If you ask most bodybuilders to write down their daily diet and supplement regimen you will most likely get a detailed account of when every gram of protein is eaten and when every supplement is taken. Most serious lifters are meticulous about precisely timing every nutrient to make sure that their body will not have to go a second without the nutrients it needs. Some even wake up in the middle of the night to have a protein shake. However, most bodybuilders tend to ignore the most important times to take in protein, which are before, during, and after a workout. Not only are these the best times to take in protein, but these are also the ideal times to take in many of the other vital nutrients and supplements that your body requires to build muscle.
During training, your body is primed to soak up anything that is in your bloodstream like a sponge. When certain nutrients are taken at specific times they can have an amazing impact on hormone levels. For a natural bodybuilder, precisely timing workout nutrition will help build more muscle and cut more fat than you ever thought possible.
The best method to ingest workout nutrition is to do it in three different protein shake mixtures. One about ten minutes before training, the second sipped on during training, and the third consumed immediately after training. Nearly every time one of my clients or I train, someone asks “Dude, what’s in those shakes you’re always drinking?” I know that they are hoping I will tell them about a secret new supplement that adds 20lbs. of muscle in a month. I love to watch disappointed looks wash over their faces as I explain to them exactly what is in each shake. They don’t realize the effects that these “super shakes” can have on muscle growth, and I do not wish launch into an overly wordy lecture in the middle of my workout to convince them how important these shakes are. Here is what you will want to put into your workout shakes.
CARBOHYDRATES
This is the first ingredient you will want to put into your shakes. I know that many of you are already panicking because I did not list protein as the #1 ingredient. Don’t worry… Protein will be included, but I want to emphasize that the carbs in these shakes are every bit as important as the protein. To understand the importance of the carbs in these shakes, you must first know how your body uses different forms of energy during a set.
To lift a weight your body first requires energy. Adenosine Triphosphate, or ATP, is the only source of energy that can drive your muscles to contract. Unfortunately, your muscle only stores enough ATP to support muscle contraction for a few seconds, therefore it must be replaced. If it is not replaced muscle contraction will stop, meaning your set is over. Luckily your body replaces your ATP stores by breaking down creatine phosphate (CP).This releases energy for fast replenishment of ATP. Your muscle stores enough CP for about 8-12 seconds of maximal effort. When CP stores run out our body switches to glycolysis. This is when your body uses stored glycogen (carbohydrate stored within the muscle) and blood sugar to replace ATP stores. Your body repeats this process for every single set that you perform in the gym.
Carbs come into play during glycolysis. In between sets, muscle cells use the glycolytic pathway to restore ATP. You can preserve muscle glycogen and stay strong throughout your workout by having carbs before and during your training. How much of a difference can this make, you ask? Well, you can prevent muscle glycogen decline by 50%.
You may be wondering, “How does this help me get big? “
Preventing glycogen decline allows you to train with maximum intensity throughout your entire workout. In other words you don’t tire as your workout progresses, your weights go up, and you get a better pump.
Carbohydrates are sounding better and better by the minute.
Carbs are also useful post workout for this very same reason. If you can restock your glycogen levels immediately after your workout you are setting yourself up for a better workout tomorrow. This is especially important when on a calorie restricted diet.
Besides giving you energy to keep intensity at a high level during your training, carbohydrates also affect your hormones, most notably, insulin. People who tout low carb diets are quick to tell you about the evils of insulin. Granted, chronically high insulin levels can lead to decreased fatty acid breakdown and, of course, fat gain. You simply need to know how and when to raise your insulin levels to use it to your advantage. Insulin increases protein synthesis and muscle building, which we know are very good things.
One way it does this is by increasing transportation of amino acids from your blood stream to your muscles. Your body is in a very unique state during and immediately after resistance exercise. Immediately after a heavy set, blood flow to working muscles can increase by up to 15-20 times normal levels. So, increasing insulin levels will immediately shuttle any nutrients that are in your blood stream to the muscle being worked.
Lastly, insulin will keep cortisol levels lower. Insulin and cortisol have opposite effects on your body. Insulin is a storing hormone; cortisol is a hormone that breaks down muscle tissue. Not good. Since cortisol and insulin are opposing hormones, when one is high the other is kept at lower levels. This is how you can consume high levels of carbs everyday without gaining any fat.
Most of my clients gasp when I tell them how many carbs will be in their diet. They always think they will get fat. In fact, many of my clients can take in nearly as many carbs during contest dieting as they had during their offseason simply, by moving the majority of daily carbs to their workout shakes.
The question becomes which type of carbohydrate should you have to enhance these effects.
You’ll want carbs that are high on the glycemic index since these will spike blood sugar quickly, therefore, spiking insulin levels. The best kinds are dextrose and maltodextrin. The amount of carbs that you add to your shakes varies greatly depending on goals and individual body type. Between 20-60 grams per shake would be a good place to start.
