Add up to 15-20 Pounds Worth of Muscle to your Physique over the Next 12 Months by Adding One Major Mass–Building Supplement at a Time.

Having a problem building muscle?, Training and eating as best you can but finding the protein shakes, creatine and nitric acid boosters are not quite delivering the mass you were hoping for?

Then what you need to do is step up your supplement plan
With so many supplements on the market today it’s hard to know what, when or how much of them to take. Follow our 12 month plan for gaining mass that starts simple and progresses steadily, bringing you a hard-core mass supplement programme one month at a time while building big muscles at the same time.

The plan starts off with the basics and then each month progresses to a new level with the addition of one or two supplements. The order the supplements are added is designed to enhance the ones you are already taking. Be sure to start the plan at the beginning, do not be tempted to jump straight in at month 12 as you won’t get as much out of each supplement as you would by taking one for a while, then slowly adding the others. If you follow the plan outlined and keep to a rigorous workout regime, you can expect to add a solid 15-20lbs of quality muscle over the course of the year.

MONTHS 1-3: BASIC FOUNDATION
Take elemental mass-gaining supplements that have been proven to be effective by both researchers and top-level bodybuilders.

Month 1 – Whey Protein
Research shows that this fast-digesting protein which is rich in branched-chain amino acids boosts muscle growth, especially when used around workouts. It also contains peptides that increase blood flow to the muscles. When you take whey protein before workouts it helps deliver more oxygen, nutrients and anabolic hormones to your muscles which provides you with more energy and muscle pump during workouts and better muscle recovery and growth after training.
Mass Prescription: Take 20g of whey protein (mixed with water) within 30 minutes before each workout and another 40g within 30 minutes after working out.
Deep Blue Recommends: PhD Pharma Whey Protein

Month 2 – ZMA
This combination of zinc, magnesium aspirate plus vitamin B6 can help boost testosterone and insulin-like growthfactor-1 levels while blunting levels of the catabolic hormone cortisol, all of which support muscle growth and strength gains. Studies have shown that both zinc and magnesium achieve these goals for athletes. This works because hard training depletes zinc and magnesium so supplementing these will bring levels back up for optimal gains.
Mass Prescription: Choose a ZMA that provides about 30mg of zinc, 450mg of magnesium and 10.5mg of vitamin B6. Take it 30-60 minutes before bedtime without any food or dairy – this will increase its uptake and utilisation and give you better quality sleep for optimal recovery.
Deep Blue Recommends: Maximuscle ZMA

Month 3 – CREATINE
Creatine is made from the amino acids arganine, glycine and methionine. It is the proven thoroughbred of bodybuilding supplements. Studies have shown an increase in strength gain of 10% and muscle gain of 10lbs for athletes taking a creatine supplement.
Mass Prescription: Take 2-5g of creatine in the form of creatine monohydrate, creatine malate, creatine ethyl-ester or creatine alpha-ketoglutarate within 30 minutes before workouts, and take another 2-5g within 30 minutes after training.
Deep Blue Recommends: Reflex Creapure Creatine (Pills) or Sci-MX Creatine Monohydrate (Powder)

MONTHS 4-6: UP THE ANTE
Once you have created a solid supplement foundation with whey, ZMA and creatine its time to step up your supplement plan by progressively adding the following 3 supplements to supercharge the benefits of the first 3.

MONTH 4 – CASEIN
Whey makes up just 20% of the protein in milk, while casein makes up the remaining 80%. However casein has always been considered inferior to whey which is mostly due to its slow rate of digestion. This factor makes it useful as a pre-bedtime snack to prevent muscle breakdown during sleep but casein has long been avoided by bodybuilders around workout time. However we now know that casein, when taken after workouts, boosts muscle protein synthesis similar to whey. Research also shows that when lifters replace some of the whey in their post-workout shakes with casein, they gain significantly more muscle mass than those who do not.
Mass Prescription: After workouts replace 10-20g of whey with casein in the form of micellar casein, calcium caseinate, sodium caseinate or potassium caseinate.
** During this month, add another 20-40g of whey as soon as you wake up in the morning**
Deep Blue Recommends: ON 100% Gold Standard Casein or PhD Pharma Blend

MONTH 5 – BCAAs
Branch chain amino acids – leucine, isoleucine and valine are the most critical amino acids for repairing and building muscle. They stimulate muscle protein synthesis which leads to muscle growth and they also blunt the catabolic hormone cortisol.  Taking BCAAs before workouts is important because muscles use these amino acids for fuel, helping to prevent fatigue during workouts. Boosting your post-workout whey shake with extra BCAAs will give you additional gains in both strength and muscle mass.

Mass Prescription: Take 5g of BCAAs with breakfast pre-workout and post-workout shakes. Look for BCAA products that provide leucine at a ratio of 2:1 per dose of isoleucine and valine e.g. a 5g dose of BCAAs should provide 2.5g of leucine, 1.25g of isoleucine and 1.25g of valine.
Deep Blue Recommends: PhD BCAA''''s

MONTH 6 - NO BOOSTER
Nitric oxide is found throughout the body and is involved in multiple processes including the widening of blood vessels so that more blood can flow through them to deliver more oxygen, nutrients and anabolic hormones to your muscles. NO works in a different way to whey peptides to increase blood flow leading to greater energy during workouts, greater muscle pump, better muscle recovery and growth after training. NO also boosts the effects of ZMA supplements as NO works to free up zinc in the body so it can perform its work. NO boosters supply NO precursors such as the amino acids arginine and citrullines as well as ingredients that help convert these amino acids into NO such as Pycnogenol.
Mass Prescription: Take an NO booster that provides 3-5g of arganine in the form of L-arganine, arganine alpha-ketoglutarate, arganine ethyl-ester or arganine malate in the morning before breakfast, about 30-60 minutes before workouts and 30-60 minutes before bedtime.
Deep Blue Recommends: BSN NO-Xplode

MONTHS 7-9: THE NEXT LEVEL
It is now time to start taking 3 hardcore mass strength supplements that will not only provide muscle mass but will enhance the benefits of the 6 supplements you are already taking.

MONTH 7 – CAFFEINE
Caffeine provides the needed drive for energy for high-intensity training which will further boost the energy aid you are getting from whey, BCAAs and NO boosters. Caffeine has also been shown to immediately increase muscle strength similar to the effects given by creatine. It also blunts out muscle pain during workouts so you can take your training to its maximum and so increase muscle size.

Mass Prescription: Take 200-400mg of caffeine about an hour before workouts. Take as a supplement rather than in coffee as the caffeine content can vary widely in coffee.
** In this month add a 20-40g casein shake (micellar casein) to your diet, drinking it immediately before bedtime every night. Casein is a slow digesting protein which will help prevent off the breakdown of muscle that occurs while you sleep**
Deep Blue Recommends: Kaffine Kick or PhD Wired

MONTH 8 – VITARGO S2
Vitargo is a patented carbohydrate supplement which moves through the stomach twice as fast as typical sugars such as those that found in sports drinks. It gets into the bloodstream much faster than any other carbs, resulting in an incredible spike in the anabolic hormone insulin which will help deliver carbs, (as well as the amino acids, and creatine in your post-workout shake) into your muscle fibres. The new form of Vitargo called Vitargo S2 mixes better into fluids.
Mass prescription: Combine 70g of Vitargo S2 with your post-workout shake.

MONTH 9 – BETA-ALANINE
This amino acid combines with another amino acid called histidine in the body to form carnosine. Muscles with higher levels of carnosine have greater strength and endurance, as carnosine increases the muscle’s ability to contract with more force and to do so for longer without fatiguing. Research shows that beta-alanine enhances creatines ability to stimulate muscle growth.
Mass Prescription: Take 1g of beta-alanine with your pre and post-workout shakes.
   
MONTHS 10-12: OVER THE TOP
It’s time to take these final 3 supplements which will increase your testosterone levels and further boost your muscle mass and strength gains throughout the rest of the year.

MONTH 10 – CARNITINE
Carnitine increases muscle growth by increasing blood flow to the muscles which means it further boosts the effects provided by NO boosters and whey protein. In addition carnitine increases testosterone levels after workouts and the amount of testosterone receptors within muscle cells, which allow more testosterone to stimulate further muscle growth.
Mass Prescription: Take 1-1.5g of carnitine in the form of L-carnitine with breakfast, pre and post-workout shakes and night-time meals.
** In month 10, increase your beta-alanine dose to 2g with your pre and post-workout shakes.**
Deep Blue Recommends: PhD Methoxy-7-Test or Reflex L-Carnitine

MONTH 11 – BETAINE
Also known as trimethylglycine, this metabolite of choline can lead to even higher levels of creatine because it helps the body to produce its own creatine. Research shows that athletes taking betaine experienced 25% greater muscle gain than those taking a placebo. This means that betaine further enhances the muscle gains from creatine and beta-alanine. Betaine also enhances joint recovery which can help you carry out intensive training while avoiding injury.
Mass Prescription: Take 1,250mg of betaine twice a day with meals.
** Increase carnitine dosage this month to 2-3g with breakfast, pre and post-workout shakes and night-time meals.**

MONTH 12 – FORSKOLIN
This active ingredient from the herb Coleus Forskohlii works to boost testosterone levels via activation of the enzyme adenylate cyclise, which increases testosterone production in the testes. Research shows that young males taking forskolin for 12 weeks experienced an increased amount of free testosterone that provides anabolic properties upon binding to its receptor in muscle cells. Forskolin works in synergy with carnitine to kick your body into an even higher anabolic state.
Mass Prescription: Take a Coleus Forskohlii supplement which provides 20-50mg of forskolin 2 or 3 times a day on an empty stomach.
** This month increase BCAA dosage to 10g taken with breakfast, pre and post-workout shakes.**
Deep Blue Recommends: Reflex Forskohlii