Nobody is laughing at you. You know that to get a quality size, there is no miracle solution or shortcut. You need to train, eat and supplement wisely, not just for a few months, but for years. But there are also times when you want to look bigger right away. The reason and the occasion can vary from guy to guy: maybe you’re reuniting with an old girlfriend and you want to show her what she’s been missing, or maybe you’re taking pictures at the beach to post them on Facebook. Whatever the reason, the following tips can help you look 5-10 pounds bigger… instantly.
Carbohydrates
The easiest and most effective way to gain a few pounds quickly is to eat lots of carbohydrates. The higher your usual carbohydrate intake, the more impressive the results will be. People who regularly eat less than 1 gram of carbs per pound of body weight will see the best results.. When you consume carbohydrates, they are stored in your muscles as glycogen – a massive amount of glucose molecules attached to each other. Glycogen draws large amounts of water into the muscles, filling them up like water balloons. A day or two before you want to peak, eat about 4 grams of carbs per pound of body weight, or more. For the first 4-6 hours of the day, you can eat simple carbs like sugar, fat-free candy, and white bread.
Later in the day, try to favor slow-digesting complex carbohydrates, such as sweet potatoes, wholemeal bread and pasta, and oatmeal. This will prevent carbohydrates from turning into body fat. Carb loading in this way works best if you first follow a low carb diet for three days eating less than 1/2g of carbs per pound of bodyweight per day, then increase the carbs to 4g per kilo for two days.
Drink water
Chances are you’re dehydrated, or at least not fully hydrated. A study of athletes found that less than 15% of them were well hydrated in bodybuilding. Adequate water intake has a fairly simple effect on muscles : it makes them fuller and bigger. If you’re not properly hydrated, your muscles will likely look flat and you’ll feel like you’ve lost size when you’re really just lacking in fluid, not muscle. Start drinking water as soon as possible. Be sure to drink at least a gallon of water a day, possibly up to two gallons, to keep your muscles working at their maximum capacity.
Choose Your Creatine Wisely
We are not telling you anything new when we say that creatine draws large amounts of water into the muscles to rapidly increase their size. But there is a problem if you take a container of creatine monohydrate: time. Creatine monohydrate works well, but it can take weeks to produce the impressive size gains you’re hoping for, because creatine does not maximize muscle cell volumization until its levels are maximized inside muscle cells. With creatine monohydrate it can take a week and often longer, even if you go through a loading phase. Instead of monohydrate, switch to another fast-acting form of creatine like creatine hydrochloride or Kre-Alkalyn.
Opt for glutamine
The popular supplement L-glutamine may not have such a rapid effect on muscle growth as creatine and carb-loading, but it is an essential ingredient to include in your stack of bulking products. Glutamine is stored in large quantities in the muscles and, like creatine, it draws water into the muscle cells. Research also suggests that glutamine helps convert more glucose into glycogenso that more glycogen can be stored in your muscles, which that attracts more water for significant size gains. Post-workout, add 10g of L-glutamine to your post-workout protein shake and carbs.
5GO with glutamine
Even if you already take L-glutamine post-workout, there is another form of amine that can help you gain weight through another mechanism: L-alanyl-L-glutamine. Research suggests that this form of glutamine can help you retain more water in your body. And like we said in point 2, the more water your muscles retain, the fuller they are and the taller you look. Take 5-10g of L-alanyl-L-glutamine (Sustamine) about 30 minutes before workouts to stay better hydrated, get a bigger pump, and help maintain bigger muscles.
take taurine
It’s one of the most popular amino acids among mainstream consumers, but not because of its mass-enhancing potential. Taurine is the star ingredient in drinks like Red Bull (the Latin word taurus means bull or ox), where it is touted as long-lasting energy support. But while the energy boost you get from taurine may be minimal, its ability to help you bulk up is anything but negligible. Taurine is another amino acid that stores in muscle cells and draws more water there to make the muscles swell even more, especially when combined with glutamine and creatine. Plus, taurine can help build muscle strength and endurance for more intense workouts, helping you grow more in the long run. Take 2-3g of taurine with your pre-workout and post-workout shakes for extra muscle bulking.
