Supplement Guide – Phase 2

Mass Building Supps

If i had to pick a phase where supplements are the most important, this is the one. During the second phase of the abercrombie workout we need to put on as much muscle mass as possible because if we don’t then cutting body fat during the third phase will be worthless. The good news is that by using the right supplements together they can have a synergistic effect that’s capable of taking our muscle mass to unprecedented levels.

What does that mean? Basically it means that when using the right types of supplements together in a stack we’re able to increase the effectiveness of eachsupplement resulting in mass gains that would be unattainable if the supplements were all used separately. This type of supplement stacking is the key to building a fitness model physique and is commonly used by the elite athletes and bodybuilders.

The best “fitness model” stack for building mass is designed around the use of 3 key supplements: Whey Protein, L-Arginine, Creatine Monohydrate.

Whey Protein

We talked about whey protein and it’s benefits in the supplement section of the abercrombie workouts first phase and guess what… it hasn’t changed. Whey protein is the staple supplement in every successful weight training program and it’s benefits are undeniable.

Without a fast acting protein source immediately following your workout your basically wasting your workout and sacrificing all the muscle you just spent an hour working your butt off to build. Not to mention the convenience of being able to mix up a shake in 30 seconds and have a quality meal with 40 grams of protein in an instant to help keep your body in an anabolic state. Since we’ve already covered protein in the abercrombie workout phase one supplement guide so we’ll leave it at that, just remember to drink a whey protein shake plus a simple-carbohydrate based drink post-workout. My personal favorite whey protein, (which I personally feel is on a different level than any other whey protein on the market) is Optimum Nutrition Whey Protein.

L-Arginine or L-Citrulline

The second supplement in the abercrombie workouts mass building stack is a nitric oxide increasing supplement like L-Citrulline or l-arginine. These supplements have the ability to increase the body’s nitric oxide production, maximize the bodies natural release of growth hormone, increase our bodies healing ability, and increase the bodies ability to transport nutrients to the muscle tissue all while decreasing high blood pressure, increasing our immune function, and promoting better circulation.

You think this sounds good, the best thing about L-Citrulline and L-Arginine is that they are all natural amino acids found in various dairy and meat products like chicken, beef, and milk; the only problem is it’s found in small quantities but by supplementing with these supplements were able to take maximize these benefits like never before. The best nitric oxide based pre-workout supplements that I’ve personally used and would recommend are Alpha Gx7 or Genius Pre.

Creatine Monohydrate

Creatine, everyones heard of creatine and for good reason, it’s probably the most effective natural supplement for building large amounts of muscle mass. Creatine, which is also naturally found in meat, has the ability to increase the amount of water the muscles hold while at the same time increasing the amount of ATP in the muscles. What’s ATP? ATP is basically what our muscles use to create short bursts of energy and strength, so by increasing the levels of ATP in our muscles we’re able to workout harder for short periods of time and bust out those extra few reps or pounds on the bench press.

The other benefit creatine has is its ability to increase the amount of water stored in our muscles. As we know already know muscles grow by being broken down and then rebuilding larger and stronger than before. What determines these size and strength increases is the ability of our muscles to heal and recover. By increasing the amount of water and protein in our muscles we’re giving our muscles the ideal environment to recover and grow. Due to creatine’s ability to do this it is by far the most powerfulmuscle building supplement you can use with the exception of illegal (and dangerous) things like anabolic steroids.

Just like l-arginine & l-Citrulline the best thing about creatine monohydrate is that it’s 100% safe and natural making it the most commonly used supplement among athletes today. Due to the fact that creatine is a proven supplement and most effective in it’s pure form don’t waste your money of gimmicky creatine products. Buy a straight, pure creatine monohydrate supplement from a trusted company.  I recommend Optimum Nutrition Micronized Creatine Monohyrdate. It’s cheap, effective, and from a company you know isn’t going to cut corners when it comes to product quality.

Creatine Monohydrate is most effective when 5 grams are taken both pre and post workout with a sugar based drink like grape juice, Gatorade, or when mixed with pure dextrose.

Multi-vitamin

Just like before a quality multi-vitamin is a must have no matter if your an athlete or a 70 year old lady. That being said it’s especially important when your training hard since your body needs and uses way more nutrients than the average person. Personally I use Optimum Nutrition Opti-Men and i can’t say enough good things about it, it’s an unbelievable vitamin supplement at an even more unbelievable price, but that said any quality multi-vitamin will work.

Weight Gainer Supplement

A weight gainer supplement isn’t a necessary supplement as it can be replaced in the diet by using a basic protein powder, but if you have the money I’d definitely recommend investing in a quality weight gainer. Weight gainers are calorie dense shakes that can really help pack on the pounds and the weight gainer I personally recommend is Muscle Milk (possibly the best tasting supplementshake ever.)

*For a complete list of recommended supplements visit the Abercrombie Workout Supplement Page.

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Supplement	Time	Amount
Muscle Milk	9 am (Meal 2)	2 Scoops
Multi-Vitamin	With Lunch	1/2 Daily Serving
Pre-Workout Of Choice	Pre-Workout	1-2 Scoops
Creatine Monohydrate	Pre-Workout	5 grams
Whey Protein Shake	Post-Workout	1-2 Scoops
Creatine Monohydrate	Post-Workout	5 grams
Multi-Vitamin	With Dinner	1/2 Daily Serving