The best results I’ve received on the Anabolic Diet are when I’ve used whole food sources and very few supplements. I highly recommend that if you want the best results, you follow the same plan.
With that said, there are still some supplements that help. The following are the supplements I feel will benefit you the most while on the Anabolic Diet
Fish Oil
The benefits of fish oil and the omega 3 fats in it are easily found anywhere on the web. Among them include:
- reduced inflammation, making weight lifting easier
- improved heart health
- prevention of numerous diseases and cell issues, including cancer
But, specific to the results we’re looking for, fish oil helps build more muscle and reduces fat gain. The omega 3s found in fish oil specifically help reduce insulin sensitivity and promote growth of
muscle.
I dose very heavily on fish oil — at least over 20 grams a day, sometimes more depending on my goals. (When all-out trying to build muscle, I might go up to 40 grams a day.) I prefer now to get my fish oil in liquid form, opting for Carlson’s lemon-flavored fish oil, which blends in perfectly with any of my ground beef dishes.
Psyllium Husks
I’ve tried a number of fiber supplements. None of them have given me the, well, regularity and, sorry to get so graphic, ease of psyllium husks. Benefiber particularly made my dumps painful and irregular. (I figured I’d just get to the point.)
Psyllium husks are wheat-based and completely natural. They should be found in any grocery store. I buy mine from Trader Joe’s, under the name “Secrets of the Psyllium.” I use a couple tablespoons a day, either mixed into one of my ground beef dishes or into any shakes I make.
Protein Powder
Protein powder has plenty of advantages, but honestly, I use it pretty much just to flavor the shake or two I’ll have every day. I don’t have anything to back this claim up, but I just feel that the
protein found in any protein powder is absolutely inferior to the protein in meat or eggs. I say this because when my diet is heavier in protein powder, I pile on fat easier and gain weight with more difficulty. When I cut out a lot of the protein powder, I stay unbelievably lean and have no trouble piling on muscle. I just prefer depending on eggs and beef rather than powders.
With that said, though, I do have a shake or two every day that is primarily made of raw eggs and cream that benefits a lot from good protein powder. I’m not entirely against the nutritional benefits of protein powder, but I just feel like too many people rely on it. Since I like healthy, beneficial protein powder, but also need the best-tasting stuff on the market, I use Biotest’s Metabolic Drive powder. It is absolutely amazing-tasting, and nutritionally is some of the best stuff I’ve seen.
BCAAs
BCAAs are the one form of “protein powder” that I do feel provides me with a huge advantage. Branched chain amino acids are the proteins that are primarily involved in healing and growing muscles; they give the “signal” to rebuild muscle. I use BCAAs heavily before, during, and after workouts, and I use them exclusively at this time. I ingest at least 40 grams of BCAAs in this period. I use a 50/50 mixture of Scivation Xtend and generic BCAA powder from bulknutrition.com to save money but keep my BCAAs palatable.
And that’s it. Don’t waste your money on other supplements. As long as you’re eating good, anabolic foods like meats and eggs, then you will grow like a weed. I know too many people that, in the pursuit of the ultimate body, will drop hundreds a month on worthless supplements. They would be much better off to be investing a fraction of that money into high-quality meats and the best, farm-fresh eggs they could get their hands on, and they’d get much better results from it.