The get-big six: supplements for mass

Flex, April, 2004 by Chris Aceto

If you want to get big, you can't just take a pill. You have to train hard and you have to eat right. If you want to make the most of your hard training and rigorous nutrition program, though, supplementation can definitely help. Adding a proper supplementation regimen to a strong foundation will support growth and recovery. However, add supplements to a weak foundation, and you'll barely budge an inch. There's no magic pill without the hard work and effort of training and nutrition. Once you are on a solid program, the six supplements and supplement "stacks" discussed here are your best bets for making the most of your bodybuilding gains.

PROTEIN POWDERS Protein is the core of your nutrition program, and it should also be at the center of your supplementation plan. Often, it's hard to get all the protein you need from whole-food sources. Make it easier to get the protein you need--up to 1.5 grams (g) per pound of bodyweight daily--by using protein powders. They're the most concentrated source of protein available, and they are easy to digest. A high-protein diet also supports the production of growth hormone, insulinlike growth factors and thyroid hormones necessary for growth and repair.

Suggested dose: At least 1 g of protein per pound of bodyweight each day. The majority should come from whole foods, with the balance from protein supplements. For best results, take in about 50 g of whey protein postworkout, and rely on casein-based proteins when supplementing at other times of the day--especially before going to bed, when you have a long fast ahead of you.

CREATINE Unless you've been living under a rock or you just started bodybuilding, you already know that this stuff works. Creatine is an energy molecule that contributes to muscle strength. When you get stronger, you get bigger. Creatine also drives water into muscles, which enhances their ability to grow. Bookend your workouts with creatine plus moderate amounts of whey protein and plenty of fast-digesting carbs, such as dextrose-containing products or foods, including white bread, Cream of Wheat cereal mixed with honey and fat-free muffins. The combo--whey with fast carbs--kicks up insulin levels. Experience has shown that insulin helps to enhance creatine uptake by muscles.

Suggested dose: Take 5 g before and after training with 25-50 g of whey protein and at least 40 g of carbohydrates.

GLUTAMINE This amino acid is especially beneficial when a body is under a lot of stress. If you're training with the intensity that it takes to grow, you're a candidate for glutamine. It helps the body store glycogen, the surplus carbohydrates held in muscles. In general, glycogen stores are related to growth. When they are full, you're more apt to achieve a positive nitrogen balance (read growth state).

Glutamine also attaches itself to muscles, lowering the total amount of cortisol that reaches them. Cortisol is a negative stress hormone that rises with hardcore training, and it can trigger muscles to break down, coaxing the body to burn protein--not the outcome a bodybuilder seeks. Supplementing with glutamine will help curb this effect.

Suggested dose: Consume 5 g upon rising, 5 g before and after training and 5 g before bedtime.

BCAAs Branched-chain amino acids are found in all protein foods; if you eat a high-protein diet, you'll get plenty of them. Still, consider adding them as a supplement to your mass-building plan because, when taken before training, BCAAs have been shown to support testosterone levels. In addition, one of the aminos--leucine--is now believed to be a key signaling agent for muscle-protein synthesis (i.e., growth). Leucine also increases insulin levels independent of carbohydrates. In other words, carbs raise the amount of this muscle-building hormone in the body, and leucine can do the same through a different mechanism. One idea holds that BCAAs added to a pretraining drink can boost insulin levels, helping a bodybuilder avoid the catabolic state brought on by working out.

Suggested dose: Take in 3-4 g of leucine, plus 1 g each of isoleucine and valine before training, or approximately 5 g of a BCAA product that has a high amount of leucine (about double that of its valine/isoleucine content).

POTASSIUM PLUS VITAMINS C AND E Potassium is important for muscle contraction. It also plays a major role in helping to store carbohydrates as muscle glycogen and influences protein metabolism. Taking potassium after training may also superhydrate, or "volumize," muscles because it helps with water retention.

Vitamins C and E are strong antioxidants. They fight free radicals, indirectly helping to keep a body in an anabolic state by fighting the tissue inflammation that comes with hard training. Taking vitamin C after training has been shown to lower cortisol levels. Supplementing with vitamin E helps decrease creatine kinase activity. Creatine kinase is a marker for muscle damage, and lowering it helps optimize recovery and growth. Vitamin E can also help muscle uptake glucose from the bloodstream to maximize glycogen storage.