Provides the muscle mass you want without the fat!
What is it?
Mass X elite is a complete formula containing a mix of fast absorbing carbohydrate and protein with slow release carbohydrate and protein in combination with ‘healthy’ fats and a spectrum of minerals and vitamins. Each serving contains 678 kcal of useful energy which can be used either to boost the daily energy intake and/or provide a meal replacement for those who live a busy life and want to get some quality nutritional support.
Who is it for?
Any athlete who wants to put on muscle without adding fat, this complete formulation together with sound training will do just that. The scientifically researched combination of the right type of proteins and carbohydrates together with quality fat sources, minerals and vitamins ensures that the right building blocks and in place for increasing muscle. This is particularly beneficial for those who find it difficult to add on weight.
In addition, the complete formulation can also be used by athletes who need to reduce weight or fat when taken as a meal replacement. This can be done by replacing one or two meals a day with Mass X . However, we do not advocate replacing all meals.
When to take it?
For those who wish to increase their daily energy intake and help increase muscle mass, Mass X should be taken as a mid-morning or mid-afternoon snack or even as a supper. For those who wish to lose body weight (particularly body fat) or who have a busy life and want a nutritious meal, Mass X can be taken as a lunch or a dinner.
Why?
There is substantial evidence that endurance and power based athletes require a greater intake of protein than sedentary individuals. Elite athletes typical consume 1.8-2.5g/kg body weight per day of protein (162-225g per day for a 90kg athlete). Not only is this high intake of protein important but studies have clearly demonstrated that the timing and type of protein intake is also crucial. Exercise itself promotes muscle building but without correct nutrition this balance between building and breakdown favours breakdown and so inhibits the effects of the training session. Therefore, to convert this anabolic influence into muscle protein gains amino acids MUST be provided as soon as possible after exercise, either in the form of a meal or consuming a high quality protein supplement. The protein in Mass X elite is a unique combination of whey concentrate, whey isolate, and calcium caseinate. Studies have shown that casein based proteins release their amino acids relatively slowly compared with whey proteins, and so this unique blend maximises muscle protein synthesis after exercise.
The fats in Mass X elite are a blend of flaxseed and medium chain triglycerides, which provides the necessary calories to promote growth whilst at the same time provide essential nutrients such as omega 3 fatty acids to enhance cardiovascular health and improve blood glucose control.
Finally, any athlete wanting to increase lean muscle mass needs to ensure they are consuming the optimal amount of vitamins and minerals since deficiencies can have major effects on muscle protein synthesis. Intense exercise has been shown to increase the daily requirements of many vitamins and minerals. An example of this is vitamin D with recent studies showing that athletes may be particularly susceptible to deficiencies and that a lack of vitamin D has catastrophic effects on muscle protein synthesis. As you would expect from any Elite supplement, Mass X elite ensures that you have optimal intake of the necessary vitamins and minerals including additional vitamin D.
Mass X elite will make it a lot easier to gain and maintain that lean mass you are striving to achieve.
To gain lean muscle mass athletes require :-
1. Increased total calories (500-1000Kcal per day above basal metabolic rate, BMR)
2. Increased protein (up to 2.5g/kg muscle mass)
3. Optimum vitamin and mineral intake
Mass X elite provides all of these but in a scientifically formulated blend designed to maximise lean mass and prevent any unwanted increases in fat mass.
The macronutrient content of mass X elite is 34.3g protein, 99.5g carbohydrate and 14.2g of fat giving a superb 678Kcal per serving. What makes Mass X elite different from the rest is the formulation of these macronutrients.
Carbohydrates
The carbohydrates in Mass X elite are a scientifically formulated blend of maltodextrins, oats and barley designed to lower the glycaemic index (GI) of the carbohydrates. Recently there has been growing interest in the use of low GI diets with studies showing such a diet promotes rapid fat loss, improves metabolic control and improves blood pressure [1]. High glycaemic carbohydrates such as glucose found in many mass products cause a rapid spike in blood sugar which often results in increased fat mass and not increased lean mass. Low GI carbohydrates such as oats and barley give a slower more sustained increase in blood sugar helping to increase lean mass whilst minimising any increases in fat mass [2]. Furthermore, high GI carbohydrates promotes carbohydrate oxidation at the expense of fat oxidation again making it much more difficult to lose fat mass [3]
Protein
There is substantial evidence that endurance and power based athletes require a greater intake of protein than sedentary individuals. Elite athletes typical consume 1.8-2.5g/kg body weight per day of protein (162-225g per day for a 90kg athlete). Not only is this high intake of protein important but studies have clearly demonstrated that the timing and type of protein intake is also crucial.
Resistance exercise is unlikely to increase leucine metabolism during exercise [4] however during the recovery from resistance exercise muscle protein breakdown rates are significantly elevated [5]. The exercise itself does promote protein synthesis but without correct nutrition this balance between synthesis and degradation can favour degradation negating the effects of the training session. Therefore, in order to convert this anabolic influence into muscle protein gains amino acids MUST be provided as soon as possible post-exercise, either in the form of a meal or consuming a high quality protein supplement [5]. Studies by Levenhagen et al [6] have shown that protein balance remained negative when feeding is delayed 3 hours suggesting that immediate protein intake is essential following exercise. As well as post exercise protein supplementation, pre exercise intake may also be important in promoting muscle growth [7].
Endurance exercise increases amino acid oxidation rates, especially the branched chain amino acid leucine [8] This can result in the unwanted state of increased whole body protein breakdown [9].
It is therefore recommended that 20-30g of Whey protein (a fast releasing protein) is consumed approximately 1 hour pre training and again consumed within 30 minutes post training.
Mass X elite has an additional 5g of Glutamine. Why? Glutamine makes up 2/3 of the intracellular amino acid pool and is therefore the most abundant amino acid in the human body. Although it is a non essential amino acid (the body can make its own) glutamine is classed as being conditionally essential [10] i.e. at times of stress you need to consume it in the diet and it is fundamental for protein synthesis. Studies in extreme settings (hospital stress situations) have shown that giving glutamine at times of stress is essential and actually increases survival rates in intensive care [11]. Now, no one is saying that exercise is comparable to intensive care but the stresses that elite exercise puts on the body may require increased intake of this conditionally essential amino acid. Despite whey protein having an excellent amino acid profile with huge quantities of the branched chain amino acids (important for muscle growth), whey protein is relatively low in glutamine.
The protein in mass X elite is a unique combination of whey concentrate, whey isolate, calcium caseinate. Studies have shown that casein based proteins release their amino acids relatively slowly (5-6 hours) compared with whey proteins (approximately 40 minutes). This unique blend therefore maximises muscle protein synthesis at rest and post exercise through providing a rapid increase in amino acids [12] as well as providing a more sustained release of amino acids to maximise the anabolic response and prevent post exercise protein degradation [13]. Moreover, it has recently been shown that a professional boxer supplemented with casein based protein lost fat mass but preserved mass in preparation for a professional fight [14]
Fats
The fats in Mass X elite are a blend of flaxseed and medium chain triglycerides. The fats in this formulation provide the necessary calories to promote growth whilst at the same time provide essential nutrients such as omega 3 fatty acids which have been proven to enhance cardiovascular health and improve blood glucose control [15].
Micronutrients
Finally, any athlete wanting to increase lean muscle mass needs to ensure they are consuming the optimal amount of vitamins and minerals since deficiencies can have major effects on muscle protein synthesis. Moreover, intense exercise has been shown to increase the daily requirements of many vitamins and minerals. An example of this is vitamin D with recent studies showing that athletes may be particularly susceptible to deficiencies and that a lack of vitamin D has catastrophic effects on muscle protein synthesis [16]. As you would expect from any elite supplement, Mass X elite ensures that you have optimal intake of the necessary vitamins and minerals including additional vitamin D.
Mass X elite will make it a lot easier to gain and maintain that lean mass you are striving to achieve.
1. Radulian, G., et al., Metabolic effects of low glycaemic index diets. Nutr J, 2009. 8: p. 5.
2. Isken, F., et al., Impairment of fat oxidation under high vs low glycemic index diet occurs prior to the development of an obese phenotype. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab, 2009.
3. Brand-Miller, J.C., et al., Glycemic index and obesity. Am J Clin Nutr, 2002. 76(1): p. 281S-5S.
4. Tarnopolsky, M.A., et al., Whole body leucine metabolism during and after resistance exercise in fed humans. Med Sci Sports Exerc, 1991. 23(3): p. 326-33.
5. Bowtell, J., Protein and amino acid requirements for athletes, in Nutrition and Sport, D.P. Maclaren, Editor. 2007, Elsevier: London. p. 93-118.
6. Levenhagen, D.K., et al., Postexercise nutrient intake timing in humans is critical to recovery of leg glucose and protein homeostasis. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab, 2001. 280(6): p. E982-93.
7. Tipton, K.D., et al., Timing of amino acid-carbohydrate ingestion alters anabolic response of muscle to resistance exercise. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab, 2001. 281(2): p. E197-206.
8. Lamont, L.S., A.J. McCullough, and S.C. Kalhan, Relationship between leucine oxidation and oxygen consumption during steady-state exercise. Med Sci Sports Exerc, 2001. 33(2): p. 237-41.
9. Rennie, M.J., et al., Effect of exercise on protein turnover in man. Clin Sci (Lond), 1981. 61(5): p. 627-39.
10. Griffiths, R.D., The evidence for glutamine use in the critically-ill. Proc Nutr Soc, 2001. 60(3): p. 403-10.
11. Griffiths, R.D., Outcome of critically ill patients after supplementation with glutamine. Nutrition, 1997. 13(7-8): p. 752-4.
12. Tang, J.E., et al., Ingestion of whey hydrolysate, casein, or soy protein isolate: effects on mixed muscle protein synthesis at rest and following resistance exercise in young men. J Appl Physiol, 2009. 107(3): p. 987-92.
13. Burk, A., et al., Time-divided ingestion pattern of casein-based protein supplement stimulates an increase in fat-free body mass during resistance training in young untrained men. Nutr Res, 2009. 29(6): p. 405-13.
14. Morton, J.P., et al., Making the weight: a case study from professional boxing. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab, 2010. 20(1): p. 80-5.
15. Dahl, W.J., et al., Effects of flax fiber on laxation and glycemic response in healthy volunteers. J Med Food, 2005. 8(4): p. 508-11.
16. Willis, K.S., N.J. Peterson, and D.E. Larson-Meyer, Should we be concerned about the vitamin D status of athletes? Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab, 2008. 18(2): p. 204-24.
Nutrition X is owned and operated by a group of former international professional athletes and world leading sports nutritionists who have represented their countries in their chosen sports. Having over 30 years experience working with and advising premiership football clubs, international rugby union teams, GAA county teams, rugby super league teams, Olympic athletes, world title boxers and many other athletes, our research and development team know exactly what nutritional demands athletes need. From this we are able to formulate the best scientifically based products available worldwide that are guaranteed to give results.
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