Every day I am asked “how to take sports nutrition?” How to use protein, gainer, amino acids and more. People do not quite understand that this is an additive to the diet, but not as a replacement for it. Therefore, to tell exactly when to consume something, you need to know your lifestyle, your daily routine, etc. Agree, I cannot know this, therefore there cannot be an exact answer for everyone. But I'm giving you the basics so you can figure out when and what supplement to take.

How to take protein for muscle gain

This is a protein supplement and you should only take it if you cannot get the required amount of protein from regular foods. For example, you are an athlete who weighs 80 kg, you need 2 grams of protein per 1 kg of body weight to gain muscle mass, that is, 160 grams of protein. Let's say you ate 500 grams of meat and didn't eat anything else protein. A pound of meat contains approximately 100 gr. squirrel. And you need 160, therefore, you can take 2 servings of protein, 30 grams each.

It should be taken between meals, or when the meal was only carbohydrate. After training, it does not need to be consumed, since after we need carbohydrates, not protein. Multi-component protein between meals is best for this purpose.

How to take a gainer

This is a high-calorie supplement based on carbohydrates. To understand when and how much to drink a gainer, you need to understand how many carbohydrates you ate per day. Each person has his own needs for carbohydrates, they must be calculated by the method of samples. For example, you have determined that during the period of mass gain you need 300 grams of carbohydrates. And you ate today, for example, only 200 grams of rice, and this is 150 grams. carbohydrates. So from the gainer we need to get the remaining 150 gr. Each supplement has its own composition, so you need to read on the back of the jar how much protein and carbohydrates are contained in a serving, based on this, understand whether you should take 1 or 2 servings. Again, if you have eaten the required amount of macronutrients from ordinary foods, then you do not need supplements.

You need to take a gainer either between meals, or an hour before or 30 minutes after a workout.

How to take amino acids

If you are using protein, then there is no need to take amino acids separately, because. protein contains a complete set of amino acids.

You can take them, for example, if you do not get protein from the diet, and food no longer climbs into you, and the protein is tired, then you can take several tablets after each meal. In principle, I don’t see any point in taking them at all, when the protein is the same only cheaper. Moreover, manufacturers often deceive by compressing regular protein into tablets.

BCAA how to take

When gaining muscle mass, this product is generally useless, as well as complex amino acids. Firstly, these are only 3 essential amino acids, and muscles need all 8. Secondly, these 3 amino acids are contained in protein or any protein of animal origin, even in soy, BCAAs are in large quantities. So during the period of mass recruitment, this will be a transfer of money.

They can only be consumed during cutting, then they will serve as an energy source during training through the process of gluconeogenesis (the conversion of amino acids into glucose). Do not take more than 10 grams at a time, because. won't get used to it. Can be taken before strength training and before cardio.

How to take creatine

As I wrote about it, I believe that this supplement is for beginners. For an experienced athlete, it is unlikely to work, because. their creatine stores are already developed to the limit. Suitable for a beginner.

Since insulin transports creatine to the muscles, and carbohydrates cause a large release of insulin, it means that creatine must be taken with fast carbohydrates. I also think that all these downloads are just a marketing ploy so that you spend this supplement faster and come for a new one sooner.

5 grams of creatine per day is enough, taken with sweets, for example, with juice.

How to take l carnitine

Many consider it a fat burner. This is wrong. By itself, it does not burn fats, it only transports them to the mitochondria, and there they are already burned, and then if there is a calorie deficit. L-carnitine is just an "elevator", you can take the elevator, or you can walk up. The elevator is more convenient, a little faster, but you need to walk to it, wait for it, etc. Also with l-carnitine, he is only an assistant.

3 grams half an hour before a strength or cardio load will be enough.

Friends do not need to listen to sports nutrition sellers, as it is in their interest to sell as many as possible. If you are being given protein and amino acids and bcaa are added to it separately, just give me my reasons, and you will see how the seller hesitates. Remember, this is primarily a business, and each supplement should be chosen only as needed.

Now you know how to properly take sports nutrition!

We note right away that this article is not about anabolic steroids, which are recognized throughout the world as dangerous to health, but are still popular among those who need to get a formidable look as soon as possible, despite the consequences, which will be very sad.

This publication is for those visitors to the gym who want to give their body a beautiful and aesthetic shape. Sports nutrition they need it no matter what starting position: close to dystrophy or obesity.

A complete and healthy diet is necessary for both overweight and frail people. After all, the body must receive a sufficient amount of calories in the context of proteins, fats and carbohydrates. If your goal is to gain muscle mass, then you need to be even more scrupulous about the quality of the food you eat, as well as sports supplements.

When choosing a diet, take into account the type of physique:

The required nutritional value of the diet

If you have a lean physique, the easiest way to gain the mass from which muscles are formed is by consuming healthy fats. They are found in fatty meat, butter, sour cream, cheese, nuts, seeds. Fats are normal - 10% -15% of the athlete's daily diet by weight. They produce testosterone, the muscle-building hormone.

A thin person will not quickly gain weight, especially if a large meal is accompanied by physical activity. But it's still not worth it to abuse. Especially harmful fats, which are contained, for example, in chips.

An hour and a half before training, you need to eat food rich in carbohydrates. During physical exertion, they are burned first. Carbohydrates are consumed three grams per kilogram. They should account for 60% of the daily diet.

If there are not enough carbohydrates for the body to compensate for the expenditure of energy, it proceeds to “self-eating”. But do not flatter yourself with those who have decided to lose weight in this way. It’s a shame, first of all, muscles will suffer from a lack of nutrition. The very ones that you are going to increase!

Please note: in ectomorphs, they are immediately processed into energy. In endomorphs, their excess in the diet leads to the accumulation of subcutaneous fat.

But the main thing for building muscle is the consumption of protein (protein). During training, you should consume two to three grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day. But no more, otherwise you can harm the liver. That is, if the weight is seventy kilograms, you need to eat a day 140-210 grams of protein regardless of other food ingredients.

Animal proteins are better for building muscle mass. The most useful of them are found in fish. Chicken meat contains more protein than pork. You need to eat at least two hundred grams of meat a day, preferably lean: poultry, rabbit, veal.

One hundred grams of meat contains fifteen to twenty grams of protein. A liter of kefir, milk - 27 grams. In one hundred grams of cheese - 18 - 25 grams. In one egg - about six grams (2 g - yolk, 4 g - protein). Vegetable proteins are found in nuts (up to 30% by weight), cereals (4-15% by weight).

Protein is also useful for those who, at the same time as gaining muscle mass, solve the problem of losing weight. Obesity is actually not always associated with a rich diet. It can be caused by illness, stress, the wrong choice of diet.

If the doctor advises to reduce the consumption of fats, carbohydrates, protein diet - perfect solution. She will help girls with weight loss along with fat not to lose sexy rounded shapes. For this purpose, an isolate is used, completely free of carbohydrates and fats, which is stirred only in water. The fair sex is recommended to reduce the amount of fat in the diet compared to men: the female body is more prone to increasing body fat.

Immediately after training, athletes consume a protein-carbohydrate mixture. If not, eat two bananas, drink a liter of milk. Somewhat original for the stomach, but let it get used! An hour later, start a full lunch or dinner.

vitamins

To fully digest what you eat in a day, you need a lot of vitamins. They are found in vegetables and fruits. In the consumption of these products, you should not limit yourself to either thin or fat citizens. Additionally, buy vitamins in a pharmacy, drink according to the instructions.

Vitamins help the body get rid of extremely harmful free radicals. Together with trace elements (mainly zinc), they are necessary for the synthesis of testosterone.

The following table will help you roughly calculate how much nutrients the body must receive:

⚹Norms are designed for a 4-year-old child. Divide your age by 4 and multiply by the amounts shown to get your daily nutrient requirement.

Types of additives

Special additives are substances extracted from natural products and then concentrated, adapted for faster absorption. This is not "chemistry", not harmful anabolics, should not be confused.

On the shelves of sports nutrition stores there are a lot of different packages with special types of sports nutrition:

Release forms

There are several options for the production of sports nutrition:

• Powders: allow you to measure the exact dose of the drug.
• Tablets: have a shelf life of two years or more.
• Liquids: drinks, extracts, herbal preparations, VMK (complexes of minerals and vitamins). More expensive and more effective than other forms of sports nutrition, they are absorbed as quickly as possible.
• Bars: the most convenient form for transportation. They do not need to be bred, they are easy to take with you in sportswear, they have a bite to eat in the most inconvenient conditions for eating, which often helps out in critical situations.

Purpose

Depending on the type of sports nutrition, the following purposes of supplements are distinguished:

1. Adjusting the work of the body using internal resources.
2. Energy balance support.
3. Increase in muscle reserves building material.
4. Weight change.
5. Saving body systems from stress and failures.
6. Improving the effectiveness of training.

To use special types of sports nutrition, especially highly specialized ones, should be on the recommendation of a trainer, a nutritionist. The packages contain instructions for use.

How to protect yourself from buying a fake

There are many fakes in the sports nutrition market. The main problem is that people will always want to buy something good for minimal money. Choosing food products and sports supplements cannot be saved, as the cheapness of products can result in health problems and lack of results.

First of all, preference must be given to well-known manufacturers, brands. To date, the following companies are at the top: Optimum Nutrition, Multipower, BSN, Dymatize, MuscleTech. And pay attention that on the package all the letters in the name of the manufacturer are written correctly, otherwise you can get falsified.

But even if you have chosen a well-known manufacturer, this will not protect you from fakes by 100%. Even if you buy from trusted reputable sellers, you should pay attention to the quality of packaging, labeling, hologram, barcode.

1. When choosing the type of sports nutrition, consider the recommendations of the trainer, goals, type of training, and the characteristics of your own body. It is better to buy it in special stores with a reputation.
2. Muscles grow during healthy sleep, which should last about 8 hours a day every day.
3. With independent home workouts, it is better to limit yourself to natural nutrition.
4. What exactly can not be done during training is to starve. To gain muscle mass, you will have to eat even when you don’t feel like it at all. The main thing is to do it right.
Other authors

In order for strength training to bring maximum benefits, you need to take various supplements. They are represented by a huge assortment, which greatly complicates the choice for novice athletes. This applies to absolutely any specialized sports nutrition store.

It is impossible to achieve impressive effects if you do not take sports nutrition for beginners. Beginners in bodybuilding, having learned about the need to take sports nutrition, can easily get confused in the abundance of various products, not knowing which one to give their preference to. In order not to make the wrong choice and not be disappointed, you should thoroughly study which supplements really work and will be beneficial in achieving your sports goal already in the initial stages of strength training.

For people who have only recently started weight training, it is quite difficult to understand which supplements to buy and how much. Money should be spent. It is impossible to act without confidence that the sports nutrition taken will bring effectiveness. Otherwise, the product will not benefit.

Beginner bodybuilders should be attentive to their training program. It is recommended to work with weights no more than four times a week. The duration of the session should be a maximum of 60 minutes. You need to give yourself a rest from training. Without following this recommendation, it will not be possible to achieve the desired result. Long duration and frequency of training will lead to overtraining.

Understanding the difference between nutrition strength training and dietary. To build muscle mass, you should give up three meals a day. It is recommended to eat seven or even eight times a day, but in small portions. This is the main key to the success of any novice athlete who wants to have an impressive amount of muscle. The most important substance that should be present in the diet of every bodybuilder is protein. The amount of protein per day cannot be less than 20 grams per serving. This applies to both training and non-training days.

Beginning bodybuilders should be clear that sports nutrition is an integral part of training with weights. Supplements contain substances that are necessary for the growth of muscle mass. The main thing is not to overdo it and not get carried away with such products.

It is no coincidence that they are called supplements, since they cannot be taken as a complete meal, but only serve to compensate for the lack of elements required to build muscle. The main disadvantage that is typical for sports nutrition is that many quality supplements are quite expensive. This must be taken into account in the long term.

There is a certain basic set of sports nutrition for beginners that should be considered for purchase. Each product has its own characteristics, as well as for which specific sports purpose they are best suited.

Protein

To grow good muscle mass, a protein is required that contains whey protein, which is characterized by the highest speed of delivery of this substance to the muscles. This supplement is the main source of amino acids. Without them, volumes practically do not grow.

The best result is obtained when they drink protein both before and after training. Thanks to whey protein, the muscles receive exactly those substances that stimulate an increase in volume. It is this supplement that is the best among all products containing protein.

Whey protein is the most easily digestible. In addition, you can make a cocktail from it absolutely anywhere. It can be taken at home and taken with you to the gym. The disadvantage of this supplement is considered to be a rather high cost, as well as the fact that it is quite high in calories. This is a significant disadvantage for those who are trying to lose weight.

Slow carbs

Dietary supplements with complex carbohydrates often contain vitamins, as well as calcium, magnesium, and potassium. They allow you to get the energy necessary for training, so it is best to take this sport nutrition before starting a workout.

You can take dextrose and maltodextrin, but they are much more expensive. A more affordable option is to mix whey protein with banana or rice milk. Healthy alternatives include sweet potatoes, dates, and oatmeal.

The main benefit of slow carbohydrates is that they promote fat burning and also keep blood sugar levels stable. If you buy the supplement in powder form, the price will be quite high.

Creatine

The supplement, as various studies show, increases strength and stimulates the set of lean muscle mass, that is, without fatty subcutaneous complications. They take creatine both before and after training, and on non-training days. The optimal daily portion is 5 grams.

Thanks to creatine, the athlete receives the necessary boost of energy to perform a high-intensity workout. The main advantage of creatine is that it helps to "push" the limits of one's own capabilities, that is, to train much longer and more productively. It comes in a variety of formats so you can choose the one that suits you.

Cretin helps to train harder because it makes the athlete stronger and more enduring. The disadvantage of the supplement is water retention in the body, which negatively affects weight, as well as a breakdown that can be felt after exercise.

This product is not only a useful sports supplement, but also an excellent anti-inflammatory agent, which is an undeniable advantage for post-workout recovery. Its effectiveness can be compared with a drug such as Ibuprofen, but fish oil also has no side effects.

The daily dosage depends on the needs of the body. People who play sports a day are recommended to consume from 2 to 4 grams of fish oil. The product is rich in Omega-3 and Omega-6 acids, which are usually insufficiently supplied with food.

Fish oil promotes faster recovery and is the main supplier of Omega-3 and -6. But when taking this product, you should be prepared for an unpleasant aftertaste, nausea, heartburn, belching with a fishy smell.

It is not uncommon for athletes to experience the uncomfortable feeling that their muscles are starting to burn when performing heavy sets. This phenomenon is called muscle acidosis, which makes it impossible to continue training. Taking beta-alanine relieves muscle fatigue and allows you to make classes longer, and, therefore, accelerates progress by increasing strength indicators.

It is recommended to consume this supplement half an hour before training. On rest days, you can drink it at any convenient time. Thanks to beta-alanine, fat disappears faster, muscle mass and strength increase. The cost of the product is high. Often athletes feel a tingling in the body, but it is absolutely harmless.

Other Workout Supplements

There are two more supplements that can help beginners improve their workouts.

Fully justify their name. Pre-workouts are used before training to increase the productivity of training. This supplement is recommended to drink half an hour before training. It is a mixture of various components, the most popular are: caffeine, L-tyrosine, creatine nitrate, beta-alanine, arginine.

The main advantage of pre-workout complexes is the energy they give the body. The cost of the supplement is high, and the components included in its composition are found in other products, so sometimes it is more expedient to dwell on them.

Glutamine

Promotes better recovery after physical exertion. It is recommended to take it after the end of the workout, which will help to experience less pain and speed up the healing process. If you recover faster, then you can return to classes faster.

The only drawback of glutamine is the high cost, and otherwise the athlete receives only benefits. The use of this supplement helps to strengthen the body, minimize pain, remove excess ammonia from the body.

Testosterone Boosting Supplements

In men, testosterone levels inevitably drop with age. It can be increased by taking certain drugs. They stimulate the natural production of this hormone in the body, which allows you to get many benefits in the performance of physical activity.

Produce such drugs based on natural ingredients. They stimulate libido and provide a surge of energy, help build muscle. The disadvantage is that the increase in testosterone is not very significant.

If the drug is taken uncontrollably, there is an excess of the hormone, the man becomes more aggressive, acne and baldness appear.

ZMA

It is a supplement for increasing strength indicators and the level of anabolic hormones. ZMA is not a testosterone booster, but it has been shown in studies to keep testosterone high during exercise.

This sports nutrition improves the speed and time of recovery processes, stimulates the production of androgenic testosterone, as well as an increase in muscle volume. If you exceed the dosage, an excess of minerals and vitamins accumulates in the body.

Conclusion

Sports nutrition is necessary for athletes to improve strength, endurance, recovery processes, and accelerate fat burning. It does not replace the usual diet, but allows you to compensate for the lack of substances that are necessary for a quality set of muscle mass.

The diet of people actively involved in sports includes not only the usual menu, but also a special group of products called sports nutrition, which allows you to achieve certain goals set for the athlete. Sports nutrition helps to get rid of extra pounds or, conversely, gain weight, increase muscle relief, increase endurance and strength. All this works only when the food is properly and correctly selected.

The peak of bodybuilding popularity in the CIS countries came in the first half of the nineties, when GYM's everywhere equipped in the basement and semi-basement rooms. These times were distinguished not only by the equipment and location of the rocking chairs, but also by the underdeveloped sports nutrition industry. It was possible to buy separate Twinlab and Vader products, Belarusian proteins “Atlant” and “Arena” packaged in plastic bags. Without much difficulty, you could buy a variety of steroids.

Currently, anabolics of synthetic origin are banned and equated to narcotic substances. This in no way affected the choice of sports nutrition, since today the athlete has free access to a huge number of products that are of natural origin. On the territory of Russia, they belong to dietary supplements - biologically active additives. The expansion of the range of sports nutrition was facilitated by the emergence of foreign and domestic companies actively using advanced technologies.

A large selection, of course, makes life easier for an athlete, but it requires a clear understanding of each product presented. This will allow you to choose a drug that ideally matches the goal set for the athlete, as well as their own individual characteristics.

There are a huge number of different food active additives, but the following are the most common:

• protein concentrates;
• gainers;
• creatines;
• L-carnitine;
• amino acid complexes;

Each drug has its own purpose and features of use.

Protein shakes are the most popular way to fuel your muscles. The term "" means "protein". It is he who is the main material for the growth of muscle tissue. The amount of pure protein in protein concentrate is about 70-90 percent. No other product can boast of such a composition.

Another merit protein shake is that it is not only qualitatively, but also quickly absorbed by organisms. If the assimilation of meat after eating takes 2-3 hours, a protein shake - 30 minutes. To obtain a pure concentration of protein isolate, natural products such as whey, eggs, meat, milk, chickpeas, peas, and soy are processed and evaporated.

The most popular protein concentrate in the world is whey. This is the best dietary supplement for active muscle growth. Whey protein, in addition to quick and easy digestibility, contains amino acids. The latter play an important role in the construction of relief muscles, since they maintain the tone of existing muscle tissue and contribute to the synthesis of a new one.

They represent the best sports nutrition for people with an ectomorphic - lean physique, for beginners who do not have muscle mass, which is the "base" for building a muscular massive body. This is what makes a supplement different from a protein shake.

Consists of a concentrate of methylguanide-acetic acid. It is present in small amounts in fish and meat. The action of the supplement is aimed at increasing endurance, stimulating recovery processes in the body after the next training.

This type of sports nutrition is actively used by both beginners and professional athletes during periods of repeated stagnation. For bodybuilders, the use allows not only to increase endurance, but also is a kind of incentive to further development push.

L-carnitine

A popular dietary supplement for losing weight, which has a pronounced fat burning effect. Levocarnitine is produced in the human body in the liver, but in small quantities. Emitting the process of its synthesis in the laboratory began in 1960. The substance stimulates the process of destruction of body fat, during which energy is released. This allows you to take not only for the purpose of losing weight, but also in order to turn the existing fat into muscles.

Amino acid complexes

They are an additive that optimizes metabolic processes so that all the substances used by the athlete are absorbed by the body correctly and efficiently, that is, they do not turn into body fat. In addition, of the existing twenty-two amino acids that ensure proper metabolism, nine are not produced in the human body, but come exclusively with food.

Their lack negatively affects the training process. The best way to provide them in the required amount for the athlete is amino acid concentrates. They are available in both capsules and liquid form. This allows you to choose the most convenient form for use.

BCAA

It is a complex consisting of such as valine, isoleucine and leucine. It stimulates the efficiency of metabolic processes that allow you to increase muscle mass, serves as an additional source of energy for better and more productive training, as it significantly increases strength.

They are preparations based on minerals and vitamins. They are taken before playing sports in order to increase the overall tone of the athlete, give freshness and vigor, increase endurance. This has a positive effect on the quality of training, making them as useful and productive as possible.

Intended to be taken before training, it contains psychologically and physically active stimulant substances: geranamine, beta-alanine, caffeine. Some products may contain BCAAs and creatine.

Nutritious Protein Bars

They serve as a source of quick replenishment of energy, include in their composition: compressed flakes, milk (casein) or egg white, muesli or nuts. Bars are great for both pre-workout and post-workout to eliminate the "protein window" effect.

Arginine and other nitric oxide donators

Muscle tissue continuously produces nitric oxide. Therefore, it is of paramount importance for the development and growth of muscles. Donors have a similar principle of action. They stimulate the active production of testosterone and growth hormone.

Supplements to strengthen joints and ligaments

Necessary for bodybuilders and those who work with lifting heavy weights. This group of drugs is represented by additives such as collagen, glucosamine and chondroitin.

How to take sports nutrition?

There is nothing difficult in taking dietary supplements. The main thing is to strictly follow the instructions from the manufacturer, adhere to the recommended dosage. If the instructions for a gainer or protein concentrate indicate a dosage of 1.5 grams for every 1 kilogram of the athlete's own weight, this is the amount of the drug that is required per day.

Increasing the dosage will not adversely affect health and will not bring any side effects. All excess drug that is not absorbed by the body is simply excreted, that is, it comes out naturally.

Gainers for ectomorphs and proteins best consumed directly on days of sports activity. They are taken an hour before training and immediately after the end of the lesson. Cocktails are recommended to drink on rest days, no more than once a day.

Creatine and pre-workout supplements should be taken when the inevitable "stagnation" in training occurs, characterized by a decrease in motivation for sports. These drugs allow you to get the right push to continue moving towards achieving the desired result. They need to be consumed in limited quantities. If you overdo it with the reception, they will cause addiction, that is, they will cease to bring a pronounced effect from the reception.

This sports nutrition regimen is designed for experienced bodybuilders. Beginners who have started training require a slightly different approach. The first months of playing sports, it is enough to take a gainer or protein.

The nuances of choosing the right sports nutrition

Both foreign and domestic manufacturers produce biologically active supplements for athletes. Imported drugs are much more expensive. And if the athlete is faced with the question of choosing which manufacturer to give preference to, he should be guided by the fact that the best was and remains the products of Optimum Nutrition, Twinlab and Weider. These companies have an impeccable reputation.

Don't be tempted to buy cheap products. Underestimated cost is a sure sign that the buyer is facing either a low-quality product or a fake. Saving on your own health, results and effectiveness of training is highly discouraged. It is best to choose food from trusted manufacturing companies. To buy a truly original drug, and not a fake, you need to make all purchases exclusively in specialized reputable large chain stores.

Is protein harmful? How much is absorbed at a time?