By: MuscleSports.net
8x Mr. Olympia Lee Haney working out…Working out by itself is one of the best activities a person can do for his/her health and physical well being. Even though you have made such a courageous decision it may fall short of you intended goals if your nutrition isn't up to par. Every single bodybuilder, athlete, powerlifter, strong man or weekend warrior for that matter have all seen strength gains diminish and fatigue set in where there was plenty of energy and vitality only days ago. You have not broken your eating, no new extra activities and all stresses are at normal levels. What could be your problem?
Your problem is that as we workout more and more demands are being placed on our bodies that strain our nutritional plans. What you have been eating for the past 3 months may not be good enough to take you through the next 3 months. This is exactly what you want. You have reached your first fork in the road on your bodybuilding path. Do you want o go upward towards a higher level or are you going to put everything into maintenance mode and just maintain - which may not be as easy as you think. Either way you choose on thing is for certain unless you intend to regress you're going to need to add workout supplements to your daily routine.
This is usually where everyone always thinks he/she is going to have to spend hundreds of dollars just to stay at their present level of fitness. Your maintenance mode or advance mode supplements may be as little as a vitamin pack and some extra protein. Its all about not allowing your progress to go backwards. You won't need all the concoctions you see in the magazines because that isn't your goal. Your goal is to do things in a controlled and planned manner. Take a good account of how you feel upon awakening in the morning after a training day and on non-training days. Is your energy up or down. After a rest day are you still tired. Do your joints hurt or feel stiff. You are going to have to think about all the things that make you go physically, and once you've done that you can make wise choices about the supplements you need.
Vitamin Pack or Tablets: (more info...) - High in C, B, E vitamins and cofactors ; adding something as simple as a good vitamin source can really effect energy and mood.
Flax Seed Oil: (more info...) - High in omega3's which help with your cardiovascular system and heart. EFA's such as flax seed oil also help your joints.
Protein powder: (more info...) - For the vegetarians use wheat protein powders instead of soy for less stomach and gastric irritation and discomfort. We here recommend everyone else use a whey isolate protein source because of its speed of digestion and it void of lactose.
Creatine Monohydrate: (more info...) - Just get the plain creatine powder, don't get sucked into the hype machine thinking that you need to spend the extra money. Yes some of these advanced formula work great but the underlying ingredient is always creatine monohydrate. Stick with something that has been scientifically proven over the last decade.
Carbohydrates: (more info...) - You can have that banana before working out but it won't pass through your gut fast enough to do you any good if you just ate it 20 minutes before hitting the gym. On of the best drinks for bodybuilders to drink during training is Cytosport Cytomax. This stuff was made for cyclist to drink during a race to help reduct lactic acid so they could ride longer. The stuff is great during your weight training sessions.
BCAA's: (more info...) - This is for the person that wants to move up to another level. Use 3-5 grams about 30 minutes before your training and 10 minutes before you take your creatine. The BCAA's will pass through your gut and help keep your amino acid pools high during your workout.
Glutamine: (more info...) - This is also for the person that wants to move up to another level. Take this along with you BCAA's about 2-3 grams. Glutamic acid is depleted at an alarming rate during strenuous physical activity. We must keep these levels high.
Every on looking at this and saying not protein shake. No, no protein shake, because meal should be 2 hour before your training and we want the blood in your muscle not your stomach digesting a protein shake.
Now that we have taken care of your pre-workout lets concentrate on the post-workout. Up until about 5 years ago most young or novice bodybuilders neglected the shit out of this part of their nutrition plan. This where most would throw a scoop of whey into a shaker cup and that was that. You need to take full advantage of this time to maintain and gain in your bodybuilding so that your workout count. Immediately after your training ends your recovery begins. You have about 30 minutes to 1 hour to make that workout you just did worth something. This is where we get a little costly between the maintain crowd and the next level people. You'll have to decide which road you choose, just don't waste time and money doing so, pick one and stick with it.
Amino Acid Drink: (more info...) - This is for the next level people and needs to be taken within 10 minutes of your workouts end. Two of the best of these are Controlled Labs Purple Wraath, and BSN AminoX. Both have electrolytes and vitamin cofactors to help for very quick absorption, which is exactly what you want.
Whey Protein Isolate: (more info...) - You'll need to take this about 30 minutes after training. Make sure you get about 40 grams of protein in your serving. This gives you about 2 hours until you will need to eat again, so you can go home shower and have your meal knowing that your recovery has been jump started in the right direction.
That it! This won't break the bank or cause you to go out and get a loan to pay for it, but it will save you time and money knowing that at the basic level of supplementation you don't need all those shiny new object in the magazines to make the progress that you desire.
Tags: Athlete Nutrition Supplements Protein Creatine Muscle Builder General Health
Thank You...
Send Us Your Comments:
Working out Is Not Enough - Comments
Sponsored Products:
Comments:
