28-Days-to-Lean Meal Plan
With the right plan and the right discipline, you can get seriously shredded in just 28 days.
Read articleThe best supplement plan won't work optimally unless you are also eating the correct amount of high-quality food. Bearing that in mind, here are three combinations that can help you add to your muscle mass gains.
Adding muscle mass requires a calorie surplus coupled with adequate protein intake.
1. WHEY PROTEIN, GLUTAMINE AND OATMEAL
Whey is a quickly digested protein source rich in branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs). Supplementing with BCAAs can help prevent the breakdown of muscle. A small protein/carb snack before training can promote a more anabolic hormonal environment. Since oatmeal is a good source of slowly digested carbs, it can counteract decreases in energy and glycogen levels. When combined with whey protein and a glutamine supplement, the carbs in the oatmeal can help you maintain muscle during training.
2. CREATINE ENHANCED WITH VITAMINS C AND E
Four to six grams of creatine taken with a post-training meal will support muscle growth and repair. If you add a creatine drink fortified with plenty of vitamins C and E, your recovery should be even smoother. Cortisol, a hormone "unfriendly" to muscles, increases with training. 1,000 milligrams of vitamin C can help lower cortisol levels, while 800 international units of vitamin E will help offset muscle damage and can potentially increase the storage of carbohydrates as muscle glycogen.
3. MRPs PLUS HMB
Meal-replacement products (MRPs) allow you to have some flexibility in reaching your daily nutrition goals. Although MRPs include high-quality proteins such as whey and casein, adding two grams of beta-hydroxy beta-methylbutyrate (HMB) to an MRP can help you make greater gains in growth by preventing potential muscle loss. Closely related to BCAAs, as little as 1.5 grams of HMB daily could accentuate mass gains by slowing the muscle breakdown associated with hardcore training sessions. It's a good idea to boost the muscle-building potential of your MRP by adding 1.5 to 2 grams of HMB to the mix. – FLEX.