Using Supplements To Gain Mass! (Part 1)

If you think that buying a shake or taking a few pills willall of a sudden make you huge, then you are mistaken. 

No supplement will help you if you are not training anddieting correctly -- they will just give you very expensiveurine. All aspects of your program have to be in order foryou to get the maximum benefit from sports nutritionsupplements. From my experience, supplements enhance your program by:

1. Adding an element of convenience: Using food supplementslike Meal Replacement Powders and whey protein help toeliminate the common problem of 'not enough time', byproviding you with an quick efficient way to get yourrequired nutrients each day.

2. Increasing strength and decreasing recovery time: Usingvitamin and amino acid supplements help to minimize thenegative side effects of weight training and speed yourrecovery.

The Benefit of Convenience

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There are many 'old school' trainers and bodybuilders whoprofess the uselessness of supplements. They are constantlypreaching that they don't work, and that you don't needthem. Well, to tell you the truth they are correct,somewhat. Remember that not too long ago there were nosupplements. Bodybuilders built huge physiques without mealreplacement powders, creatine or prohormones. 

There was no such thing as exercise 'machines'. They usedmulti-jointed, compound free weight exercises that not onlyincreased their muscular size, but also make them incrediblystrong. So, if you look at that way it can be done and youdon't need any supplements. However, the decision whether ornot to use supplements should involve the consideration ofother factors that may come into play when speaking ofdieting today. The first of which is time.

Many people today just do not have the time to live, eat andbreathe food. Very few people like to cook, and even fewercook on a regular basis. When was the last time that youactually had six meals that you actually cooked yourself? Many of those who are against dietary supplements continueto preach that you should get all the nutrients that you need from your diet. 'Eat a balanced diet and you will get all the nutrition you need'.Well, 100 years ago that may have been true, but today this type of advice is

questionable. 

The fact is, most people's idea of a good meal is restaurant or (even worse) fast food. To ask someone to eat specific amounts of protein, fat and carbs seems like an impossible request considering that most people can't even get their minimum requirements of good fat or fiber. Experts will continue to spout 'eat a balanced diet,' while Americans feast on nutrition less fast food and sugar. Not only do our bodies have to deal with the ever-increasing external stresses of everyday life, they also have to combat nutrient-depleting, tissue damaging exercise.  

Examples of what 300g of protein is equal to: 

Tuna -- 50 oz of canned tuna (the average can is 6-8oz.),
which is 1,750 calories and 25g of fat 

Chicken -- 38oz of chx breast (equals about seven 6oz
breasts), which is 1,313 calories and 38g of saturated fat 

Beef -- 43oz of lean ground beef (about 2.7 pounds of meat),
which is 3,214 calories and 215g of saturated fat 

Eggs -- 50 large whole eggs, equals 3,750 calories and 250g
of saturated fat 

Egg whites -- 100 egg whites, equals 1,600 calories and
almost no fat 

Pure whey protein -- 15 scoops of EAS Precision Protein,
equals 1,500 calories 7.5g of saturated fat  

It is very possible to get this amount from eating whole foods only -- But it will take work. Also, as you can see from the above numbers, getting all of your protein from regular food will also bring a lot of unnecessary elements like extra saturated fat. Yes, our goal to gain mass is to eat a lot of calories (including fat), but your main fat intake should consist of unsaturated fats that are liquid at room temperature like olive oil, flaxseed oil, sunflower oil and safflower oil. Whey protein supplements will help to give you the extra protein without the fat.