When Do You Grow?

In the gym, we break muscle down; outside, we build it with rest, nutrients and supplements. Learn what supps to take, and when to take 'em, for maximum results.

Brothers, we all know nothing beats an old school workout. You let it all hang out and you punish the iron. You feel like you've accomplished a lot, right? You have. But when do you actually grow? Well, we don't grow in the gym. In the gym, we destroy. We tear down the body. We only grow when we are recovering. That's right, I said recovery. I see it all the time--people beating themselves up in the gym and not seeing results. They don't understand that hitting the weights hard is only a small part of growing or even cutting down. I could train the same all year round and get big or get ripped just by eating different and taking different supplements.

So what I am saying is this... "What" you put in your body for fuel matters and "when" you put these foods and supplements matter a lot. Timing is the key and you must take advantage of when to take in food and when to take your supplements. Depending on your goals, you might eat more at times or cleaner at times, but there are times you must take in supplements no matter what your goals are. Solid foods are great. Solid foods are the single most important element and should always be used to gain mass, strength, and cut down. But at the pro level, I need more than just food. I also need and rely on supplements to give me the edge and to help me recover and grow more efficiently. Below are my five "keys" to supplementing with success. You don't have to go crazy. Keep things simple and targeted.

House Keys To
Supplement Success

1

Early
Morning

There are a some key times during the day when your body needs food and supplements to aid in growth and recovery. First, early in the morning after going hours without food, your body needs to be jammed with some nutrients. Fast. So with my eggs and oats, I always take my Animal Pak to make sure I start the day off with all of my necessary nutrients. For me, it all starts with Animal Pak. No matter what other supplements I'm taking, I'm always taking the Pak.

2

Pre-
Workout

The second key time for me to take my supplements are right before I train. My training needs to be intense so I need to be jacked and feel my workout. I keep things simple. I take Animal Pump about 30 minutes before I train so I have a massive blood flow, topped off with energy to endure the blows with the iron. Animal Pump lasts through my whole workout. It gives me focus and it doesn't let me fadeout in the end when I need to push harder. Like Pak, Pump is a staple in my arsenal.

3

During
Workout

Midway into my workout I'll hit some essential amino acids in the form of Animal Nitro. I do this because more blood is in the muscle at this time so I try to jam some extra muscle building nutrients in the muscle while I can. I'll sometimes throw in Storm in the mix at this time.

4

Post-
Workout

Fourth and probably most important is right after the workout for recovery. If you are going to bust your ass in the gym, you absolutely can't miss this small window of recovery right after the workout. This is were Torrent comes in to play. I've been waiting a long time for a supplement like Torrent. You do the workout then let Torrent do its work and give you the edge in recovery. Right after the workout your body is like a dry sponge--you need to fill it back up with everything you just burned up in that intense workout. You need to do it fast. Torrent is the right mixture to spark new growth in the muscles and recover you faster. Between Animal Pump pre-workout and Torrent post-workout, I call this my own personal "Mass Stack". Though I only started using the Pump-Torrent combo, it think it has made a huge difference.

5

Before
Bedtime

Last but not to be forgotten is right before you hit the sack. To put your body in growth overdrive you must take your supplements so you grow while you sleep. At bedtime, I take ZMA Pro with some NOX3. This my choice to boost my natural test levels.

Sometimes, I go crazy with the supplements, other times, I keep things very simple. This is what I do and what you do might be completely different based on your goals. But what should always the same is paying attention to timing. With good timing, supplements will give you the edge you need. With food and supplements you can overcome any obstacle in your training and reach your goals.