By Mike Tuchscherer

 

There are a ton of supplements out there.  Much of it is garbage, but some of it is useful and can make a significant impact on your training.  Which ones are useful?  Well, if you’re familiar with my writing, you have probably already guessed it – it depends!

 

Since “it depends”, the topic of top supplement stacks becomes huge.  Everybody’s circumstances are different; so is optimal supplementation.  Lucky for you that RTS specializes in such customization!  This article will cover Pre and Post Workout nutrition from the perspective of a strength/power athlete.

 

All strength and power athletes have the same basic nutritional needs during training.  They need fuel for the work that they are doing and they need nutritional support for the structures that they are affecting.  The main differences between those with varied body composition goals are really in ratios for the different ingredients.  More on this later…

 

don't get caught running on empty!

 

 

First, physiology!

Before we get into specific protocols for nutrition, let’s talk a little physiology.  What happens when we train?  What do we want to happen?  (by the way, if you need a little physiology primer, I would suggest my “Physiology for Meatheads” column)

This is just a short explanation.  There is much more that happens with training – this is simply distilled down to those that can be readily affected with proper nutrition.

 

From the perspective of the strength and power athlete, most of the direct energy needs during training will be met using anaerobic pathways (ATP, Creatine Phosphate, and sometimes glycogen via Anaerobic Glycolysis).  However, these energy stores will be replenished during rest breaks predominantly by activation of the aerobic pathways (burning glycogen in the presence of oxygen).  Significant energy deficits are met by burning body fat stores.  This energy is replenished via the calories we ingest – either in solid or liquid form.

 

During the workout, muscle tissue is also mechanically broken down.  Muscle soreness can originate from a variety of sources, and this mechanical breakdown can be one of them.  Combined with the hormonal changes (discussed next), this catabolic (muscle-destroying) activity is even more significant.  This will also need to be addressed – ideally addressed as it occurs for the quickest reaction time and recovery.

 

Your body will also undergo hormonal changes during the workout.  Cortisol will rise as the stress of the workout increases.  Testosterone and Growth Hormone will fall as the stress of training increases.  This, among other hormonal signals in the body, will slow/stop anabolism (muscle-building).  This is a logical reaction by the body as it is shifting resources to meet the demands of the workout.  There are many other hormonal changes in the body during training, but they are mostly beyond the scope of what I want to talk about today.

 

Then, after training, your body will go into a “recovery mode” of sorts.  Your energy will be supplied from Aerobic pathways as your body continues to replenish the higher energy ATP stores, as well as Creatine Phosphate and glycogen.  Hormonally, there will be a shift as well.  Your testosterone and growth hormone levels will again rise and cortisol will be reduced.  This will help to support anabolism that will repair your damaged tissues – mostly the muscle fibers.  This will also help to support new growth in these tissues.  Insulin sensitivity is also increased.  Insulin is a hormone that signals to our cells to absorb amino acids and glucose in the blood stream.  This is a highly anabolic hormone that has a fairly complicated role in the body.  Not enough and you don’t recover well.  Too much and you could suffer chronically reduced insulin sensitivity and eventually even develop Type II Diabetes.  For now, suffice to say it is best to use insulin well; keeping it low when appropriate and high when it’s needed.

 

Pre-Workout Nutrition

For pre-workout nutrition, we should first be thinking about supporting the activity ahead from an energy standpoint.  As we have learned, the primary energy sources are anaerobic; ATP, Creatine Phosphate, and Anaerobic Glycolysis (fueled by glycogen).  And even Aerobic glycolysis is fueled by glycogen!  So obtaining glycogen will be the base for your pre-workout nutrition.  Glycogen is from glucose.  Glucose comes from carbohydrates (among other places).

 

So, if we’re thinking liquid meals, the base of our Pre-Workout drink is some sort of carbohydrate and water.  Some carbohydrates are better than others, but here at the fundamental level, we want a fast-acting carbohydrate.  How much depends on the person.  If a person is trying to reduce body fat, then they require fewer carbohydrates.  If a person is trying to build muscle mass, then larger amounts of carbohydrate are desirable.  If you are in a maintenance mode, then you will fall somewhere in the middle.

 

Also with energy support, it isn’t a bad idea to use a little creatine in your pre-workout drink.  This creatine that you ingest pre-workout won’t be the same creatine to fuel working muscles, but it doesn’t hurt and it can help by ensuring that your Creatine Phosphate stores are replenished more quickly than they otherwise would be.

 

By putting some Branched Chain Amino Acids (BCAA’s) in your pre-workout drink can help you as well.  This can help keep your hormonal profile in check throughout your session.  Research has shown BCAA’s to help reduce catabolism, which means you get to keep more muscle mass and build it quicker after training.

 

As a whole, supporting these systems nutritionally during your workout can keep your testosterone and growth hormone levels from falling, meaning during the recovery phase, these hormones rise above baseline to result in greater anabolism.

 

My suggestion for your pre-training drink:

8-16oz of Apple Juice (depending on how many carbs you need)

8-16oz of water

5g of Creatine Monohydrate

5-10g of BCAA’s (10g if you are over 200 pounds bodyweight)

 

Drink half of it right away.  Sip the other half throughout your workout.

 

Post-Workout Nutrition

After your training is complete, the focus shifts away from energy and structure support and toward energy and structure regeneration.  This shift of focus allows us to take on some heavier nutrition that would be less than ideal for pre-workout.

 

The base of the drink that everyone reaches for first is protein.  And they’re right, this is important.  But there are all different kinds of proteins – which one is best for the post-workout time period?

Conventional thought has suggested that partially digested whey would be the fastest to raise blood amino acid levels, which would improve protein synthesis the most.  This led to a large amount of products being developed with Hydrolyzed Whey and similar partially-digested whey products to exploit what seemed to be undeniable physiology-logic.

 

BUT the human body never works that simply.  Recent research has suggested that not only does a mix of whey and casein proteins raise blood amino acid levels higher, it rises faster and stays elevated for longer.  This would suggest that a blend such as Ana-Pro would be ideal for a post workout base.  Most athletes will need between 20 and 40 grams of protein after training depending on their caloric requirements and their goals.  A protein blend such as Ana-Pro will then elevate blood amino acid levels, which provide building blocks for protein synthesis.

 

 

Ana-Pro

 

After the protein base comes additional carbohydrates.  These are crucial in optimizing the recovery process post-workout.  Not only will additional carbohydrates replenish the used glycogen during training, they will also stimulate the release of insulin.  The post-workout period is characterized by heightened insulin sensitivity.  This means you effectively will get more bang for your insulin buck during this time.  This ensures that the proteins are absorbed by the muscle fibers for use during protein synthesis and all necessary building blocks are in place while the body is primed for anabolism during this time.  Even if you aren’t trying to build muscle mass, you want to take advantage of this anabolic time window for enhanced recovery.

 

As far as which carbohydrates to choose, I typically like to use Ultra Carbs, but there are many carbohydrates that will work.  When choosing a carbohydrate for the post-workout period, you want to make sure you get one that enters the bloodstream quickly and stimulates a strong insulin release.

 

The protein, carbs, and water provide the bulk of your Post Workout shake.  To top it off, I like to add another 5g of Creatine Monohydrate and usually another 5g of BCAA’s.  If you really want to boost your Post Workout shake, I suggest a scoop of Glutamine powder.  Glutamine is great for tissue support as well as aiding the immune system.  Miss less training due to illness and you’re bound to see better gains.

 

My suggestion for your post-training drink:

16-24oz of Water

20-40g of Protein Blend

20-80g of fast-acting carbohydrate (depending on goals)

5g of Creatine

5g of BCAA’s

1 scoop of glutamine (optional)

 

And there you have it.  These are a couple of very high-caliber recipes for Pre and Post workout nutrition that will help you support the body you are trying to develop.  By using these, you’ll support energy systems, structure development, and hormonal balance.  And you’ll also be a little less hungry!

 

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