Nutrition is the most complex and arguably most important part of training. Without proper nutrition, you will constantly be in an uphill battle and will struggle to get real results. You should know, however, that nutrition doesn’t have to be that complicated, and in most cases, people overanalyze it way too much. As long as you understand the basics of nutrition and training, things will become much clearer for you. Let’s take a look at how to use nutrition and supplements to boost workouts.
The Importance of Protein
Protein is the most important nutrient you have to worry about when training. Protein is the building block of muscle but is also essential for repairing injured muscle tissue. When you train, you are actually minorly injuring your muscles. It’s the healing process and the scar tissue that is produced that makes your muscles stronger and bigger.
You will need protein to repair those muscles after your workouts, which is why so many experts advise that you take a protein supplement or a protein-heavy meal after a workout. These can help, but you should also know that your daily protein intake is really what matters here. If you take enough protein during the day at good intervals, then you’ll get roughly the same benefits as if you take a protein shake or hearty meal just after a workout. But you can still take a shake right after your workouts if you’re worried about your total intake.
If you want to know how much protein you need, most experts agree that 0.8 to 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight is a good ballpark figure to aim at.
Understanding the Role of Sugar and Carbs
Sugar and carbs are also extremely important when training, and you need to know what role they play. The main goal of sugar is to give your body and brain energy. Different types of carbs will be released at different speeds, which will dictate when you should be taking them.
You should also know that your body and muscles store what is referred to as glycogen. Glycogen is derived from glucose and is what fuels your muscles. When you train vigorously, you spend those reserves, and they have to be replenished. This can be done by consuming sugar right after workouts and taking complex carbs on the days following as it can take days for your reserves to be fully replenished.
Choosing the Right Supplements and Using them Correctly
There are so many supplements on the market, and you don’t need to worry about all of them. Only a few of them offer noticeable results, so we would suggest that you stick to those principles and maybe try one or two lesser-known supplements on top of that. The main supplements you should consider adding to your routine include whey protein, a vitamin supplement, creatine, and maybe an omega 3 supplement of some sort. These have all been widely proven to work and are used by most athletes and serious trainers.
As far as lesser-known supplements go, we suggest you look at things like l-citrulline for performance and turkesterone for recovery. Turkesterone may provide fitness benefits comparable to anabolic steroids since it’s similar in structure, but without the side effects. It is also fully legal, so look into it in detail and see how it could help.
Proper nutrition is essential for anyone who wants to take their workout routine to the next level. Adjusting your diet could give you surprising results, so if you hadn’t paid too much attention to it until recently, you should start making adjustments right now.
