No one’s pulling the wool over your eyes. You know that to
put on quality size there are no real quick fixes or shortcuts. You must train,
eat and supplement wisely—not just for a period of months, but years.
But there are also times when you want to look bigger right
now. The reason and the occasion may be different for every guy—maybe you’re
meeting up with an old flame
and want to show her what she’s been missing, or maybe
you’re taking photos at the beach to post on Facebook. Whatever the reason, the
following nine tricks can help you look 5–10 pounds bigger... instantly.
1. CARB UP
The easiest and most effective way to put on a few pounds
quickly is to carb load. The lower your typical carb intake, the more
impressive the results will be. Those who routinely eat less than one gram of
carbs per pound of bodyweight will see the best results from this.
WHY IT WORKS: When you consume carbohydrates, they get
stored in
your muscles as glycogen — a massive amount of glucose
molecules attached to each other. Glycogen pulls large amounts of water into
the muscles, filling them up like water balloons.
DO THIS: A day or two before you want to look your biggest,
eat about 4 grams of carbs per pound of bodyweight, or more. For the first 4–6
hours of the day, you can eat simple carbs like sugar, fat-free candies and
white bread. Later in the day, try to focus on slower-digesting complex carbs
such as sweet potatoes, whole-grain bread and pasta, and oatmeal. This will help
to prevent the carbs from turning into bodyfat. Carb loading in this manner
works best if you first carb deplete for three days prior by eating less than
1⁄2 g of carbs per pound of bodyweight daily, then bump up the carbs to 4 g per
pound for two days.
2. GET WET
There’s a good chance you’re dehydrated, or at least not
maximally hydrated. One study in athletes reported that less than 15% of them
were well hydrated.
WHY IT WORKS: Adequate water consumption has a pretty simple
effect on the muscles: it makes them fuller and bigger. If you’re not well
hydrated, your muscles will likely look flat and it will appear as though
you’ve lost size when all you’re really short on is liquids, not muscle.
DO THIS: Start guzzling water ASAP. Be sure that you’re
getting in a minimum of one gallon of water a day, and even up to two gallons,
to ensure that your muscles are at their fullest.
3. CHOOSE YOUR CREATINE WISELY
We’re not telling you anything new when we say that creatine
pulls large amounts of water into the muscles to increase their size in a
hurry. But there’s one problem
if you grab a container of creatine
monohydrate: time. Creatine monohydrate
works
fine, but it can take weeks to produce the impressive size gains you’re hoping
for because creatine won’t maximize muscle cell volumization until its
levels are maximized within the muscle cells. With creatine monohydrate, this
can take a week and often longer, even if you go through a loading phase.
Instead of monohydrate, go with a fast-acting form of creatine like creatine
hydrochloride or Kre-Alkalyn.
WHY IT WORKS: These forms will increase muscle cell volume
almost instantly for quicker size gains.
DO THIS: Go with 3–5 g of either creatine hydrochloride or
Kre-Alkalyn both before and after workouts.
4. GO WITH GLUTAMINE
The popular supplement L-glutamine may not have the
immediate effect on muscle growth that creatine and carb loading do, but it’s
still a critical ingredient to include in your mass-gaining stack.
WHY IT WORKS: Glutamine is stored in high amounts in muscles
and, much as creatine does, it pulls water into the muscle cells. Research also
shows that glutamine helps to convert more glucose into glycogen so that more
glycogen can be stored in your muscles, which pulls in more water for even
bigger gains in size.
DO THIS: After workouts, add 10 g of L-glutamine to your
postworkout protein shake and carbs.
5. GO WITH EVEN MORE GLUTAMINE
Even if you’re already taking L-glutamine after workouts,
there’s a different form of the amino that can help you look bigger through a
different mechanism: L-alanyl-L-glutamine.
WHY IT WORKS: Research shows that this form of glutamine can
help you hold more water in your body. And as we said in #2, the more water
your muscles hold, the fuller they become and the bigger you look– almost
instantly.
DO THIS: Take 5–10 g of L-alanyl- L-glutamine (Sustamine)
about 30 minutes before workouts to stay better hydrated, get a bigger pump and
keep your muscles fuller.
6. TAKE TAURINE
This is one of the most popular amino acids among mainstream
consumers, but not because of its potential to help add mass. Taurine is the
highlighted ingredient in drinks like Red Bull (the Latin word taurus means
bull or ox), where it’s touted as providing long-lasting energy. But whereas
the boost in
energy
you feel from taurine may be minimal, its ability to help
you put on size is anything but negligible.
WHY IT WORKS: Taurine is another amino acid that gets stored
in muscle cells and pulls more water into them to blow up the muscles even
bigger, especially when coupled with glutamine and creatine. Plus, taurine
boosts muscle strength and endurance for more intense workouts to get you
growing more in the long run.
DO THIS: Take 2–3 g of taurine with your preworkout and
postworkout shakes for optimal muscle filling.
7. POP POTASSIUM
Athletes typically think of potassium (one of the key
electrolytes in sports drinks like Gatorade) as a replenishing nutrient, not
one that produces any noticeable bodily improvements. It’s time to change that
way of thinking, as potassium can certainly help you get bigger in quick
fashion.
WHY IT WORKS: Potassium is stored within muscle cells, where
it work to enhance cell
volumization—yes,
it too will help pull
water into
your muscles. The effect is more pronounced if your potassium levels are low.
If you eat a typical bodybuilding diet and limit your fruit intake, the
chances are good that potassium supplementation will work well for you.
DO THIS: Take about 500– 1,000 milligrams of potassium as
potassium aspartate, potassium gluconate or potassium citrate two or three
times per day with food.
8. ADD SOME GLYCEROL
Glycerol is known primarily for forming the “backbone” of
molecules of triglycerides, the primary fats in our diet. But for the
bodybuilder looking for every last ounce of mass, it can do even more.
WHY IT WORKS: Glycerol has strong osmotic properties,
meaning that it attracts and binds large amounts of fluids, such as water. By
attracting more fluid in the blood vessels and the muscles, glycerol enhances
the volume of the muscles and the blood vessels, helping you look bigger and
fuller. It can also help to prevent dehydration and help to control your body
temperature when you exercise in the heat. Rese
arch shows that glycerol works best to fill
up muscles when taken with fast-digesting carbs, a lot of water
and creatine
DO THIS: Take 30–40 g of glycerol along with 10–15 g of
fast-digesting carbs, such as dextrose or Vitargo, 3–5 g of creatine and 48–72
ounces of water. If you have no stomach problems with that amount of glycerol,
you can increase your dose to 60–80 g along with 20–30 g of carbs and the same
amount of creatine and water for maximal volumization.
9. BOOST WITH N.O.
Nitric oxide boosters typically provide arginine, which gets
readily converted in the body to NO. NO boosters also provide a host of other
ingredients, such as Pycnogenol or ginseng, that catalyze the conversion of
arginine into NO, as well as ingredients that reduce the breakdown of NO, such
as horny goat weed (Epimedium).
WHY IT WORKS: The point of increasing NO levels is to relax
the blood vessels that feed the muscles. Relaxed blood vessels are wider in
diameter, which means more blood flows through them to the muscles, increasing
their volume. With agents such as glycogen, creatine, glutamine, taurine,
potassium and glycerol stocked up in the muscles (assuming you’re following the
aforementioned tips), this greater delivery of water will be quickly pulled
into the muscles for maximal swelling. Greater blood flow will also deliver
more glucose to the muscles to create more muscle glycogen.
DO THIS: Follow dosing instructions on the label and take
your NO booster both in the morning and about 30–60 minutes before training.
- See more at:
http://www.flexonline.com/nutrition/9-tricks-get-massive?page=5#sthash.wk8YLB6Y.dpuf
FLEX
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