Gaining muscle and getting bigger comes down to 2 things: how many healthy calories we eat each day, and how hard we push ourselves in the gym. Calories are literally defined as energy and we need this energy to be able to allow our body to rebuild, repair, and grow our muscles bigger than they have ever been. Not all calories are created equally however, and to ensure the fastest gains possible it's necessary to make sure that the breakdown of calories you consume is 30% protein, 50% carbohydrates, and 20% fats.
The Power Of Protein!
Protein is what most people think of first in regards to a mass gainer such as CRITICAL MASS™. Protein is made up of amino acids that help our muscles recover and repair from intense workout sessions, so without this essential macronutrient gains are nearly impossible. The problem with protein is that not all of it is created equally, some forms are just inferior to other forms when it comes to gaining muscle. When bulking up and trying to gain muscle, countless studies have shown that whey protein concentrate and whey protein isolate are the most effective forms of protein as they contains very high levels of anabolic amino acids when compared to other forms of protein available on the market.
Real Carbohydrates = Best Mass Gainer!
If you‰۪ve ever spoken to an accomplished bodybuilder or strength athlete, they will most certainly tell you that the best way to make quick gains is by using whole foods instead of gimmicky powders. Most mass gainers utilize carbohydrates such as pure dextrose or maltodextrin, which can be beneficial in their own place, but as a meal replacement leave your body with far too much sugar to use as fuel, and it will be stored as fat. However, the problem with only eating whole foods is that they are time-consuming to cook and take up so much room in our stomach that it's almost impossible to eat the amount of calories needed each day to truly gain serious muscle mass. The answer to this is to utilize whole foods in powder form. The healthiest carbohydrates which help us build muscle and burn fat are slow digesting ones like oats, quinoa, sweet potatoes, and vegetables. Of these, quinoa and oats have the highest levels of naturally occurring amino acids to further help you gain even more mass!
Healthy Fats = Healthy Gains!
Not all fats are created equally, and not all fats are bad. Specifically, a certain type of fat known as Medium Chain Triglycerides (or MCT's) is not only an effective way to consume more calories each day, but it actually helps you burn fat as well. That's right, eating fat can help you burn fat while building muscle! MCT's are different because they're water-soluble (unlike all other forms of fat), so they can't efficiently be incorporated into the bloodstream. Instead, they bypass the lymphatic system and are quickly and easily absorbed through the small intestines and directly transported to the liver as free fatty acids through the portal circulation. In the liver, MCTs are beta-oxidized and rarely stored as body fat. This means you get high amounts of calories from these fats, yet they are used more efficiently than normal fats to allow you to burn fat FAST while maximizing muscle gains.
