As part of my apparently continuing series Help, I’m skinny and I can’t Bulk Up comes the supplement list every thin man needs in his quest for adding quality muscle to his frame. It’s important to understand supplements are not magic pills and powders. You need to be consistently performing the workout and following the Hard Gainers Diet Plan to get results. The supplements will help, but will not make up for poor training and diet.

sup·ple·ment (spl-mnt)

n.

1. Something added to complete a thing, make up for a deficiency, or extend or strengthen the whole.

So get your training and diet together and when you’re ready here are the supplements, in order of importance, that will strengthen and complete the plan:

Multi-Vitamin. I don’t know a single person who has a perfect diet day in and day out. Take a quality multi with breakfast every day so you don’t have to worry about whether you ate enough kale today.

Omega 3 fatty acids. Omega 3’s are essential fatty acids that are vital to the health of every membrane of every cell in your body. Unless you’re eating a lot of herring, mackerel and anchovies, you should supplement your diet. Each capsule is only 1 gram of fat; so don’t be afraid to take lots. I take at least 6 a day, sometimes more. Keep in mind one teaspoon of olive oil is 5 grams of fat, so taking 5 Omega 3’s is the equivalent of one teaspoon of olive oil.

Creatine monohydrate. Creatine is the most studied supplement in the history of performance supplements. Creatine is found naturally in beef and is part of the intercellular energy cycle. Supplementing with creatine will ensure your cells are saturated with what they need to produce the energy you are demanding when you train. I take 5 grams mixed with water in my post workout meal every day.

Zinc. Zinc is an essential micronutrient and plays a significant role in growth and development of muscle and other tissue. Hard training leads to decreases of blood levels of zinc. Over 2 billion people on the planet are deficient. Don’t be one of them. I take 50 MG a day.

BCAA. There are eight essential amino acids that cannot be produced by the body and must be supplied by your food. Of these, three are the branch chained amino acids that make up 35% of your muscle mass. Taking BCAA’s before, during and after a tough weight training workout will help improve performance, prevent catabolism and spur recovery. I take 5 grams mixed in water that I drink during my weight training workouts.

Beta Alanine. Supplementation with beta-alanine has been shown to increase the concentration of carnosine in muscles. By promoting high levels of intramuscular carnosine, beta-alanine supports maximum muscular endurance and improved performance. A side effect of supplementing with beta-alanine is a tingling of your skin, like a pins and needles feeling. I don’t care for that at all, so I take a little less than the suggested dose before and after the workout.

So there you have it hard gainers, a handful of supplements that will help you in your quest to muscle up. As you may know, I’m an Amazon Associate so I get a commission if you purchase any of your items from my Amazon A-Store. So if your going to buy these items anyway, I’d certainly appreciate you buying them from my A-Store. Before I forget, read my disclaimer here.

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