best supplements for MUSCLE GAIN!!!

[B.H.I.M]

hey, i' new to the site and was wondering what supps i should look into. i have been lifting for about 1.5 yrs but not seriously and have used multis, whey and flax seed oil on and off...i haev also tried Glutamine. i have leart a lot form my mistakes in the past and have figured out what i need ot do. now i am plannigng to go on a bulkin plan for about 4-5 months and my basic aim is to gain about 2" on my upper arms (they're 15" rigt now), and make the rest of the uper body grow proportionately. i was wondering if this is gonna be possible and what supplements will really help me make these gains.
on another note, what exercises wud one reccomend for incresing biceps length ( i feel mine are kinda short) and for more mas and thickness???

[pu12en12g]

Diet:

-Total daily calorie intake. This is what will make / break you
-Total daily calorie intake. This is what will make / break you
-Total daily calorie intake. This is what will make / break you

- It is NOT efficient to try and lost fat AND gain muscle at the same time
- It is NOT efficient to try and lost fat AND gain muscle at the same time
- It is NOT efficient to try and lost fat AND gain muscle at the same time

- BMR and nutrition calculator (click here)

- Total Daily Protein Intake (for best results I recommend AROUND 2g per lb of bodyweight)

- Fatloss basics. READ IT:

- Foods (Good vs. Bad):

- If there was ONE SINGLE KEY to the gains I made in the 1 1/2 years when I went from 175-225 (my best.. leanest gains), it is OATS / STEEL CUT OATS ! The emphasis here is that oats / steel cut oats are a INEXPENSIVE, HEALTHY, yet VERY CALORIE DENSE FOOD. I saw lean gains like I had never seen before. But NO THEY DON'T TASTE GOOD. YOU HAVE TO FORCE FEED THEM. This gets old fast. I added about 1 cup of oats to each protein shake.

When bulking (to gain lean muscle mass), I aim for:

- 1lb lean beef per day
- 1 Gallon Skim Milk per day
- Around 2000 cals per day from oats
- Lots of protein shakes (up to 8 per day)
- Lean chicken
- Lean turkey
- Lean beef / sloppy Joes (manwich)
- Hamburger Helper
- Lots of pasta
- Lots of tuna
- Potatoes
- Rice (Note: If you can afford it you can do things like boneless chicken breast, steaks etc.. etc..)
- Veggies (Fresh if possible)

When cutting (to lose fat):

- I eat many of the same foods above, but with a lower TOTAL DAILY CALORIE INTAKE

- I put a emphasis on PRE- and POST-workout nutrition, and the end result is that most of my calories are eaten before my afternoon workout. I have found this to be ideal (for me).




Supplements:

- SAVE $$$$$ ! ! STICK WITH THE BASICS ! ! )

Multivitamin
10 lb bags of Optimum Whey Protein (This includes a great BCAA profile AND glutamine) (Note: I recommend Choc / Choc Mint only)
Creapure Creatine or Creatine Ethyl Ester HCL
Cold Pressed Flaxseed oil (and / or fishoil

- Stay on creatine, there is no need to cycle it ! (cycling and loading are totally optional)

- Creatine timing (when / how to take it):

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=307788
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/author22.htm

- For best results, aim for AROUND 2g of total daily protein intake per lb of bodyweight EVERY SINGLE DAY ! !

Example:

Bodyweight: 200lbs
Total daily protein intake: 400g

Here is why:

http://www.johnberardi.com/articles/...oprejudice.htm
http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=337536
http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=392907

Workout / Routine:

- I recommend a MAX-OT, 5x5, HST (or similar) routine with a EMPHASIS ON:

- Squatting / Leg pressing
- Deadlifts
- Barbell benchpress (Including flat / decline / incline)

- Both BB's and DB's for best results

- Concentrate more on measurements and less on bodyweight

- Weigh yourself once a week. Should gain (or lose) around 1lb per week (depending on goals).

- Concentrate on form first, in order to stay injury free

- Emphasize both range of motion, and mind-muscle connection

- With intensity, strength gains, and a proper bodybuilding diet, the size gains (or fatloss) will come

- Make sure and have a spotter when working out your major muscle groups, preferrably someone bigger than you

- Don't be scared of overtraining. Simply listen (pay attention) to your body, and ask more questions later if you think you are overtraining.





Cardio:

- If possible, do cardio at least 8 hours from when you lift weights

- If possible, do cardio in the AM after sleeping.

- No need to do cardio on a empty stomach, but many prefer to due to nausea

- Jumping rope is a very efficient form of cardio

- HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) is a efficient form of cardio






Recovery (A.K.A GROWTH !):

- With proper intensity MUST COME PROPER RECOVERY !

- Make sure and get enough protein right before you go to sleep.

- Make sure and get enough protein/carbs right when you wake up

- Make sure and get enough deep, quality sleep (Not getting enough quality sleep is the #1 newbie mistake. You should aim for at least 8 QUALITY hours of sleep per night):

http://www.johnberardi.com/articles/...sleep_1_pr.htm
http://www.johnberardi.com/articles/...sleep_2_pr.htm

- Make sure and get enough protein / calories on off days (This is when your body will be recovering) It is important to be consistent !

- Make sure and get proper pre and post-workout nutrition:

Carbs pre and post workout.
Protein pre and post workout.
Creatine pre and post workout:
http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=272067

H20 / Cell volumization:

- Make sure and drink enough water throughout the day (This is CRITICAL ! !) I drink about 1 liter per hour. (Keep in mind I am currently over 220lbs so you may not need this much) Click here to read about why this is SO IMPORTANT:

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=332329
http://www.t-nation.com/findArticle....le=301stretch2
http://www.biochemj.org/bj/313/0697/3130697.pdf
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/author22.htm

Good luck !

Disclaimer: The above post is IN MY OPINION, or IN MY EXPERIENCE, unless otherwise noted.

[B.H.I.M]

pu12en12g, thanks a bunch for the advice... now i notice that ure an ectomorph so i guess u needed those extra calories to make you gain all that weight. i think that may be too much for me tho, cuz my body is endomesomorphic and i may put on a LOOOOOT of fat with that much calorie intake... currently i am at 6'1" 204 lbs at around 15% bF( i think)...what do u think????

[SoldierNIraq]

lots of quality food, lots of heavy weight training, and lots of sleep...easy?

[mydamnself]

pu12en12g, thanks a bunch for the advice... now i notice that ure an ectomorph so i guess u needed those extra calories to make you gain all that weight. i think that may be too much for me tho, cuz my body is endomesomorphic and i may put on a LOOOOOT of fat with that much calorie intake... currently i am at 6'1" 204 lbs at around 15% bF( i think)...what do u think????

I just skimmed it, but it seems like what he put out was HIS intake to serve as an example. Utilize the calculators he linked to and find your own intake requirements. He obviously knows his stuff, so being a beginner I would just listen and follow direction for now. Don't bother getting into all the supplements aside from the basics until you have some more experience.
Remember to be consistent or you will fail.
SQUAT, DEADLIFT, BENCH PRESS.

[neilio85]

awesome lil compilation there, pretty much covers everything

[sugarface]

pu12en12g knows his stuff. i love to read his posts.