Everyone loves a Subway. The impossibly popular fast food chain offers food that has the potential to support your training goals, provided you make some sensible choices.
In this article, we aim to find out the best sub to order for gaining mass.
In order to gain muscle mass, after a workout you must repair your damaged fibres with protein . However, there are first some mistakes to avoid making, and undoing all your hard work at the gym.
What should I avoid?
Avoid the sauces – for the most part, the dressings added on top are packed with sugar and additional fat. It may leave the sub slightly lacking in taste, but will be worth it. The Ranch dressing and Chipotle Southwest sauce are the worst offenders.1
Avoid the tuna – the fish on it's own as a steak can be incredibly good for you, however with the high fat mayonnaise each Subway scoop is mixed with brings the total amount of fat up to 30g per 6-inch sub. I've even seen people add extra mayo on top!
Avoid the sides – Sorry to say but the crisps and cookies on the side must go too. Opt for double meat instead if you are still hungry. The sides contain empty calories which are a waste of your daily allowance. The baked varieties of the crisps are only marginally better than their fried counterparts, but is probably not worth it in the long run.
Avoid the specialty breads - Any of the fancier breads like the cheese topped subs are definitely not recommended. Also watch out for the flat bread which contains 220 kcal – almost as much as the Italian Herbs and Cheese variety at 242 kcal.2 Best to stick to the wholegrain brown breads, which personally I prefer anyway.
What should I get instead?
Get double meat – unfortunately not an option for vegetarians, but asking for double meat is a great way to boost protein intake. The meat quality is definitely not brilliant - but you don't make a habit of eating fast food, do you? It’s fine for when you don't want to cook.
Pile up the salad – For a clean bulk, plenty of nutrients is absolutely essential. Don't be afraid to pack your sub with all the salad, not only does it fill you up more but the vitamins and minerals are good for muscle repair.
Stick to brown breads – Carbs are essential to the bulking process too and are not to be avoided. Stick to the whole-wheat brown breads though, as they contain added benefits like insoluble fibre which is good for digestion.
There you have it, avoiding a few common pitfalls, having a Subway when you don't want to cook doesn’t have to be a guilty pleasure.
My personal favourite sub to order is a foot long Chicken Breast on 9-Grain Wheat bread, double meat with lettuce, tomatoes, peppers, olives and gherkins.
What's your favourite sub for mass gain? Post in the comments below.