Bodybuilding used to be seen as an almost impossible endeavor in Nigeria by some people, majorly due to their restrictive knowledge of available nutritive food and gym supplements in Nigeria. There is misconception that most of the Nigerian foods are high in calories, and are not fit for people willing to build muscle mass and cut down fat. This thought is wrong, as there are many Nigerian foods that are high in proteins. There are also those that are high in many vitamins and minerals you’ll not readily find in other foods. Moreover, we are blessed with herbs that help you gain weight as well.
Quick Facts About Gym Supplements
Bodybuilding is not new in Nigeria, and it involves a high level of dedication to a training and diet routine and program. Ordinarily, all you need to increase your body mass is to consume more calories than your body needs. The excess food materials are processed and stored in the muscular tissues. However, with bodybuilding, there is need to consume some classes of food more than others, in order to achieve your desired goal. However, these nutrients can be difficult to get in the body in the right amount. Therefore, gym supplements in Nigeria are available to the rescue.
In this article, we will highlight the available gym supplements in Nigeria, places where you can get them, and what these supplements work for. In the course of reading this article, you may also get to know the right gym supplements in Nigeria, that are suitable for your bodybuilding and fitness goal, see it as a bonus, only if you’re attentive.
Gym Supplements and their Function
When most people see bodybuilders, with their expansive chest and high traps, they automatically assume they achieved that by consuming high amounts of steroids. Although some of them do, there are also some who depend on what they eat and ensure that they do not use steroids. I know this to be true because I am a fitness instructor, and I’ve trained my fair share of bodybuilders.
As we’ve said in the opening statements, bodybuilding involves two things, weightlifting, which you can also call resistance training, and following the right diet. Against the idea of many people, it is easier to lift those heavy weights than you think. Yes, it takes a great feat of strength to do so, but the most challenging part of bodybuilding is the strict adherence to diet.
As a gym enthusiast, whether looking to gain muscle mass or lose body fat, you will find it increasingly easier to master the right form for different exercises, your endurance improves, and your outward appearance becomes more like what you envisioned; however, you’re yet to be there.
The major thing that holds you back from achieving that V-shaped abdomen, reaching the six packs instead of four, getting your back to be wider, and your shoulders to be well-defined, is your diet. Mostly, diets bodybuilders are encouraged to follow usually have a high protein percentage, followed by carbs, and healthy fats. It usually contains some important foods that are rich in vitamins and minerals, too. However, it becomes a herculean task to consume all these foods throughout the course of the day. This is where gym supplements come in.
To help bodybuilders meet their diet requirements, gym supplements are recommended. It is almost impossible for a person who needs about 200g of protein to get it in just four meals of the day, every day. The mere repetitive consumption of the same food material is enough to discourage the individual. However, if the meals can supply about 120g of proteins in a day, switching food materials that supply proteins every day, gym supplements will effectively cover the remaining protein requirement.
Types of Gym Supplements in Nigeria
Gym supplements in Nigeria are the same as there are all over the world. Different bodybuilders have different needs. There are those who need more protein in their diet and will get those in supplements for this purpose. There are those who need to metabolize more fat, while there are others who need some kind of kick-up in energy before their exercises. There are different gym supplements in Nigeria that cater to these needs.
Therefore, gym supplements are usually categorized into:
Pre-Workout Supplements
As the name implies, pre-workout supplements are meant to be taken before exercising in the gym. They are usually rich in fast-acting energy suppliers, enabling a bodybuilder to perform intense workouts. They are not steroids, but contain nutrients and simple sugars that provides a boost of energy.
Some pre-workout supplements contain more than just energy boosters, they also contain nutrients that encourage the muscles to grow and imbibe enough proteins during exercise, to improve its growth.
Post Workout Supplements
Post workout supplements are usually used after a workout session. Some are used an hour after workout, while others are used at certain times of the day. It is majorly used to improve the recovery of the worked muscle, helping them grow bigger and stronger. They are not just used for increasing muscle mass, some are specifically for increasing fat loss.
Gym Supplement Breakdown: Pre-Workout vs. Post-Workout
List of Gym Supplements in Nigeria
Creatine
Creatine is a protein-rich gym supplement in Nigeria. It comprises glycine, arginine, and methionine – three amino acids that offer the muscles a good long-term growth benefit.
Creatine functions as an effective pre-workout supplement as it provides these nutrients to the muscles and help them perform exercises better, that is, a user is able to perform more reps of an exercise, increasing the time under tension during the exercise, and consequently, leads to better muscle growth.
It is an energy booster, muscle mass growth nutrient supplier, and general growth stimulator.
Whey Protein
Whey protein is the most popular gym supplement in Nigeria, and the same can be said about it throughout the world. It is a must-have for every bodybuilder looking to increase their muscle mass. It doesn’t matter if you’re in the bulking or shedding phase, whey protein must be in your list of supplements.
It is a fast-digesting, hence, fast-acting protein source that supplies the muscles with branched-chain amino acids – which are available as supplements, too. It also contains peptides that aid in improving blood flow to the muscles. In essence, it helps to make nutrients get to the muscle.
It is usually used as a post workout supplement, and is mostly used immediately after exercising.
Rice Branched Chain Amino Acids (BCAAs)
There are different types of amino acids. Some are categorized as essential, others as non-essential amino acids. However, the branched-chain amino acids are there in number, and they work together for the best result; isoleucine, leucine, and valine.
These nutrients have their individual functions; for instance, leucine stimulates the muscles to produce muscle proteins, even in the absence of other amino acids. However, when these three amino acids work together, they do more than initiate the production of muscle proteins.
They effectively block the effect of cortisol on its users, such as the delayed on-set of sore muscles – a result of a thorough workout – meaning it helps to improve recovery for the next workout. It also improves energy levels for workout and improve muscle growth.
Glutamine
Glutamine is categorized as a non-essential amino acid because the body provides it in abundance. However, the amount produced is not enough for a bodybuilder. It is responsible for the prevention of muscle breakdown and increases the availability of another amino acid, leucine – which is important for muscle mass growth.
It is usually taken as a pre-workout supplement and helps to improve the strength and effectiveness of the immune system, too. As a top gym supplement in Nigeria and around the world, it helps to reduce muscle fatigue, aid in fat loss, and increase the availability of the human growth hormones.
Beta Alanine
Gym supplements in Nigeria that help to improve muscle endurance is one containing Beta Alanine or Carnosine. In the human body, the combination of Bate-Alanine and Histidine leads to the production Carnosine – which improves the contracting and relaxing power of the muscle fibers. It also helps them to perform this action for longer, meaning it improves endurance.
A better result is obtained if this supplement is combined with a fat loss supplement like creatine.
Casein Powder
Casein is another milk protein supplement, like whey protein, only with a slower digestion rate. It contains amino acids that helps the muscle receive blood flow, recover better, and improve the strength in the muscle for the next workout.
Due to its characteristic slow digestion, it is better suited as a post workout that should be taken around bed time. It helps to avoid muscle mass loss due to catabolism, and is lightweight. It can also be combined with whey protein as a supplement to be taken immediately after a workout.
Nitric Oxide Boosters
Nitric oxide, NO for short, is found in the body, naturally. It is responsible for opening up blood vessels for easy movement of blood and all that it carries, including oxygen and nutrients.
Nitric oxide gym supplement provides the body with the amino acid, arginine, from which the molecule, NO, is then made.
It improves muscle growth by aiding in the availability of nutrients and water to the muscles, thereby helping it recover faster and increasing muscle pump during workouts.
It is better as a pre-workout.
Beta-Ecdysterone
Beta-Ecdysterone is a phytochemical found to possess anabolic properties, that is, they help in the build up and growth of muscle mass. However, it is peculiar in the fact that it does act like other hormones.
It is effective in improving muscle strength and aid in the growth of muscles by stimulating protein synthesis.
Carnitine
One important hormone for improved muscle mass is testosterone, and as one gets to the older age, that is from age 40 and older, the level of testosterone begins to reduce. For bodybuilders approaching this age, they are more concerned about boosting the level of testosterone than the amount of protein their body can process.
Carnitine, as one of the gym supplements in Nigeria, helps to increase the amount of testosterone in the blood even for long after the workout. It also aids in fat loss and improves the blood flow that supplies water and nutrients to the muscle, like Nitric Oxide does.
ZMA
Amino acids are important, but so are minerals and vitamins. When it comes to muscle functioning, minerals such as zinc and magnesium are important. Vitamin B6 is another nutrient often overlooked.
Zinc and Magnesium are essential in the recovery of muscle groups from the stress they’ve been subjected to during training. They help bodybuilders sleep and improve the production of hormones for rest. Zinc is also associated with the production of testosterone, consequently, it is indirectly involved in muscle growth and maintenance.
Conclusion
Gym supplements in Nigeria are not as new as most people think. However, its popularity is something new. Despite the inadequate knowledge of the right foods to eat among most gym goers, there have been a rise in the amounts of pre-workouts and shakes in the gyms.
The best gym supplements for different categories of bodybuilders include those that help them increase muscle mass, lose fat, improve blood flow to the muscle, and aid in recovery of the muscle fibers from stress. You can easily get these supplements from any big pharmaceutical store, gym accessories store, or online stores.