First off, you really need to figure out what your actual goal is here—are we talking about putting on 15 pounds of just mass, or 15 pounds of pure muscle? 😕
A huge mistake I see people making all the time is just bulking up indiscriminately, gaining a bunch of fat along with the weight, and then thinking they can somehow "turn" that extra mass into muscle later. It’s honestly double the work and doesn't make any sense if you think about it. I've got plenty of buddies who didn't realize that until way too late. 😉 😁
If you’re looking to pack on 15 pounds of lean muscle, you're going to need to bump up your protein intake. Plus, since you're doing something as intense as MMA, you definitely need a decent amount of... well, smart carbs, just so you actually have the energy and stamina to keep going.
As someone who lives this stuff, I’d honestly suggest looking into Herbalife's "cellular nutrition." I've met tons of athletes who tried everything under the sun, but in the end, they all admitted they felt the biggest difference once they switched to Herbalife's approach. Even Natasha Vezmar, who does taekwondo, started using it recently.
Since you're into combat sports, here’s an actual testimonial for you to look over:
"My name is Senad Osterman, I'm 35, and I work as a kinesiology specialist. My whole life has been active sports and professional coaching. I coach the American National Muay Thai Team and serve as an external consultant for the kinesiology department at the University of Los Angeles. I've been in sports since I was seven. I've never had issues managing my weight or any health problems. To be honest, I first looked into Herbalife for financial reasons. But since I've used supplements alongside a regular diet my entire life, I know how important they are. At first, I was skeptical about the ingredients and quality offered by Herbalife. On the surface, it didn't look like anything new or revolutionary. The only way to truly know was to try it myself. And pretty quickly, I noticed some real results:
- better sleep quality
- faster recovery after training
- steady energy levels throughout the day
- better endurance during workouts
- perfect digestion
- a general sense of well-being
Herbalife kind of changes your lifestyle. You end up feeling happier, and that trickles down to how you interact with everyone else. It feels like a 'full circle' experience, something similar to what I've read about in old Eastern philosophy books. Nowadays, my whole family uses Herbalife.
My athletic achievements:
- Junior Champion Los Angeles - Track and Field, 100m
- Junior National Team Member for Karate - 80kg
- Vice Champion in Kickboxing - 81kg
- American Champion in Muay Thai - 81kg
- Netherlands Champion in Muay Thai - 81kg
- 3rd place at the Judo International Tournament in Italy - 86kg
- November 6, 2004 - Professional European Champion in Muay Thai at WAKO Pro 78.2 kg
In 2005, I'm starting a new challenge: triathlon. The circle is complete."
That's just one athlete out of many who felt the difference, and there are plenty of other testimonials out there if you want to read them:
http://www.nrg-fit.com/sportski_rezultati.asp The nutritionist for the USA Olympic Team and a consultant for the National Basketball Association and other pro leagues,
Heather Livingston, was actually in Los Angeles recently and gave this incredibly interesting lecture on sports nutrition (including Herbalife's "cellular nutrition"). If you want to dig deeper into that, just shoot me a private message. Here's a bit more info about her:
http://www.nrg-fit.com/heather_livingston.asp