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[bgptbull81]

Want supplements perfectly formulated for each critical situation throughout your day? Perhaps one for preworkout, postworkout, before bed and for all-day muscle growth?

You have a couple of choices. You could enroll in a university, complete your PhD, equip a laboratory with the proper tools and equipment, then meticulously mix and measure a selection of ingredients every day. Sure, you may look good in a lab coat, and “mad scientist” would be killer on your business card, but there is an easier way.

Manufacturers now stack several of the best supplements in one bottle. This takes out all of the guesswork on your part, and it makes bodybuilding supplementation as convenient as a multivitamin.

Here, we run down some of the best common stacks you can find on store shelves today–just compare our lists to the ingredient labels to find one that works for your particular needs.
Stack # 1 – Preworkout

One of the most important times to supplement with the proper ingredients for mass and strength gains is right before you train. Several companies make preworkout stacks that include arginine, creatine and caffeine to give you more energy, greater strength and a bigger pump. For a real training boost, look for a preworkout product that provides all three and take it as directed before you hit the gym.

Arginine
In the body, this amino acid is converted to nitric oxide, a molecule that plays numerous roles. Bodybuilders are most interested in the ability of NO to dilate blood vessels and thereby increase blood flow–delivering more oxygen, nutrients and anabolic hormones to muscles. This results in bigger muscle pumps, greater fuel availability during workouts, more muscle strength and, ultimately, more muscle growth. One study showed that trained subjects taking arginine supplements increased bench press strength by almost 20 pounds more than those taking a placebo.

* Look for products that supply a minimum of three grams of arginine per dose in the form of L-arginine, arginine alpha-ketoglutarate, arginine ketoisocaproate, arginine malate or arginine ethyl ester.

Creatine
Creatine works to increase muscle size and strength through a number of mechanisms. It helps produce more of the fast energy a muscle needs to pound out reps, allowing you to lift heavier weight. It also pulls more water into the muscle cells, a volumizing effect that makes the muscles bigger–and even stronger–by giving them a biomechanical advantage.

* Look for a product that contains a minimum of 2 g of creatine per dose in some form, such as creatine monohydrate, creatine malate, creatine ethyl ester or creatine alpha-ketoglutarate.

Caffeine
Few bodybuilders realize that caffeine is one of the most effective supplements they can take. It’s perfect preworkout because it can enhance muscle growth and strength by boosting training intensity and focus. Recent studies show that caffeine can increase bench press strength, as well as reduce muscle pain during exercise (which can help boost your intensity and allow you to train past your pain barrier).

* Look for preworkout supplements that provide about 100-400 milligrams of caffeine.

Stack #2 – Postworkout

After training, it’s essential to replenish muscle glycogen and stimulate muscle growth by drinking a whey shake and consuming fast-digesting carbs. In addition, you want to replenish levels of creatine, glutamine and branched-chain amino acids in the muscles, a task made easier by the postworkout stacks on the market that contain these three critical supplements.

Creatine
After working out, muscle cells have a higher capacity to take up nutrients such as creatine. Taking it again after you train is critical for replenishing muscle levels of the substance and maximizing growth. Postworkout, it does so by increasing the levels of insulinlike growth factor-I in muscle. Creatine also can help muscle recovery, as research now shows that it provides antioxidantlike protection.

* Look for postworkout products that provide at least 2 g of some form of creatine.

Glutamine
Key to muscle function, glutamine is one of the most plentiful amino acids found in muscle. Glutamine levels inside muscle regulate protein synthesis and, therefore, muscle growth. Having ample glutamine in muscles after workouts ensures that muscle growth will ensue. In addition, it helps muscles reload with glycogen after workouts, and it boosts growth hormone levels. Both of these functions are critical after workouts to enhance recovery and muscle growth.

* Look for products that supply a minimum of 2 g of glutamine.

Branched-chain amino acids
The BCAAs (leucine, valine and isoleucine) are essential amino acids that serve as building blocks for muscle protein. That’s one reason they are needed after workouts. They also stimulate protein synthesis and, therefore, drive muscle growth. In addition, BCAAs help boost insulin release, so the perfect time to spike this anabolic hormone is after training. New research has discovered that BCAAs also blunt cortisol levels. Cortisol, a catabolic hormone, blocks the anabolic effects of testosterone and increases muscle breakdown.

* Look for products that supply at least 1 g of BCAAs in the mix.

Stack #3 – Testosterone boosters

Testosterone is one of the most critical anabolic hormones for bodybuilders. It increases muscle growth and strength, and even enhances fat loss. The testosterone boosters sold today usually combine several ingredients that raise levels of the hormone through different mechanisms. Some of the more effective testosterone-boosting supplements include Tribulus terrestris, Eurycoma longifolia Jack and forskolin. Follow label instructions, but be sure to take one dose an hour before workouts for immediate boosts in muscle strength.

Tribulus terrestris
This herb increases testosterone levels by influencing the brain to release more luteinizing hormone. LH enters the bloodstream and travels to the testicles to signal an increase in testosterone production.

* Look for products that supply about 250-500 mg of Tribulus terrestris per dose. Because this supplement needs to be cycled, pay close attention to label directions.

Eurycoma longifolia jack
This rainforest plant, also known as tongkat ali, is believed to boost testosterone levels through two main mechanisms: it directly stimulates the Leydig’s cells (special cells of the testes that convert cholesterol into testosterone) to increase their production of the hormone, and it works to free up testosterone from sex hormone-binding globulin, a protein that binds testosterone in the blood and prevents it from performing its anabolic functions. Research studies report that it can lower SHBG by about 30%, boost testosterone levels by almost 20% and decrease cortisol levels by more than 30%, as well as increase muscle mass and strength.

* Look for products that supply about 100-300 mg of Eurycoma longifolia Jack; follow label instructions.

Forskolin
Forskolin is the active component in the roots of the plant Coleus forskohlii. Although bodybuilders use it mostly as a fat burner, new research shows it to be an effective testosterone booster. The benefits of this herb are due to its ability to activate an enzyme called adenylate cyclase, which increases levels of a compound called eAMP in a variety of cells, such as the Leydig’s cells, which produce testosterone. In these special cells of the testicles, cAMP plays a crucial role in testosterone production.

* Look for testosterone boosters that also include Coleus forskohlii standardized for approximately 20-50 mg of forskolin.

Stack #4 – Fat burning

To maximize fat loss, you have to stack supplements that provide a variety of effects on metabolic rate and fat release from fat cells. Supplement manufacturers now know this and provide stacks with multiple ingredients. Look for products that include green-tea extract, evodiamine and yohimbine for dropping fat fast.

Green-tea extract
Today, almost every fat burner on the market includes green-tea extract. That’s because it works well to increase the metabolic rate. The active ingredients in green tea are catechins, the most important being epigallocatechin gallate. This catechin boosts metabolic rate by inhibiting an enzyme that normally breaks down norepinephrine (the neurotransmitter that stimulates metabolism and fat burning).

* Look for fat-burning products that include up to 500 mg of green-tea extract standardized for EGCG; take them according to label directions.

Evodiamine
This extract from the fruit of the Evodia rutaecarpa plant helps to burn bodyfat by stimulating specific receptors in the nervous system that work to increase metabolic rate. Evodiamine has also been found to be effective for blunting hunger, thus allowing a dieter to feel fuller, and for slowing the rate of digestion, helping to keep insulin levels steady.

* Look for products that also include 30-50 mg of evodiamine; follow label instructions.

Yohimbine
Yohimbine is the active ingredient found in the African tree Pausinystalia yohimbe. Yohimbine alkaloids increase fat burning by inhibiting specific receptors, called alpha receptors, which normally inhibit fat burning. A recent study in athletes reported that those taking 20 mg of yohimbine daily for three weeks significantly reduced their bodyfat compared to athletes taking a placebo.

* Look for products that provide 2-10 mg of yohimbine per dose. Follow the manufacturer’s dosing instructions.

Stack #5 – Nighttime stack

If you’re a bodybuilder who worries about what he eats and supplements with all day, but goes to bed without a supplement nightcap, you’re not serious about making real muscle gains. A nighttime formula that provides casein, 20-beta-ecdysterone and theanine can provide all you need to grow while you sleep.

Casein
Casein protein makes up about 80% of milk protein. Unlike whey, which is digested rapidly, casein is digested very slowly because it forms a clot in the stomach, resulting in a steady supply of amino acids for up to seven hours. This helps prevent the body from breaking down muscle protein for fuel while you sleep.

* Look for nighttime products that supply micellar casein, as it’s the slowest-digesting casein you can buy. Take a dose that supplies about 20-40 g immediately before bed.

20-beta-ecdysterone
This phytochemical, also known as ecdysterone, is used by plants as protection from insects. Fortunately for humans, it provides anabolic properties. It does so by stimulating protein synthesis. Getting it in a product that also provides casein protein means the amino acids from the casein will be used not only to prevent muscle breakdown, but also for muscle growth.

* Look for products that include at least 50 mg of 20-beta-ecdysterone.

Theanine
This amino acid is found in tea leaves and is actually a modified form of glutamine. Theanine promotes mental and physical relaxation, which is why it’s a great additive to nighttime supplement stacks. It acts by increasing the levels of gamma-aminobutyric acid, an important inhibitory neurotransmitter in the brain. GABA also appears to increase GH release, thereby helping to further spike levels of theanine while you sleep.