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 By: Ctgblue
Being a supplement junkie can be difficult and expensive. Stacking your supplements wisely can help you get the best bang for the buck.
  Click To Enlarge. One Of The Best Ways To Get The Full Benefit Of Your Supplements Is By Stacking Them Together. In addition, stacking supplements can seem much more confusing than it needs to be. I am here to help as best I can in one article. I assume that Bodybuilding.com asked me to write this after looking at my order history from the online store. There are a lot of things to consider when creating your own supplement stack. So many people have so many different goals that I could not possibly cover all of them. Here are the topics I plan to hit:
Following These Assumptions: As I have stressed in my other articles, all the supplementation in the world will not help if your diet is not correct. The old adage "you are what you eat", is never truer than it is with regards to bodybuilding. If your diet is crap, your physique reflects it. A bad diet can lead to bad skin, bad hair, excess body fat levels, muscle atrophy or stagnation, and a list of other maladies.
Basic rules of physiology come into play when eating for effect. To gain muscle, you must exceed the calories you burn with the calories you eat. To lose body fat, you must exceed the calories you eat with the calories you burn. Seems simple, right? Then why do so many people fail miserably at it. Because people lack the discipline to properly track and/or plan their diets. I always suggest that people, embarking on a new exercise and nutrition program, keep a daily food log. This will ensure that they do not cheat themselves out of results by not eating enough or by eating too much.
Eating to gain muscle may vary from person to person, but the basics are not very difficult. The foods should be high in protein. Adequate complex carbohydrates should be a given. Starches should be timed for maximum energy levels and should preferably be moderate in glycemic index (i.e. brown rice should be chosen over white rice, sweet potatoes over regular baked potatoes, etc). This will help reduce conditions that may help store food as body fat instead of help shuttle nutrients to the muscles. Glycemic Index Articles:
So if you lose 10 lbs of muscle mass, you effectively lower your metabolism by 300-600 calories per day. This means if you crash diet muscle off, you will have to stay at the lower calorie intake level permanently or you can gain all that fat back plus MORE. So food needs to have plenty of LEAN protein.
The carbohydrates need to be as "lean and green" as possible. Starches and sugars need to be avoided as much as possible. You also need to keep strength training in the routine. If you do not use/challenge the muscle, the body will find it unnecessary and, in a negative calorie state, utilize it for fuel. By continuing to challenge the muscle, and feeding it enough quality protein, it will help your body burn off the unwanted fat. Stacking supplements works great, if done properly. If done haphazardly, it can cause unpleasant, if not outright dangerous, side effects.
Warning: Consult a physician before use. Do not use this product if you have a medical condition, or are taking prescription medications. Not intended for use by persons under 21. Exceeding recommended serving may cause serious adverse health effects. Discontinue use and call a physician if you experience and side effects. OK, these are there for a REASON! Listen to them. TOO MUCH of anything can be bad for you. Caffeine, vitamin C, vitamin A, iron, chromium, etc., can all build up and possibly cause some adverse effects if you combine too many supplements with them at the same time. For instance, if I overload on vitamin C trying to fight off [something], I tend to get a slight rash on my neck and upper chest and my wife gets blisters around her lips. Not from extra vitamin C, but from EXCESS. Prohormones should not be used by females or anyone under 21. People who tell you to go for it are NOT your friends and they do not care if you suffer any adverse side effects. They don't have to pay for it, you do.
So the warning here is to make sure you are not stacking too many supplements with the same ingredients. Be smart. More is not always better, more is usually just more.
This is essentially what we are going for when stacking supplements. Using complimentary items that can INCREASE each others effectiveness.
Consuming a blend of protein and carbs before and after the workouts will help ensure energy through the workout and help speed up the recovery process after the workout. Remember, you grow OUTSIDE the gym.
Thermogenics can assist in helping to increase the metabolic rate. Plenty of quality protein will assist in keeping muscle from being burned as fuel. Good complex carbohydrates will help keep energy levels up while eliminating big insulin spikes that may allow the body to store more fat.
Pre-workout stimulant, whey isolate, whey protein blend, carb source, creatine (if you can use monohydrate it is cheap and flavorless, I cannot use it so I often opt for creatine ethyl ester), casein protein. Pre-workout - Pre-workout stimulant and several caps of CEE with 1 scoop whey isolate and 3/4 scoop carb source in ice water. Post workout - several caps of CEE with 2-3 scoops whey protein blend and 1 full scoop carb source in ice water. Before bed - 2 scoops casein.
Evening Lifter:
Pre-workout stimulant, BCAA's, carb source, whey isolate, whey protein blend, NO supplement, creatine, casein protein. Pre-workout - BCAA's, 3/4 scoop carb source, 1 scoop whey isolate in water. Pre-workout stimulant, creatine, and NO supplements. Post workout - 2 scoops whey protein blend with 1 full scoop carb source and creatine. Before bed - 2 scoops casein protein.
Evening lifter:
BCAA's, thermogenics, whey blend, glutamine, creatine, casein protein. Pre-workout - BCAA's in water. Thermogenic and creatine. Post workout - 2 scoops whey protein blend, 10g glutamine, with 1/2 scoop carb source and creatine. Before Bed - 2 scoops casein protein.
Evening Lifter:
BCAA's, thermogenics, whey blend, glutamine, creatine, NO supplement, casein protein. Pre-workout - BCAA's in water. Thermogenic, creatine, and NO supplements. Post workout - 2 scoops whey protein blend, 10g glutamine, with 1/2 scoop carb source and creatine. Before bed - 2 scoops casein protein.
Evening Lifter:
Glucosamine, MSM, And Cissus If the supplement also has chondroitin, that is great, but I have personally not noticed a difference with or without it. This stack is one of those that I did not know I needed until I started taking it and stopped.
Vitamins & Antioxidants It is very difficult to get enough vitamins and minerals to support an active lifestyle with the amount of processing that occurs to most of our foods. If you are like me, you may not get enough of the green stuff to provide these.
Men's Care Men need prostate support and do not need additional iron supplements.
Women's Care Women need additional iron and definitely need additional calcium, especially if dairy consumption is low.
I've tried them, they work. I stand behind that. If you buy them and don't like them, send them to me and I'll finish them for you. I could use some free stuff! But seriously, I've tried a lot and these are what I buy on a rotating basis.
Thermogenics:
Whey Isolates:
Whey Protein Concentrates Or Blends:
Glutamine:
Creatine Supplements:
NO Supplements:
Casein Protein:
Multivitamins:
Aminos And BCAA's:
Joint Support:
Fiber:
Carb Sources:
General Dietary Stuff:
IDS Whey Isolate, 1/2 scoop IDS Waximaize, 2 scoops Scivation Xtend, and 1 scoop Scivation Vasocharge in ice water. 3 White flood tabs, 3 CEE tabs and 1 Primaforce Cissus. Post-workout 2 scoops Scivation Whey, 1 scoop Optimum Casein, 10g IDS Glutamine with MSM, and 1 scoop IDS Waximaize in the blender with ice and water. In The Vitamin Cups:
Morning:
Evening:
I work hard, I lift heavy, I try to compete every 12-18 months, I am over 40 and still getting bigger and stronger. I supplement to help my body recover to the best of its ability. I also make sure to drink plenty of fluids. I try to take in 1 to 1 1/2 gallons of WATER along with another 1/2 to 1 gallon of other fluids. A dehydrated muscle is a tear waiting to happen.
If you look above, some of these items appear in more than one category. For instance, White Flood and Primal NO appear in pre-workout stimulant AND in NO supplement. Meaning they have NO properties AND caffeine. So don't double up on the caffeine. IDS BetaNOX has caffeine precursors in it and warns against taking with other caffeine supplements, so it may make a really good evening supplement and not so much for morning if you need extra caffeine. There are a lot of "all in one" pre-workout drinks, make sure of the ingredients before stacking them with other supplements. If you are an evening lifter, pay close attention to the caffeine content of your supplements if caffeine in the evening interrupts your sleep patterns. Remember, sleep is the time your body is at its optimum level for recovery and repair. Don't cut it short. I hope this has helped some. It is not meant to be a scientific study on the effects of stacking, just some basic guidelines to show you that it does not HAVE to be rocket science. Knowing how you respond to supplementation can help anyone create a safe and effective supplement stack. More Supplement Stack Articles: Good luck, As always, if you have any questions, feel free to email me. I attempt to respond to everyone if possible. Until next time, Lift Big 2 Get Big. CTGBLUE PS: Due to numerous requests, my next articles will be dedicated to "Surviving the Holidays" and "The Resolutioner" (yes, they need help too, we all know it, they just don't, yet) PS: Let me know if there's a certain topic YOU would like to see me address. Recommend this article to a friend by e-mail here! Visitor Reviews Of This Article!
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