Regular training within the framework of an individually developed program that takes into account body type, genetics, and health status will not work fully if other equally important components are not included. These include a balanced diet and high-quality sports nutrition. Choosing the latter is a responsible step. You should be guided by scientific calculations, expert opinion and recommendations of specialists. To decide which sports nutrition is best for muscle growth, you need to consider the problem comprehensively and comprehensively.
Sports nutrition for gaining muscle mass and shaping the relief
Regardless of what kind of sports nutrition for relief an athlete prefers, all experts are unanimous in the opinion that it should be a complex of harmoniously combined active components. Their combination allows not only to significantly increase the effectiveness of the sports nutrition and training system, but also to increase the safety and regenerative ability of the body, and to shorten the period in which the desired result can be achieved.
Classic sports nutrition for muscle growth is presented in several standard complexes, the intake of which is designed to solve certain problems:
- Pre-workout complex .
The main active components of this complex are creatine and arginine. The first plays a leading role in the process of energy exchange between nerve cells and human muscles. It has been experimentally proven that taking 20 grams per day of this substance externally can increase the production of creatine in muscles by 20% in 4-5 days, improve the strength of the trainee, and also increase body weight. Moreover, the increase in this case is carried out in a “dry” way, that is, it does not include an increase in the amount of adipose tissue and water. The growth and volume of muscles from taking creatine is accompanied by an increase in their relief. Arginine promotes the production of nitric oxide and, at the same time, improves blood flow, blood supply to tissues and organs, and normalizes blood pressure. This amino acid, essential for the health of athletes, with proper physical activity ensures an increase in body weight while reducing fat mass. The complex intake of creatine and arginine greatly increases the effectiveness of each component in the composition. It is recommended to take it 30-45 minutes before the start of training in order to maximize the effect of the complex. - Protein Blends. What sports nutrition do you need to gain weight if taken regularly? Of course, you can’t do without protein, because it is the main building block of the human body. As part of the complexes, the protein can be presented in two forms:
- “fast”: it not only allows you to maintain the gained body weight and muscle while the trainee is on a low-calorie diet (“cutting”), but also contributes to a slight increase in muscle mass during this period. The order of administration is regular: upon waking up in the morning, shortly before and immediately after training, between main and additional meals;
- “slow”: it neutralizes nocturnal catabolism, is very slowly absorbed and absorbed by tissues, that is, it avoids the loss of muscle mass during sleep. This protein is called casein and among its important functions it is worth noting the additional provision of energy to the body at night. Casein should be taken shortly before going to bed.
- When determining what kind of nutrition is needed for muscle growth, and, in particular, for relief, you should understand that only the combined, complex use of the above drugs will allow you to achieve optimal results.
- Amino acid complex . It acts in many ways: suppresses appetite, burns subcutaneous fat, produces a powerful anti-catabolic effect, that is, protects muscles from decay. It is active during stressful periods, so it is ideal for use during training, especially intense training.
- Fat burners . The most famous, which has both a noticeable effect and a mild effect, is L-carnitine. It works in two directions: burns fat tissue and protects muscles. L-carnitine is safe, has a positive effect on the cardiovascular system, and there are no side effects from taking it, which distinguishes it from other fat-burning supplements. The principle of operation is to accelerate the transport of lipid molecules for their subsequent breakdown. Features of administration: on an empty stomach, half an hour before the start of training and in the morning after waking up. This technology will allow you to achieve maximum relief clarity.
- Vitamin and mineral complexes . They allow you to replenish the loss of active substances, which increase during intense training, protect your health, and improve muscle growth. Take 2-3 times a day, during or after meals, with water.
Protein for weight gain: convenience and benefits
Protein is the safest sports supplement for gaining muscle mass. To obtain noticeable results, it is recommended to adhere to a certain regimen: use after waking up, shortly before training, after training, and instead of one of your regular meals. Sports nutrition for weight gain has 2 big advantages - huge benefits and convenience. Athletes do not need to break their diet and carry food to training; just take a protein mixture or shake with them.
The dosage regimen described above guarantees a constant supply of the required amount of amino acids for the body. Proper intake improves the absorption and digestion of food. Our store specialists will tell you about other advantages and costs of the product in our store.
What sports nutrition is best for weight gain for beginners and professionals?
Why should you supplement your diet and training with special complexes? Despite the fact that a balanced diet allows you to partially compensate for losses and activate the production of your own active substances synthesized by the body, experiments and observations show that this is not enough. The best results, without harm to the body, are achieved only by those who do not neglect the recommendations of experts, using all the best that the sports product market offers today.
Sports nutrition for muscle growth and relief, regardless of the level of fitness of the trainee, allows you to:
- accelerate weight gain and muscle growth;
- quickly remove lactic acid from the body, reducing the time required for recovery, allowing you to increase the intensity and duration of training;
- achieve a clear relief of muscle tissue;
- record an increase in endurance, strength, speed;
- reduce the risk of injury under heavy loads.
Protein for mass gain: volume
A study was conducted to determine the optimal dosage of protein mixtures. Here are the main results:
- Sports nutrition for weight gain is recommended to be consumed in a dosage of 20-25 g at a time. It is at this concentration that protein is best converted into muscle tissue;
- Taking larger doses will not bring a positive effect;
- Scientists recommend taking whey-type protein for mass gain or isolate for rapid absorption.
These and other types of sports supplements are presented in our store. You can view the entire range in the online catalog on the company’s website. For advice and assistance in choosing, call our experienced specialists.
Protein – Sports nutrition for weight gain
Protein is a chain of amino acids that forms a polypeptide. It is proteins that are involved in building muscle fibers. In sports nutrition, concentrated protein is used to rapidly increase skeletal muscle mass.
It is advisable to take protein supplements in cases where you work out persistently and systematically in the gym. When your muscle volume is not enough protein from regular food. There is an opinion that these are professional athletes.
And so, if you regularly train in the gym and take sports nutrition to gain weight, make sure that the protein level is 3.4 grams per kilogram of weight per day.
For the less diligent, the recommended dose of protein is 2 grams per kilogram of body weight per day.
And so, in order to quickly get healthy, you need to train to take gainers and fast protein (whey protein isolate or hydrolyzate), this is the protein that is recommended for weight gain for people prone to thinness.
The most expensive form of protein on the market is hydrolyzate. The protein is partially broken down by enzymes for rapid absorption. It promotes the production of insulin, a well-known hormone with an anabolic effect.
The easy way with amino acids
Many manufacturers, trying to please athletes, have independently processed protein proteins into non-essential amino acids, which, when ingested, immediately enter the bloodstream and are used as building material by the body during protein synthesis. The beauty of amino acid complexes is that they are instantly digestible. There is no need to calculate how many minutes it will take for a bowl of porridge to be processed in the stomach and sports nutrition for muscle growth to be synthesized. How to take amino acids is indicated on the package. Each manufacturer has a different dosage.
But judging by the reviews of athletes, there is a lot of negativity towards complex amino acids.
- Overcharge. If we compare the yield of amino acid composition with whey protein, then complex amino acids are at least one and a half times more expensive.
- Not all amino acids in the complex are needed by the body. Many essential acids are independently synthesized by the body and are found in excess in humans.
- If the dosage is exceeded, excess amino acids are excreted from the body in the urine, since they do not have time to participate in synthesis, unlike any protein.
How to take it correctly
With a normal body type, a beginner will only need one protein when gaining weight. The amount of protein entering the body will increase, and muscle mass will begin to grow. Whey protein, which is consumed before and after training, is better at this stage. It will become the main material for building muscles. If growth is not fast enough, you can use casein protein. It will provide protein throughout the night so that muscles do not break down after an intense workout. The protein intake course for beginners is as follows:
View | Morning | Before class | After classes | Before bedtime |
Whey | 25 g | 15 g | 40 g | — |
Casein | — | — | 25 g | 25 g |
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For more experienced athletes, such a diet may not be enough. For those who have been training regularly for over a year, it makes sense to add a gainer to the protein. Depending on your starting point, you may also need BCAA, creatine and multivitamin complexes. You need to calculate the dosage for a man or woman based on their current weight. Below are examples of different sports nutrition courses, depending on the need for substances. They are divided into initial, standard and complete. Choose the scheme that suits you:
Initial | ||||
Additive | Morning, g | Before class, g | After class, g | Before bed, g |
Whey | 20-30 | 20 | 30-40 | — |
Casein | — | — | 20 | 20-30 |
Gainer | 40-50 | 40-50 | 40-50 | — |
Standard | ||||
Whey | 20-30 | 20 | 30-40 | — |
Casein | — | — | 20 g | 20-30 |
Gainers | 40-50 | 40-50 | 40-50 | — |
Creatine | — | 4-5 | 4-5 g | — |
Full | ||||
Whey | 20-30 | 20 | 30-40 | — |
Casein | — | — | 20 g | 20-30 |
Gainers | 40-50 | 40-50 | 40-50 | — |
Creatine | — | 4-5 | 4-5 g | — |
BCAAs | 5-10 | 5-10 | 5-10 | — |
Glutamine | 4-10 | 4-10 | 4-10 | 4-10 |
All calculations for these schemes were taken for a man with an initial weight of 80 kg. For other parameters, the dosage will be different. You can adjust the serving size with the help of a trainer or independently, based on the results. Sports nutrition regimens will become the basis for you to make your own calculations when drawing up a program for gaining muscle mass.
Nutrition program for gaining muscle mass
Sports nutrition is not cheap, you won’t be able to eat only it even if you really want to, and you don’t need it. Along with it, follow proper nutrition to gain muscle mass. It is very difficult to call it dietary, because the goal is to consume a large number of calories, and this is easier to achieve than cutting them. It is very important to eat heavily for breakfast, this will provide the stomach with work and start metabolic processes. You can't overeat before bed. If you feel hungry, you should snack on fruits and vegetables.
You will still have to calculate the chemical substances, for example, for a guy with a weight of 75 kg and a normal metabolism, the following amount of substances in grams is needed per day:
- 370 carbohydrates (1500 Kcal);
- 155 protein (600 Kcal);
- 110 fat (1050 Kcal).
If desired, you can use homemade recipes to prepare protein shakes, so you will gain the required amount of protein instead of sports nutrition. Here is a sample daily menu for gaining muscle mass (all values in grams):
Breakfast
- 100 cottage cheese, preferably 9%;
- 100 yogurt;
- 50 oatmeal without sugar.
Lunch-dinner
- 300 chicken;
- any number of vegetables as desired;
- 3 tbsp. l. vegetable oil for salads;
- 100 g dry buckwheat or 400 g boiled potatoes.
Before training
- 50 oatmeal without sugar;
- jam 2 tbsp. l.;
- apple.
After training
- 5 pieces. eggs without yolk (scrambled eggs);
- bread (no more than 2 slices);
- apple;
- 50 almonds.
Main types of sports nutrition
There are many options for supplements, but not every sports nutrition is suitable for gaining muscle mass; for example, fat burners are not suitable for building muscle. The following complex is recognized and popular among bodybuilders:
- glutamine;
- protein;
- gainer;
- BCAA;
- multivitamins.
This set of sports nutrition not only helps to increase muscle mass, it provides the body with the necessary energy supply for productive, full-fledged workouts. It is not the fat layer that will grow, but the muscles. Drying with the help of such a complex will not work, so we are not talking about dry mass. You need to drink all this together with a full diet of regular food.
Protein for gaining muscle mass
The main goal is to gain muscle mass, so you can’t do without protein in this complex. This is the main source of protein, which will become the building material for muscle tissue. Protein sports nutrition for muscle growth is conventionally divided into three main types:
- Whey. The main type of protein used by the vast majority of athletes. It is definitely included in sports nutrition for gaining muscle mass. It contains many amino acids, useful elements for the body, and is quickly absorbed.
- Casein. This is a source of slow protein that will be supplied to the athlete from the gastrointestinal tract throughout the whole day, providing the necessary amount of protein for muscle growth. This moment is especially important at night and on rest days.
- Soy. The protein in this type of protein is of plant origin and is often inferior in usefulness to whey. However, it is not bad; it is used by vegetarians and people who are intolerant to any elements from other protein options.
Gainer for mass gain
We can say that gainer is the most important sports nutrition for gaining muscle mass. It contains a lot of carbohydrates and the necessary amount of calories to achieve an excess of them in the diet. When choosing a gainer, carefully study the composition of the product; it should not contain too much sugar and carbohydrates per serving. The optimal option would be one with a slight predominance of them over proteins. For example, we can recommend:
- BSN True Mass;
- Dymatize Elite Mass Gainer.
Creatine
To gain weight, you need to work intensively in the gym, otherwise you will only increase the fat layer. To maintain the required amount of strength, creatine is used, which hydrates muscle tissue, making it larger, stronger, and increases the amount of energy. The ideal synergy of creatine is obtained with beta-alanine, the former affects anaerobic power, and the latter affects aerobic power.
Glutamine
This element belongs to the class of amino acids, which are abundant in muscle tissue. The human body is capable of producing glutamine on its own, but when gaining weight, additional intake will not be superfluous. This sports nutrition is best taken before bed, immediately after training, because it helps with recovery. For those who want to quickly gain weight, glutamine is a must.
Vitamins and minerals
By themselves, these drugs do not affect weight gain, but are directly involved in maintaining the necessary processes to achieve the goal. According to athletes, sometimes the lack of one of the essential minerals or vitamins greatly inhibits the process of increasing muscle mass. A course of multivitamins has never harmed anyone, so taking it will be useful for every athlete.
Other Supplements
In addition to the main supplements, you need to take a BCAA drug, which can reduce the negative effects of catabolism. It copes with this as efficiently as possible; the metabolism of amino acids will occur directly in muscle tissue. As a rule, BCAA are included in many proteins, so you should take them separately only during training, in the morning after waking up.