I just picked up the latest edition of Fight Magazine last night. They've put out two issues and so far I really like it. One article that caught my eye was on post workout recovery. Since this is one aspect of what I do I try and read as much as possible on what other nutritionists and coaches are saying and doing.
Here are the suggestions the author had on improving recovery from strenous workouts along with what I think.
Step 1) Food and Liquids
The author recommends rehydrating with a sports drink that contains sodium, carbohydrates, and potassium. He mentions and I quote, "While this is not necessary for the average Joe trying to lose weight, it is optimal for the endurance athlete who needs the fastest recovery."
My Thoughts/Recommendations:
I feel sports drinks are far from the best choice to maximize recovery. Most of them (Gatorade being the most popular) have high fructose corn syrup as a sweetener, which doesn't spike insulin and therefore just festers in your blood causing glycation. This is why it's one of the leading causes to obesity. Most fighters I see would perform much better if they lowered their body fat. So why would you take something that's going to move you away from that? I suggest taking branched chain amino acids (BCAA'S) while training. When you train your body will pull amino acids from your muscles to use as a fuel source. You're basically eating away at your muscles at this point. This is a catabolic (breaking down) state. Taking BCAA's while you train is anti-catabolic because your body doesn't have to get them from muscle. They’re already in your blood stream from drinking them.
Restore Carbohydrate Reserves:
The author is stating that you should consume high glycemic carbohydrates after strenuous exercise. It's mentioned that exercise scientists recommend athletes eat 1-1.5 grams of carbohydrates per 2.2 pounds of body weight within 30 minutes of exercise, followed by additional meals every 2-4 hours thereafter. During the next 4 to 24 hours after exercise, and before the next exercise session, athletes should eat enough carbohydrates to total 3 to 5 grams for every pound of body weight.
My Thoughts/Recommendations:
Roughly 75 percent of the population (this includes athlete's) isn’t carbohydrate tolerant; therefore insulin is not their friend. Giving them the amount of carbs mentioned above would make them gain fat regardless of their level of activity. The way of knowing how well someone metabolizes carbs is by checking their skin fold at the subscapularis. The way of knowing if an athlete is consuming to many carbs is by checking their skin fold at the suprailliac. I would first get my athlete to single digit body fat before using carbs to replenish glycogen and lower cortisol. If their not there yet I use glutamine and glycine to do this. For glutamine .3 grams times’ body weight equals the amount needed and .1 grams times body weight equals the glycine amount. This lowers cortisol without having to spike insulin. Once the athlete reaches single digit body fat now you can add carbs post workout to replenish glycogen and lower cortisol because insulin is now their friend. If you’re lean enough to do this you want the best results so use the best stuff. There are a lot of carb powders out there to chose from but I've found that nothing reloads glycogen faster than Vitargo.It's the best choice because it leaves the stomach faster, delivering glucose more quickly to the blood, and potentiating insulin release to a greater extent, compared to maltodextrin, dextrose, or simple sugars. These three metabolic attributes translate into faster muscle glycogen repletion after intense workouts or competition. As far as what the exercise scientists’ recommend doesn't hold much water with me. Exercise scientists are more like exercise historians only validating what strength coaches have been doing for years. Once they do a study and prove something works strength coaches typically have moved on and found things that work better.
Consume Protein With Your Post Workout Meal:
The author states that studies have shown that combining protein with carbohydrates doubles the insulin response. So it is important to include protein in your post workout meal. He mentions that the optimal ratio for carbs to protein should be 4 to 1. So if an athlete consumes 70-100 grams of carbohydrates after exercise they should also consume 17-25 grams of protein with it.
My Thoughts/Recommendations:
There are lots of studies showing that consuming carbs with protein enhances the insulin spike, which leads to better glycogen replenishment as opposed to consuming carbs or protein by alone. However, this still has to do with your body fat percentage and your level of activity that will dictate how glycogen depleted you are. Going back to what I stated before, if insulin is not your friend I wouldn't spike it by taking in carbs. Also, I think 17-25 grams of protein post workout would only be appropriate if you're an 80 pound female. I have my athletes take in their body weight times .3 for protein. So if you're 160 pounds that would equal roughly 48 grams of protein. If you're lean enough to get carbs with your post workout shake I would use between a 1 to 1 - 2 to 1 ratio of carbs to protein.
Step 2) Supplementation
The author suggestions:
➢ Arginine
➢ Ribose
➢ Phosphatidylserine
➢ HMB and Acetyl L-Carnitine
➢ Glutamine
➢ Growth Hormone Analogs or Secretagogues
My Thoughts/Recommendations:
The only supplements worth taking here are phosphatidylserine, acetyl L-carnitine, and glutamine. The rest are either crap or aren't necessary for what the author is recommending them for. They’re also very expensive. I would consider these specialty supplements. And even though all athletes will have specific supplemental needs I think everyone should get the basics covered first. I refer to these as the core four.
I would suggest the following:
1) Multi-Vitamin: A single nutrient deficiency can halt muscle growth altogether. After running countless Comprehensive Metabolic Profiles, it has become obvious that overcoming deficiencies has often blasted plateaus in strength, mass gains and fat loss. Make sure your multi-vitamin is of the best quality (Centrum is not). I have all my athletes take a true Albion mineral chelate, which has the highest absorption.
2) Magnesium: Magnesium plays a number of roles in the body, being required for more than 300 enzymatic reactions, including those involved in the synthesis of fat, protein and nucleic acids, neurological activity, muscular contraction and relaxation, cardiac activity and bone metabolism. Magnesium, potassium, and zinc are the most commonly deficient minerals in active humans. The more active you are typically the more deficient you are. The limiting factor for magnesium has always been absorption; that’s why it’s important to take a chelated form just like your multi-vitamin.
3) Zinc; Zinc is responsible for the healthy functioning of every cell in our bodies. The beneficial effects are extensive because it is involved in so many enzyme and body functions. Zinc is essential for growth and physical development, and for the metabolism of proteins, fats, and carbohydrates. This mineral is also vitally important to the immune system. Practically every enzyme reaction in the brain involves zinc and so does the development and function of the central nervous system. Zinc is required for every aspect of male reproduction, including hormone metabolism and regulation. Deficiency in this mineral will lead to decreased testosterone levels and low sperm count.
4) Fish Oil: Fish oil is a must. There have been entire books written on fish oil and it’s benefits but I’ll just give you the highlights here.
➢ Cell membrane health
➢ Turn on the lipolytic genes (fat burning genes)
➢ Turn off the lipogenic genes (fat storage genes)
➢ Diminish C-reactive proteins
➢ Increase utilization of fat stores
➢ Preferential utilization for energy production
➢ Reduced inflammation
➢ Pain management
➢ Regulates blood supply to the brain
➢ Increases serotonin levels
➢ Improve your cardio-vascular risk profile
➢ Decrease blood pressure
➢ A great stress fighter
Every athlete has different nutritional needs, but the above four are where everyone should start based on my experience. Use all of the above on a daily basis and you will have the foundation you need to achieve your goals.
Chris Grayson
http://www.graysontrainingsystems.com
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