Different Body Building Supplements for Different Phases – A Seasonal Approach

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It’s pretty typical for people to go through different phases during the year when it comes to training, nutrition, and overall goals. A common approach is to use the later fall and winter months to bulk up, and then use the spring and summer months to lean up and “look good for the beach” as they say.

So if you follow or plan to follow this type of phase approach, are there different body building supplements that you should use during this time? Let’s look at a couple of options and ideas.

Bulking Phase – Muscle Building Supplements

Most people that follow a phase approach will use the colder months as a time to bulk up. They’ll switch their nutrition plans and workout plans to pack on extra pounds, with the goal of gaining the most amount of muscle with the least amount of fat.

Here are some muscle building supplements to use during this time:

• Protein Powder Supplements (Whey, Casein, etc.)
• NO2
• Creatine Supplements
• Weight Gainers
• BCAAs

As you can see, these are all supplements that are focused on helping you to build muscle. Most won’t worry too much about staying extra lean during this time, so when it comes to training you would normally cut back on cardio and focus more on the weights to build muscle.

Cutting Phase – Fat Burning Supplements

Everyone wants to look good with their shirt off. That’s why the spring and summer months are usually set aside for leaning up and getting cut. You can still use most of the body building supplements listed for the winter to keep building muscle, but take out supplements like weight gainers to keep the carbs down.

Here are some additional supplements to consider during the cutting phase:

• CLA
• Fat Burners

During this time you would also increase your cardio and cut back on carbs to get that cut look you’re probably after.

Final Thoughts

Personally I think the best approach is to stay lean all year long. Hugo Rivera talked about this in his interview with Tom Venuto. Mark McManus from MuscleHack.com also follows this type of approach. If this is what you’re after, you could use a mix of these supplements all year long to help you stay lean.

Hugo Rivera’s recommendation from the Tom Venuto interview was to bulk until you reach about 10% bodyfat, then cut back down to maintain a ripped and big look.

No matter which approach you take, just remember that using muscle building, fat burning, and body building supplements can help you get what you want, but you still have to work your butt off to get those results.