Bulking Supplements for Women??

[runGIRLrun]

So there are plenty of supplements-- test boosters and whatnot-- for guys to gain muscle... but is there anything female specific, or even unisex, to help women naturally gain muscle too??
In about 3 weeks I'll be starting my very first bulk... I like to think of it as "muscle gaining phase" instead, since I'll still be eating super strict and extra clean for minimal fat gain. But I need to figure out if there is anything that I can take that will help in the process!

[runGIRLrun]

Have to post 30 times

???

[KaraPhoto]

Ya gotta have 30 posts before you can post a link. Looks like someone wants to spam the board.

[runGIRLrun]

Ya gotta have 30 posts before you can post a link. Looks like someone wants to spam the board.

I didn't post any link...I just asked a question...

[KaraPhoto]

I didn't post any link...I just asked a question...

Um .. I wasn't talking about you. You questioned the person who kept posting "need 30 posts" and I answered you ... that it appears this person, whoever it is, is posting over and over again to get to his 30 posts so he can spam the board.

Edited: Apparently his posts have been removed - so this kinda doesn't make any sense. :0

[erinlee01]

Honestly, you don't need any supplements. If you want to bulk, it's a matter of eating enough.

[MZ360]

I am currently eating about 6x a day/pretty big meals, lifting heavy as ** and taking Dark Matter it has helped me put on some size but still manage to stay lean its a good post workout drink by MHP

I take one scoop after lifting and feel great afterwards then have my last meal.. Good luck!

http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/mhp/darkmatter.html

[runGIRLrun]

KaraCooks...thanks for enlightening me! haha Clearly I didn't know about the 30 post rule.. glad he's gone now though.

Looks like I've got a long road of eating, eating, and more eating ahead of me! Which is fine by me... I can't wait to start eating more after this cut.

Thanks for the "Dark Matter" suggestion... I'm def. going to look into that!

Has anyone tried Up Your Mass?? My boyfriend uses that for bulks, and I'm thinking about adding it into my diet for my bulk as well- maybe not the full 500 calorie serving every time, but having less and mixing it with PB and a banana or something..?

Anyone else with suggestions- keep em comin!

[MountainSong]

Gaspari has a gainer called "Real Mass", a combination of proteins and other nutrients. I used 3 five pound tubs of it and put on about 10 extra lbs.
There are other gainers available, also. Just look on the main page or store page.
Beyond that, what she said about eating and lifting heavy is about it.

[erinlee01]

You might want to check the cost of these weight gainers versus actual food. It's all a matter of getting in more calories and the gainers are more calorie dense than regular protein shakes. Of course, the gainers can be more convenient, making the cost justified, but generally speaking, food is cheaper than supplements.

[ChicagoChef]

Best thing for a bulk is what all the other ladies have already mentioned:

-lots of food, esp protein. (keep it clean if you want to minimize fat gain you'll have to cut
later)
- hittin' the weights so hard it's like they owe you money or something
- and though i don't think it was mentioned... good recovery time. sleep like a baby!!!

Ya gotta have all those covered. Now, as for supps, really they're just icing on the cake; you don't "need" them. But depending on what you're already taking, you'll want to include a multi, fish oil, joint supp if ya need it, and protein powder. Real food obviously trumps powders, but for quick post-workout protein fix a shake is the way to go. Add some dextrose or WMS to enhance the uptake. Creatine is another good basic supp to have for bulking.

I don't know about the gainers; like everyone said your calories should really come more from food. For bigger guys who need to take in a huuuuge amount of calories, they're helpful. For a woman, I think you can hit your calorie target with food and a regular protein shake or two.

Other supps: If you are already pretty experienced with supps and your diet and training are in order, you can try out some of the "extras". I ran BioForge for a few weeks and experienced good strength/muscle gains on it; it's particularly good for doing a recomp.

I tried Blue Gene before and it was alright; definitely helped my performance in the gym but the results weren't as significant as the BioForge.

There's also DHEA, but the jury is out on that one. I used it and got some strength/mass gains, but the side effects can be undesirable (nothing serious; just annoying). Probably would not recommend you look to that.

Bottom line/Cliffs: you can do a great bulk with just food, training, and rest; you just gotta plan it out right and stick to it. Supplements are not necessary but since you asked, yeah, there are some out there that are safe to use that you could use to enhance your program.

[runGIRLrun]

Thanks for all the suggestions!

I'm definitely going to look into BioF., Dark Matter, & Real Mass.

I've already got my diet lined up and ready to go even though I'll probably have to up my calories two weeks in.. and I've been taking a multi and fish oil supp as well as a good Whey post workout for over a year now & not too long ago introduced casein...got the basics covered a long time ago!

If anyone else has any products/ supplements ((or muscle gaining advice!)) they've used with good results- let me know!


...::Edited::...
Looked up BioForge... definitely NOT looking for anything thing would boost test. Thanks, but definitely not for me!! I'll write back once I find reviews/more info on the others... keep the suggestions coming!

[DreamChsr]

Other supps: If you are already pretty experienced with supps and your diet and training are in order, you can try out some of the "extras". I ran BioForge for a few weeks and experienced good strength/muscle gains on it; it's particularly good for doing a recomp.

I tried Blue Gene before and it was alright; definitely helped my performance in the gym but the results weren't as significant as the BioForge.

Did you experience any negative side effects from the BioForge being that it is a test booster? Any particular reason why you only ran it for a few weeks?

[lherman]

Gaspari has a gainer called "Real Mass", a combination of proteins and other nutrients. I used 3 five pound tubs of it and put on about 10 extra lbs.
There are other gainers available, also. Just look on the main page or store page.
Beyond that, what she said about eating and lifting heavy is about it.

I'm curious since I am over 60 like you if the 10 pounds you put on was mostly muscle or did you gain a fair amount of fat as well? I am an ectomorph and it is very hard for me to gain muscle size. I get stronger but my muscles never seem to look any bigger! When I eat more and lift heavy (as a lot of the women on this board suggest) I just gain excess fat in my abdomen as that is where my body stores it along with my breasts. When I eat less and do more cardio and still lift heavy, I loose some body fat but never get below about 20% BF or so!! It is very frustrating. I'm curious to know what your experience has been.