Stacking For Serious Results!
For the more advanced athletes and trainers, combining individual supplements has been shown to bring about better results than taking one single supplement at a time. It’s something known as ‘stacking’ and it’s basically where an athlete will take more than one supplement at once, during a set period of time, to bring about a synergistic effect that perhaps wouldn’t be achieved by taking the supplements on their own. Essentially you get better and quicker results by taking a group of supplements that complement each other.
Firstly perhaps the most common and simplest form of stacking is creatine monohydrate and a high glycaemic index carbohydrate such as dextrose. Looking at them individually, creatine monohydrate has been shown to increase muscle size, power, speed and strength by favourably replenishing the body’s Adenosine Tri Phosphate stores. In fact in a study conducted at the University of Memphis it was found that creatine monohydrate supplementation before training promoted significantly greater gains in fat free-mass, increased 1 repetition maximum lifts and improved sprint performance. Whilst again individually, a high glycaemic index carbohydrate (dextrose) taken post workout has been shown to kick-start the recovery process and replenish muscle glycogen levels that become depleted during exercise. However researchers at Maastricht University in the Netherlands found that high glycaemic index carbohydrates dramatically boost levels of the storage hormone insulin which in turn increases the absorption of nutrients (such as creatine) to the muscles.
In conclusion, and put simply, taking creatine monohydrate with dextrose has been shown to increase the absorption of the creatine and therefore improve the results you can achieve in the gym. Now we’ve addressed what stacking is, let’s take a look at ‘stacking’ for lean muscle, fat loss and muscle mass:
Stacking For Lean Muscle
It’s arguably most important to efficiently stack your supplements when looking to increase lean muscle mass, since properly stacking will allow you to increase protein synthesis, boost testosterone levels and increase the amount of nutrients your body is able to absorb and use (all without relying on a large calories surplus to increase muscle mass, therefore increasing muscle size without the addition of unwanted fat.)
A great example of a synergistic lean muscle stack of supplements would be the creatine, protein and carbohydrates in Hurricane XS and the amino acid Taurine. Since (as mentioned in the above dextrose/ creatine example) creatine is great on its own, however when taken with a high GI carb to boost insulin levels it is better absorbed. This is great for building muscle mass, but insulin is a storage hormone which in turn can increase lipolysis (the storing of body fat.) A great alternative would be to use Taurine, a naturally occurring amino acid that has been shown to mimic the action of insulin and increase the uptake of certain nutrients (without actually having an effect on body fat levels.)
Furthermore another great supplement to add to this ‘stack’ would be CLA (conjugated linoleic acid) since unlike other fat loss supplements (like thermogenics) studies have shown it doesn’t actually help you lose weight, but rather favourably changes your body composition (i.e. it can help you increase muscle mass and reduce body fat.) Mostly recently a 1 year human study into the effects of CLA published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found a 9% reduction in body fat and 2% increase in muscle mass in subjects taking CLA (Gaullier, American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 79(6): 1118–1125 (2004.) This also seems to support the research conducted at Uppsala University in Sweden that discovered supplementing 4.2 grams of CLA per day in 53 normal healthy individuals led to a significant decrease (3.8%) in body fat compared with individuals not taking CLA, and an increase in muscle mass. Myprotein’s Lean Gains bundle also contains zinc and magnesium to aid recovery from exercise and support cellular growth and tissue repair, which is great when taken before bed and of course Daily Vitamins and Vitamin C to help overall health and wellbeing as well as providing key anti-oxidants to prevent free radicals from damaging the body during exercise.
Stacking For Muscle Mass
When trying to increase muscle mass, one of the main things to consider is obviously having sufficient protein for your muscle to repair and regrow. Now whilst having one single source of protein is good, research shows that having 2 different forms for different times of the day may prove more beneficial. That is why in the Myprotein Bulk Up Bundle they have included 2 different forms of protein. The calorie and nutrient dense protein shake Total Gainer for the day time to ensure you achieve the necessary calorie surplus needed to increase muscle mass and then Milk Protein Smooth for before bed, containing 80% casein and 20% whey protein Milk Protein Smooth is absorbed slower therefore is able to better provide a sustained supply of protein to the body during the 8 hours you are sleeping.
Furthermore it also contains creatine monohydrate and taurine which brings about the desired syngeristic effect mentioned before. Instant Oats to actually fuel your workout, therefore ensuring you not only have sufficient calories but also sufficient carbohydrates to complete your heavy workouts.
Stacking For Fat Loss
When trying to lower your body fat percentage there are many different supplements designed to aid fat loss in many different ways. For instance included in the Myprotein Weight Loss Bundle is L Carnitine which studies show can encourage the body to lose fat by transporting fat to the fat furnace in our cells called mitochondria. Very effective L Carnitine works in a very different way to Thermopure which contains caffeine, raspberry ketones and cayenne which has been shown to raise resting metabolic rate (RMR) during exercise, burning superior calories. Plus this works very different to CLA (conjugated linoleic acid) which, according to a study conducted in the Department of Nutrition and Food Science at the University of País Vasco, discovered CLA interferes with a substance in your body called lipoprotein lipase, which is partly responsible for helping store fat in your body.
Therefore all 3 of the supplements mentioned actually help the body to lose fat, but in very different ways, therefore in theory stacking them would bring about better and quicker results. Not to mention the Weight Loss Bundle also contains Impact Diet Whey, a low calorie, low carbohydrate source of protein which studies show can keep you feeling fuller for longer (as well as increasing your metabolism through the ‘thermic effect' of feeding.)
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