Want to know how to choose the right strength and cardio supplements to reach your goal in 3 months? Read our article! The sports pharmacology industry is developing very rapidly. Now you can simply get lost in the abundance of nutritional supplements it produces for athletes. Very often, manufacturers exaggerate the effectiveness of their products for advertising purposes, but they play their role in achieving the set goals. It is only important to choose the right drugs that are optimal for cardio loads and for strength. Today the article will be devoted to the topic "bodybuilding and sports nutrition: before and after training."
Strength training
If you choose the right nutrition before and after a training session, as well as in accordance with the type of load, this will increase the effect of training.
Strength training: 30-60 minutes before the start
During this period, it is very beneficial to take from 3 to 5 grams of arginine and about 5 grams of glutamine. Taking arginine should be a mandatory step for the athlete before starting a training session. Clinical trials have shown that this amino acid compound increases blood flow by increasing blood nitric oxide levels.
Thus, the muscle tissue receives more nutrition. During the training, the athlete will have more energy, and after its completion, the muscles will be ready for growth, since they are fully provided with all the substances necessary for this.
Thanks to glutamine, muscle tissue is also replenished with energy and begins to produce bicarbonate intensively. This will balance the acidity level, which will reduce fatigue.
Both drugs should be taken on an empty stomach or at least one or two hours after a meal. It is very important that in bodybuilding sports nutrition before and after training is correct and balanced.
Strength training: 0-30 minutes before the start
Before the very beginning of a training session, in order to increase its effectiveness, the body must be provided with amino acid compounds involved in the construction of muscle tissue. To do this, you should consume about 20 grams of whey protein, 40 grams of slow carbohydrates and from 3 to 5 grams of creatine. This is necessary for tissue growth at the end of the training. If the necessary substances for this process are not enough, then muscle destruction will begin.
Whey protein will provide the body with the necessary supply of amino acid compounds, which will subsequently be used by muscles for growth. For slow carbs, you can use three slices of cereal bread, one sweet potato, oatmeal, or a banana. Thus, your body will constantly receive carbohydrates, while maintaining the necessary insulin levels. This in turn will help burn fat while resting between sets.
Creatine will provide your muscles with the fast energy needed for intense strength training. Also, muscle cells will be filled with water, which will increase the strength of the athlete. Creatine can be added to a protein shake, the first half of which should be drunk before class and the other half during the session.
Strength Training: After Workout
When the last repetition of the finishing set in the workout is completed, you should take 5 to 10 grams of leucine, as well as 5 grams of glutamine. It is important to note, however, that leucine is a key amino acid compound required to activate muscle tissue growth. This method of increasing weight gain is called "protein synthesis".
Thanks to leucine, the synthesis of protein compounds is significantly increased, which contributes to the growth of muscle mass, which is very important after the completion of the training. In addition, leucine promotes the release of insulin, which is a natural anabolic hormone. Thanks to this, glucose and amino acids quickly enter the cells of muscle tissue, this contributes to faster movement of creatine. It has been proven that insulin plays a rather important role in the synthesis of protein compounds.
It is very important to provide the body with a sufficient amount of glutamine after completing a training session in order to replenish the loss of this substance that was during training. A very important fact is that without sufficient levels of glutamine, muscle growth will not be possible, no matter how much leucine you take.
Strength training: 30-60 minutes after completion
When leucine and glutamine are absorbed by the body without competition from other elements, it is necessary to replenish protein stores using 40 grams of whey-type protein compounds for this. In addition, you should take 3 to 5 grams of creatine and 40 to 80 grams of easily digestible carbohydrates.
Proteins in the body will increase the level of amino acid compounds necessary for the production of proteins. The more building materials (proteins) the body has, the more muscles can be built. As a simple analogy for a better understanding of the whole process of building muscle, leucine and glutamine can be thought of as bricklayers, and amino acid compounds will be bricks.
Fast carbs can be white bread, glucose powder, or plain table sugar. They will quickly reach the muscle tissue, where they will be stored as glycogen. Thanks to this, catabolic processes will stop and, in turn, anabolic processes will be accelerated.
The role of creatine in muscle building is difficult to overestimate. After intense training, the body needs this substance in large quantities. Scientists have established that creatine is an antioxidant, which will reduce the damage to muscle tissue, which is inevitable with intense training, as well as accelerate recovery. Thus, in bodybuilding, sports nutrition before and after training will be balanced.
Aerobic training
Consider the nutritional characteristics of aerobic training.
Aerobic training: 30-60 minutes before the start
Before starting cardio training, you should take 200 to 300 milligrams of caffeine and one to two grams of acetyl-L-carnitine. Thanks to caffeine, the body will use glycogen more economically, and the bulk of its energy will be extracted from fat reserves.
It was also found that this combination of the two substances helps to reduce pain in the muscles during training, which will allow you not to interrupt your training due to pain. Of course, you can drink a couple of cups of plain coffee, but additionally using anhydrous caffeine will be even more effective.
The combination of caffeine and acetyl-L-carnitine is a great combination. Thanks to caffeine, fat cells will secrete fats, and with the help of carnitine, they will be quickly transported to those places in the body where they are most needed as a source of energy.
Aerobic training: 0-30 minutes before the start
Immediately before cardio training, 6 to 10 grams of the amino acid complex should be used. It is important to remember that aerobic training lasts a long time, and the athlete's job is to burn fat. Carbohydrates should be used to increase performance.
Recently in Japan, clinical trials were conducted in which subjects consumed an amino acid complex that included 9 of the most valuable amines. As a result, they burned more fat after cycling than when drinking water.
The athletes participating in the study reported increased activity after consuming the complex. Providing the body with the necessary amino acid compounds in sufficient quantities, the athlete will prevent catabolic processes, while preserving muscle tissue.
Aerobic training: after class
After completing cardio training, you should help the muscle cells to recover. To do this, take 20 to 40 grams of whey proteins, 5 grams of creatine, and 40 to 80 grams of fast carbohydrates. Thanks to protein compounds, the body will be provided with building material for the restoration of damaged muscle tissue fibers, simple carbohydrates will replenish the loss of glycogen, and creatine will restore its level.
If the training program includes special days for cardio training, then the athlete will have an additional opportunity to take creatine. The cells of muscle tissue know how to dispose of them well, and this substance is never superfluous.
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If you follow all of the above recommendations, then in bodybuilding sports nutrition before and after training will help you achieve greater effect.