You’ve heard the saying “you snooze, you lose”, but you probably never took that literally. We typically think of sleep as a recovery process. But that recovery process requires fuel – from carbs in the form of stored glycogen in the liver, fat stored in our fat cells and, unfortunately, amino acids from our muscles, the latter of which you’d rather not lose when looking to gain, or at least maintain, muscle mass. The following three supplements can help you recover better as you sleep while encouraging more body fat to be used as fuel and minimizing amino acid waste to keep you bigger and leaner.
Casein Protein
You’re probably surprised to see casein protein in a fat-burning stack, as it’s typically considered a mass-gainer. But casein protein does more than just preserve and build muscle. According to research from the Netherlands, casein can help to encourage your body to burn more fat during the night. The researchers reported in a 2009 issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition that male and female subjects placed on a high protein diet (25% of total calories from protein), with all of that protein being casein, had less hunger throughout the day and burned more calories, particularly during the night, than those on a lower protein diet (10% of calories from protein).
Choose: Go with 20-40 grams of casein protein containing micellar casein immediately before bedtime. Also consider adding 10-20 grams of casein protein to your pre- and postworkout shakes, as well as between-meal shakes.
Visit the Muscle & Fitness Store and save on casein protein.
