If you’re new to taking supplements, a term you may have heard advanced supplement users talk about is stacking supplements. They may have been talking about taking supplement stacks alongside their muscle building or fat loss program. Or perhaps they were discussing which combination of supplements made for a more powerful stack.
We’re going to bring you up to speed on the basics of supplement stacking, the most common types of supplement stacks, and provide some guidance that can help you choose a stack that fits your goals.
What is a Supplement Stack?
A supplement stack is a combination of two or more products, the goal of taking a supplement stack is to strategically combine products to help you towards a specific goal. Supplement stacks are taken daily as part of a fitness routine, they can include powders, capsules, and RTDs (ready to drink).
Here are some things to consider if you're thinking about stacking supplements:
- Understand the purpose of each supplement: Before stacking supplements, it's important to understand the individual purpose of each supplement. Once you have an idea of what each supplement is designed for, think of how they could contribute to your goals and if it makes sense to combine them.
- Start with a smaller stack: If you’re new to stacking supplements, you’re better off starting with a smaller number of products and gradually adding on more if needed. This gives you the opportunity to understand how your body responds to each product.
- Check for potential interactions: Certain supplements can interact with each other or with medications. Before you combine products, be sure to be aware of their potential interactions with other ingredients you are already taking.
- Follow recommended dosages: A common mistake many people make is thinking “more is better”. It’s important to follow the recommended dosages of each supplement and avoid redundancies if you’re stacking supplements.
By following these tips, you can effectively stack supplements to support your health and fitness goals.
Benefits of Stacking Supplements
The benefit of stacking supplements is that you may be able to unlock ingredient synergies between products. A synergistic effect occurs when the combined effects of two or more ingredients is greater than what their effects would be taken on their own. As an example, research has shown creatine and beta-alanine to have an additive effect for building muscle and reducing body fat compared to creatine taken alone.[1]
The strategic stacking of supplements can be beneficial for allowing certain ingredients to work together across different pathways to maximize your goals. Our bodies have physiological pathways which are like freeways where signals can flow for specific outcomes to occur like muscle contraction or vasodilation (the widening of our blood vessels), sometimes our bodies may have multiple pathways (or freeways) to take us where we want to go.
An example of this is the 2-in-1 super ingredient NO3-C Citrulline Nitrate that we use in many of our formulas. Citrulline can increase plasma arginine levels which leads to increased nitric oxide levels while Nitrate can be broken down to nitric oxide. Nitric oxide supports increased vasodilation which can help you achieve major muscle pumps. So, an ingredient like NO3-C Citrulline Nitrate works across two different pathways to support muscle pumps.
Most Common Supplement Stacks
The most common supplement stacks are built to support body composition and performance goals. The two most common supplement stacks for body composition are those designed to support increased muscle mass and those to support increased fat burning. The most common supplement stacks for performance are built to support performance in the short term during your peri-workout window (before, during, and after a workout) or for longer-term performance goals (like increased strength or muscular endurance).
Peri-Workout PDP (Pre, During, Post Workout) Stacks
The PDP stack is built around providing your body with key ingredients around your workout window. It consists of a pre-workout (P), that you take before your workout to elevate your energy. A supplement you take during your workout (D), this product should provide your body with fuel while you work out and support increased hydration. And a post-workout (P), that you take after a workout to support muscle recovery.
- Cellucor® Muscle Building Bundle: If your goal is to build and maintain lean muscle, then the Cellucor® Muscle Building Bundle is where it’s at. Not only will you have the essentials; you’ll have the best of the best! With top picks from elite-level athletes and competitors, the Cellucor® Muscle Building Bundle fuels your performance before, during, and after the gym.
- Cellucor® Bulking Stack: With energy, strength, and clinically studied doses of BCAAs, the Cellucor® Bulking Stack is ready to take your results to the next level. Power up with C4 Original + COR Creatine Monohydrate, a pair that’s optimized for energy, strength, and lean muscle. Fuel up during your workouts with XTEND Elite, the stim-free legend for power output, endurance, and priming your body for recovery. And finally, you’ve got 25g of high-quality isolate protein + added BCAAs in every scoop of XTEND Pro. The perfect tasting protein to take by itself or mixed into your favorite high-calorie shakes.
Muscle Building Stacks
Muscle building stacks are built around optimizing the results from your resistance training program. Muscle building stacks will commonly feature ingredients to support increased strength, muscle protein synthesis, and recovery. These stacks will feature supplements you take around your workout window as well as supplements you can take anytime of the day.
- Cellucor® Bulking Stack: With energy, strength, and clinically studied doses of BCAAs, the Cellucor® Bulking Stack is ready to take your results to the next level. Power up with C4 Original + COR Creatine Monohydrate, a pair that’s optimized for energy, strength, and lean muscle. Fuel up during your workouts with XTEND Elite, the stim-free legend for power output, endurance, and priming your body for recovery. And finally, you’ve got 25g of high-quality isolate protein + added BCAAs in every scoop of XTEND Pro. The perfect tasting protein to take by itself or mixed into your favorite high-calorie shakes.
- Cellucor® Advanced Bulking Stack: More creatine, more pumps, more endurance, and more results! Dial up your training with C4 Ultimate + COR Creatine Monohydrate, giving you ultimate energy, ultimate pumps, and three forms of creatine for serious bulking power. With the power of XTEND Elite during your training, you’ve got all the ingredients to support power output and recovery from the heavy weights. Add in 5lbs of 100% whey isolate from XTEND Pro, and you’ve got the entire arsenal to pack on some serious muscle.
Fat Burner Stacks
Effective fat loss programs rely on caloric deficits, the overall goal is to burn more calories than you consume. Fat-burning stacks are designed to help ramp up your metabolism. By elevating your metabolism you’re able to burn a few more calories which can help contribute to the overall net caloric deficit that you’re looking to achieve.
Fat Burners Stack: Ace your weight loss goals with the energy, metabolism, and fat-burning Cellucor Intro to Fat Loss Stack, featuring fat-burning benefits from C4 Ripped combined with the toning & sculpting amplifier of CLK.
Athletic Performance Stacks
Athletic performance stacks are designed to help you elevate your game. Whether it’s energy before you step on the court, hydration during WOD, or recovery after a long cycle, these stacks are focused on helping you perform.
Stimulant-Free NSF Stack: Our Sport Recovery Bundle is a complete post and anytime workout stack featuring BCAA Sport and Whey Sport. It's a fitness support system that delivers BCAAs for recovery and clean whey protein for muscle repair, recovery, and growth. This is our NSF-Certified For Sport® line, which means it's third-party certified and safe for athletes.NSF Athlete Stack: Our Sport Bundle is a complete pre, post, and anytime workout stack featuring C4 Sport, BCAA Sport, and Whey Sport. It's a complete fitness support system that delivers explosive energy, legendary performance, BCAAs for recovery, and clean whey protein for muscle repair, recovery, and growth. This is our NSF-Certified For Sport® line, which means it's third-party certified and safe for athletes.
Testosterone Booster Stacks
Testosterone booster stacks are designed for healthy males looking to support healthy testosterone levels already within the normal range. These stacks are built to boost testosterone, support strength, and increase vitality.
Performance and Test Booster Stack: Covers all your bases with performance options, mind and body fuel with C4 Ultimate, plus testosterone support for males.
Male Muscle and Test Booster Stack: Amplifies strength and performance for powerful gains alongside testosterone support for males. And with C4 Ultimate, you’ve got the most explosive pre-workout to power through.
Male Muscle Stack: Get a dose of delicious, sugar-free performance energy anytime you need it with C4 Energy. Support healthy testosterone levels with the legendary P6 Ultimate. Supercharge your workouts with the explosive energy, pumps, and performance of C4 Ultimate. Fuel your recovery game and fat-loss efforts with the stim-free formula of XTEND Ripped.
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