BODY BEAST Supplements

A lot of people think that gaining mass is all about putting up huge weight in the gym. While that is part of gaining mass, as with losing weight, 80% of your results are going to be from nutrition and supplementing. Today, I wanted to take a look at some BODY BEAST supplements you are going to need in order to gain mass as well as what you are going to want to stay away from!

 

Mass Gaining Fundamentals – BODY BEAST Supplements

With any mass gain routine you are going to want a supplementation regimen that supports intensity, recovery, and growth. These three factors are what will take the hardgainer from toothpick to titan. The key point that I want to focus on with these supplements for BODY BEAST though is achieving your mass gain goals without compromising your health.

There is a lot of junk on the market when it comes to supplements that claim “huge gains” and “insane mass”, but the reality is that with most these products you are actually putting things in your body that can really cause health issues later in life.

So lets take a look at the “cleanest” supplements that I recommend that are going to be essential for gaining mass.

 

#1 Whey Protein

When you start eating to gain mass, you will be eating at a calorie surplus. That means that you will be taking in MORE calories than your body actually burns each day. Your protein intake is going to be essential during your BODY BEAST nutrition plan so you are going to want good quality protein.

Since you are going to be eating so many calories, its going to be difficult to eat 10 cans of tuna per day, so whey protein is the perfect supplement to ensure that you get the proper amount of protein per day to hit your daily macros.

Not all Whey proteins are created equal though. Remember, I want to show you the “cleanest” way to gain mass! I highly recommend that if you can afford it, find a whey protein that does not use artificial sweeteners like Sucralose, or Acesulflame Potassium. These are carcinogenic chemicals and have been shown in many studies to be a cause for cancer.

I use Optimum Nutrition’s Gold Standard Natural 100% Whey from bodybuilding.com. It costs $54.99 for 71 servings which works out to about $0.76 per serving which isnt too bad for a high quality whey protein. It also contains all over 5 grams of BCAA’s (branched chain amino acids) for proper muscle recovery, along with over 4g of glutamine and precursors for recovery. This really is a quality whey protein that uses a very high quality whey isolate (lower fat, less lactose, more “pure” protein source). It will be a foundational BODY BEAST supplement for gaining mass.

 

#2 Casein Whey

When looking to gain muscle and put on some serious muscle, its important that your muscles always have something to feed on rather than resorting to using muscle tissue for energy. A good quality casein protein whey is a “must have” supplement in your supplement line-up.

Casein whey is usually taken before going to bed, and the reason you want casein whey and not just plain whey, is that normal whey is quick absorbing. You are going to want a protein that is slow to absorb so that while you sleep (7 hours plus while bulking) your muscles are able to benefit from a supplemented protein source.

Again, you will need to watch out for the artificial sweeteners in your casein whey proteins and Optimum Nutrition has their line of Natural 100% Whey products which also includes a casein whey that you can find on bodybuilding.com at a good price.

 

#3 Creatine

No supplement regimen would be complete without a good quality creatine. Creatine is the best selling supplement of all time, and for notable reasons. I am not going to go into how creatine works, or whether or not its safe, because I have discussed all this in my Creatine FAQ article.

One of the myths that I cover in that article about creatine is the myth that creatine builds muscle. Creatine is simply a combination of amino acids and it aids the the RECOVERY of muscle so that you are able to do more of the things that help you build muscle. The most simple explanation I can give is that when your muscles able to repair faster, you are less sore and you are more likely to be able to workout with more intensity than if you were not taking creatine. The more work your muscles can do, the more weight you’ll be able to pump and the more reps you’ll be able to bust out and THIS is what leads to muscle building.

There is a incredibly long list of creatine products on the market considering its the most poplular nutritional supplement, so all I can do is recommend from experience what worked best for me.

I highly recommend MusclePharm Creatine – also available at a very affordable price on bodybuilding.com. I personally have experienced awesome size and strength gains after using this product over the last 4 months with P90X2. I can only imagine what type of results I might see when focused on a mass gain lifting routine! Super awesome, high quality creatine product, great results, great price…this will be your #1 choice for creatine with your BODY BEAST Supplements.

 

#4 Pre-Workout

Normally a pre-workout supplement would not be on my list of “needs” for supplementation, but intensity will play a HUGE role in your results. Now you may not need a pre-workout supplement with BODY BEAST, but it will help you focus mentally, and if your PWO has Nitric Oxide (NO) boosters line Argenine, then you are going to be able to push farther past the threshold of your maximum capabilities. The result…better results of course! You tear more muscle fiber, you make more gains!

I am extremely sensitive to caffeine, so products like Jack3d and Neurocore are not my thing. What I have found to work best is Optimum Nutrition’s AmiNO Energy and Beachbody’s E&E. Both give you a great boost of energy, increased mental focus and a great pump (Nitric Oxide) so that you can blast out more reps than you normally would have without it. The one advantage that E&E has over the AmiNO is that it uses no artificial sweeteners. So if you are trying to keep it clean with your supplements, then E&E is the way to go. I also really like UPS Labs Yok3d. I get a HUGE pump from that stuff, but the only downside is that you have to take it 2-3 hours before your workout. I just dont have that kind of time since I workout at 5:30am.

 

#5 Recovery Drink

I have talked about the importance of a recovery drink before, but for the sake of this article I want to touch on it again.

A good recovery drink is essential for maximizing your results! A lot of folks see all the carbs and sugar in these drinks and think it will hurt their results. The complete opposite is true though. When your muscles are able to recovery properly and completely, then you are able to push harder in your next workout. And the harder you are able to push, the better your results will be. The fact that a recovery drink seriously reduces soreness is reason enough for me to take it!

When it comes to recovery drink choices, the P90X Recovery Drink is bar far my #1 choice. There is lots of other good products out there, but this one has everything your body needs for recovery: The perfect carb to protein ratio of 4:1, simple sugars in the form of dextrose that absorb quickly and promote protein synthesis, fast absorbing protein, creatine, and glutamine. Oh and it tastes friggin amazing too!

There are plenty of P90X Recovery Formula alternatives out there, but for the price and what you get in the way of quality and convenience, you cant beat the Recovery Formula.

 

#6 Shakeology

With as much food as you are going to be eating, you are going to want to make sure that you are getting exactly what your body needs in the way of nutrients. Shakeology is going to be essential in to your BODY BEAST mass gain routine because it is going to allow your body to operate at 100% efficiency.

A big part of that efficiency is your digestive system. If all things are not in order with your digestion, your body is not going to be able to absorb nutrients properly. On top of that, with the amount of food you are eating, you are going to want the pipe clear so that waste can easily pass through your gastrointestinal tract. Shakeology accomplishes this by introducing “good bacteria” into your body that help to regulate your digestive system via pre and probiotics.

You simply should not eat that much food for any amount of time unless you properly take care of the system that processes it. Shakeology is going to be a MUST with BODY BEAST in my opinion.

 

Supplements To Avoid

Whenever you get into building mass, people will do almost anything necessary to bulk. Sometimes even dangerous or illegal things that can do some serious harm, land them a hefty fine, or even land them in jail.

 

#1 Anabolic Steroids

This really should not even need to be discussed, but like I said – when it comes to gaining mass, people are willing to do almost anything. So lets take a short look at the dangers of anabolic steroids or even the legal anabolic supplements.

This information comes from an article on drugfree.org and can be read in full at http://www.drugfree.org/drug-guide/steroids

“What are its short-term effects?

Although anabolic androgenic steroids may increase lean muscle mass, strength, and the ability to train longer and harder, the serious side effects of steroids are many and may not be reversible. The minor side effects of steroid use include acne, oily skin, excess hair growth, and deepening of the voice. The major side effects of steroid use include an increased risk of cancer, increased risk of heart and liver disease, jaundice, fluid retention, reduction in HDL-C (“good cholesterol”), high blood pressure, changes in blood coagulation, increased risk of atherosclerosis, swelling of the soft tissues of the extremities (edema), and obstructive sleep apnea.
Side effects specific to men can include testicular atrophy or the shrinking of the testicles, reduced sperm count, infertility, baldness, and the development of breasts. For women, side effects can include enlargement of the clitoris, changes in the body contour growth of facial hair, disruption of the menstrual cycle, deepened voice and infertility.
An increase in androgenic (male) hormones may also lead to aggressive behavior. Research also indicates that steroid users often suffer from paranoid jealousy, extreme irritability, delusions, and impaired judgment stemming from feelings of invincibility..

What are its long-term effects?

Adolescents who abuse steroids are at a significant risk of suffering irreversible side effects, including stunted growth, accelerated puberty changes and abnormal sexual development.
Adolescent girls in particular may suffer from severe acne, excessive body and facial hair, deepened voice, permanent enlargement of the clitoris, disruption of the menstrual cycle, and permanent infertility.”

 

#2 Mass Gainers

Again, we are trying to focus on the “cleanest” ways to supplements during your mass gain routine with BODY BEAST and the use of mass gainers in my opinion is not the best way to go about achieving your goals. When you are eating 3000-4000 calories per day of food, its always best to get your calories from whole foods…of course! Mass gainers have a ton of calories, protein and carbs, but again you need to watch out for those artificial sweeteners!

If you are finding it extremely hard to get your calories in each day and NEED something to supplement, then be sure to find something that is naturally sweetened. In a quick search on bodybuilding.com I found a mass gainer by Vitol called “Russian Bear 5000 Weight Gainer”….Let me just say…Badass name!!! Also, they use no artificial sweeteners and have a great mix of carbs/proteins with a full amino acid profile and lots of additional vitamin and minerals to boot.

 

I hope this post gives you a good idea on what you are going to need in the way of supplements for BODY BEAST along with some options to fit your budget. Be sure you like or share this post if you found it to be helpful. And like always – I define helpful as actually following through with my advice, so if you dont plan on using any of my suggestions, you dont need to share this post. Also, post your thought, questions, and comments below and let us know what your plans are for your BODY BEAST supplmenets!

GO BIG!!!