What is meant by the term stacking?
When Discount-Supplements promote certain supplements, we usually group them together because we feel they will in some way or another complement each other i.e. there may be a cumulative or ‘stacked’ benefit to combining them. For example, whey protein is designed to prepare and replenish our muscles before and after training, which will combine perfectly with creatine monohydrate which serves to energise our muscles during training. This combination gives you what is known in the fitness and bodybuilding world as a supplement ‘stack’, or ‘stacked effect’.
How would this particular stack benefit me?
This particular stack will provide you with a blend of sustained energy, intensity and improved strength, power and endurance (Creatine). It will assemble an armoury of amino-acids (Whey protein) to support and repair your mind and muscles, catapulting you into the desirable state that is sustained anabolism (growth).
Should YOU stack creatine and protein?
For both inexperienced and experienced trainers alike, Whey protein will always have its benefits. The guide by the International Society of Sports Nutrition of 1.4-2.0g of protein per kg bodyweight for those people who are performing strenuous physical activity means that meeting protein requirements through diet alone is difficult. To help meet requirements and avoid a nutrient deficiency, we therefore recommend a whey and/or casein protein supplement (why not consider ‘stacking’ whey and casein protein, many top athletes do!) (ISSN, 2010).
The readily available energy derived from the muscles own, unique energy reserve (creatine), will benefit both the inexperienced and experienced trainer alike. Creatine is an excellent means of smashing the boundaries if/when a plateau in gains occurs, and inevitably it will! The inherent gains in strength and size that comes with creatine supplementation make it an ideal stack partner of protein. You might pose the question, ‘isn’t size gained from creatine because of fluid retention’? The answer is yes and no, yes in the sense that creatine intake causes an osmotic shift of water to the muscles (which can have a muscle preserving effect in itself) causing a swell. No in that it fuels and drives training and lifting, meaning the body is exceeding its previous threshold, inducing the ‘super-compensatory effect’ that we must all go through to grow and develop (Matsui et al. 2012).
So in order to maximise the super-compensatory effect of creatine supplementation (your body’s ability to recover beyond its basal/base level, leading to muscle and fitness gains) we need to support and replenish this with an abundant supply of protein and amino-acids. Hence we recommend ‘stacking’ protein and creatine. Give it a try!
