This will make sure your body will have all the required vitamins to function correctly.
Conclusion
As you can see from our list men over 40 only require 4 muscle building supplements. I hope this helps to clear a path through the minefield of supplements out there on the market today.
Don’t forget supplements are meant to supplement your nutrient from food, not replace it. You should never take more than the recommended dose.
Taking supplements can help significantly with faster muscle growth, repairing muscles, and recovery.
If you would like to know about the supplements I use, why don’t you check out my Recommended Supplements page?
I hope you found the information in this article helpful, if you think it would useful to others please give it a share.
We would love to hear about your fitness journey please feel free to comment below.
I wish you every success in your fitness journey. Good luck.
References Used in This Article
- Advances in modifying and understanding whey protein functionality.
- Protein – Which is best?
- Protein content and amino acid composition of commercially available plant-based protein isolates.
- Design of a randomized trial to determine the optimum protein intake to preserve lean body mass and to optimize response to a promyogenic anabolic agent in older men with physical functional limitation.
- Bovine milk in human nutrition – a review.
- Effects of creatine supplementation on performance and training adaptations.
- Creatine synthesis: hepatic metabolism of guanidinoacetate and creatine in the rat in vitro and in vivo.
- BCAA intake affects protein metabolism in muscle after but not during exercise in humans.
- Branched-chain amino acids activate key enzymes in protein synthesis after physical exercise.
- Leucine regulates translation initiation of protein synthesis in skeletal muscle after exercise.
- Exercise promotes BCAA catabolism: the effects of BCAA supplementation on skeletal muscle during exercise.
- Cochrane review: Whole-body cryotherapy (extreme cold air exposure) for preventing and treating muscle soreness after exercise in adults.
