We don’t want to put too fine a point on this distinction, but there are those among us who find it hard to gain muscle—and then there are hardgainers, practically another species entirely. They’re the guys who lift pathologically for months and follow meal plans that make a Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest look like afternoon tea with The Old Maids’ Temperance Club, yet they still have little to show for their efforts.We know this almost diabolical genetic obstacle to size has you this close to blowing up like a thyroid freak and pulling the pins on some mesomorph sitting at the leg-press machine. It can get to a guy. So whether you really are a hardgainer or you just find it hard to gain as a lot of us do, we’ve got a way for you to outsmart your genes. But it won’t be easy, because getting big always requires effort with a capital E.First, you should already be working your way through one of M&F’s mass-gaining programs and meal plans. Once that’s in place, beating your genes requires a strict program of supplementation that tells you what to take, how much and when for optimum growth.We’ve broken it down like this: To capitalize on your body’s ability to add muscle, we present 10 supplements to be taken in various combinations 10 times throughout the day. The key to a bigger you—particularly for hardgainers—is in following this prescription religiously, meaning every day, without fail. Only then will you begin to pack on that ever-elusive muscle mass and shed that horrid hardgainer profile. Genes be damned!
2 of 11
Before You Wake Up
WHAT/HOW MUCH
Arginine (nitric oxide booster) . . . . 5g
WHY
How do you take a supplement before you wake up? Place it on your nightstand with a glass of water and set your alarm for 1—3 hours before you wake. It may sound extreme, but if you really want to kick-start weight gain, you’ll do it. To maximize both its absorption and its nitric oxide (NO)- producing effects, you must take arginine on an empty stomach. Following this prewake timing keeps your NO levels up and feeds your musclegrowth machine throughout the day
When you wake in the morning, your body is literally attacking your muscle protein for fuel, a condition known as catabolism. This is bad news for a bodybuilder; to stop the process, you need fast-digesting protein and carbs. The amino acids from whey get into your bloodstream superquick and stop your body from feeding on your cherished muscle mass. Any leftover aminos then flow to your battle-worn muscles to help with repairs.During the course of a night’s sleep your levels of liver glycogen (carbs stored in your liver) are depleted and by morning are very low, which then has your body homing in on the glycogen in your muscles for fuel. Consuming a fast-digesting sports drink first thing in the morning will quickly restock your liver glycogen and prevent your body from tapping into your muscle protein.With your body in get-big mode, carnitine can increase the number of androgen receptors in your muscles, what testosterone binds to so as to facilitate growth. Since testosterone levels are highest in the morning, the more of these receptors you have, the more Big T can do its mass-enhancing thing. Plus, carnitine relies on insulin to get into muscle cells, so taking it with whey and a sports drink ensures optimum insulin levels.Topping off the cocktail is betaecdysterone, which increases protein synthesis (the cellular process that leads to muscle growth). Taking your first dose in the morning with the other supplements means your body is prepped to grow even before you lift your first weight.
4 of 11
With Breakfast
WHAT/HOW MUCH
Multivitamin/mineral . . . . . . . . 1 dose
WHY
With this smorgasbord of supplements to consider, it would be easy to overlook the humble multivitamin. Don’t. Providing these nutrients to your body at the beginning of the day supports muscle growth, aids metabolism, enhances immunity and regulates every other physiological system in the body. It’s critical that you take it with a meal because most multivitamins/ minerals are absorbed best with food.
5 of 11
Lori Andrews/Getty Images
With lunch
WHAT/HOW MUCH
Beta-ecdysterone . . . . . . . . . 100 mg
WHY
As a bodybuilder, your lunch will be high in protein. And since betaecdysterone enhances protein synthesis, the amino acids swirling in your system will eventually engender muscle mass, so long as you continue lifting like a hardgainer scorned
Taking arginine at this time maximizes blood flow to your muscles during exercise, increasing the amount of nutrients, oxygen and anabolic hormones they receive. This boosts your energy levels as well as postworkout muscle recovery and growth. Greater blood flow also means a better pump.Adding caffeine, which not only increases immediate strength but also blunts muscle pain during exercise, means you can train longer and harder to further stimulate growth.
7 of 11
Within 30 Minutes of Workouts
WHAT/HOW MUCH
Whey protein . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 g Creatine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 g Carnitine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1—3 g Plus eat 40 grams of slow-digesting carbs such as fruit or whole grains
WHY
Drinking a fast-digesting whey protein drink before you head to the gym helps prevent muscle breakdown during your workout and boosts protein synthesis immediately afterward.Although we’ve prepped your body for increased blood flow with arginine, taking carnitine is another effective way to ensure that your muscles are adequately fed. Even the peptides in whey open up your blood vessels. Creatine makes sure you have all the energy you need to hit the weights with controlled fury. This translates into more reps per set, which is the key to stimulating muscle growth. The slow-digesting carbs serve as a kind of conductor, keeping your insulin levels low and steady; directing your body to burn fat, not muscle; and providing you with adequate energy for the work at hand.
Again the whey protein, and for good reason: Research shows that when taken immediately postworkout, whey ramps up protein synthesis and boosts insulin levels. Adding the fast-digesting carbs in the sports drink further enhances these two actions, along with glucose uptake by the muscles (to replenish muscle glycogen depleted during exercise) and the reduction of cortisol levels. As a catabolic hormone, cortisol competes with testosterone, an anabolic hormone, and promotes muscle breakdown.Blunting it promotes better growth. When your body is ready to grow in this phase, make sure you feed it casein protein. Scientific research indicates that when lifters take whey and casein after training, they build significantly more muscle mass than lifters who take just whey. The postworkout dose of creatine replaces the natural creatine stores you lost during exercise, and new research suggests this bodybuilding staple provides much-needed antioxidantlike protection.Since testosterone levels usually run high postworkout, carnitine and betaecdysterone are again the perfect foils to instigate muscle protein synthesis. And new research shows that carnitine also aids recovery. In general, your muscle cells have a higher capacity to absorb nutrients such as creatine, amino acids, glucose and carnitine after your workout, so make sure you feed them properly.
9 of 11
With Dinner
WHAT/HOW MUCH
Multivitamin/mineral . . . . . . . . 1 dose
WHY
Even though you can be classified as a hardgainer, you still have more muscle than the average Joe and train at an intensity that can deplete your system of critical vitamins and minerals. Getting a second dose of this trusty horse pill with your evening meal is a smart move.
Growth hormone levels peak when you sleep, and taking a high dose of arginine before you go to bed pushes these levels even higher, prompting greater muscle growth. Make sure your zinc and magnesium levels are sufficient as well because they play a role in getting bigger yet are easily depleted by your work earlier that day in the gym. A dose of ZMA shores up these levels, boosts the anabolic hormones testosterone and insulinlike growth factor-1 (IGF-1), helps prevent overtraining and even improves your quality of sleep. ZMA works most effectively on an empty stomach, so take it no less than one hour after your last meal and about one hour before eating again.
At this point you’re preparing your body for a night’s worth of fasting, and you need to protect it against muscle breakdown. Since casein protein is digested very slowly, it provides a steady supply of amino acids to your muscles as you sleep for up to seven hours. When combined with a dose of beta-ecdysterone, the aminos are then strongly encouraged to turn
We don’t want to put too fine a point on this distinction, but there are those among us who find it hard to gain muscle—and then there are hardgainers, practically another species entirely. They’re the guys who lift pathologically for months and follow meal plans that make a Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest look like afternoon tea with The Old Maids’ Temperance Club, yet they still have little to show for their efforts.
We know this almost diabolical genetic obstacle to size has you this close to blowing up like a thyroid freak and pulling the pins on some mesomorph sitting at the leg-press machine. It can get to a guy. So whether you really are a hardgainer or you just find it hard to gain as a lot of us do, we’ve got a way for you to outsmart your genes. But it won’t be easy, because getting big always requires effort with a capital E.
First, you should already be working your way through one of M&F’s mass-gaining programs and meal plans. Once that’s in place, beating your genes requires a strict program of supplementation that tells you what to take, how much and when for optimum growth.
We’ve broken it down like this: To capitalize on your body’s ability to add muscle, we present 10 supplements to be taken in various combinations 10 times throughout the day. The key to a bigger you—particularly for hardgainers—is in following this prescription religiously, meaning every day, without fail. Only then will you begin to pack on that ever-elusive muscle mass and shed that horrid hardgainer profile. Genes be damned!
Before You Wake Up
WHAT/HOW MUCH
Arginine (nitric oxide booster) . . . . 5g
WHY
How do you take a supplement before you wake up? Place it on your nightstand with a glass of water and set your alarm for 1—3 hours before you wake. It may sound extreme, but if you really want to kick-start weight gain, you’ll do it. To maximize both its absorption and its nitric oxide (NO)- producing effects, you must take arginine on an empty stomach. Following this prewake timing keeps your NO levels up and feeds your musclegrowth machine throughout the day
When you wake in the morning, your body is literally attacking your muscle protein for fuel, a condition known as catabolism. This is bad news for a bodybuilder; to stop the process, you need fast-digesting protein and carbs. The amino acids from whey get into your bloodstream superquick and stop your body from feeding on your cherished muscle mass. Any leftover aminos then flow to your battle-worn muscles to help with repairs.
During the course of a night’s sleep your levels of liver glycogen (carbs stored in your liver) are depleted and by morning are very low, which then has your body homing in on the glycogen in your muscles for fuel. Consuming a fast-digesting sports drink first thing in the morning will quickly restock your liver glycogen and prevent your body from tapping into your muscle protein.
With your body in get-big mode, carnitine can increase the number of androgen receptors in your muscles, what testosterone binds to so as to facilitate growth. Since testosterone levels are highest in the morning, the more of these receptors you have, the more Big T can do its mass-enhancing thing. Plus, carnitine relies on insulin to get into muscle cells, so taking it with whey and a sports drink ensures optimum insulin levels.
Topping off the cocktail is betaecdysterone, which increases protein synthesis (the cellular process that leads to muscle growth). Taking your first dose in the morning with the other supplements means your body is prepped to grow even before you lift your first weight.
With Breakfast
WHAT/HOW MUCH
Multivitamin/mineral . . . . . . . . 1 dose
WHY
With this smorgasbord of supplements to consider, it would be easy to overlook the humble multivitamin. Don’t. Providing these nutrients to your body at the beginning of the day supports muscle growth, aids metabolism, enhances immunity and regulates every other physiological system in the body. It’s critical that you take it with a meal because most multivitamins/ minerals are absorbed best with food.
With lunch
WHAT/HOW MUCH
Beta-ecdysterone . . . . . . . . . 100 mg
WHY
As a bodybuilder, your lunch will be high in protein. And since betaecdysterone enhances protein synthesis, the amino acids swirling in your system will eventually engender muscle mass, so long as you continue lifting like a hardgainer scorned
Taking arginine at this time maximizes blood flow to your muscles during exercise, increasing the amount of nutrients, oxygen and anabolic hormones they receive. This boosts your energy levels as well as postworkout muscle recovery and growth. Greater blood flow also means a better pump.
Adding caffeine, which not only increases immediate strength but also blunts muscle pain during exercise, means you can train longer and harder to further stimulate growth.
Within 30 Minutes of Workouts
WHAT/HOW MUCH
Whey protein . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 g Creatine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 g Carnitine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1—3 g Plus eat 40 grams of slow-digesting carbs such as fruit or whole grains
WHY
Drinking a fast-digesting whey protein drink before you head to the gym helps prevent muscle breakdown during your workout and boosts protein synthesis immediately afterward.
Although we’ve prepped your body for increased blood flow with arginine, taking carnitine is another effective way to ensure that your muscles are adequately fed. Even the peptides in whey open up your blood vessels. Creatine makes sure you have all the energy you need to hit the weights with controlled fury. This translates into more reps per set, which is the key to stimulating muscle growth. The slow-digesting carbs serve as a kind of conductor, keeping your insulin levels low and steady; directing your body to burn fat, not muscle; and providing you with adequate energy for the work at hand.
Again the whey protein, and for good reason: Research shows that when taken immediately postworkout, whey ramps up protein synthesis and boosts insulin levels. Adding the fast-digesting carbs in the sports drink further enhances these two actions, along with glucose uptake by the muscles (to replenish muscle glycogen depleted during exercise) and the reduction of cortisol levels. As a catabolic hormone, cortisol competes with testosterone, an anabolic hormone, and promotes muscle breakdown.
Blunting it promotes better growth. When your body is ready to grow in this phase, make sure you feed it casein protein. Scientific research indicates that when lifters take whey and casein after training, they build significantly more muscle mass than lifters who take just whey. The postworkout dose of creatine replaces the natural creatine stores you lost during exercise, and new research suggests this bodybuilding staple provides much-needed antioxidantlike protection.
Since testosterone levels usually run high postworkout, carnitine and betaecdysterone are again the perfect foils to instigate muscle protein synthesis. And new research shows that carnitine also aids recovery. In general, your muscle cells have a higher capacity to absorb nutrients such as creatine, amino acids, glucose and carnitine after your workout, so make sure you feed them properly.
With Dinner
WHAT/HOW MUCH
Multivitamin/mineral . . . . . . . . 1 dose
WHY
Even though you can be classified as a hardgainer, you still have more muscle than the average Joe and train at an intensity that can deplete your system of critical vitamins and minerals. Getting a second dose of this trusty horse pill with your evening meal is a smart move.
Growth hormone levels peak when you sleep, and taking a high dose of arginine before you go to bed pushes these levels even higher, prompting greater muscle growth. Make sure your zinc and magnesium levels are sufficient as well because they play a role in getting bigger yet are easily depleted by your work earlier that day in the gym. A dose of ZMA shores up these levels, boosts the anabolic hormones testosterone and insulinlike growth factor-1 (IGF-1), helps prevent overtraining and even improves your quality of sleep. ZMA works most effectively on an empty stomach, so take it no less than one hour after your last meal and about one hour before eating again.
At this point you’re preparing your body for a night’s worth of fasting, and you need to protect it against muscle breakdown. Since casein protein is digested very slowly, it provides a steady supply of amino acids to your muscles as you sleep for up to seven hours. When combined with a dose of beta-ecdysterone, the aminos are then strongly encouraged to turn
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