Supplement Layering
As you may know from many of my previous posts, I have a bittersweet relationship with food supplements! You could say that I love to hate the supplement companies.
Or, I hate to love them sometimes!
There are a ton of useless supplements on the market. But there are some tried-and-true nutritional supplements, too. Supplements I wouldn't attempt to live without.
Okay, I could live without them, but my muscle-building and fitness-related goals would seriously suffer. Supplements make things easier. And, I daresay, better.
I've come to fully believe in something I call "supplement layering." It's a modular system of food supplementation that makes it super-convenient and easy to take the right supplements at the right times. All without "burning out" on supplements.
Base Level (aka, Maintenance Level)
My base level consists of the following supplements. I take these day in and day out, with one exception: Every Thursday & Sunday, I take nothing. I don't necessarily fast, but I do eat much less than normal and I take NO SUPPLEMENTS. This practice works hand-in-hand with the cycling, or periodization, principle I employ in my training.
- Multivitamin/mineral tablet or pak
- Joint complex of glucosamine, condroitin, and MSM
- Calcium complex consisting of calcium, magnesium, phosphorous, and Vitamin D
- Vitamin C
- Fish Oil
- Ginkgo Biloba
- Prograde Longevity
Mass-Building Level
I add in the following when attempting to pack on mass. This is detailed in 5 Supplements for Building Muscle.
- Creatine Monohydrate
- Whey protein powder
- Desiccated liver tablets
- Branch-chain amino acids or BCAA
- Other "aminos" – ornithine, arginine, glutamine
Fat-Burning Level
When trying to cut weight and/or "rip up" I remove the Mass-Building supplements and substitute these for fat-burning instead.
Power & Strength Level
I combine the Base Level (x2 – yes, I double the dosages) with the Mass-Building Level and add in the following. The idea here is to get a blast of quick protein and carbs delivered to the muscles prior to working out and right after.
I use this drink both before and after my intense weight workouts.
That's it folks. It's simple & effective nutritional supplement usage that will allow you to reach any given goal faster and with more confidence.
