Key Takeaways

• Strength trainers and athletes cycle through dieting phases of bulking, cutting and maintaining.

• During a bulking phase, an athlete should only consume an extra 200-400 calories, as any more calories may turn into fat.

• As the body can only repair 10-20 grams of muscle tissue each day, supplementation is key for allowing extra calories to be used for muscle growth.

• EAA supplements are the best for those who are bulking as the body absorbs EAAs quickly for optimal muscle growth, and because EAA supplements do not contain extra calories or carbs; one can focus on a balanced, bulking diet while stimulating peak muscle growth through EAAs.

• Enhance gains with Oh!mino® Muscle Synthesis Activator and Creatine Complex, delivering all nine essential amino acids, including BCAAs, electrolytes, and adaptogens to accelerate muscle growth, recovery, and performance.

Maximize Muscle Growth: The Best Amino Acid Supplements for Effective Bulking

Various forms of dieting are often used to facilitate body composition changes.  Those who practice strength training will only see results if their diet is supportive of their actions.  There are three primary diets for strength trainers: bulking, cutting and maintaining.  While each has its own challenges, bulking can seem especially tricky.  To avoid putting on excess fat while maximizing muscle growth is a delicate balance.  Athletes use a variety of supplements to aid in their dieting–which is the best?

Dieting For Physique Change

The three primary diets for strength trainers and other athletes are bulking, cutting and maintaining.  While this blog focuses on bulking, a clearer picture is obtained with a deeper understanding of all three.

Bulking

Bulking is when an athlete eats more food than he needs each day.  This is to give his muscles more than enough supplies for growth.  If an athlete needs 2500 calories per day, then bulking would entail consuming ≈2800-3000 calories per day.  After a set period of time, the strength trainer will end his bulk, ideally with a significant gain in muscle mass.

Cutting

An athlete will cut when he wishes to lose excess fat, often which has been built up during seasons of bulking.  With a daily caloric need of 2500, he may drop to ≈2000 or ≈1800 calories.  Fat will be lost at the end of his cut, however, some muscle mass may be lost as well.

Maintaining

Maintaining is the preferred state of most athletes.  During maintenance, the individual will eat a comfortable amount of calories each day with the goal of keeping their current weight and only gaining some overall muscle mass.  This is the most sustainable diet for the long-term, however, more dramatic results will come from cutting/bulking cycles.

How to Effectively Bulk

Some may believe that bulking is simply eating more food.  While this is part of the diet, bulking entails more.  Not every food is effective for bulking, and not every workout will yield the desired results.  Additionally, supplementation is crucial for substantial progress to be made.

Amount of Food

For an athlete who needs 2500 calories per day to maintain current weight, bulking should look like adding roughly an additional 300 calories (this will differ slightly for each person).  Many make the mistake of eating as much as possible–this will lead to significant fat gain.  The body can only synthesize 10-20 grams of muscle tissue in a day.  Eating slightly more can help the athlete reach this limit, but additional food will be transferred to fat if the body has already reached its muscle synthesis limit.

Not every food is equally effective for longterm health.  If the extra calories consumed are derived from junk food, quality of health will decline and fat will be gained.  Eating whole, protein rich foods is the ideal way to improve muscle synthesis.

Amount of Working Out

Bulking will not magically enable the weightlifter to hit new PRs.  It will allow him to slightly increase overall volume, but if this volume is surpassed, muscular fatigue will hinder future progress.  Taking sets close to failure and being disciplined in weekly training will yield the best results when bulking.

Proper Supplementation

Strength trainers use many different supplements to improve performance.  When bulking, an athlete may double the amount of whey protein, begin to use mass gainers or take more servings of BCAA or EAA supplements.  Which of these is the most effective for those on a bulk?

Man back-squatting.

Which Supplements are Used for Bulking

Whey, mass gainers, BCAA and EAAs are all used by strength trainers, each product with its own claim.  Do any of these products actually benefit bulking routines?

Whey Protein

Whey protein is the standard for many athletes, as it is a simple way to increase protein intake.  It can be useful in hitting any last remaining calories on a bulk.  However, the consumption may push the athlete over his caloric threshold for the day, causing him weight gain and bloating instead of the desired muscle gain.  Additionally, whey protein’s Essential Amino Acid (EAA) ratio is useful for the moment, but is not significant enough to supply the body with what it needs for optimal muscle repair throughout the day.

Mass Gainers

Mass gainers come most often in powder form, and provides the consumer with hundreds of calories and dozens of grams of protein in each serving.  For most athletes, mass gainers will only result in weight gain.  Obtaining necessary calories through food is better than mass gainers, as the body benefits from the additional nutrients in real food.  The digestive process is better for the body than huge amounts of calories from a drinkable powder.

Branched Chain Amino Acids

BCAA supplements contain three Essential Amino Acids necessary for muscle growth.  Often with little additional calories, these supplements give the body almost what it needs for optimal muscle synthesis.  Muscles need all nine Essential Amino acids for muscle growth, leaving BCAA supplements lacking.

Essential Amino Acids

EAA supplements (like our Muscle Synthesis Activator) contain all nine Essential Amino Acids, designed for optimal muscle growth.  They, too, often have few calories and are geared only for stimulating muscle synthesis.  By supplying the body with only the necessary building blocks for muscle growth, EAAs prove to be the most effective.  

Why EAAs are Superior for Bulking

Essential Amino Acids are the best supplement for the athlete currently bulking.  With EAAs, optimizing muscle synthesis comes alongside easy digestion.  EAAs are focused solely on improving lean mass, which is the primary goal of those who are bulking.

Muscle Synthesis Support

A proper ratio of EAAs–as found in our Muscle Synthesis Activator–will stimulate muscle repair and growth more efficiently than whey, mass gainers and BCAAs.  Our MSA is based on a study by NASA that found even those on bedrest gained some muscle with regular EAA consumption.  EAAs stimulate muscle synthesis more effectively than any other supplement.

Easy Digestion

Whey protein and mass gainers will leave an athlete feeling full and bloated due to the ineffective transfer of protein into the body.  Instead, EAAs absorb almost instantly, leaving no bloat and stimulating muscle synthesis more effectively.

Lean Mass Focused

EAAs will not cause fat and weight gain, as the body’s muscle will absorb these amino acids.  The athlete on a bulk can take EAAs with the confidence that it will not negatively affect his daily caloric needs.  EAAs will stimulate optimal muscle growth while the extra calories from whole foods will give the body an extra boost of tissue repair.

Man drinking from bottle.

Oh!mino’s Advantage

Oh!mino’s Muscle Synthesis Activator is for the athlete who is bulking and wishes to see ideal results.

Full Synthesis Support

With all nine EAAs in a patented blend, this third-party tested supplement will stimulate optimal muscle synthesis.  Counting calories to make room for whey protein shakes or choking down intense, powdery mass gainers is unnecessary.  The strength trainer can focus on whole, balanced meals with the confidence that those calories are going to muscles in full synthesis, optimized by our MSA. 

No Sugars or Carbs

Oh!mino’s MSA contains no sugars and no carbs, allowing the athlete to stick to his balanced, bulking diet.  Our MSA is also dairy-free, soy-free, gluten-free and all natural.

All-in-One Formula

Our all-in-one formula contains five primary electrolytes for complete hydration, as well as adaptogens for absorption support.  EAAs are absorbed by the body efficiently, but when aided by adaptogens, absorption is perfected.  The electrolytes present in our blend will keep the athlete hydrated during training and on rest days.

Timing and Dosage

One will benefit from EAAs no matter when they are consumed, but an optimal bodily effect will only take place when they are taken around each training window.

Pre-, Intra- and Post-Workout

Our MSA works best when taken 20-30 minutes prior to a workout, during a workout and within 30 minutes of finishing a workout.  When exercising, muscles are being primed for repair and recovery.  If the body has what it needs for ideal recovery, then muscle growth will be properly supported.  When bulking, the body will make use of the extra calories and launch into maximum daily muscle growth.

Enhance Your Gains with Oh!mino® Muscle Synthesis Activator & Creatine Complex

Take your muscle-building journey to the next level with Oh!mino®’s next-generation supplements, specifically engineered to maximize strength, endurance, and recovery.

Oh!mino® Muscle Synthesis Activator

Our patented formula delivers all nine essential amino acids, including the crucial BCAAs, in an optimal ratio to fuel muscle growth while minimizing soreness. Designed for pre-, intra-, and post-workout use, it stimulates muscle protein synthesis up to 11x more than whey protein and 20x more than standalone BCAAs, helping you recover faster, reduce stiffness, and train harder. 

Enhanced with adaptogens and fully balanced electrolytes, it supports endurance, hydration, and overall performance. Non-dairy, vegan, and free from sugar, carbs, calories, and artificial additives, it’s a clean, science-backed supplement trusted by athletes.

Oh!mino® Muscle Synthesis Activator supplement container.

Oh!mino® Creatine Complex

Our patented Creatine Complex combines clinically studied forms, micronized Creatine Hydrochloride and Creatine Monohydrate, with adaptogens to boost absorption by over 300%. Each scoop delivers 3 grams of free-form creatine to support muscle growth, enhance recovery, and improve training endurance. 

Delicious lemon-lime flavor makes it easy to stack with our Muscle Synthesis Activator or use on its own for maximum results. Designed for pre- and post-workout consumption, it complements your training regimen while keeping your supplement routine clean, vegan, and free from unnecessary additives.

Together, Oh!mino® Muscle Synthesis Activator and Creatine Complex provide a comprehensive, science-backed approach to building lean muscle, accelerating recovery, and enhancing performance, all with a clean-label formulation that supports serious gains without compromise.

Creatine remains one of the most researched supplements for muscle volume and strength.

Start Your Transformation with Oh!mino® Today!

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Should I maintain my bulking diet on rest days?

If committed to a season of bulking, then yes.  You may opt to eat slightly less if you expect to have less caloric expenditure.  Even so, eat more calories than maintenance during rest days as well.

Can I take EAAs on rest days?

Yes!  During rest, the body is recovering from exercise.  It is important to supply the body with Essential Amino Acids during rest to keep muscle synthesis activated.

Will your Muscle Synthesis Activator break my fast?

Technically, it will break a fast.  However, many athletes take our MSA during a fast so as to supply their muscles with energy and to avoid lean mass loss.

Is your Muscle Synthesis Activator beneficial for cutting and maintaining, too?

Of course!  During maintenance, some muscle growth will still occur.  Our MSA is built to optimize that process, as well as preserving lean mass while in a caloric deficit (cutting).

Can I take your Muscle Synthesis Activator alongside creatine?

You can, and you should!  Our patented Creatine Complex is a micronized, dual form of creatine meant to increase muscle volume.  Increased muscle mass is the goal when bulking.  This process is expedited when taking our Creatine Complex with our MSA.