04.22.08
Post-Workout Nutrition
Post-workout, your muscles need glucose and protein. (No fat.) Glucose to replace the glucose/glycogen that you just used up, and protein (amino acids) as building blocks for new muscle proteins.
Glucose is the direct molecule that your cells use to get energy. Fructose, found mostly in fruit, has to be converted to glucose by your liver. Maltodextrin is a starch of glucose molecules, usually made from corn or wheat.
Either glucose/fructose or maltodextrin or a combination of the two is fine. Some people are adamant about one or the other; most said simply “carbohydrate.” The main point is to get some kind of a faster-absorbing carb in your post-workout nutrition so that your muscle and liver glycogen can be restored (and won’t steal amino acids from your muscle proteins to reverse-engineer glucose).
My PWO shake:
- 2 scoops Blue Ice Iso-Extreme (30 g protein)
- 0.5 scoop Xtinguisher (25 g dextrose (carb))
- 8 oz Fruit Punch Gatorade (14 g carbs (fructose & sucrose))
- 1 scoop Max Glutamine (5 g)
An hour or so after your post-workout shake, have a regular meal of protein, carbs, and fat.
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01.24.08
NROLF, Day 5: Power Rack!
Technically, it was last night, but I bought my power rack! It’s still in boxes in the garage, but perhaps tonight or Saturday night my dad and I can put it together. I bought a pulley system with it, too, with a high and a low pulley so now I can do Lat Pulldowns and Seated Rows. (And if I can borrow a digital camera, I’ll put up pictures!)
I’ve been tracking my calories and macronutrients at SparkPeople. I’m hitting the total calorie mark for each day, and I’m getting at least my protein minimum. But I think I’m too high on the carbs (over 50% most days) and too low on the fat. There’s the problem with everything being “low fat”: I can’t get enough fat!
I stopped by Max Muscle last night, too, and picked up more glutamine (both the powder and some chewables) and some EFA capsules. So now my supplements look like this:
- Max High5 protein (Mocha Cappuccino!), 2x/non-workout, 3x/workout day
- Glutamine powder, with protein
- EFA, 2 capsules 2x/day, morning & evening
- Syner-B12, 1 tablet 1x/day, morning
- Vitacell, 2 tbsp 1x/day, morning
- Glutamine Chewables (orange), 2 wafers, evening, every day; 2 wafers, morning, non-workout days
Only the EFA capsules have to be swallowed, which is good because I hate swallowing anything. I have to hold my nose until I have no choice but to swallow. Ugh.
My hamstrings are still letting me know they’re here, and other muscles were cranky when I woke up. They’re loose now, but with enough twinges to remind me that they have done work.
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01.16.08
Glutamine
Glutamine is an amino acid (one of the building blocks of protein) and makes up about 60% of your skeletal muscles. Glutamine is a nonessential amino acid: that is, your body can synthesize it. However, it is used in so many processes in your body and can be used to synthesize other nonessential amino acids–and can be used a source of nitrogen–that supplementing with glutamine may be beneficial.
Glutamine is involved in growth hormone production, immune system function, and intestinal health. It is given to patients in burn wards, and they recover faster. Also, studies done have shown no overdose amount for glutamine (which rather makes sense, since it’s just an isolated amino acid).
I take a glutamine supplement with my protein shakes. One scoop = 5 grams. In addition, my protein has extra glutamine already. So I’m taking about 30 g/day, working out or not. I also keep meaning to take another 5g right before bed, but I haven’t got the habit yet of eating before bed.
Since I started adding glutamine, I’ve had little to no DOMS–and I used to usually have a lot of lingering soreness. And in that time, I’ve been increasing my weights until the last few reps every workout are hard to finish.
I’ve seen lots of forum postings that say they take 1.5 g/day and feel no difference; therefore, they conclude it doesn’t work and tell everyone to not take glutamine. That’s just silly, to take hardly any and then to say it didn’t work so it’s useless. Take a normal dose for several weeks and then tell me what it does.
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