Essential Supplements For Women, Pt. 1

When it comes to training and bodybuilding, supplements are basically viewed as necessities. Women's bodies have some different needs than those of men's, but rest assured that supplements have their benefits across both genders. Supplements give you an advantage in both burning fat and gaining lean muscle, but they also boost your nutritional intake too. Keep your gym tote loaded with the best supplements for women in part one of our list, and read the second half here!

1. Multivitamin

The best thing about a multivitamin is that it helps your body maintain proper nutrition, filling out any gaps that your meals might leave. Particularly when dieting, you might experience some deficiencies in certain vitamins and minerals. That can result in low energy, little muscle growth, and lack of gains. You want to do everything you can to ensure the proper vitamin intake, and with a multivitamin, you get to hit all the sweet spots in one fell swoop. DOSAGE: Find the right one for you and take once a day with a meal. Make it part of your breakfast routine and rest a little easier knowing you can work harder.

2. Fish Oil

When people talk about fish oil, they're really talking about two omega-3 fatty acids: eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). Fish oil is known to boost health in general, and studies have shown that it increases the amounts of fat-burning enzymes and helps with muscle gains too. Not only that, but it has a variety of other benefits as well, such as elevating mood and helping to reduce stress and tension. DOSAGE: 2 grams 3 times a day should do the trick. Pair them with the 3 larger portions in your meal management system.

3. Caffeine

Caffeine needs no explanation, but you may not have thought of it when considering supplements for women. We're already familiar with the boost caffeine gives us mentally in our coffee and tea, but it also has some other functions that are pretty critical for fitness freaks. The most important could be that it supports increased muscle strength during workouts, but the fact that it also promotes fat loss is pretty valuable too. DOSAGE: Between 200 and 400 mg twice a day, at least one time prior to working out. (For reference, an average cup of brewed coffee has between 100 and 200 mg of caffeine.)

4. BCAAs

Short for branched-chain amino acids, these unique supplements for women do a few crucial things. Perhaps the most important is that they can be burned as fuel to provide energy to the muscles. They can also curb muscle loss and speed muscle recovery, which only makes them even more valuable. With the ability to potentially help stop workout-induced muscle fatigue in its tracks, BCAAs are truly where it's at for women in the fitness world. DOSAGE: 5 grams before and after your workouts will do the trick, so keep a bottle handy in your gym bag.

5. Whey Protein

Probably one of the most well known supplements, whey is one of the two proteins in milk. One of the major reasons whey is so important is that it digests quickly. It breaks down easily once it's in the body, which ensures that amino acids are there during and after your workouts to help your muscles heal. It also contains peptides, which could increase blood flow to the muscles. This is especially valuable prior to your workout! DOSAGE: 20 grams in your protein shake first thing in the morning, half an hour before working out, and half an hour after is a good balance. Staying fit is a full-body experience, and supplements are just one integral component of that process. Load up your gym tote with all the best supplements for women to aid you in your journey to a toned and built physique, and head on over here for part two of this list.