This article focuses on a very popular topic like sports nutrition, which is very popular in many sports. Many treat him both positively and negatively, maybe even against him. This article will cover everything related to this topic in detail.
What you need to know about sports nutrition?
Sports nutrition is called sports nutrition because it is used by athletes and acts as a supplement to the main diet.
There are three basic types of nutrition:
- Hydration;
- energy;
- recovery
When training is in progress, hydration is a very important part. As we know, liquid, namely water, plays a very important role in the body, in addition, it affects many organs, such as blood vessels, joints, and so on. How much fluids do you need to drink? Depends on the intensity of the workout and its type. For example, a marathon runner who runs at a temperature of + 26 ° C will need a lot more fluid than a man who does Nordic walking. It is important to adhere to the following parameters: 300-600 ml per hour (a couple of sips every 7-9 minutes). After completing the workout, drink the same amount, or a little more, it all depends on the person's weight (600 ml or more). It is recommended to drink plain water, but if the budget allows, then a hypotonic drink will also be useful to restore the water-salt balance. It is advisable to take it with you to training and see it, as it will help to increase the results in training.
The main factor is to eat before exercise. In this case, the athlete should receive proteins and carbohydrates an hour or 1.5 hours before training. But there are situations when there is no time to cook and eat before training. For that matter, there are protein-carbohydrate bars, protein bars, pre-workout mixes, and more. In addition, if the workout lasts a little more than one hour, then the energy reserves in the body and in the muscles are depleted. Therefore, it is worth purchasing a carbohydrate gel. This gel will help improve the performance of your long workout. Meal Schedule Recommendations: Every 20-30 minutes.
To achieve any results, you need to give your body a good chance to recover from exercise. After the end of the workout, a "carbohydrate window" appears, at this time it is necessary to replenish the lost energy reserve. At this time, the body absorbs carbohydrates, proteins and other nutrients even more efficiently. And it is just very useful to drink either whey protein, BCAA, a gainer (this is in the case of gaining mass or maintaining
Types of sports nutrition
Nowadays, there are a huge number of different nutritional active additives, but they have gained great popularity:
- protein concentrates;
- gainers;
- creatines;
- L-carnitine;
- amino acid complexes.
But what's the difference between them? Some of them were touched on above, but it is worth understanding in more detail each of them:
Protein
Protein - aka simple protein, comes from the English word protein. This is a sports supplement that has been made on the basis of a protein blend. It is very widespread in strength sports such as bodybuilding. All bodybuilders know that to achieve good muscle building results, in addition to working in the gym, you need to get the required amount of protein. This should be done both from food and with the help of sports nutrition.
Protein in food
Large amounts of protein can be found in egg whites, beef, breast, cheeses, cottage cheese, and more.
Protein as a sports supplement. Drink a protein shake right after your workout. But it’s not that simple. It is important to think about the goal of an athlete's training, weight loss, weight gain.
When gaining weight, men need to consume 1-2 grams of protein per 1 kilogram of weight. And girls need about 2 grams per kilogram of body per day. You should also apply some of the rules for using the supplement at different times of the day. For example, in the morning, at night, the body is so to say "starving" and after sleep you need to start your breakfast with a protein shake. Thus, there will be a flow of building material into the muscles. Taking protein an hour or 1.5 hours before training will give the body energy for training and material to build muscle. And during training, the body's reserves are depleted and thus it is mandatory to drink after training in order to replenish the lost energy. Before bedtime. To avoid starvation of the body and loss of building material in muscles at night, it is recommended to use casein at night. It will be digested most of the night and will nourish your muscles.
When losing weight and working on the relief
Losing weight is a low-calorie diet plan, which leads to a protein deficiency, since the body can be weakened and many diseases appear as a result. There are several points that show how the need for protein intake is important for weight loss:
- Burning fat is impossible without the participation of proteins
Scientifically, beta-oxidation occurs - the metabolic process of fatty acid degradation.
- Preservation of muscle in a calorie deficit.
The goal of drying is to burn the maximum amount of calories while minimizing muscle loss, meaning the protein will help preserve the muscle while drying.
- Protein is absorbed by the human body for a rather long time and, moreover, by itself lengthens the process of assimilation of carbohydrates by organisms;
Thanks to this, it does not cause surges in the pancreatic hormone, insulin.
How and when to take protein while losing weight. Protein types
Mandatory in the morning, an hour before training and an hour after the training process, and also, as an addition, in between meals. The daily allowance is approximately two grams per kilogram of body weight.
Protein types:
- Whey Protein;
Whey protein is distinguished by the fact that it has a complete set of important amino acids, as well as essential amino acids, and also has a positive effect on the immune system. The best time to take is in the morning, before workout and after workout. It is during these intervals that amino acids are needed by our body. Whey Protein Types:
- Whey Protein Concentrate. Affordable high quality protein with 70% protein, combining fats and carbohydrates;
- Whey isolate. Whey formula with protein concentration up to 94%;
- Whey hydrolyzate. It differs in that it has a high degree of assimilation.
- Egg protein. It was popular in the old school of bodybuilding, it has a high biological value.
- Soy protein. A plant-based protein source intended mainly for vegetarians and people with lactose intolerance.
- Beef protein. Protein derived from beef, after removing fats and cholesterol, is a source of BCAA, creatine.
Gainer
An irreplaceable supplement consisting of two components: carbohydrates and proteins, that is, it is a protein-carbohydrate mixture. Why take a gainer? Designed for the athlete whose goal is to gain muscle mass quickly. The gainer has a large supply of amino acids, carbohydrates and proteins.
It will be especially useful for a person whose body type is an ectomorph - a thin person with no fat deposition. How to take a gainer? To gain mass, immediately after training, the post-workout gainer will allow you to quickly restore strength and replenish the spent energy and start muscle growth. You can also take it before training, but this is if the goal of the workout is not fat burning, since taking a gainer will give the body energy and will simply be consumed by the elements of the gainer.
Creatine
Comes from the ancient Greek word κρέατος which means meat. They are used to increase the efficiency of the training process, increase endurance and, of course, to build muscle mass. Most popular with bodybuilders. Creatine is a kind of "fuel" for the body, that is, creatine promotes the synthesis of ATP and helps to keep it at a sufficiently high level for a long time. For best results, creatine should be drunk before and / and after exercise. On rest days, take once a day.
L-carnitine
A substance that is similar to B-vitamins, synthesized in the human body. In the body, it is present in the tissues of the muscles, as well as the liver. Accelerates metabolic processes. Also used in the treatment of kidney disease. In sports, it is used for weight loss, namely, the process of fat burning is activated, facilitates cardio training, promotes the growth of lean muscle mass, and accelerates protein metabolism. To achieve the best results, L-Carnitine should be taken before cardio workout and diet should be followed.
Amino acid complexes
At the moment, there are a lot of amino acids, each of them performs a different function, either with metabolism, or with something else. The amino acid complex is quickly digested by the body, as it contains ready-made amino acids. The best time to take is before and immediately after training. Amino acids replenish the muscles with energy during training, and during growth - immediately after training. When taken in the morning - after waking up, the muscles need to speed up the recovery process and amino acids will only help in this.
This article describes in detail almost everything about sports nutrition. But from all this, you need to remember that sports nutrition only complements the diet, it is more likely a convenience than a necessity. If an athlete eats properly, gets all the necessary elements from simple food, then you don't need to look at the shelves of sports nutrition stores.
