HMB can work to preserve muscle mass and prevent muscle breakdown, especially when paired with other supplements.
For those of us looking to boost our gains and add to our massive physiques, we are constantly looking for the edge when it comes to enhancing all our goals. Supplements can be our best friends, especially ones that are high quality and from reputable companies. We all some of the essentials being a protein powder to enhance growth and recovery and a creatine supplement to really add to those gains. But one may be new to you and it is often paired with these above supplements to provide that extra level of gains we want most. For seeing greater results, HMB is that supplement you need most.
Let’s take a look at HMB and see what this supplement is all about. Knowing when and how to take it is vital for seeing huge growth and allowing our bodies to change so we see exactly what we want to. For boosting training and performance and having a body people will envy, this supplement may be the missing link to your supplementation routine that you need most.
What Is HMB?
HMB is short for beta-hydroxy-methyl butyrate and it is made in our body from the amino acid leucine. We’ve talked a lot about leucine in the past as it is one of the three branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) that works to provide for increased benefits during and after your workout from things like increased strength, lower body fat, and of course, more muscle.
One of leucine’s benefits is that it stops the muscles from breaking down, but in fact, it is HMB that has this property. For those of us who heavily value that hard earned muscle growth, having a supplement like HMB in our routine is exactly what we need to keep our gains from totally breaking down (1).
Benefits Of HMB
The benefits of HMB are too great to ignore and we need to look heavily at this supplement to see just what it can do for us. Benefits include:
- Increase in strength: In very active people, HMB works to increase strength by preventing the breakdown of muscle, thus allowing your muscles to continue to grow.
- Enhanced recovery: By reducing soreness and muscle damage, HMB works to shorten recovery time and allow you to bounce back much faster even after those grueling workouts.
- Absorption of protein: This allows you to get the most out of all protein being used to build muscle. Since protein is the building block of all muscle, absorbing and preserving as much as possible is hugely important to your gains.
- Prevent muscle breakdown: A crucial benefit, don’t let those hard earned gains go to waste. With less damage to your muscles, you can keep that muscle on and eliminate breaking down (2).
- Weight management: With more muscle building, you rely on those stores for energy and will start to target fat mass while preserving lean muscle.
Common Supplement Pairings With It
A great bonus to HMB is that it is safe and effective to take with other supplements. Most commonly, HMB is paired with creatine which allows you to significantly improve strength and size, while also reducing body fat and aiding in higher intensity exercise performance (3).
Glutamine is an amino acid essential for a number of bodily functions but it has great effects on muscle gain and exercise performance. Such benefits also include decreased muscle soreness and improved recovery after grueling workouts. For those who choose to pair HMB with glutamine, you can ensure that an increase in protein synthesis and a decrease in protein degradation will work to stop muscle loss (4).
We all know we need a good protein powder for those post-workout gains and the benefits of protein, whether it be a whey protein or something plant-based, are increased muscle growth and enhanced recovery with plenty of other health benefits as well. By combining a protein supplement with HMB you work to ensure all of this happens faster and more effectively only giving yourself a better chance at those gains you want to see most.
Best Time To Take HMB
It seems as though HMB is best to take before your workouts specifically 30-60 minutes before. For those in a regular training routine, work to keep that same routine for a few weeks while supplementing with HMB to allow for these effects to kick in. Once you decide to change up your routine, HMB will already be working wonders for your gains.
Featured HMB Supplement
Transparent Labs StrengthSeries Creatine HMB
Transparent Labs Creatine HMB is well worth the price and is one of the best creatine products for pure creatine. It has no added artificial flavors, fillers, preservatives, or coloring, which means the body isn’t wasting energy metabolizing useless chemicals — just pure creatine. Transparent Labs creatine is infused with HMB, or β-Hydroxy β-Methylbutyrate, which has been proven to increase muscle strength and lean body mass while decreasing fat mass. At a good price, this is a one of the best creatine products to buy for athletes.
Price: $39.00/ 30 servings
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Check out our list of the Best Creatine Supplements for more great muscle building products!
Wrap Up
It’s no secret that we all want the best when it comes to our growth and gains. Supplements have the ability to give us everything we want and more and HMB is no different. Knowing the best time to take HMB and what to pair it with will prove to be great in the long run as you add onto that massive physique. You deserve the best when it comes to your supplements and you deserve to see results from your training and performance given the amount of work you truly put into it. Try HMB today and see what this can do for all your fitness goals.
Let us know what you think in the comments below. Also, be sure to follow Generation Iron on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
*Images courtesy of Transparent Labs and Envato
References
- Wu, Hongmei; Xia, Yang; Jiang, Jin; Du, Huanmin; Guo, Xiaoyan; et al. (2015). “Effect of beta-hydroxy-beta-methylbutyrate supplementation on muscle loss in older adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis”. (source)
- Portal, Shawn; Eliakim, Alon; Nemet, Dan; Halevy, Orna; Zadik, Zvi (2010). “Effect of HMB supplementation on body composition, fitness, hormonal profile and muscle damage indices”. (source)
- Mangine, Gerald T.; VanDusseldorp, Trisha A.; Hester, Garrett M.; Julian, Jennifer M.; Feito, Yuri (2020). “The addition of B-Hydroxy B-Methylbutyrate (HMB) to creatine monohydrate supplementation does not improve anthropometric and performance maintenance across a collegiate rugby season”. (source)
- Ellis, Amy C.; Hunter, Gary R.; Goss, Amy M.; Gower, Barbara A. (2019). “Oral Supplementation with Beta-Hydroxy-Beta-Methylbutyrate, Arginine, and Glutamine Improves Lean Body Mass in Healthy Older Adults”. (source)