Amongst other things, the guide suggests the following:
Protein: Buy either whey or rice protein. It doesn’t matter which. To calculate how much daily protein powder you need, multiply 0.60 times your current bodyweight in lbs (or 1.32 your bodyweight in kg) to get the number of grams. Get into the habit of mixing protein into drinks (e.g. smoothie) and foods (e.g. oatmeal). Split the total daily amount into two separate servings (e.g. one with breakfast and one with dinner.)
Citrulline malate: Try taking 8g/0.28oz (4 scoops) of citrulline malate once with a little bit of water. It is incredibly sour, so don’t mix it into drinks. When you start exercising next week, you’ll only need to take this before workouts.
Creatine (for men): For prep week, “load up” on creatine by taking one scoop (5g) 4 times per day. The time of day you take it isn’t important, but you should take it with food (even just protein powder is helpful) to increase absorption. (After prep week is over, you only have to take one 5g scoop of creatine per day.)
So my questions are:
What is you opinion on gaining muscle with Huel?
Does it make sense to only rely on Huel to cover my protein intake, or would you suggest I supplement it with rice protein (I’m lactose intolerant)?
Do I get any creatine though Huel or should I buy it as a supplement?
Do I get any citrulline malate though Huel or should I buy it as a supplement?
Can’t answer the others, but I add creatine to Huel - a pot of powdered creatine lasts AGES so is a fairly cheap supplement to add. (Not just useful for men - useful for vegetarians too!)
To build muscle you need to be in a caloric surplus and be following a proper weight training program at least 3 times a week.
Looking at your stats and guessing you are active every day, I say you need around 2800 calories to maintain your current weight so if you up that by 300 calories the excess will be used to primarily build muscle you will add fat stores as well but after you have gained the muscle just cut back and lose it.
Creatine works by making your muscles work harder so you can fit those few extra reps in to build more muscle over time it also adds water weight though so you will get heavier but mostly water but you take it for the extra muscle gain not the water as soon as you stop taking it the water will go also 5g a day is plenty mate but take it every day,plenty of studies out there showing there is no difference loading in one go to spreading it out evenly.
so ye eat more to build more and eat less to lose more easy peasy.
I’ve been on 80% Huel for 8 months now, and the long term steady caloric intake has been a huge bonus when it’s come to energy at the gym and gaining weight.
It’s superb. Once you get used to it and can cram even more into yourself it’s been a solid baseline for me. No worries about what to eat and whether or not I get enough when doing long shifts at work, just bring more Huel.
If you’re doing the fitness math you’re a step up on me. I eventually started adding the occasional egg, and all my actual food meals are heavy on protein.
I add a little creatine to one of my shakes each day.
The thickness has been an issue for me. It gets really really full once I go for more than 5-6 shakes a day, food on top and maybe a seventh full shake to top it off. 500mil per shake and eventually the sheer mass I was cramming in started to be a lot.
Just keep eating, keep training, and if you’re feeling really bookish about it start monitoring your intake to TDEE levels.
Most have been said already. Get thee to a caloric surplus and lift heavy things every few days. 6-12 reps, 3 sets is about the sweet spot. Huel has plenty of protein; no need to supplement. If you do it for a long time and get to the point where you need to lose a bit of fat that you put on during your surplus, you might want to look into extra protein, as you’ll be doing fewer calories and protein intake seems to be more important during a cut than during a bulk.
Creatine is one of few supplements that have been shown to have an effect. It’s not huge and you’ll do just fine without it, but it can add a small benefit if you want to use it, and it’s pretty safe and cheap. Pretty much all other supplements except maybe caffeine is pointless. I’d skip the citric whatsits.
I’ve been gymming for 15 years and am quite muscular. I used to swear on creatine but now I don’t use it. It causes the muscles to retain water and gives you a bloated look rather than a cut/ripped look. I also found that with creatine my muscles kinda got dependent on it. Like if I forgot then I was rubbish in the gym. Coming off creatine made me more consistent. After highly intense exercise creatine might be beneficial to recover fast. But it’s not required as you don’t usually work the same muscles two days in a row.
I’ve never heard of the other stuff. Cit… malleate or whatever it was - and I’ve got a cupboard of gym supplements that rivals a boots pharmacy. Whatever it is you dobt need that.
The other poster is right - you just need a surplus of calories (more than you need) for mass gain. And a deficit (less than you need) for weight loss.
I don’t rate the guide you’re using at all. To be honest as the workouts aren’t focused on particular body groups.
You should do
Legs and core (abs) together
Back + biceps (both are pulling exercises)
Chest + triceps (both are pushing exercises)
Start reading men’s fitness/ men’s health magazines. It’s how I started and learned most of what I know. I’ve also done Athlean X which is excellent but not free if you want a video guide.
If you want to gain weight, increase your calories.
If you want to gain muscle, increase your calories and work out regularly.
If you want to succeed, honestly, you should get a personal trainer and tell them to kick your ass
That’s what I did, I’ve actually gained around two and a bit stone since I first started having Huel. Took a while but it wasn’t all that hard to be honest. The muscle definition didn’t start to appear until I had a PT pushing me twice a week (and me doing my usual gym effort on two other days)
Creatine can help your gains, and citrulline malate can be a good amino acid but if you’re going that deep you should get a pre-workout drink with good quality BCAA’s in it instead of the CM - but only have these if you’ve got a trainer pushing you, not much point otherwise.
