DO I NEED TO EAT CARBOHYDRATE BEFORE AND AFTER WORKOUT

Before and after workout is the most critical time for nutrient consumption. And from all the nutrients there is one in particular that determines our energy and performance levels – carbohydrates. In today’s post I am going to explain my view on carbs intake before and after workout. There are numerous theories on which is the most efficient way to take carbs and how their manipulation leads to optimization of fat loss and muscle gain. It is important to note, that although protein and fat consumption may be rather fixed, carbohydrates are subject to great change, depending on your energy expenditure and basic metabolic rate (BMR). While there is a perceived standard for protein intake for bodybuilders, there is no perceived standard for carbs. 

Why?

Because different people require different amounts of carbs depending on how much energy they spend resting, training and performing everyday activities. Certain ectomorphs may need large amounts of carbs (over 4 grams per kg of bodyweight), while certain endomorphs may need only as little as 1 gram per kg of bodyweight. Now that we’ve passed through some of the basics behind carbs need, let’s focus on the most important time of the day when we should optimize their consumption. 

Pre-Workout

For a period of 2-3 hours before workout I take very low amount of carbs with very low glycemic index. Yeah, you heard it right – I limit my carb intake before working out. Why? Because consuming carbs before training lowers your nervous system excitement, which automatically lowers your training focus and drive. Try it for yourself and you will see how different you feel when training. I suggest having a complex carb like brown rice minimum 2 hours before working out.

After the last meal – only amino acids or pre-workout supplements. Consuming a large portion of carbs before working out will kill your workout and make you feel sleepy, lazy and slow. Follow my advice and see the difference.

Post-Workout

Approximately 15 minutes after your workout you should consume a 30-50 grams of high quality whey protein combined with 30 to 100 grams of carbs. The amount of carbs you consume following the workout depends on two factors: volume of the workout and the total carb consumption throughout the day. If you were relatively low on carbs for the whole day or you performed a 40 sets leg workout, then make sure you load with a large amount of carbs post-workout. This will help with replenishing glycogen stores and speeding up recuperation.

As to the type of carbs, I usually go with 2 bananas and a double protein shake (that’s around 45 grams of simple carbs). An hour after this I will have large portion of chicken or tuna with rice. Don’t hurry up to eat after the last working set. Let the body rest for 10-15 minutes and for the heart rate to drop down, so that your digestive system is ready to work. Another important note is that the lower your body fat is – the higher amount of carbs your should consume post-workout. The higher your body fat is – the lower amount of carbs you should consume. Individuals with above 15% BF should not take carbs post-workout.

How to Structure the Cutting Phase Right

Most of the people lose a lot of muscle mass when they start cutting simply because they don’t know how to structure the cutting phase properly. One should be aware that the body is always trying to maintain a homeostasis – this means that it is searching for the most comfortable state, without any stress. However, when you begin the cutting period it is almost inevitable to do very radical changes to your diet and training. Many people are starting to cut and they lower their calories, lower the weights they are using and increase the cardio – all of these simultaneously. 

This combination of stress factors leads to drastic rise in cortisol and other stress hormones, which leads to lowered metabolic rate and weaker body. The person is often left frustrated at why he or she is looking smaller, flatter and fatter. If you want to evade such situation there is one thing you can do – ask me. You are lucky enough to get a very valuable tip on how to structure your cutting phase properly. Pay attention and take notes:

1. Increase training load, but don’t lower calories 

Lowering of calories means owering of the basic metabolic rate, which means that you will burn less fat during the day. Instead of lowering calories at first, try increasing your workout volume. This will lead to more calories burned and more Growth Hormone secreted.

2. Lower carbs slowly over a long period of time 

This will guarantee minimal loss of strength and energy. At the beginning of the diet when you increase training volume try to maximize carb intake as well, so that in the weeks to come you will slowly start lowering the amount of carbs. The more carbs you consume at the beginning of your diet – the more you will have to reduce from and thus, the bigger the capacity for fat loss will be. Lower carbs 5% each week. 

3. Incorporate cardio after 1 month from the date you started 

dieting

If you start cardio along with the diet – this may cause big stress on the body. Rather do the diet for 1 month so that you adapt to the lowered amount of carbs and increased training volume and only after you reach a plateau – then start the cardio. Make sure you start with short training sessions and slowly increase over another 1-month period of time. Star with 10 minute sessions 2-3 time per week and slowly increase to 30 minute over a month.

4. Incorporate fat-burning supplements

In order to constantly have progress and don't want to reach a plateau you should incorporate different elements at different phases. Start you fat-burning supplements after several weeks being on a diet. Start with L-carnitine, Yohimbine and Caffeine.

5. Here is a summary of the steps you should take to minimize muscle loss and maximize fat loss for a 12- week cutting cycle:

a) Increase training volume - week 1-2

b) Start lowering carbohydrates – week 3-4

c) Incorporate fat-burning supplements – week – 5-6

d) Start cardio – week 7-8

e) Finish Diet – week 8-12

Fat Loss and Muscle Gain – Why they cannot happen simultaneously?

A lot of people want to gain muscle and lose fat at the same time. They are often frustrated by the fact that when they start gaining muscle they start getting fat as well and when they start losing fat they losing muscle mass. The body is either in a catabolic or anabolic state and depending on the overall hormone and caloric levels you can either gain muscle or lose fat.

In order to achieve an efficient muscle-gaining mode you should have a caloric surplus (this means that you should be consuming more calories, than you need), your hormonal system should be functioning optimally (testosterone and GH levels on max) and you should constantly cause a progressive adaptation stimulus to the muscles by overloading them with weight training (trying to get stronger by lifting heavy). 

In order for one to actively burn fat his adrenal and thyroid gland should be functioning to the max in order to release enough fat burning hormones (fat burning hormones speed up release of fatty acids from the your body). You should also sustain a negative caloric balance and will diet in order to stimulate the release of fat stores (eat less than needed).

Hormonal System: The human body under normal conditions has a limited capacity for hormone production. How the hormones will be used is up to the demands of the body. If you are actively training then a majority of the testosterone will be used for muscle protein synthesis and tissue regeneration. This holds true for all other hormones, thus you should choose a precise goal and follow it, in order to accumulate all the resource of your body towards achieving it.

Calories: 

Getting more calories than you need will make you gain mass and getting less calories than you need will make you lose mass. Simple as that. This means that there is no way to build new muscle tissue while losing fat. The body prefers to focus on one target and maintain it. 

Training: When you actively build muscle you use very heavy weights and don’t do cardio. On the contrary when you burn fat you use little more repetitions and do cardio, which doesn’t not allow for muscle gain. 

What’s the conclusion: When you burn fat – the whole body is focused and adjusted to fat burning mode, which does not allow for efficient muscle gain. On the opposite, when you are gaining muscle, the body is focused on creating new tissues and cannot actively burn fat.

You can do a bulking phase, followed by a cutting phase – this way it works best. However, remember that bulking for too long or cutting for too long will diminish your results.

How to Avoid Injuries During Workout

During my career I have injured myself on numerous occasions and all of the times the problem was avoidable if only I have been more careful. I know a lot of you suffer from chronic or acute injuries, which cause pain and do not allow you to train optimally. We all learn and making mistakes is the most common way people gain experience. However, I want you as my friends, fans and clients NOT to repeat the mistakes that I’ve made. 

Consequently, I formulated a list of the most prevalent mistakes that trainees do, which lead them to injury. I truly hope to help you with being more careful and learning from my experience. Here are the top injuries triggering factors:

1. Lifting weights that you cannot handle

One of the most widespread problems is that people try to lift weights that they cannot handle. This is an absolute cause for injuries. Be careful with the weights that you choose and always strive for quality rather than quantity. Working in the 6-8 rep range is much safer than lifting for 1-3 reps max, so try focusing on longer sets, where the weight is easier to control and you can put more emphasis on the working muscle, rather than on the joints and ligaments. Make sure you have someone to spot you while doing squats or bench presses, as this may limit the risk of injury considerably.

2. Not warming up properly 

I would recommend warming up properly before training. By warming up I don’t mean spending time on the treadmill or bike, but rather warming up with weights. This causes muscle activation and increased blood flow to the working muscles. I suggest always starting up with lighter weight and performing 15-20 repetitions to get the blood and heart pumping. Do no overstretch at the beginning of the training sessions, as you are still cold and can cause injury this way. You may also do the bike or treadmill, but no more than 5 minutes.

3. Bad lifting technique 

Bad lifting technique is often characterized by ncontrolled and explosive motion, which causes extreme dynamic stress on the joints and muscles and can cause injury. Performing an exercise in a fast and chaotic manner can seriously disturb your natural moving patterns and can cause joints and tendons to do out of place. I strongly suggest you learn the correct technique of all the exercises that you perform and this will limit the chances of looking stupid at the gym or worst – getting injured.

Source : Fail Army

4. Practicing other sports 

Out of all the cases I know, most of the people injure themselves outside the gym or in the gym, doing other sport-specific exercises. I can bet all of you have friend who regularly goes to the gym, but unfortunately gets injured at a football game, basketball or while skiing. Training in the gym makes muscles big and strong, but joint and ligaments do not grow in the same manner, so doing sports where you have dynamic change of motion can seriously injury you. 

Be careful and think of your health in the long run. I can guarantee you, that if you follow all these tips and be watchful the risk of injury is close to none. Bodybuilding and fitness are one of those sports, which you can practice safely until you get very old. Hit the gym hard and smart!

Muscle Preservation during long periods of fasting or lack of food

I am often busy and travelling and nutrition becomes a problematic issue. You cannot get your nutrients the same way as you do when you are at home, thus you have to think of an alternative in order to preserve your muscle mass. There are basically few options that you can use. I personally always use one of the following methods in order to keep my muscles toned and not to lose mass and feel tired when I don’t have a good food source nearby.

1. Package food in boxes:

The best way to eat on the road is to prepare food ahead and take it with you in boxes. Most of the time I prepare food at home, put it in boxes and take it with me wherever I go. Buy a pair of plastic boxes and put your meat and vegetables so that every time you need to eat you will have a quality food source with you.

2. BCAA drinks 

Another very efficient way to get essential nutrients with you is to put 10-20 grams of Branched-chained amino acids and 5-10 grams of glutamine in 1-2 liters of water and take it with you wherever you goal. This way your muscles will always have the most essential amino acids supplied to them and despite the fact that you may feel hungry you will still be getting the most important muscle building and anti-catabolic elements. You will also you’re your body hydrated since most of the BCAA-glutamine supplements contain electrolytic compounds as well.

3. Drink Casein

Drinking 30-40 grams of casein before you leave or go somewhere is a very good idea since casein digests slowly and it may take up to 6-7 hours to complete digest. This means that you will have a steady flow of amino acids throughout this period of time. This is another very easy and convenient way to supercharge your muscles and prevent muscle tissue catabolism simply by taking a quality casein protein.

4. Rest

If there is NO WAY to get any food or supplements during that period my advice is to rest as more as possible and drink plenty of liquids in order not to raise catabolic hormones and keep adequate hydration. Once you have the chance to eat, make sure that you ingest an adequate amount for protein 40-50 grams with carbohydrates like white rice or potatoes in order to charge your muscles. Before the meal take 5-10 grams of BCAA to quick start protein synthesis and halt protein breakdown.

Arnold Pranks Fans as the Terminator for Charity

Fans of Arnold Schwarzenegger got the shock of their lives when they lined up for photos with a wax sculpture of the action star – and he suddenly came to life.


The former Governor of California walked around the streets of Hollywood dressed as the T-800 before posing as a wax statue at the Madame Tussauds wax museum.


The crowds in Hollywood didn’t seem to believe it was Arnie, even after he stood next to a fellow impersonator.


The stunt was organised by the OMAZE campaign, which uses big-name celebrities to raise money for a range of charities.


Those who donate US$50,000 or more will be entered into a competition where you can hang out and share a Schnapps with Mr Schwarzenegger at the premiere of Terminator: Genisys.


Donations will go towards ASAS, After-School All-Stars, a charity which provides after-school programs to keep children safe.

Arnold Schwarzenegger disguised as The Terminator trying to fool an impersonator in Hollywood. (YouTube/ Arnold Scwazenegger) 

WATCH THE VIDEO HERE : 

Source : 9news