Top 10 Recovery Supplements & Best Recovery Supplements
Reaching your bodybuilding and fitness goals can be achieved in a lot of different ways. Every day there’s some new fad it seems. Most of these are snake oil and nonsense, but some of them are backed by science and really do work.
In this select group, the focus always lies on 3 things:
Recovery is easy to ignore and overlook, but it is essential to every training routine. In fact, rest and recovery are equally important to actually lifting the weights. After all, your body builds muscle while you sleep, not while you’re in the middle of a workout.
One of the fastest and easiest ways to recover fast is by taking recovery supplements. These supplements provide the body with nutrients and minerals that can hasten your body’s muscle repair process.
A recovery supplement can also be used even while you’re working out. Regularly taking recovery supplements while working out can help you recover faster in between workouts. Recovery supplements are easily confused with another type of supplement that is often used in bodybuilding. While they may seem like the same thing, recovery supplements are actually a lot different than muscle building supplements.
Athletes and body builders alike have to be aware of the difference between the two, especially since these two types of supplements are composed of completely different ingredients.
When you’re out looking for supplements that you can use for bodybuilding, you will find two main types of products: recovery supplements and muscle building supplements.
These two have the same main purpose: to make the muscles stronger. However the method they use to achieve this goal is where the two differ. Many people often mistake one for the other, which can pose as a problem when you’re trying to achieve specific fitness goals.
Here’s a quick breakdown that will help you differentiate recovery supplements from muscle building supplements:
Recovery Supplements – Recovery is a big problem for athletes and bodybuilders alike. After spending hours working out in the gym, you’ll often have a hard time finding energy. With proper rest and the right recovery supplements, the muscles in your body will heal and improve faster, allowing you to get back at it again more quickly.
Muscle Building Supplements – To get bigger and stronger muscles you’ll need the proper amount of nutrition. The best muscle building supplements have two main ingredients: amino acids and protein. Protein is responsible for rebuilding your muscles while amino acids are essential because they are the very basic building blocks of your muscles.
Recovery supplements contain a variety of ingredients, but the best recovery supplement for bodybuilding will contain these vital ingredients:
Green Tea Extract – Numerous studies have highlighted the health benefits of green tea.
Protein Powder – Do we really need to explain this one?
Glutathione – Glutathione is the mother of all antioxidants in the body, and plays a huge role in the overall functions of your system.
Multivitamins – Remember those Flintstone vitamins you used to down by the handful when your parents weren’t looking?
Fish Oil – Heart health and joint health, two things that are paramount to being a prolific lifter.
Each of the following products have their own unique features and benefits for you to explore, and we’ve ranked them in order of how quickly you need to add them to your stack.
| Our Score | Value | Quick Summary | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Performance Lab SPORT Post-Workout | $$$$ | Scientifically formulated. Our Favorite | |
| Anavite | $$$$$ | Your go-to post workout (and even intra-workout) supplement | |
| BCAA Energy | $$$$ | 5G BCAA’s, natural energizers, zero sugar/carbs | |
| BCAA Power Powder | $$$$ | 7g Fermented, pure branched chain amino acids | |
| Post JYM | $$$$ | 6 grams of BCAAs in a 3:1:1 ratio that enhances muscle growth | |
| GlycoFuse | $$$$ | Contains all the necessary electrolytes | |
| ReGen BCAA | $$$$ | 6 Grams of BCAAs for muscle growth, endurance and recovery | |
| 2:1:1 Recovery | $$$ | Nutrient combinations specially formulated to maximize uptake | |
| AMINO X | $$$$ | Muscle recovery and repair | |
| AfterShock Recovery | $$$ | Supports muscle building | |
| AMINO1 | $$$ | Caffeine and sugar free — can be used anytime, day or night |
Performance Lab SPORT Post-Workout is billed as “restorative sports nutrition for muscle recovery and healthy gains.” It gets there by taking a clean, research-backed approach to helping muscles grow faster, with less soreness.
Performance Lab SPORT Post-Workout boosts muscle growth, but also helps with inflammation control, protecting muscles against free radicals that are generated during good training sessions, and guarding existing muscle against breakdown.
The end result of this strategy is that Performance Lab SPORT Post-Workout is highly effective at packing on the most lean muscle mass in a clean, healthy and sustainable way.
Performance Lab SPORT Post-Workout benefits
Features
If it is your goal to enhance performance and muscle gain at the same time, Performance Lab SPORT Post-Workout is an effective, clinical stack for accelerating muscle repair and anabolic growth.
*Individual results may vary. Please speak with your doctor or physician before undertaking any new weight reduction, supplement, or exercise regime.
Clinically dosed with science-backed ingredients, Powerbuild is your go-to post workout (and even intra-workout) supplement. Containing sufficient dosages of Leucine, Beta Alanine, Creatine Monohydrate, and more Powerbuild will allow for intense training while blunting fatigue and promoting optimal recovery that will lead you to feel well-rested, recovered, and stronger for next time.
Another added bonus to this product is the completely transparent label with no proprietary blends that enables you to see exactly what is in this 25-gram muscle-building and recovery formula.
Naturally sweetened and manufactured in a cGMP & NSF certified facility in the USA it is safe to say each ingredient is of high quality and safety, providing nothing but the best.
Features:
Mix 1 scoop with 16-24 ounces of water immediately after a workout.
*Individual results may vary. Please speak with your doctor or physician before undertaking any new weight reduction, supplement, or exercise regime.
BCAA Energy has been designed to boost your anytime energy, recovery and performance needs whether they are before, in-between or after your workouts.
5g of the highest quality BCAAs per serving combined with Beta Alanine, L-alanine and Taurine to enhance endurance, recovery and focus. BCAA Energy uses natural energizers and antioxidants from Green Coffee and Green Tea for energy and focus with less chance of crash.
Use as an energy and recovery boost anytime you would typically reach for a coffee, soda or energy drink. Customize your experience based on occasion with 1-serving for mild energy and 2-3 servings for more intense anytime energy, performance while training or post-workout recovery.
BCAA Energy contains the highest quality of BCAAs and natural energizers along with zero sugar and carbs. Nothing else offers so many benefits! Once you make the switch, you will never go back!
*Individual results may vary. Please speak with your doctor or physician before undertaking any new weight reduction, supplement, or exercise regime.
BCAA Power Powder uses the process of fermenting branched-chain amino acids to deliver one of the top BCAA and recovery products available on the market today. BCAA Power Powder is a BCAA powdered drink mix made using the highest quality fermented BCAA amino acids, fermented L-glutamine, and electrolytes.
Labrada Nutrition only uses fermented BCAA’s to provide you with a product of outstanding quality to aid you in your recovery and growth process.
Click here to view BCAA Power Powder on Bodybuilding.com
Many of the ingredients in Post JYM Active Ingredients Matrix mirror ingredients in the Pre JYM blend. These ingredients include BCAAs, creatine HCL, beta-alanine, betaine, and taurine. These five ingredients need to be consumed before and after every workout for maximal performance and muscle growth. Thus, Pre and Post JYM are designed to work in concert. Take Pre JYM to train like an animal; use Post JYM to recover like a pro.
Post JYM Active Ingredients Matrix also contains carnitine and glutamine, which are important to quickly ramp up post-workout repair. In addition, you can also purchase Post JYM dextrose separately. This way Post JYM lets you control your carbs and customize your post-workout protocol. By keeping dextrose separate, Post JYM lets you control your carbs and customize your post-workout protocol.
Click here to view Post JYM Active Matrix at Bodybuilding.com
When you sweat while working out, you lose a lot of sodium, calcium, potassium, and magnesium. If you don’t replenish these minerals and continue straining your body, your muscles will become prone to painful cramps. GlycoFuse will provide you with all these minerals so that you can recover easily even after spending hours at the gym.
Gaspari Nutrition also introduced the OSM Technology in GlycoFuse. Taking GlycoFuse will decrease the osmolality level in the body, ensuring faster stomach clearance and decreasing the chances of experiencing cramps during your workout. GlycoFuse is also free from any synthetic coloring and although natural coloring is slightly more expensive than synthetic coloring, Gaspari Nutrition only adds natural coloring to their recovery supplement, giving you the assurance that you will get your money’s worth.
Click to view GlycoFuse ReGen at Amazon
*Individual results may vary. Please speak with your doctor or physician before undertaking any new weight reduction, supplement, or exercise regime.
ReGen BCAA is a great tasting, premium BCAA formula that can be taken anytime on both training and off days. It contains 6 grams of BCAAs per serving to support muscle growth and recovery. Citrulline Malate and Bioperine® help to increase blood flow and maximize nutrient transport to your muscles. Raw Coconut Water combined with additional electrolytes ensure you are optimally hydrated. ReGen BCAA is your great tasting, all-in-one anytime BCAA drink.
Click to view ReGen BCAA on Amazon
What you eat, when you eat it, and how much you eat has a dramatic effect on your performance. But, not all nutrient combinations work equally well. 2:1:1 Recovery is based on the latest science demonstrating that blending different types of carbs and proteins maximizes absorption and leads to better results than the use of larger amounts of any single type.
Hydrolyzed whey, micellar casein, and egg albumen proteins provide immediate and sustained amino acid delivery for repair and rebuilding while the precise ratio of simple sugars and rapidly-digesting carbs in 2:1:1 Recovery helps refuel and replenish hard-working muscles.
And with 5 grams of added BCAAs in the proven 2:1:1 ratio of Leucine to Isoleucine to Valine to stimulate muscle protein synthesis, there’s no question that 2:1:1 Recovery is an indispensable part of every serious athlete’s routine.
Click to view 2:1:1 Recovery at Amazon
AMINO X is a stimulant free, BCAA formula designed to support endurance during your workout and aid in muscle recovery post training, so you can push your performance to the next level. Featuring a 10 gram blend of BCAAs and the essential amino acids, L-Alanine, Taurine and L-Citrulline, AMINO X will help your body recover from today’s workout and prepare for tomorrow’s. Offered in five refreshing flavors, AMINO X provides you with versatile, nutritional support for any type of workout regimen.
Amino acids are the building blocks of protein, and therefore, the building blocks of lean muscle. Branched Chain Amino Acids (BCAAs) refer to three specific amino acids — Leucine, Isoleucine and Valine — that the body must obtain from either food or BCAA supplementation. BCAAs can be used by muscle cells as an energy source, which may help offset muscle breakdown during endurance exercise and help support recovery and repair after weight training. As a result, BCAAs are a popular and relevant supplement among those who exercise regularly.
Click to view AMINO X at Amazon
AfterShock is a classic favorite among many bodybuilders and contains only the highest quality ingredients. Users will find a blend of maltodextrin, carbohydrates, glutamine, creatine, and BCAA’s. AfterShock has a mild, inoffensive taste. Taking AfterShock will help users get rid of muscle soreness a lot faster when compared to other supplements. This also has the right amount of protein for muscle repair and muscle building.
On the other hand, AfterShock comes in many different flavors that users can choose from. AfterShock also has a somewhat chalky texture especially if this recovery supplement wasn’t mixed together well enough using a blender. Nevertheless, despite the taste and the texture, the effects and the quality of AfterShock is enough to deem it as one of the best recovery supplements there is.
Click here to view AfterShock on Amazon
Amino1 was designed for athletes and contains over 10,000mg of amino acids — patent pending 3:1:2 ratio instantized BCAAs — for sustained stamina and muscle building.
Amino1 delivers nutrients through multiple pathways, maximizing your body’s overall ability to transport, deliver nutrients, and ultimately support recovery. No other sports drink supplies as much power in the needed time interval, making this the ultimate in-workout recovery drink.
All-natural coconut water concentrate is one of nature’s superfoods, a complete balance of electrolytes and minerals—and it maximizes uptake. It is superior to manufactured sports drinks. This is why the sports world has turned to coconut water concentrate as a rehydration source.
Click to view AMINO1 on Amazon
Build and preserve muscle with 7 GRAMS of hypercritical BCAAs — in the nature-designed and widely-researched 2:1:1 ratio — along with Glutamine and Citrulline Malate. Plus, with a proprietary blend of hydration-promoting electrolytes, Scivation’s XTEND is the delicious, refreshing, SUGAR-FREE way to help anyone grind through a grueling gym session.
World-class athletes, elite bodybuilders, champion powerlifters, and weight-training enthusiasts of varying types all use XTEND during their workouts to help them train longer, harder, and with more intensity. When consuming two servings daily, it helps to facilitate both fat loss and new muscle construction. Also, by orchestrating optimal protein synthesis and by balancing the intracellular energy economy, Scivation XTEND severely truncates recovery time.
All Day You May is without a doubt one of the most effective recovery products on the market! It was created to let you feed your body what it needs to recover and grow all day long. This is a powerful combination of carefully chosen ingredients that will not only feed your muscles ALL DAY but also get your body repaired, recovered and ready for your next attack on the weights!
• Promotes Full Recovery
• Joint Support – No More Sore Joints
• Complete Immune System Support
• 5 Flavors to Choose From
*Individual results may vary. Please speak with your doctor or physician before undertaking any new weight reduction, supplement, or exercise regime.
[Updated: February 2019]
Disclaimer: The information on this site has not been evaluated by the FDA. The products on this page are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Results in description and Testimonials may not be typical results and individual results may vary. We may earn commission if you click the links and buy the products featured on this page.
This post was last modified on December 18, 2020 11:18 am
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