Top 5 Muscle Building Shake Ingredients To Pack On The Mass

Although whey protein is king when it comes to making shakes to pack on the mass, it’s not the only option. Here are five of the best muscle-building shake ingredients to help you pack on size fast.

It’s been said many times over that your diet accounts for well over 80% of your success when it comes to the results you achieve with your physique.

Whether you’re trying to pack on the muscle or trying to maintain it while you are cutting up, nutrition will make it or break it.

And when it comes to your physique, protein is king.

When you’re on a mission to trim down, you’ll need to cut out some calories and scale back on the carbs while increasing your protein.

And when you are bulking up or trying to add lean muscle mass, you’ll have to load yourself with high-quality proteins and complex carbs in order to pack on the muscle

In both cases though, getting adequate protein is absolutely essential for your success.

This is because protein provides the necessary building blocks that your body needs to recover properly from training and growth.

It’s also why so many people include muscle-building protein shakes and smoothies in their regimen, whether high-carb or low-carb, instead of just trying to focus only on a whole food diet.

The Best Muscle-Building Shake Ingredients

Protein shakes make it super easy for you not to miss out on getting the proper calories and grams of protein that you need each day.

This is essential for building lean muscle mass while bulking or cutting.

So here is a list of some awesome ingredients that you can use to create the perfect protein shake for your muscle-building needs.

1. Whey Protein

If you have been around the health and fitness community for any length of time then you know that whey protein literally does it all!

Whey protein is by far the most popular and also one of the most important ingredients for building muscles, gaining an overall edge in performance, and dropping body fat.

It also contains two specific proteins called lactalbumin and lactoglobulin that are great for enhancing your immune system and increasing overall health and vitality. [1]

Among all of the different types of protein on the market today, whey protein has a big advantage for creating an anabolic effect because it gets absorbed the fastest into your system.

As a matter of fact, it’s the preferred choice for a post-workout shake and is most beneficial when consumed within 30 minutes of your training session.

Furthermore, a high-quality whey protein isolate contains fewer calories compared to other protein sources, along with only trace amounts of carbohydrates and fat.

To top it all off, whey protein gives you a feeling of satiety, which will help to prevent anyone from over-snacking while trying to lean out.

2. Greek Yogurt

Greek yogurt has made a big hit in recent years, not only because it is an excellent source of probiotics, but also because it’s surprisingly high in protein.

Greek yogurt is made by straining off the whey, which is what gives it a very thick and creamy consistency, much more than other types of yogurt.

Because the whey is removed during processing, it naturally contains less sugar and carbohydrates and more muscle-building protein when compared with regular yogurt.

So without a doubt, you should definitely include Greek yogurt in your muscle-building shakes.

A single serving packs at least two times more protein than regular yogurt and will still give you all of the health-enhancing probiotics that your gut needs.

3. Cottage Cheese

Cottage cheese is another all-time favorite food that builds muscle amongst bodybuilders and fitness enthusiasts because it consists of a relatively slow-releasing protein called casein protein.

This makes it an ideal choice for later in the day, especially before going to sleep.

Slower-acting proteins such as casein can produce an anti-catabolic effect, helping to preserve muscle mass.

In addition, cottage cheese is also a great source of calcium, vitamin B12, and other important nutrients that your body needs to recover and grow.

It is this impressive nutrient profile that makes cottage cheese another essential protein source that you can add to your muscle-building shake.

Be sure to use it at times when you need that slow-releasing protein effect.

4. Oatmeal

Although we have been focusing on protein so far, you can’t forget the importance of high-quality carbohydrates when it comes to your shakes.

With that said, oatmeal is by far one of the best sources for high-quality muscle-building complex carbohydrates, and for two reasons.

The first reason is that oats have a very low glycemic index value.

The second reason is that it is a minimally processed food, especially if you buy steel cut or Irish oats.

Additionally, oatmeal has more fiber and a better micro-nutrient profile than most other sources of carbs like potatoes and rice.

And with the high-quality fiber content, it can definitely help to increase the feeling of satiety and therefore help to decrease hunger; which makes it great for dieting.

In short, adding some old-fashioned oats to your shake can help to promote greater fat loss while supporting the preservation of lean muscle tissue and giving you a clean form of energy.

5. Bananas

Bananas can be considered the closest thing to the perfect, post-workout muscle-building food (they can also be great pre-workout food as well!).

This is because a nine-inch-long banana consists of approximately 600 milligrams of potassium which is essential to get your muscles on the road to recovery.

Additionally, bananas not only add a sweetness that can provide an excellent mouth-watering flavor to a relatively dull shake but also provide a smooth and creamy texture, even when you make your shake with water.

You’ll probably want to steer clear of bananas when you are cutting, but if you are trying to pack on some muscle or bulking up, bananas are the way to go!

Additional Ingredients

There are a number of extra ingredients that you can add to your muscle-building shakes to top them off for your specific needs.

• Berries: You can add some frozen berries to get an extra dose of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that would be great to fight off free radicals after a brutal training session.
• Healthy Fats: You can also add any type of all-natural fresh ground nut butter such as peanut or almond to get your Omega 6 fats or ground flax seeds to increase your intake of the more important Omega 3 fats.
• Milk: If you are bulking or on a mass cycle and want extra calories in your shake then you can add some form of whole milk. If you are cutting then try unsweetened almond or coconut milk, which both make for a nice thick and smooth shake while keeping it low calorie.

Final Thoughts On The Best MuscleBuilding Shake Ingredients

The bottom line is that you really have a lot of ingredients available to make the best muscle-building shake tailored to your specific needs to get the maximum benefits.

Plus, you can always keep it interesting by rotating the ingredients so that you don’t get bored or burned out.

What are your favorite ingredients that you put into your muscle-building shakes? Leave a comment below and let us know!

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