Download Topic of the Week 155 – What Are the Best Supplement Stacks

Topic of the Week 155 – What Are the Best Supplement Stacks?
One of the best ways to get the full benefit of your supplements is by stacking them together.
Synergy is a key to getting the most out of your supplements. This guide will help you to
understand which supplements work best with each other and why. But first, did you know that
it is not a good idea to take Beta-Alanine and Taurine at the same time? Zinc with Magnesium?
Those are just two examples of supplements you should not take at the same times because
the body would struggle to absorb both at the same time. While synergy is important, it is
equally important to know which supplements do not work well with each other.
What are the benefits to stacking supplements?
Stacking supplements has many benefits. For one, there are many ways to gain muscle or lose
fat, so by combining supplements that help you do either one through different pathways is
very important.
First off, it is important to know what is meant by a staple supplement. A staple supplement is
something that you take year round, regardless of a bulking or cutting cycle. I believe that the
staple supplements are:
-
Multivitamin
Whey Protein (Suggested Supplement: Dymatize Elite Whey / Optimum 100% Whey)
Fish Oil (Suggested Supplement: NOW Omega-3 / NOW Salmon Oil (Look for high
EPA/DHA content)
Creatine (Any form of Creatine is fine, Creatine Monohydrate, Ethyl Ester, Gluconate,
etc) (Suggested Supplement: Prolab Creatine Monohydrate)
Beta-Alanine (5 grams / day) (Suggested Supplement: Millennium Sports Carnage)
These supplements are very important to maintaining health and building muscle in the
absence of other, more-specific goal-oriented supplements. These are the basics and will help
you get good gains in the weight room. Creatine and Beta-Alanine have excellent synergy –
Creatine helps anaerobic power while Beta-Alanine improves aerobic power for an excellent
one-two punch.
What is the best stack for gaining muscle mass?
To gain muscle mass, one needs to have a caloric surplus in their diet, and training that is
conducive to gaining muscle. Additional supplementation will help the athlete to gain even more
muscle in a shorter period of time. Here are some muscle-building supplementation tips.
- Weight Gainers will help you to get more calories in addition to your diet – the single most
important part of gaining muscle. Without calories and extra protein, there will be no muscle
growth.
- Pre-Workout stimulants containing Caffeine or Geranamine are very helpful in gaining muscle
mass. The increased focus and energy allows you to lift longer and heavier. The thermogenic
fat loss effect from such supplements is also welcome to minimize fat gain.
- Testosterone is the primary male hormone responsible for many functions inside the body,
including muscle gain and fat loss. Naturally increasing testosterone greatly improves the
body’s ability to put on a higher ratio of muscle to fat since this is what testosterone signals the
body to do. Testosterone can be increased through herbs such as Divanil and Icariin or
synthetic Aromatase Inhibitors (AIs) such as 6-Bromodione, 6-OXO, and ATD.
- Gaining muscle requires that catabolism (muscle wasting) be at a minimum so taking BCAAs
and Coleus Forskohlii is important. Take BCAAs between meals and during training for
maximum effect.
- Arachidonic Acid is excellent for gaining lean muscle mass and minimizing fat gain on a bulk.
It works through pathways influencing prostaglandin synthesis and has received excellent
reviews.
Basic Muscle Building Stack (In Addition to Basic Stack)
-
Weight Gainer (Suggested Supplement: ErgoPharm Mass Meal – 2-4 Scoops / day)
Pre-Workout Booster (Suggested Supplement: Genera Supplements Adrenaline – 2-3
Caps Pre-Workout)
Arachidonic Acid (Suggested Supplement: Molecular Nutrition X-Factor – 4 Caps / day)
Checklist:
Genera Supplements Adrenaline
ErgoPharm Mass Meal
Molecular Nutrition X-Factor
This stack is more than enough for most athletes to gain muscle mass quickly and easily. It also
takes into account teenagers who should not be using testosterone boosters at their age. Teens
generally have great hormonal panels that are conducive to muscle building.
Extreme Muscle Building Stack (In Addition to Basic Stack)
-
Testosterone Booster (Suggested Supplement: Designer Supplements Activate Xtreme –
4 Caps / day)
Arachidonic Acid (Suggested Supplement: Molecular Nutrition X-Factor – 4 Caps / day)
All-Around Hypertrophic/Aromatase Inhibitor (AI) (Suggested Supplement: Anabolic
Xtreme Hyperdrol X-2 – 4 Caps / day)
Pre-Workout Booster (Suggested Supplement: Genera Supplements Adrenaline – 2-3
Caps Pre-Workout)
Anti-Catabolic / BCAAs (Suggested Supplement: SciVation Xtend – 4-6 Scoops / day)
Weight Gainer (Suggested Supplement: ErgoPharm Mass Meal – 3-5 Scoops / day)
Creatine with Extra Ingredients (Suggested Supplement: Gaspari SizeOn – 1 Scoop /
day)
Checklist:
Genera Supplements Adrenaline
ErgoPharm Mass Meal
Molecular Nutrition X-Factor
SciVation Xtend
Anabolic Xtreme Hyperdrol X-2
Designer Supplement Activate Xtreme
Gaspari SizeOn
This stack will turn you into a muscle building machine. Low Cortisol and catabolism coupled
with high testosterone and calories make for a formidable combination. Incredible synergy can
be seen, and the athlete will be able to build a lot of muscle in a short amount of time.
What is the best stack for fat loss?
A fat loss stack must be carefully planned so that it attacks fat loss at a variety of different
angles and through various pathways in the body. Here is a list of important fat loss
supplementation requirements:
- Stimulants that increase thermogenesis, or simply body heat, such as Caffeine, PEA,
Yohimbine, Synephrine, and Geranamine. Green Tea Extract is also considered to be a potent
fat loss ally. Yohimbine HCl works on the beta receptors in the body to get rid of fat in those
tough places such as love handles and upper pecs. If used correctly, that is spaced evenly
throughout the day; it is a potent fat loss aid with few, if any, side effects.
[Writer’s Note: Ephedrine will be excluded from this article as there are certain legality and
availability issues throughout the US, so I feel that it is in everyone’s best interest to leave it
out of the discussion.]
- Nutrient and glucose shuttling agents such as R-ALA (Alpha Lipoic Acid). Amino acids that
enhance fatty acid oxidation such as Acetyl-L-Carnitine or Propionyl-L-Carnitine also help
immensely with fat loss.
- PPAR agonists, which free up fatty acids in the body to be metabolized. An example would be
Tetradecylthioacetic Acid (TTA) which is found in some popular supplements.
- Cortisol modulators are key because they regulate the body’s Cortisol production. Cortisol is
an extremely catabolic hormone that is responsible for muscle loss and fat gain in the body.
Examples include 7-OH (7-Hydroxy-DHEA) and Relora, among others.
- Supplements that increase thyroid function are also very helpful as the thyroid is a major
factor in fat loss. Such supplements include Guggulsterones and the amino acid L-Tyrosine.
- A cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) regulator such as Coleus Forskohlii is an excellent
addition to a complete fat loss stack.
- A supplement for muscle-sparing while in a caloric deficit. Branched Chain Amino Acids
(BCAAs) fit the bill perfectly, as they have been shown time and time again in various studies to
help prevent muscle loss on a cut.
- Arachidonic Acid, found in Molecular Nutrition’s X-Factor, is probably one of the best
supplements that can be used for fat loss. It is excellent for muscle sparing and maintaining
strength while in a caloric deficit and works wonders when used in conjunction with the above
supplements.
Beginner’s Fat Loss Stack (In addition to Basic Stack)
In conjunction with a considerable caloric deficit. Diet is the key to fat loss; supplements will
only help you reach your goals. Training and cardio must be on point to see desired results.
-
Combination of Caffeine/Geranamine/Yohimbine (Suggested Supplement: ErgoPharm
AMP2 – 3-4 Caps / day)
Branched Chain Amino Acids (Suggested Supplement: SciVation Xtend – 4-8 Scoops /
day)
TTA/ALCAR or PLCAR (Suggested Supplement: RPN DCP – 6 Caps / day)
Checklist:
ErgoPharm AMP2
SciVation Xtend
RPN DCP
This stack keeps things simple and cost-effective. With a properly planned diet high in protein
and caloric deficit, losing fat should be a breeze.
All Out Fat Loss Stack (In Addition to Basic Stack)
-
Combination of Caffeine/Geranamine/Yohimbine (Suggested Supplement: ErgoPharm
AMP2 – 3-4 Caps / day + Yohimbine HCl Caps – 10 mg / day evenly spaced out)
Branched Chain Amino Acids (Suggested Supplement: SciVation Xtend – 6-8 Scoops /
day)
TTA / ALCAR or PLCAR (Suggested Supplement: RPN DCP – 6 Caps / day)
Green Tea / Coleus Forskohlii / 7-OH (Suggested Supplement: Designer Supplements
Lean Xtreme – 3 Caps / day)
Arachidonic Acid (Suggested Supplement: Molecular Nutrition X-Factor – 4 Caps / day)
Bonus Supplement: Designer Supplements Activate Xtreme or Anabolic Xtreme Mass FX
(4 Caps / day)
Checklist:
ErgoPharm AMP2
Yohimbine HCl
SciVation Xtend
RPN DCP
Designer Supplements Lean Xtreme
Molecular Nutrition X-Factor
Designer Supplements Activate Xtreme / Anabolic Xtreme Mass FX
This stack attacks fat loss at every angle possible and the bonus supplement choice is for the
athlete that wants to have an even larger caloric deficit that is made up for with a supplement
that increases the body’s natural testosterone production.
BONUS QUESTION: What has been the most effective supplement stack you have
used? How were the results?
The most effective supplement stack I have used was when I was bulking about a year ago. I
managed to put on almost 30 lbs in about 12 weeks time. I used:
-
Next Detour Oatmeal Protein Bars (4 / day)
SciVation Xtend (12 Scoops / day)
Prolab Creatine Monohydrate
Millennium Sports Carnage (Beta-Alanine)
ErgoPharm 6-OXO / SciVation Fenotest (4 weeks of each)
PrimaForce ALCAR (2 g / day)
Dymatize Energized Xpand (Pre-Workout)
Molecular Nutrition X-Factor (4 Caps / day for the first 50 Days)
It really worked well for my goals as it helped to limit fat loss from a 6000+ calorie diet. I
gained about 30 lbs and a lot of it was lean muscle with some water and glycogen retention
from the BCAAs and Creatine. I must stress that the diet was the key to the gains and the
supplements only helped me get the results I achieved. The protein bars accounted for 1800
extra calories a day so that was a huge help and large difference-maker. However, if I were to
do it again, I would go with one of the stacks I outlined above as I have learned a lot more
about supplement synergy since then.