post workout drink
Carb Loading for Athletes
07/06/12 14:51 Filed in: Fitness | Nutrition | My experiences | Martial Arts | Brazilian Jiu Jitsu | Other | Strength & Conditioning
If you are familiar with the term carb loading, you know it’s a method used by a lot of endurance athletes to increase the storage of glycogen (for energy use) in the body.
For many martial artists, this does not necessarily apply if you are cutting weight for tournaments. You can still cut carbs the days before (which you have to anyway) and then maximize your intake after weigh ins but you will by far not have the same exact effect as for example a cyclist doing carb loading because you do not have enough time to load carbs after weigh ins, which are often the day before the event.
An average person in normal circumstances has enough glycogen stored in the body to last you for 90 minutes when doing a physical activity, such as running, cycling, etc.
When you carb load, you can increase the amount of glycogen stored from 25-100% (for adult men shown in some studies, results for women are less steady), which means it your body’s reserves will last you longer than 90 minutes so any loss in performance by lack of energy will be postponed or not be present at all if you fuel your body during the activity.
First and foremost, it is important to increase your carb intake the last few days before your goal event or race. You do need to make sure this does not cause any intestinal problems that may affect your performance. If you have never done carb loading before, try it out before during training to see how your system reacts.
The first phase of carb loading:
A week before the race, decrease your carb intake (don’t cut them out all together) and resume your training as normal. Increase your protein and fat intake to compensate for the lowered carb intake. This will make your body react to the lack of carbs but not deteriorate your body of performance by cutting calories. About 50-55% of your caloric intake should come from carbs during these two to three days.
The second phase of carb loading:
Three to four days before the event or race, increase your carb intake drastically and cut back on your fat intake. At this point, about 70% of your total calorie intake should consist of carbohydrates. Lower your training intensity and frequency to allow your body to store more glycogen (converted from carbs) than normal. The day before the race, rest completely or do an extremely light workout to loosen your muscles.
Even though you do carb loading, you may still feel fatigued during or after the race. This may be muscle damage, buildup from lactic acid etc. Energy storage and processes are only one piece of the puzzle. However when done right, it may benefit your performance drastically. Don’t forget to continue to fuel your body during the race to prevent fatigue. When carb loading, a temporary weight gain is seen frequently. When your body stores more carbs it also stores more water, therefore the weight gain. This should however be temporary. If you have long term weight gain, you are most likely consuming too many calories overall.
Every individual responds differently to carb loading and discuss the process with your doctor, trainer or nutritionist in more depth before attempting.
By Sander Vanacker, owner, head instructor and personal trainer of Define Defense Martial Arts & Personal Training.
Define Defense in Boulder, CO
- Modern Martial Arts
- Brazilian Jiu Jitsu & MMA
- Self Defense Classes & Workshops
- Personal Training
- Cross Training / TRX Classes
1805 11th Street Suite B
Boulder, CO 80302
(720) 340 6254
Info@DefineDefense.com
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Milk For Muscle Growth
Milk has been promoted for ages to be a great supplier of calcium, necessary for bone growth and strength. The truth is, there are better food sources than milk but it is readily available, inexpensive and still a good product.
What you rarely hear people talking about is drinking milk for muscle growth and recovery after a workout. There is a movement out there that promotes low fat chocolate milk for a post workout drink and it's great for certain sports and athletes! It has the correct carb-protein ratio, tastes good and has many vital substances to aid recovery. For serious gains however, you will need more than chocolate milk. You would need high quantities in order to fulfill your body's need for growth (we are talking about weight lifting, high resistance training etc.).
Milk has its supporters and opponents, often both radical in their ideas. If you have seen 'Pumping Iron', the documentary about Arnold Schwarzenegger, then you probably noticed his reply to the question whether he drinks milk. If you didn't, this is what he said: 'Milk is for cows.'
And indeed it is. It is unnatural for an adult being to drink the milk of another species. However, that does not mean it is bad for you and no matter what, it is still a natural product and much better for you than any chemically produced supplements. If you have an intolerance or an allergy, you obviously do not want to start drinking high quantities of any milk whatsoever. It is also shown that different ethnic groups have a different tolerance towards milk.
Personally, I have always loved milk. I grew up with it and drank tons of milk growing up and I have never experienced any intolerance, which makes it easy for me.
Throughout the last few years, as I started doing more resistance training, I have realized the advantages of drinking milk for my recovery and progress. A few advantages:
- it is cheap, much cheaper than most other sources of protein
- it is readily available everywhere
- it provides high quality protein, both whey and casein so your body gets protein instantly with fast acting whey and progressively with the longer release time of casein
- the calcium in milk does not only give you strong bones but also helps relaxing your muscles. Too little calcium combined with intense activities may give your cramped muscles
- drinking a lot of milk has proven to cut fat (calcium also plays a role in fat mobilization, as well in reducing stress, lowering blood pressure etc.)
Arguments against milk:
- it has growth hormones, cancer causing steroids etc. in it because the farmers want their cows bigger and more productive
Yes, the growth hormone rBGH is used for higher milk production. This hormone however only works when injected. If ingested, our digestion tracts destroys these hormones. This does not justify the fact that the cows are being injected with it but it does not affect you when drinking milk. You can also buy milk from sources that guarantee not to use any hormones in their live stock (Whole Foods for example who sells antibiotic and hormone free milk).
- it makes me gain weight
Milk has been proven to lower cholesterol levels. Actually whole milk lowers levels more than skim milk! Milk also lowers the chances of getting a heart attack or stroke.
I mostly drink non fat milk since my calorie intake is pretty high and I gain easily. For a better ratio though, try 2% milk or even whole milk if you have a hard time gaining.
The quantity of milk you should drink varies. I go through about 2 gallons/week and have great gains with my training and diet combination. Other supporters of milk go through 1 or 2 gallons per day! It will completely depend on your diet, calorie intake, amount of protein, body type etc. But at least give milk a chance!
By Sander Vanacker, Define Defense’s certified personal trainer and head martial arts instructor, based in Boulder, Colorado. Take a look at www.DefineDefense.com, www.TrainerVanacker.com or check out our videos on YouTube.com/DefineDefense !
What you rarely hear people talking about is drinking milk for muscle growth and recovery after a workout. There is a movement out there that promotes low fat chocolate milk for a post workout drink and it's great for certain sports and athletes! It has the correct carb-protein ratio, tastes good and has many vital substances to aid recovery. For serious gains however, you will need more than chocolate milk. You would need high quantities in order to fulfill your body's need for growth (we are talking about weight lifting, high resistance training etc.).
Milk has its supporters and opponents, often both radical in their ideas. If you have seen 'Pumping Iron', the documentary about Arnold Schwarzenegger, then you probably noticed his reply to the question whether he drinks milk. If you didn't, this is what he said: 'Milk is for cows.'
And indeed it is. It is unnatural for an adult being to drink the milk of another species. However, that does not mean it is bad for you and no matter what, it is still a natural product and much better for you than any chemically produced supplements. If you have an intolerance or an allergy, you obviously do not want to start drinking high quantities of any milk whatsoever. It is also shown that different ethnic groups have a different tolerance towards milk.
Personally, I have always loved milk. I grew up with it and drank tons of milk growing up and I have never experienced any intolerance, which makes it easy for me.
Throughout the last few years, as I started doing more resistance training, I have realized the advantages of drinking milk for my recovery and progress. A few advantages:
- it is cheap, much cheaper than most other sources of protein
- it is readily available everywhere
- it provides high quality protein, both whey and casein so your body gets protein instantly with fast acting whey and progressively with the longer release time of casein
- the calcium in milk does not only give you strong bones but also helps relaxing your muscles. Too little calcium combined with intense activities may give your cramped muscles
- drinking a lot of milk has proven to cut fat (calcium also plays a role in fat mobilization, as well in reducing stress, lowering blood pressure etc.)
Arguments against milk:
- it has growth hormones, cancer causing steroids etc. in it because the farmers want their cows bigger and more productive
Yes, the growth hormone rBGH is used for higher milk production. This hormone however only works when injected. If ingested, our digestion tracts destroys these hormones. This does not justify the fact that the cows are being injected with it but it does not affect you when drinking milk. You can also buy milk from sources that guarantee not to use any hormones in their live stock (Whole Foods for example who sells antibiotic and hormone free milk).
- it makes me gain weight
Milk has been proven to lower cholesterol levels. Actually whole milk lowers levels more than skim milk! Milk also lowers the chances of getting a heart attack or stroke.
I mostly drink non fat milk since my calorie intake is pretty high and I gain easily. For a better ratio though, try 2% milk or even whole milk if you have a hard time gaining.
The quantity of milk you should drink varies. I go through about 2 gallons/week and have great gains with my training and diet combination. Other supporters of milk go through 1 or 2 gallons per day! It will completely depend on your diet, calorie intake, amount of protein, body type etc. But at least give milk a chance!
By Sander Vanacker, Define Defense’s certified personal trainer and head martial arts instructor, based in Boulder, Colorado. Take a look at www.DefineDefense.com, www.TrainerVanacker.com or check out our videos on YouTube.com/DefineDefense !