Thinking Best Supplements For Building Lean Muscle at 50 years of age? Read this article! Fitness knows no bar for age. It’s never too late to become fitter, even if you are over 50. If you have started to exercise regularly, you would want to get the most out of your workouts. An important benefit of exercising daily is gaining strength and muscle. Possessing a healthy amount of muscle mass allows us to perform our best in life and live longer. 

But, for maximum muscle gain, three criteria must be met: an exercise programme that will test your muscle, eating more calories than you burn, and consuming more protein than you break down. It is of course, possible to meet these criteria without dietary supplements. However, if you want to reach your goals and want maximum gain, we have listed some of the best supplements for building lean muscle. 

7 Best Supplements for Building Lean Muscle Over 50  

Below is the list of best supplements for building lean muscle:

1. Whey protein powder

Whey protein powder is one of the strongest supplements for building muscle. A mass-gain supplement, whey protein is crucial for pushing protein synthesis. Whey is like a milk protein that is packed with a high level of branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs). 

Whey is loved by all gym freaks. It is easy to digest, digests fast, and travels to your muscles rapidly to kickstart the muscle-building process. Whey also consists of peptides that are known to increase the blood flow to muscles. 

It is recommended to take Whey protein right after training. To maximize its effects, take about 20 grams of the whey powder 30 minutes before your training, 40 grams within 1 hour after training, and 20-40 grams after waking up in the morning. 

2. Creatine

Next on the list of best supplements for building lean muscle, we have Creatine. Creatine is made of three amino acids: glycine, methionine, and arginine. It is one of the best supplements for old men. It has been found that men who take creatine increase in strength dramatically and gain 10 pounds of body weight compared to those who don’t. 

Creatine has many benefits, it boosts the amount of fast energy needed in the muscle, it also draws more water to the cells and increases long-term muscle growth. Recent studies have found that creatine increases insulin levels in the muscle which stimulates muscle growth. It is advised to take 2 to 5 grams of creatine in the form of creatine monohydrate with your regular protein shake immediately before training. 

3. Glutamine

Glutamine is an amino acid that has been a favourite of bodybuilders for years now. If you are thinking of building muscle after 50, Glutamine will be helpful as it is central to muscle function and is one of the most abundant amino acids found in the body. 

Glutamine is one of the strongest supplements for building muscle and has various benefits including aiding muscle growth by increasing leucine levels, decreasing muscle breakdown, and bolstering the immune system. If taken before training, glutamine helps in decreasing muscle fatigue. Besides, it exacerbates growth hormone levels and plays an important role in fat loss by creating a calorie deficit. To maximize its effects, take glutamine in the morning with breakfast, with your pre and post-workout protein shake, and with your nighttime snack. 

4. ZMA

ZMA is one of the best supplements for building lean muscle. It is a combination of Vitamin B6, zinc, and magnesium aspartate. It is an important supplement, rather one of the best supplements for men over 50 because old men are usually deficient in critical minerals that are important for aiding sleep function and maintaining hormone levels. 

In fact, intense training can compromise testosterone and IGF-1 levels. ZMA significantly boosts testosterone levels within just 8 weeks of training. Increase testosterone production and IGF-1 levels can have a significant impact on muscle gain. 

5. Casein

Casein is another milk protein that makes for an ideal bedtime snack for fitness enthusiasts. It prevents catabolism, makes you feel full, makes a great mass-gain supplement for those who want to pack on muscle mass. Casein is supposed to be taken post-workout. It boosts protein synthesis the same way whey protein does.  Go for a casein protein powder that has micellar casein.

6. Branched-chain amino acids

Branched-chain amino acids are among the best supplements for building lean muscle. It consists of isoleucine, leucine, and valine. These three are the most vital amino acids that help in building and repairing muscle tissue. Besides, leucine stimulates protein synthesis on its own. Furthermore, the three work together to provide multiple benefits including increased strength during training, decreased delayed-onset muscle soreness, muscle growth, and blunting of cortisol. 

7. Carnosine

Last but not least, we have one of the best supplements for building lean muscle: carnosine. Our body combines the amino acid beta-alanine with another amino acid called histidine to form carnosine. According to research, muscles that have a high level of carnosine have increased strength and endurance. 

Carnosine helps increase the ability of the muscle fibre to contract with greater force and to do so without fatigue and exhaustion. Several clinical trials have reported an increase in muscle strength and endurance in athletes and bodybuilders who took creatine combined with carnosine. It has been shown that this leads to more gain in muscle mass and loss in the body fat percentage. 

Thus, carnosine is among the best supplements for old men. It is Milind Soman recommended! To maximize the effects of carnosine, take 1-2 grams of it immediately before and after your training mixed with your protein shake and creatine. And, on rest days, take 2 grams of it along with creatine at breakfast. 

Also Read: 5 Tips To Building Muscles After 40