The only other things you need are weights, rest and diet, diet, diet.
Get your bodybuilding stack at Piping Rock Supplements!
Why Protein? Why Whey?
You have to be in a anabolic state to build muscle. Once you've stressed the muscle sufficiently through progressive weight training, you have to rebuild the muscle. And whey has the highest biological value of any protein source. Whey also has the highest leucine content. See my posts "Leucine is King" for more on this amino acid.
Whey digests fast. Within two hours it's digested and then the bloodstream is filled with leucine. This kicks off what's called the mTOR pathway. That is the Mammalian Target of Rapamycin mechanism which signals the body to increase protein synthesis. Protein synthesis means MORE MUSCLE.
It seems that the perfect amount is 20 grams unless you've just worked out then 40 grams seems to really take muscle building into overdrive.
While any protein source post-workout will bring results, we are only interested in the most effective means and that means whey.
Why Creatine?
Study after study and bro science aficionados all agree that creatine helps you build slabs of muscle. While I love whey....if I could only buy one supplement...it would be creatine. It's inexpensive and provides the biggest bang for the buck.
Creatine is made from the three aminos arginine, glycine, and methionine. It works on new lifters as well as seasoned lifters.
You get the energy for explosive energy from a chemical known as adenosine triphosphate (ATP). Creatine helps the body regenerate ATP allowing you to keep pushing up weight. This is simplified but I'm no doctor. Just some dude with a blog.
Creatine supplementation also helps pull fluid into the muscle which expands the muscle and gives it its fullness.
More muscle, more strength, faster recovery and more explosive power are all results creatine supplementation.
Does Your Whey Protein Powder Suck? STOPPANI, JIM. Joe Weider's Muscle & Fitness (0744-5105)
Whey To Lose. Men's Health (10544836) (1054-4836) 20111201. Vol.26,Iss.10;p.34-34
The Whys of Whey. Muscle & Performance May 2011. Vol.3,Iss.5;p.34-34
Haycock, Bryan. "L-leucine: the master anabolic trigger and more!" Flex Sept. 2012: 124+. Academic OneFile. Web. 13 Sep. 2012.
Haycock, Bryan. "Pre-workout protein intake: new insights." Flex Aug. 2012: 132+. Academic OneFile. Web. 13 Sep. 2012.
STOPPANI, JIM. "Post-workout protein." Joe Weider's Muscle & Fitness (0744-5105)
20120701. Vol.73,Iss.7;p.76-76
STOPPANI, JIM. "Does Your Whey Protein Suck?" Joe Weider's Muscle & Fitness (0744-5105)
20111201. Vol.72,Iss.12;p.110-113
"Crea-time! Save time and energy with creatine." Flex July 2012: 150. Academic OneFile. Web. 13 Sep. 2012.
Stoppani, Jim. "Creatine blends: the most effective supplement in the world is getting even better." Joe Weider's Muscle & Fitness June 2012: 90. Academic OneFile. Web. 13 Sep. 2012.
Creatine Supplementation Prevents the Accumulation of Fat in the Livers of Rats Fed a High-Fat Diet. da Silva, Robin P.; Lamarre, Simon G.; Brown, Colin; Furey, George N.; McCarter, Shannon A.; Jordao, Alceu Afonso; Kelly, Karen B.; King-Jones, Kirst; Jacobs, Rene L.; Brosnan, Margaret E.; Brosnan, John T.; Deminice, Rafael. Journal of Nutrition (0022-3166) 20111001. Vol.141,Iss.10;p.1799-1804
Creatine Kickers. Elliott, Tabatha. Joe Weider's Muscle & Fitness (0744-5105) 20100701. Vol.71,Iss.7;p.214-214
Stir up some muscle. Gutfeld, Greg Men's Health; May 1997, Vol. 12, p90
Stoppani, Jim."Know your creatine powder." Flex. 27.10 (Dec 2009): 130(1).
Antonio, Jose."See muscle. See muscle grow. Creatine is one of the few supplements that makes visible changes to your physique quickly and safely. " Joe Weider's Muscle & Fitness. 71.2 (Feb 2010): 178(5).
Stoppani, Jim. "Creatine unleashed! Which of these 15 forms of creatine is right for you?. ." Flex. 22.6 (August 2004): 180(9).
You don't need to load creatine.
You don't need to cycle creatine.
Just take 5-10g per day every day. http://t.co/oay4DlDAFC
— Know What Supp (@knowwhatsupp) April 9, 2015
