We're frequently asked about packing on muscle and making lean gains. Choosing Supreme Nutrition is a great start but here we show you how to really get the most from our protein blends.
If the aim is to stack on muscle you'll need to make sure you're eating enough good quality calories. We have previously discussed the Calorie Deficit and what this means. However, if muscle building is the goal then you effectively want to take this advice and flip it. Instead of running 500 calories below your Dietary Reference Intake (base amount of calories you need per day after exercise), you need to be going for at least 500 calories more to make clean and lean gains. Make sure you give this a quick read if you're not sure about the amount of calories you should be consuming.
So, eating more food on a daily basis sounds great but, as always, its not that easy! Its vitally important these extra 500 calories are good quality to assure you pack on muscle. We've created some muscle building shakes to keep you interested and help you make those lean gains.
It is worth noting that we use our Recovery blend as the foundation for all of the recipes below. Not only does it contain over 30g of Whey Isolate per serving but it also contains Maltodextrin - this is a lean, complex carbohydrate - meaning no spike in blood sugar but all the benefits of 'Whole' carbohydrates (think Brown Rice, Whole Grain, Vegetables). This gives it an extra boost of clean calories, plus L-Glutamine which has been shown to improve protein synthesis and recovery after your workouts (vital for putting on muscle).
How to Build Your Own Muscle Shakes
Firstly lets lay out the foundations. If you stick to these rules you can make your own variation of a muscle building shake. Packed with protein and muscle growth inducing ingredients.
1. Start with around 300ml of Water. You can always add to this if the shake is too thick. You can also use Whole Milk here instead for extra calories and protein but for some this is a lactose overload and can cause you to feel bloated - if this is no issue for you then great, you've already added extra protein and calories!
2. Use 2 heaped scoops of our Recovery blend. You can of course use our Whey Isolate and Concentrate but the Recovery is essentially a ready-made smoothie with all the key ingredients for muscle building and recovery. 2 heaped scoops will give you 33g of Protein plus 17g of Carbohydrates and 5g of L-Glutamine. This totals at 200 calories so a great foundation to build from.
3. Sneak in the Vegetables. To build muscle you need to be eating greens with every meal. They're vital for your overall health and the vitamins and minerals are needed to give you the energy to grow. Spinach and Kale are great options since they don't really affect the taste. Top tip: Pumpkin and Vanilla go great together and so does Chocolate and Beetroot - worth a try!
4. Bring on the fruit. This is where it gets interesting, the fruit you choose will define the flavour of your shake. Bananas and Berries are the obvious choice and Bananas are nutritionally dense so will add those precious calories to the shake. However, you're pretty much safe with all fruit though so feel free to experiment and include your favourites!
5. Introduce the healthy fats. Healthy Fats are your friend, they're key to maintaining your energy levels when resting and help to maintain healthy testosterone levels - key for building muscle mass. Just make sure you keep your fat intake to around 25% - 30% of your food intake. Walnuts, cashews, almonds, and nut butters not only make your shake delicious and bump up its calories, but they also deliver those healthy fats.
Blend them up and away you go! You'll need a few goes to really nail down the serving sizes and quantity of ingredients in your shakes but building from a foundation of our Recovery blend will guarantee muscle growth - just stay consistent no matter how hard!
Recipe Ideas
Berry Muscle Shake
Blend This
300ml water
1 fistful of spinach
2 cups frozen mixed berries (go for fresh if you have it and just add ice cubes!)
½ cup plain low-fat yogurt
2 scoops Banana Recovery (also tastes great with Vanilla Whey Concentrate) 1 tbsp walnuts 1 tbsp ground flaxseed
Nutritional Value: 600 Calories, 65g Protein, 70g Carbs, 14g Fibre, 11g Fat
Hemp Seed Heaven
You can find hemp seed in most supermarkets and its great for bulking up your shakes. Just be careful though, 2 tablespoons is already over 90 calories!
Blend this
1 banana
1 tbsp unsweetened peanut butter or hazelnut butter
2 tbsp hemp seeds
2 scoops of Recovery protein powder
2 dates
¼ tsp cinnamon
1 cup of almond milk
Nutritional Value: 650 Calories, 60g Protein, 65g Carbohydrates, 25g Fat, 9g Fibre
Chocolate, Peanut Butter, and Banana Shake
Blend This
300ml water
2 scoops of Chocolate Recovery
1 banana
1 fistful spinach
2 tbsp peanut butter
1 tbsp cocoa powder (optional if not chocolatey enough)
Nutritional Value: 600 Calories, 65g protein, 22g Fat, 50g Carbs, 8g Fibre
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The Supreme Nutrition Team