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What To Put In Your Supplement Stack

Are you looking to get the most out of your workout? Of course, you are. You’re not going to the gym just to sit on an exercise bike and read a back issue of People Magazine. You want to see results, build muscle, slash fat and be the best version of you possible.

That doesn’t mean you can’t use a little bit of help along the way. Supplements will do just that.

With the aid of supplementation, you’ll net larger gains, increase strength potential and see the fat drop right off, as long as you put the work in at the gym. To get the best gains though you’re not taking one supplement at a time though.

You’re taking several, which is known as stacking (you’re literally taking one on top of another, or “stacking” your supplements).

But what supplements are the best to stack for gains at the gym?

We’ve got all the answers for you right here...

Supplement Stack:

Branch Chain Amino Acid

If your looking for this product, it may be easier to look for it as “BCAA.” This kind of recovery supplement is critical if you’re looking for growing larger muscles. It is made up of a number of branched chain amino acids, including leucine, which is one of the most important amino acids you can consume.This BCAA alone helps stimulate your muscles while boosting the delivery capability of protein to your damaged muscles.

If you have ever purchased a “recovery beverage” or “post workout supplement” product before, it likely had this BCAA packed into it. It works by synthesizing the protein within your system, delivering it to the muscles.Basically, it delivers the needed ingredients to your muscles in order to help facilitate muscle growth.

Along with your protein, this is a supplement you want to consume immediately after your workout. It doesn’t do as much good in your system if you wait several hours until you consume it.On top of improving muscle recovery and development, during your workout, you will burn through a number of key chemicals your body produces naturally, including glutamine and creatine.

As your body is pretty much tapped out from these chemicals, it is important for you to replenish it.

This way, it not only helps improve how body’s ability to recover, but it also helps prep your body for tomorrow’s workout.

Creatine

For any workout plan, whether you’re stacking or not, you need to be taking creatine. Your body produces creatine naturally within the muscles.

This is the energy source used for explosive movements (such as exploding up on that bench press).

However, the energy source is quickly tapped out and takes some time to replenish. By taking a creatine supplement you’ll improve the amount of explosive energy in your body.

This, in turn, allows you to pump out more reps during our workout, which causes more muscle damage, which allows you to grow larger muscles and become stronger, all thanks to the single supplement.

When buying creatine you have two options: flavored and non-flavored. The non-flavored kind is great because you can mix it into your protein powder and other pre (or post) workout drinks.

There’s nothing wrong with flavored, but you can’t really mix it with other powders (unless you want a chocolate and fruit punch drink), which means you’ll be left chugging several different supplements all at once. Just something to consider when buying your creatine powder.

Protein Powder

Another must, protein powder is the most important supplement if you want to build muscle because chances are, you’re not getting enough protein in your daily diet to build the kind of muscle you’d like.

Now, there are a few different kinds of protein powders out there.

If you have dietary restrictions make sure to go with what works for those restrictions. We prefer whey protein.

That’s because whey comes packed not only with protein but with BCAAs, such as valine, leucine, and isoleucine, each of which is key in helping your body metabolize the protein and use it for building muscle. Other proteins, such as plant-based proteins (like soy and pea) are fine for net grams of protein, but these are not complete proteins. These plants lack critical amino acids that are only typically found in animals.

So if you’re trying to decide on one form of protein over the other, always go with whey. You want to take in around 20 grams per serving, although post workout you can increase this to 40. It’s important to not go extremely high on the protein if you’re just starting out.

Your kidneys need to be able to process the protein, so don’t overdo it right out of the gate. Build yourself up to it.

ZMA

Taking ZMA (short for zinc, magnesium aspartate and Vitamin B6) is going to help increase your

anabolic hormone levels. During your workout, you are going to draw on testosterone to lift. It’s why some will take testosterone boosters to help increase their performance. The added testosterone can help improve muscle development and size.

If you want to add that supplement to your diet you can. ZMA increases your testosterone level naturally as it is your body’s own testosterone. It’s not technically a “booster,” although it does help you maintain a higher level while training.

This, in turn, is going to not only help increase your muscle size but it will speed up your recover time, which is why you should consider taking it post workout.

CLA aka Conjugated Linoleic Acid

Another not so fun part of aging, the older we get, the more difficult it is to keep off that unwanted fat.

CLA will help increase your ability to burn fat, as well as increase your ability to retain muscle mass, prevent against several types of cancers, such as colon and lung cancers. It is recommended at 3-7 grams per day.

Glutamine

Here is another amino acid that is found within your body. This particular AA is used to help your muscles recover following a workout.

It also helps the muscles grow and repair, although after a heavy workout your muscles will be taxed and the glutamine will dry out (in this way, it is similar to creatine).

In order to help avoid this kind of a problem, you’ll want to introduce a glutamine supplement to your dietary supplement stacks.

This way, you’ll help prevent your body from fatiguing during a workout, thanks to the increase of glutamine in your body.

By reducing fatigue you’ll also be able to pump out more reps. So combined with creatine, you’ll have more energy and less bodily fatigue dragging your muscles down.

Take between two and three grams per serving.

When to Take Your Supplements

Naturally, you’re not just going to toss everything into a blender and chug. You’ll want to take certain supplements at different points of the day to ensure the highest benefit associated with each of the supplements.

Prior to your workout, you’ll want to consume around 20 grams of protein. This gives you the protein and carbs your body needs for energy.

You need to add in up to five grams of creatine in your pre-workout routine as well (this is where reading the label for the amount of creatine in a serving, as this varies widely from one product to the next).

You’ll also want to take a serving of Glutamine before your workout.

Following your workout, you’ll want to take another 20 to 40 grams of protein. You’ll also want to take another three to five grams of creatine.

Your body has burned through most, if not all of what is currently stored up within the muscles.

It takes time to replenish the creatine, and you don’t want to only rely on taking it immediately before a workout. You need your body to metabolize the creatine and store it within your body so it’s ready for use.

Next, you’ll want to also include another serving of Glutamine following the workout.

At the end of the day, take the ZMA and CLA to help relax both your muscles and enhance your endorphin gains from the days training; happy brain, good nights sleep.

Dosage

It’s important to follow the dosage recommendation on the product labels.

Every product brand is just a little bit different, so just because you’re taking a certain amount with one brand doesn’t always mean it will equate over to another.

You also have two options when it comes to stacking.

First, you can begin taking a supplement one at a time, take it for a week or so, then begin adding on the next one. The option is to start taking everything at once. There are advantages to each.

If you start taking everything at once you’ll naturally experience the desired improvements and help the supplements offer.

However, if you suffer some kind of issue, such as cramping or another side effect, you won’t know what it’s coming from and will need to start taking supplements out one by one until you determine which is causing the issue.

Now, you likely won’t have any side effects at all, but from time to time there is the occasional individual who’s body is more sensitive to certain supplements.

You know your own body, so do what you think is right for not only your gains but your body’s wellbeing.

In Conclusion

There’s no shortage to the number of supplements out there. Each supplement is designed to provide you with a boost in one way or another.

With this list of supplements, you’ll increase your energy, burn more calories, increase your muscle gain and pump out more reps at the gym. All of this equals a better built you.

So whether you’ve been going to the gym for years and want that added boost you’ve been missing, or you’re just getting back into the swing of things and want to take advantage of every piece of assistance possible, start taking these awesome supplement stacks for the gym and soon you’ll be seeing the kind of gains and body changes you’ve been wanting.

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