How to use sportswear correctly. Sports nutrition for beginners: where to start and how to choose? The best sports nutrition firms

How to use sports nutrition correctly

In order for sports nutrition to have the expected effect on the body, an athlete must adhere to the rules of its intake, which means that they eat or drink exactly what they need and at the right time.

First of all, the following are taken into account:

• times of Day;
• accompanying circumstances;
• dosage;
• the physical condition of the athlete.

For gaining muscle mass

Every athlete who is working on building muscle is encouraged to consume the appropriate amount of protein in their daily diet.

Important! Dietary supplements are very helpful during muscle building, but they are not needed on a regular basis. They are good helpers and can help you achieve your goal, but the main ingredients for success are a well-chosen diet and systematic training. Supplements can be taken to facilitate and accelerate the development of muscle mass.

If the attitude towards increasing strength and muscle development is serious, then the athlete should take about 2-2.5 grams of protein per 1 kilogram of their body weight every day. This ratio is ideal for wrestlers or bodybuilders who don't want to increase their weight but want to build strength and muscle.

Protein

It is a protein supplement, and protein is the main building block of muscle and you cannot build a good figure without it. Protein supplements are extremely beneficial in situations where the athlete is unable to consume enough protein from their diet. To build muscle mass, you need to ensure that you are consuming at least 1.2–2 g of protein per kilogram of body weight.

Time of receipt:

1. For athletes, it is advisable to consume fast-acting whey protein an hour or two before training.
2. The next technique is 30 minutes after the end of the workout (for muscle recovery)
3. The post-workout time is the best opportunity to build muscle, because that's when the body needs protein the most.
4. Another source of protein to compensate for the costs of the body is consumed before bed in the form of casein (slow-acting protein) to help restore muscle during sleep.
5. Even on days when the gym is not in attendance, the athlete needs to consume enough protein. On non-training days, the best time to consume protein is after breakfast, after lunch, and after dinner.

Did you know? Bird eggs provide the highest quality naturally occurring dietary protein. All parts of the egg are edible, including the shell, which contains a lot of calcium.

Creatine (for beginners)

Creatine is considered the most effective legal anabolic. It is a supplement used by athletes looking to maximize training intensity and optimize muscle size and strength.

It is also great for beginners who are relatively new to building a body through physical activity. Research shows that creatine has no negative effects on the body.
Finding a sufficient amount of creatine in food is a rather difficult task, so the substance is taken in powder or capsule form. Creatine supplements vary in form, dissolution time in the body (absorption) and potency, so consideration should be given to this when purchasing.

They work by increasing the creatine content of skeletal muscle, which in turn increases muscle mass over time.

Creatine increases endurance, power, strength, promotes more repetitions of exercises, makes running faster, jumping higher; however, it leads to fat loss. Keep in mind, however, that creatine supplementation only makes sense in conjunction with some serious strength training.

How to use:

• creatine is taken at 15-25 grams per day for 5 days;
• further administration is recommended in the amount of a maintenance dose, from 3 to 5 grams per day.

Did you know? Doctors advise to reduce salt intake and take no more than 15 grams per day (one and a half teaspoons without a slide). Reducing salt intake can lower your risk of heart disease, stroke, kidney damage, and high blood pressure.

Glutamine (for recovery)

Glutamine, or L-glutamine, is a naturally occurring amino acid that is usually stored in the muscles and released into the bloodstream in extreme situations. It is used by the immune system for recovery during periods of stress such as physical injury, burns, fasting, and prolonged and intense physical exertion (marathons, triathlons, ultra-long distance races).

When glutamine is deficient, or when glutamine levels drop sharply during stress, the body's immune system is suppressed. In this case, it is required to replenish the lost glutamine to the previous level through food or nutritional supplements.

It is for this reason that marathon runners are often at risk of contracting colds, flu and other illnesses in the days following a race.
not only deplete glutamine stores, but also cause a temporary decrease in immunity and susceptibility to upper respiratory tract infections and other diseases.

Natural sources:

1. L-glutamine is most abundant in protein-rich foods such as meat, fish, legumes, and dairy products. Heat treatment can destroy glutamine, especially in vegetables.
2. Two good plant sources are raw cabbage and beets.

L-Glutamine Supplements for Athletes

Athletes who take glutamine supplements usually do this to prevent muscle breakdown and improve immune function. Several clinical studies have found that oral glutamine may reduce morbidity in endurance or extreme athletes.

Research has also found that glutamine supplements help maintain muscle mass by preventing protein breakdown and improving glycogen synthesis.
L-Glutamine is classified as a dietary supplement and is not banned by any sports organization. It can be found in most sports food stores as gels or tablets and is often found in many protein powders.

Due to limited research, there are no established dosage guidelines, but bodybuilding experts recommend starting at 3 grams and gradually increasing to 5 grams per day.

If an athlete eats a healthy and varied diet and exercises regularly, then it is likely that his body will be sufficiently supplied with all the necessary amino acids. If an athlete trains often and hard and his diet is not complete enough, then glutamine supplementation can bring him significant benefits.

Important!If an athlete plans to use an L-glutamine supplement, it is wise to consult with a sports nutritionist before doing so to assess their diet and determine if it is needed.

How to take glutamine: video

Gainer (for quick dialing)

Gainer - the name of this food supplement comes from the English word gain, which means "gain", the drug is used to gain weight quickly. The gainer consists mainly of carbohydrates and proteins, looks like flour of the finest grinding, almost powder.

A person uses a lot of energy in high-intensity sports training. To quickly replenish its deficiency, you can use a protein-carbohydrate supplement that quickly restores lost energy.

These properties are possessed by foods with a high level of calories, but if you periodically have problems providing the body with the required amount of calories from food, a gainer can be very useful.

Gainer rules:

• for weight gain, a gainer is used two to three times a day;
• it is not difficult to calculate the daily dose: 1.5 grams of a gainer are taken for 1 kg of an athlete's weight;
• the same dose of the drug is taken daily until the body weight reaches satisfactory;
• the gainer can be mixed with such liquids: water (in no case boiling water), milk, juice;
• after gaining the desired weight, the athlete can switch to a one-time use of the drug.

How to take a gainer: video

Important!People who are prone to rapidly gaining excess weight should refuse to take a gainer, otherwise the problem with overweight may get worse.

BCAAs (Amino Acids)

Amino acids (BCAA, BCA) are the basis for building muscle in the body, helping to repair muscle after exercise, which leads to a gradual increase in muscle fibers. They help make muscles bigger and stronger by stimulating synthesis.

This is why protein supplementation is so important for athletes looking to build muscle. These foods, due to their easy absorption and high absorption rate in the body, are suitable for use both before and after training, ensuring that the body receives an easily absorbable form of protein.

BCAA rules:

• the dose for one dose is 5-10 grams;
• using BCAAs to build muscle mass, the first dose is carried out immediately after waking up in the morning;
• an extra portion at any time of the day (the same 5-10 grams) will boost brain function, reduce hunger and give an impetus to muscle growth;
• a portion of amino acids is taken without fail before and after physical activity;
• for quick assimilation, amino acids must be in liquid form, therefore they are dissolved in liquid with the addition of a small amount of sugar;
• their reception is divided into three parts: at the beginning of the training, during it and immediately after;
• amino acids in capsule form are taken in the morning;
• for weight loss, amino acids are taken in the intervals between breakfast, lunch and dinner.

For burning fat

Burning fat is a process that is necessary to provide energy to the human body that needs it, even if the person is not doing anything. There are supplements that speed up fat burning so they can be used for weight loss.

Important! One of the myths of a healthy lifestyle is that all fats are evil. However, there are good and bad fats. In particular, vitamins A, D, E and K are fat-soluble, so fat is important for their absorption. Desirablelimitconsuming transgenic and saturated fats that increase cholesterol levels in the body. Unsaturated fats can lower bad cholesterol and support heart health.

Laxogenin is a herbal steroid that is similar in structure to the better known ecdysterone. Research has shown that laxogenin has properties similar to anabolic steroids such as Anavar, one of the most popular oral anabolic steroids of all time.
But this does not mean that laxogenin is a prohormone. When an athlete takes prohormones, the body's levels of androgens (a generic term for prohormones and testosterone) increase and its own testosterone production stops.

Unlike prohormones, laxogenin does not affect the endocrine system - it does not increase or decrease the amount of hormones such as testosterone and estrogen.

Concentrated laxogenin is available in capsules or powder. Depending on the manufacturer, the dosage of the contents of the capsules may differ slightly.

General instructions for the use of laxogenin:

• for beginners, the intake is limited to 50 mg per day;
• for experienced athletes, the daily dose can be increased to 100 mg (it is not recommended to exceed this amount);
• admission course for beginners: 6 weeks;
• course for professional athletes: from 4 to 12 weeks;
• when losing weight, it is recommended to take 50 mg per day every other day.

L-Carnitine is essential for muscle function and supports fat burning.
Athletes love to use L-Carnitine to improve athletic performance and muscle endurance as it inhibits the production of lactic acid in muscles and improves muscle recovery after exercise. This property allows for longer workouts and delays the onset of fatigue.

In the human body, a substance similar to carnitine is synthesized on the basis of iron, vitamins C, B6, B12, folic acid, niacin. The human body makes L-carnitine from the amino acids methionine and lysine, as well as from food (veal, lamb, lamb, fish, milk and cheese).

In the normal diet, an adult receives an average of 100 to 300 mg of L-carnitine, this amount is sufficient for normal energy metabolism in the body. However, athletes often suffer from L-carnitine deficiency, therefore additional intake of this substance is beneficial for them.
When weight loss is desired, L-Carnitine is often taken to improve fat burning. However, additional intake of L-carnitine has a positive effect on fat burning only in connection with high sports activity, and in the case of an obvious deficiency.

How to consume L-carnitine for athletes:

1. Take 1 gram of L-Carnitine (preferably liquid) and consume about half an hour before training. A lower or higher dose has no obvious effect.
2. Sugar (equivalent to the production of insulin secretion) negates fat burning, so the rest of the products should not contain sugar at all (or should contain little of it).
3. An overdose can occur after taking more than three grams of the substance and leads to diarrhea, nausea and vomiting. To determine the ideal dosage, you should strictly follow the instructions provided by the manufacturers of dietary supplements. You should not take more than two grams of the substance per day, and this amount should be distributed throughout the day.
4. With additional L-carnitine supplementation, adequate hydration is important.

Perhaps, for newcomers who recently came to the gym, not everything will turn out right immediately, so here are a few tips from experienced athletes:

The best sports nutrition firms

Russian manufacturers:

• Cellucor PureProtein;
• G.E.O.N.

• Optimum Nutrition;
• Dymatize;
• Ultimate Nutrition;
• Syntrax;
• Twinlab;
• Universal Nutrition;

• MuscleTech;
• Nutrex Research;
• MusclePharm;
• Gaspari Nutrition;
• USPlabs;
• Prolab;
• MuscleMeds;

• Trec Nutrition (Poland);
• Multipower (Germany);
• Power System (Germany);
• Olimp (Poland);
• Vansiton (Ukraine);
• BioGame (Bulgaria);
• Scitec Nutrition (Hungary).

The athlete needs to remember that protein supplements do not build muscle on their own - they simply help a person build muscle through hard training. Exercise on a schedule, increase the level of physical development. When taking nutritional supplements, follow the recommendations for use attached to them and do not forget that it is undesirable to exceed the dosage of drugs.

How to take sports nutrition correctly
Most bodybuilding and fitness people simply don't know how to take sports nutrition. Most often they are interested in what kind of sports nutrition for gaining muscle mass should be taken and the best (correct) way to do it. This article will tell you when to take some popular supplements and how to get the most out of them.

HOW AND WHEN IT IS CORRECT TO TAKE SPORTS FOOD
There are 3 types of well-known and proven supplements for gaining lean muscle mass and strength, namely protein, creatine and glutamine. But what is the best time to take these supplements?

How to take Protein
the average human need for protein is 1.5 - 2 grams of protein per 1 kg of body weight per day, but this figure can reach 4 grams per 1 kg of body weight. Protein should be diluted in low-fat milk, water or juice as well as a gainer. The protein intake plan is as follows: In the morning - after sleep, compensation of protein deficiency is especially required, so whey protein with its fast absorption rate may be an ideal option; During the day - if you cannot eat often for some reason, then it would be a good option to use a mixture of whey protein and casein, or multicomponent protein;
The most important time to properly consume protein powder is 40-50 grams immediately after training. Muscles are like a sponge, they need instant nutrition for recovery and growth.
The next most important time to take protein is 20-30 grams before bed. You will sleep for about 8 hours. This is a long time without protein.
As soon as you wake up, take 20-30 grams of protein 30 minutes before a full breakfast. This will help stop the catabolic effects that your body has undergone during your night's sleep.
Be sure to take 20-30 grams of protein half an hour before going to the gym. This will help reduce the catabolic effect of your strength training. Before and after training - only whey isolate should be taken due to its high absorption rate;
At night - casein becomes an ideal option, a long-acting protein will allow maintaining a high level of amino acids in the blood during the night.

The above is the best time to consume protein. And it doesn't have to be protein powder. If you can, you can get all the protein you need from regular food. But the protein supplement is better absorbed. The choice is yours! Without missing any of the four cocktail receptions, you will feel the change for the better.

How to take Creatine

Creatine is a natural substance found in meat and fish, but can also be produced in the liver, kidneys and glands. To get 6 g of creatine daily, you need to eat 4 kg of meat per day, and this is harmful. This is why creatine supplementation is advisable for vegetarians. Approximately 98% of the total amount of creatine in the body is found in the muscles. Supplemental creatine supplementation leads to muscle building by stimulating muscle protein synthesis. The muscles become more massive and strong. This increase in muscle mass should not be confused with the accumulation of water in the muscles (between the muscle fibers) due to the use of steroids and cortisone. The plan for taking creatine is as follows: In the initial period, 10 g of creatine is taken 2 times a day for a week, then 3 g twice a day or 5-6 grams once a day (one teaspoon). The course of creatine intake is from 4 to 6 weeks, followed by a pause for 2-4 weeks. The necessary break is due to the fact that the synthesis of its own creatine, when it is introduced with food, decreases, and its natural level is restored within about 2 weeks. This is the optimal regimen for creatine, although there are other individual regimens (even fasting). Taking creatine on an empty stomach accelerates its absorption. If abdominal pain or diarrhea occurs, you can take creatine after meals. The best absorption of creatine by the muscles occurs during the period of maximum insulin levels, so the optimal time for taking creatine is: immediately after sleep; after eating sweet food (therefore, it is recommended to drink creatine with sweet juice); 30-60 minutes after training.
I think everyone knows the benefits of using creatine. It hydrates muscles to aid protein synthesis, which helps improve recovery between sets and workouts. Take creatine 30 minutes with juice or protein before and immediately after training. This mixture will create an anabolic state for the muscles and help prevent muscle breakdown (catabolism).

Apart from these two important points taking creatine, you can add a couple more meals throughout the day. I recommend 25-30 grams of creatine per day during the loading phase (lasts about five days), and then go into the maintenance phase of 10-20 grams of creatine per day, which will last for about a month.

How to take Glutamine
As one of the most abundant amino acids in muscle cells, glutamine helps in recovery by strengthening the immune system. Therefore, it is imperative to take glutamine immediately after training (10 grams) along with a post-workout shake. Also, most studies show that 5 grams of glutamine before bed significantly increases growth hormone levels.

How to take amino acids
Amino acids are the building blocks of protein, and almost all of our body consists of protein compounds, so amino acids need to feed our body. The amino acid intake plan is as follows: In the morning - after sleep, compensation of protein deficiency is especially required, so you should drink amino acids before breakfast; During the day - if you cannot eat often for some reason, then amino acids are taken to reduce catabolism, so I advise you to have a couple portions of amino acids in your bag;

Before and after training - to store and cover the deficit of energy raw materials consumed during intense exercise. Therefore, such sports nutrition as amino acids should be taken no later than 20-30 minutes after training.

It is especially important to take amino acids before and after training to reduce the catabolic effect of physical activity on the muscles: taking amino acids before training increases intracellular amino acid stores, and taking amino acids immediately after training replenishes the supply of amino acids in cells in conditions of powerful recovery of muscle tissue until there is Amino acids from food and protein supplements eaten after exercise will "reach" (digestion and initial absorption of food takes at least 40 minutes.)

Sports Nutrition Tips
It's okay to take all three of these popular supplements together, but it can make it harder to figure out which supplement works best for you and which is a waste of time. Everyone has a different metabolism, so be patient and give the supplement time to do its job! Use one supplement for 4-6 weeks and document your results. Over time, you will understand what is best for your specific goals.

Nutrition is extremely important, because muscles are built precisely thanks to the elements entering the body. And if there is a goal to gain muscle mass in a short time, then it is all the more important to choose the right set of sports nutrition for gaining muscle mass.

There is a basic set of sports nutrition for gaining muscle mass that every athlete should know:

• BCAA.
• Multivitamins.
• Omega-3.
• Glutamine.

These substances not only help develop muscle, but also support overall health.

Conventional foods are not enough to gain muscle mass; in any case, you will have to seek help from sports supplements. In addition to training hard, maintaining a calorie surplus is also important. All bodybuilders take a sports complex that includes several basic supplements.

Whey Protein

This is one of the main components that is included in a sports supplement. This supplement has a complex composition that can be completely different, but it includes many important elements and amino acids. Proteins are an important part that is included in any

Gainer

If you cannot gain the required amount of calories, then a gainer will come to the rescue, which is also an important component that should be included in a set of sports nutrition for gaining muscle mass, because a large amount of protein is the key to muscle growth. But when choosing a gainer, you need to pay special attention to the composition. It is important to ensure that there are not too many carbohydrates in it, giving preference to protein.

BCAA

It is a complex of three amino acids: leucine, isoleucine and valine. They are extremely important for the body, but it does not synthesize them on its own. BCAA stimulates the production of insulin, which helps nourish the muscles. In addition, these three amino acids interfere with protein breakdown and muscle breakdown.

Pre-workout complexes

Often training is pretty exhausting the body, no strength remains. To cope with this and add strength and energy during training, the use of simulators that contain caffeine or geranamine will help. If you need additional energy, then you can safely add pre-workout complexes to your set of sports nutrition for gaining muscle mass.

Creatine

Increases strength and stimulates volume growth. There are a huge number of creatine varieties on the market today, but monohydrate remains the most common.

Omega-3

This component is found in fatty fish, but even this is sometimes not enough for an athlete and therefore have to resort to supplements. The best choice is fish oil. Omega-3 improves blood circulation, which speeds up the delivery of important substances to the muscles. But its benefits do not end there, it also speeds up metabolism, which helps to get rid of fat, and is beneficial for the cardiovascular system.

Multivitamins

They practically do not affect, but, despite this, they are no less important. Chasing weight gain, taking various supplements, the athlete begins to forget about some important vitamins, without which chaos will come in the body. Even if you eat fruits and vegetables in huge quantities, some vitamins may still not be enough.

Glutamine

This amino acid is found in muscles the most. Although the body itself is capable of producing it, additional intake will not hurt. Glutamine helps with recovery, so it's best to take it after exercise and at night. Glutamine should be included in your sports nutrition, as it is essential for fast muscle gain.

Errors

1. Breakfast with only protein. It is true that eating carbohydrate-laden food in the morning is wrong, because while we sleep, blood sugar levels go down and all the carbohydrates consumed after waking up will go straight to the stomach. Anyone with a goal of gaining muscle mass should have a hearty breakfast. The first thing to do as soon as you wake up is to drink a protein shake, but not a simple one, but a highly refined hydrolyzed whey protein isolate. This is important because regular whey will take a long time to digest, and this one takes about 15 minutes. At this time, you can do some of your own business, for example, take a shower. After this time, appetite will appear, because the protein has already been absorbed, the metabolism will accelerate, and the body will begin to ask for a new portion of food. Arriving in the kitchen, you can cook an omelet, oatmeal, pancakes, cottage cheese. If you wish, you can eat several different dishes at once. In the morning diet, the presence of both protein and carbohydrates is important, so they should be equally divided. The main thing is to eat your fill. It is recommended to drink a cup as a drink green tea... And, of course, we must not forget about vitamins and fish oil!
2. Lots of carbs right after exercise. You can often hear advice about the fact that after training it is imperative to consume easily digestible carbohydrates, but this is wrong. Thus, the appetite will only go away for the next 2 hours, without giving food, which is really important for muscle growth. are good only if the goal is to increase strength and endurance, and not to gain mass. And if you are striving for the latter, then your choice should stop with protein.
3. Avoiding protein shakes. Some do not include protein in a set for sports nutrition for gaining muscle mass, limiting themselves to gainers, believing that only a combination of carbohydrates and proteins will give the desired effect, and protein itself will not. One very simple rule works here: protein is important for muscle growth, so the first thing to do is to focus on it. People who regularly exercise in the gym and seek to gain weight are advised to consume protein at the rate of 2-3 grams per kilogram of weight. Also, it is important not to try to gain weight on an ongoing basis, but to eat hard for a couple of weeks, trying to achieve maximum results, and then give the body a break from the constantly arriving calories. For gaining a mass of proteins from conventional foods, it is not enough, so without the help of protein shakes, nowhere. It is best to drink whey protein before and after training, and slow protein before bed. What sports nutrition for gaining muscle mass can do without protein shakes? None.
4. Underestimating BCAAs and Glutamine. BCAAs are a complex of three essential amino acids: isoleucine, leucine and valine. They are considered almost the most important component of muscle building. The importance of taking these amino acids lies in the fact that the body is not able to synthesize them on its own, so they come only with food. BCAA is produced in addition to the capsule form, also in powder form, which makes it easier to take, since the powder is tasteless and odorless, it can be added both to your shaker and to food. These amino acids are recommended to be consumed during training, namely, to break the intake into 3 times: before, during and after.
5. But amino acids from BCAAs alone are not enough for active muscle growth. The body needs even more amino acids than the previous three. Thanks to them, he will be able to produce hormones. And this is where powdered amino acids come to the rescue. They are absorbed faster and taste better than tableted ones. They are best consumed immediately after meals.
6. Some people mistakenly believe that water is an obstacle to the natural processes of digestion. It is not, and besides, it is also necessary. Water is the engine of anabolic processes in the body that promote muscle growth.

Sports nutrition for gaining lean muscle mass

Drying is a fairly common term among bodybuilders. They indicate the right sports nutrition for gaining muscle mass, which is designed to maximize the elimination of body fat, which will make the body fit, and the muscles become more pronounced. Everything is logical here, during drying a person tends to lose excess water.

As everyone knows, the body takes energy primarily from carbohydrates. Glucose is retained in the body as glycogen, and if you consume too many carbohydrates, then glycogen will begin to turn into fat. So to make the body fit, it is necessary to use this glycogen and fat, for which to exclude carbohydrates from the diet, and the body will begin to take carbohydrates from the reserves on its own. While this type of so-called diet seems to work at first glance, it can be dangerous. So, experienced athletes are more likely to do such things. You cannot find the best sports nutrition for gaining muscle mass suitable for everyone, because it is very individual.

Most often, bodybuilders resort to drying before competition. There are 4 products that can be consumed in unlimited quantities: egg white, chicken breast without skin and fat, preferably steamed, fish, squid fillet. But in the diet, albeit in a very small amount, carbohydrates should be present in the form of herbs, cucumbers, cabbage, buckwheat porridge. For the average person looking to lose weight, drying is not at all the most suitable option. In this case, it will be sufficient to adhere to a few basic rules.

Proper nutrition rules

1. You should not exhaust your body with exhausting diets. It is much better to know and consume what is useful and to exclude harmful products.
2. What is best to forbid yourself is flour products and sugar.
3. Mayonnaise, chips, sausage, ice cream should be replaced with vegetables, mushrooms, cottage cheese, kefir, cheese.
4. A complete rejection of fats can become extremely dangerous for the body, as metabolism, the condition of the skin, hair, nails will deteriorate.
5. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.
6. Do not overeat before bed. If it turns out that you have time to eat very late, then it is best to have a snack with something made from fruits and kefir.
7. It is best to eat often, but in small portions.

Home sports nutrition for muscle gain is also possible. You can prepare protein shakes yourself and be confident in their composition. All you need is a blender and the necessary ingredients.

1. The first protein-carbohydrate shake can be made with a combination of milk, 1 banana, and 1 tablespoon of honey.
2. You can also cook from 100 g of cottage cheese + milk + banana.
3. Another option is milk, egg white, banana, and a tablespoon of sugar.

These are not all cocktail options. Taking these ingredients as a basis and adding different fruits and nuts to them, you can make a protein shake that will be no worse than what you bought, and in addition, some harmful substances may be present in store-bought mixtures, and you will be sure in the composition of your own drink.