‘18-year-old
powerlifter Joseph Pena, from Texas managed to back squat a huge 1,025 pounds!
(465kg) In the same competition he managed to bench press 515 pounds (233kg)
and deadlift another 605 (274kg), taking his record breaking tally to 2,145 lbs
(973kg) for the tournament. Imagine if this continues to improve?!’
Nutrient Timing – Does it really matter?
What is ‘Nutrient timing’?
Nutrient timing is the planned alteration of macronutrient
(carbohydrate, protein and fat) intake in order to promote health. The
application of knowing when & what to eat before, during and after exercise
can put you in an advantageous position for exercise performance and recovery. However,
it is important to understand why. It all begins with how your body reacts to
exercise and the importance of hormones.
Your body contains a number of catabolic (breaking down) and
anabolic (building up) hormones that are stimulated by exercise. Catabolic
hormones aid the disassembly of nutrients for energy production, whilst the
anabolic hormones support muscle hypertrophy (growth), tissue repair,
inflammation control (the feelings that you fear after a leg workout) and also
facilitate the regulation of carbohydrate, fat and protein metabolism.
Catabolic Hormones
During your workout catabolic hormones are largely
responsible for the breakdown of glycogen (converting it to glucose for
fuel/energy) in the liver and muscles. These hormones are also increase heart
rate, blood pressure, heart contractility, blood distribution to muscle and
respiration rate to meet the physiological needs of continuous exercise.
Hormones; Epinephrine,
norepinephrine, cortisol.
Anabolic Hormones
Two important hormones for the anabolic phase are insulin
and testosterone. Insulin sensitivity is increased during exercise meaning
there is more of a demand of glucose for muscle contractions. It also
accelerates the transportation of amino acids into muscle and stimulates
protein synthesis (removal or repairing of damaged protein and replacing it
with replicas that are stronger and more dense) in muscles. Testosterone is
also a powerful hormone which promotes protein synthesis and muscle
hypertrophy. The amount of testosterone increases with exercise.
The main goals behind Nutrient Timing;
§
Decrease muscle protein breakdown
§
Increase muscle protein synthesis
§
Replenish glycogen (stored carbohydrate)
§
Switch from catabolic to anabolic hormone phase
(usually via insulin)
To enforce nutrient timing, academic studies have
recommended that you should eat during these three phases;
§
Energy
Phase – just before and during workout
§
Anabolic
Phase – up to 45 minutes, post workout
§
Growth
Phase – remainder of the day
Energy Phase
Muscle glycogen is the primary
fuel (followed by fat) used by the body during exercise. Low muscle glycogen
stores result in muscle fatigue and the body's inability to complete high
intensity exercise.
The goals with the energy phase
are to increase nutrient (primarily carbohydrate and some protein) delivery to
muscles, spare glycogen and protein loss, limit immune system suppression,
minimize muscle damage and prepare nutritionally for a faster recovery.
Carbohydrate intake prior to resistance training can increase the body's
capacity to perform more sets, repetitions and prolong a resistance training
workout.
Anabolic Phase
‘Protein in an hour, strengthen thy power. Protein delayed, no gains
are made’
No, William Shakespeare did not come up with this phrase.
This expression is a ritual to many gym-users and should be
carved in stone at every fitness center. Once the workout is in history books,
there seems to be a rush to gulp down a protein shake. This is why you see many
leave the gym in a rush, holding a product marketing protein shaker filled with
the latest post workout supplements.
Many studies insist that ingesting the right nutrients
(carbohydrates, and protein) post exercise can increase muscle endurance and
strength. The optimal window for nutrient consumption is up to 45 minutes after
a workout. If no nutrient consumption has taken place for up to 4 hours post
exercise, then the positive effects will not be the same.
Immediate ingestion of carbohydrate is important the insulin
sensitivity post exercise causes the muscle membranes to be more permeable to
glucose. This results in faster rates of glucose storage and provides the body
with enough strength to initiate the recovery process.
Growth Phase
The growth phase consists of the
18 - 20 hours post-exercise when muscle repair, growth and strength occur. The
goals of this phase are to maintain insulin sensitivity in order to continue to
replenish glycogen stores and to maintain the anabolic state. Consuming a
protein and carbohydrate meal within 1 - 3 hours after resistance training has
a positive stimulating effect on protein synthesis. Carbohydrate meals with
moderate to high glycaemic indexes (brown rice, oats, whole wheat bread etc.) are
more favourable to enhance post-exercise fueling.
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