If you are looking to get better at your sport or bigger in the gym then building strength is a great way to go about it.
To get strong you need to be well-rounded though, you need a good training program, a solid diet and the best supplements for building strength and power.
Using the right supplements can make a big difference in your gains when it comes to strength, power and even size.
The tough part is there are so many supplements out there today it can be hard to decide which ones will work and which ones are nothing but garbage made in Chine using the cheapest ingredients possible.
Luckily we have put in the hard work for you and have come up with our list of the most effective supplements for building strength and power.
Put these supplements with a good workout program and solid diet and you will be strong as an ox in no time.
Here are the top products to keep in mind:
Creatine
Creatine is definitely one to consider when looking to increase strength and power. Creatine comes in many forms with creatine monohydrate the most common right now. Most forms of creatine are very effective. The only form that has been shown not to work is liquid creatine. Creatine in a liquid form turns into creatinine, which does not work, so don’t bother with that.
In a nutshell, creatine works by putting more ATP in your muscles. ATP is the fuel that makes muscle contractions possible. Once your ATP stores start to run low, your workout will suffer. You will lose intensity, focus, and exhaustion will kick in.
When you take creatine, you increase the amount of ATP in the muscle, in turn, you can train harder, longer and lift more than before.
Personally, I have always had great success with creatine and it is my go-to supplement when looking for a boost in strength. The strength gains are always significant too like a 50lb increase in my bench press over a 6-week period. Yeah, it’s that good. That is why it is at the top of the list and is the product you should strongly consider if you are looking to get stronger and more powerful.
We recommend Creatine HMB by StrengthSeries. This one features 5 grams of creatine monohydrate along with the strength builder HMB. HMB is a newer and effective strength builder that has been getting a lot of buzz lately. Studies have shown that creatine combined with HMB is more effective than using just creatine or just HMB alone.
For more information on creatine and top creatine supplements, check out our article on the Top Creatine Supplements.
Pre-Workouts
When most people think of pre-workout supplements, they usually think about getting totally amped up for their
workouts with energy levels through the roof, but many people don’t realize that pre-workouts are solid strength-building supplements as well.
Most pre-workouts contain caffeine, sometimes a lot of it, but they also contain ingredients like Citrulline Malate. Citrulline Malate has been shown to increase strength, and growth hormone and decrease fatigue. This ingredient is so good they even sell it all by itself.
Many pre-workouts also contain Betaine Anhydrous which has been shown to increase HGH levels and improve strength and power. Many also have Beta-Alanine, which reduces muscle fatigue and allows you to train longer.
Creatine is also a pretty common ingredient in many pre-workouts, as we already discussed it as a superior strength builder, that is by it is rather common to find it in pre-workout supplements.
Another thing about pre-workouts that makes them effective as a strength builder is the fact that they allow you to train harder for longer. Being able to train harder and longer in itself is sure to lead to strength and power gains.
PreSeries Bulk is currently the best pre-workout supplement on the market and it is made for people who are looking to add muscle and strength. Find out more about pre-workouts and other recommendations in our article Best Pre-Workout Supplements.
Testosterone Boosters
As most people know, testosterone is the big daddy of hormones when it comes to building strength and muscle. The more testosterone, the easier of time you will have to build strength.
The problem is once you get past the age of 25 your testosterone levels will decline each year unless you do something about it, that is where testosterone boosters come in.
Testosterone boosters can help increase those test levels, but there are different kinds of test boosters out there. Some test boosters are made for increasing strength and others are made for increasing virility. In this article, we will be discussing the strength-building kind of course.
Testosterone boosters use ingredients like D-aspartic acid, zinc, oyster extract, magnesium and Fenugreek that have been shown to increase test levels which lead to increased strength and muscle size.
When it comes to strength-building testosterone boosters we recommend TestoFuel, it is the strongest test booster on the market and has been shown to do well with increasing strength. For more information on testosterone boosters check out our article Top 15 Testosterone Boosters.
BCAA’s
Next, we have the power of branch-chain amino acids. This one is a very effective but commonly overlooked supplement by many.
This is one you shouldn’t skip because of the big role BCAA’s play in protein synthesis and they have been shown to aid muscle building as well. That’s not all they do though, they also reduce fatigue so you can train longer, shorten recovery time, and of course, increase strength.
It is recommended that you take BCAA’s before your workout so you can get the fatigue-reducing benefits that allow you to train harder for longer.
When looking for a BCAA we would recommend BCAA Glutamine. This product not only gives you a strong 8-gram dose of BCAA’s combined with the power of glutamine. Glutamine is an amino acid that aids in repair and recovery. Glutamine is especially helpful in those that perform heavy resistance training. Combine these 2 into one supplement and you have yourself another solid strength building supplement.
Protein Powder
This one is no surprise really, protein is the building block of muscle so if you are looking to build strength you are going to want to be sure you are getting enough protein.
This is because during a workout, your muscle gets broken down, and protein repairs the muscles afterward, making them stronger than before. This is why it is important to get enough protein in your diet and through supplementation and why many people choose to have a protein shake right after their workout. 1 gram of protein per lb of body weight per day is recommended if you are looking to build strength and muscle.
When it comes to protein powder there are several different kinds and they all work differently. They include:
Whey protein – This is the most common type and fastest digesting. Best kind to take after a workout.
Casein protein – This is a slower digesting protein, best to have before bed.
Soy protein – This is a common choice for vegetarians and vegans. This one generally tastes like dirt.
Egg proteins – One of the top protein sources
Blended proteins – This one is a blend of 2 or more different kinds of proteins, usually combining fast and slow.
There you have the benefits and different types of protein, if you are looking to increase strength you should certainly consider a good quality protein powder. Some of them you might find at the store are not as high quality as you might hope, though. We recommend the ProteinSeries 100% Grass-Fed Whey Protein Isolate. It is sourced from New Zealand and it contains a very high protein-by-weight ratio at 88% (28 grams of protein per 32-gram scoop). Another one to consider would be Mass Gainer, this one is another one that features top-of-the-line ingredients and a larger dose of protein and clean carbs. Check out our article Best Protein Powders on The Market for more information on protein powders and which we recommend.
Lifting for strength
Now that we have covered the best supplements for strength and power let’s go over some lifting techniques to get you as strong as an ox.
If you are looking to get stronger you are going to want to start out with progressive overload.
Progressive overload is rather simple, you just increase the weight from what you are accustomed to every few weeks. Let’s say you bench 185lbs for 10 reps. Now you increase to 195 lbs until you can do that for 10 reps, then you increase it again to 205 until you can do 10 and so on. This works very well with beginners and people who just start using, unfortunately, as you get stronger, it will become less effective and you will have to change things for more strength gains.
Luckily, there are other forms of progressive overload you can try. Once you hit a wall, try using these forms of progressive overload instead:
Do more sets
Train the body parts more often
Do the same workout in less time (less rest)
Do faster reps
Forced Reps – A spotter help you complete more reps after you reach failure
Negative reps – Use heavy weight and do the negative portion of the rep slowly; have a spotter help return you to start and repeat.
Drop sets – Go to failure, then drop weight and immediately do more reps, then drop the weight again and do more reps immediately
Use these techniques once you plateau and keep your strength gains coming.
Now that you have the right supplements for increased strength and the right way to go about training. Now all you have to do is put the work in and you will become a much stronger and better version of yourself.
