I imagine you are reading this article because you are looking to bulk up and add mass rather than cut and gain lean muscle. When looking to increase in size by bulking, popular products that many sportsmen and bodybuilders turn to include creatine, beta alanine or a pre workout supplement to help lift heavier weights. Whilst these have been proven to work to various degrees, research shows that the real key to stimulating muscle growth is in fact perfecting your intake of primary macronutrient. This article starts with some science around muscle building and ends by summarising why Myprotein Hard Gainer Extreme is the perfect supplement to help with achieving muscle gains.
If you are looking to increase the size of your muscles, it is important to understand how muscular hypertrophy actually works.
In the appropriate hormonal conditions, muscle cells multiply and bind with satellite cells which are effectively reserve cells situated around the muscle cells ready to be used in case of injury or regeneration. Once the muscles are under stress, they receive these signals and start their migration towards the area where mini muscle tearing has occurred. Once they reach their destination, the satellite cells fuse to the existing myofibres and create either a repaired cell in response to the tearing of the muscle or an enlarged muscle cell in response to the stress caused from training. Studies in Denmark have shown that this intramuscular tension is a critical factor for producing muscle gains and that heavy lifting, pulling and pushing (working at 75%-90% of your 1 repetition maximum) provides the most efficient stimulus for hypertrophy adaptation.
Muscles also need the necessary nutrients to repair and grow which is why protein and your sources of protein are so important. When you have exercised and your muscle cells are in a state of micro trauma caused by the mini tears, your body responds by sending nutrients to the damaged areas to help them recover and repair. This is why protein intake after working out is vital; after a workout your muscles are starved and are sponge like in their physical makeup which experts believe is responsible for the body's ability to absorb more protein than at any other time. Research has shown that muscles can absorb c.50% more protein in this time period than when eating a regular meal.
The International Olympic Committee Consensus on Sports Nutrition state that strength or speed athletes need 1.7g of protein per kg of bodyweight per day. So if you weight 95kg then you need 162g of protein a day (27g per meal if you are having 6 meals during the day).
Healthy fats are also needed for muscle growth and they don't come much better than MCT (medium chain triglycerides). MCT provide twice the energy of protein and carbohydrates (8.3g instead of 4g) and absorb into the bloodstream as quickly as glucose. They are also used as fuel for energy instead of body fat storage which means protein is spared from becoming your energy source and therefore your aminos get used for muscle building. A study by Valls, E et al called 'Modifications of insulin and growth hormone after medium chain triglycerides ingestion' (2010) found the muscle building hormone HGH (human growth hormone) increased 60 minutes after ingesting 1.5 g/kg of MCT. Whilst it's not known exactly how it achieves this, the benefits of consuming MCTs if you want to increase muscle mass are evident.
A 2.5kg packet comes in 3 flavours (Chocolate Smooth, Strawberry and Vanilla) and costs just £23.99. It also comes in a massive 5kg size (same 3 flavours) for only £43.99.