Nutrient Timing

[Alpha*Male]

Taken directly from the book Nutrient Timing: The Future of Sports Nutrition by John Ivy, PhD. and Robert Portman, PhD.

NTS (Nutrient Timing System) ENERGY PHASE (preworkout)
Primary Goals:

1. Increase Nutrient Delivery to Muscles and Spare Muscle Glycogen and Protein

Although glycogen depletion has traditionally been the concern of endurance athletes, it is also an important issue for strength athletes. Muscle glycogen levels following multiple sets can be reduced as much as 40%. Doubling the intensity of the workout doubles the breakdown.

ATP and creatine phosphate provide most of the energy for muslce contraction, but glycolysis still plays an important role. Between sets, muscle cells use the glycolytic pathway to regenerate ATP. By consuming a carbohydrate or carbohydrate/protein sports drink during your workout, you can preserve muscle glycogen and remain strong throughout your workout.

Haff and colleagues studied the effect of carb supplementation during resistance exercise. They found that when the carb supplements were provided, the decline in muscle glycogen was 50% less and that subjects could perform more work than subjects receiving flavored water.

The latest research now shows that the addition of protein to a carb supplement during resistance exercise offers further advantages in terms of preserving muslce protein, increasing protein synthesis, and even extending endurance.

Druing extended exercise, amino acids--principally the BCAAs: leucine, isoleucine, and v****e--may supply up to 15% of the muscles' energy needs. The use of some BCAAs for energy can be increased by as much as 500%, depending on the intensity and duration of the exercise. The addition of protein to a carb supplement promotes the metabolism of the ingested protein and lessens the demand for amino acid release from the muscles.

Recent studies coming out of the University of Texas Health Science Center in Galveston suggest that when protein is added to a carb supplement and provided at the beginning of exercise, there is even an increase in protein synthesis after exercise.

Finally, the addition of protein to a carb supplement has been shown to extend muscular endurance. Researchers from the University of Texas in Austin found that a carb/protein drink improved endurance 57% compared with water and 24% compared with a carb/electrolyte drink. The improvement in endurance was thought to be due to a sparing of muscle glycogen and possibly to the preferential metabolism of the ingested protein.

2. Limit Immune System Suppresion

A second objective of the NTS during the Energy Phase is limiting immune system suppresion. During moderate intensity exercise, immune function is heightened, increasing resistance to infection. However, as discussed, with strenuous exercise, the immune system is suppressed, and the risk of infection is thereby increased.

The immune system is closely linked to the neuroendocrince system, which controls the release of hormones. During strenuous and sustained exercise, this system is activated, causing the release of cortisol. Most of the immunosuppressive responses caused by intense exercise correlate with increases in blood cortisol levels. Cortisol lowers the concentration and activities of many of the important immune cells that fight infection.

Interestingly, blood cortisol levels can be regulated to a significant degree during exercise by controlling glucose availability. Bishop and colleagues showed that when athletes were given a 6% carb solution during exercise, cortisol levels dropped by almost 80% compared with subjects receiving water.

Because of the high correlation between cortisol and immune system suppression, it is logical that carb supplementation would limit the suppressive effects of exercise on the immune system. In fact, this has been confirmed, most notably by David Nieman and colleagues at Appalachian State University. These researchers have compared a number of immune system parameters during exercise with and without carb supplementation. They found that subjects receiving carb supplementation during intense exercise had lower blood cortisol levels and limited immune suppression--as indicated by a lessened T cell and NK cell reduction--compared with subjects receiving placebo.

Carb supplementation provided dual benefit during exercise...maintaining blood glucose helps maintain immune function while decreasing cortisol levels.

During resistance exercise, cortisol levels can increase fivefold. Strength athletes who ignore the benefits of nutrient supplementation during their workouts place themselves at a greater risk of experiencing the immune-suppressive effects of cortisol, which include a transient weakening of the body's major mechanisms of fighting infection.

It is also important to note...that strength athletes who severely restrict their daily carb intake may be more susceptible to infection.

3. Minimize Muscle Damage

The third important objective of Nutrient Timing during the Energy Phase is to reduce muscle damage. This damage is beneficial to a degree because it stimulates the remodeling process, which leads to larger and stronger muscles. However, the damage to the muscles must be repaired before the remodeling process can begin. Because there is no single cause of exercise-related muscle damage, nutritional intervention must address all the causes.

Carb supplementation during exercise reduces the rise in cortisol and decreases specific agents responsible for producing inflammation. Bishop and colleagues from Longborough University in England showed that carb supplementation could reduce biochemical markers of inflammation by almost 50%.

Supplementation with the antioxidant vitamin E and C and BCAAs may also help minimize muscle damage. While there does not appear to be a performance benefit from vitamins C and E, Rokitzki and colleagues found that supplementation with these antioxidants decreased levels of CPK, and important marker of muscle damage, twenty-four hours after a marathon. This finding suggests that they may limit tissue damage due to free radicals. Dr. William Evans from the University of Arkansas, a leader in this area, has suggested that antioxidants may be of benefit in the body's overall response and adaptation to exercise.

4. Set the Nutritional Stage for a Faster Recovery Following Your Workout

An important tenet of the NTS is nutritional intervention at all stages in the muscle's growth cycle. Increase muscle mass comes from a cycle of muscle stimulation, muscle breakdown, and muscle rebuilding. Every athlete knows the expression, No pain, no gain. This is true in the sense that you must train hard enough to cause a degree of muscle tissue disruption. However, training hard without appropriate nutrition intervention results in a more prolonged recovery and ultimately a weaker training response.

Although you cannot entirely prevent muscle damage and depletion of your energy stores during resistance exercise, by applying the principles of NTS you can minimize these effects, setting the stage for faster recovery.

As seen above, there is increased muscle protein degredation, in part to help supply muscle energy needs during exercise. Consuming protein during exercise will enable you to utilize the ingested protein and thereby decrease protein degredation and spare muscle protein. The same principle holds true with regard to muscle glycogen. Consuming carb during resistance exercise results in less depletion of glycogen stores.

The replenishment of muscle glycogen stores is an essentail cellular function that is given a metabolic priority by the muscles' anabolic machinery following exercise. The faster this process occurs, the quicker the muscle machinery can be reoriented toward the remodeling of your muscle fibers. The replenishment of your energy stores occurs much faster if you have limited their depletion during your workout by supplementing appropriately.

[Alpha*Male]

NTS RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE ENERGY PHASE

Now that you recognize the importance of nutrient consumption during the Energy Phase, we would like you to redefine when your workout actually begins. For most, it begins with your warm-up stretching or first weightlifting rep. But there are a number of benefits to be gained if you begin your workout instead when you are driving to the gym. Consumption of a carb/protein drink ten minutes prior to your workout can raise both blood glucose and insulin levels. At the beginning of your workout, there will be an increase in glucose uptake into the muscles for use as energy, resulting in greater sparing of muscle glycogen and an increase in endurance. A second benefit is that consumption of a carb/protein drink immediately before exercise results in greater protein synthesis after exercise. A third potential benefit is that by raising the blood glucose level, you may reduce the rise in cortisol, which begins soon after your workout does

Nutrient supplementation immediately before exercise and continuing every fifteen to twenty minutes during exercise will not only improve your workout but also lay the groundwork for a faster recovery. Water will help replenish fluid, but a carb drink or, even better, a carb/protein drink will deliver additional benefits. If you are to take full advantage of the NTS, the ideal drink to consume before and during exercise should contain the ingredients...described below.

CARBOHYDRATE

Carb supplementation druing exercise not only helps extend endurance, but also limits suppression of the immune system and reduces muscle tissue damage. The ideal carbs to use are high-glycemic ones such as sucrose, glucose and maltodextrin. Drinks that contain large quantities of fructose may cause gastrointestinal problems.

PROTEIN

Consuming protein during your workout will limit muscle protein degredation. Protein can also work synergistically with carb to increase blood insluin levels beyond those produced by carb alone. Protein has been shown to extend exerceise endurance and the increase protein synthesis upon cessation of exercise. The protein of choice is whey because it is rapidly absorbed and contains all the essential ammino acids, as well as a high percentage of leucine and glutamine, two amino acids that are used extensively during sustained strenuous exercise. The ratio of carb to protein should be approx. 3-4 grams of carb to 1 gram of protein, as this formulation is highly digestible

*yes, different than what we say, but i dont think this book is targeted towards "chemically enhanced" individuals. there is a lengthy discussion of proper protein requirements in another chapter that i will post later*

LEUCINE

This amino acid may also be of benefit in a sports drink because it not only stimulates insulin in its own right, but also has a positive effect on protein synthesis

ELECTROLYTES

Sodium, potassium, and chloride are also necessary in an effective sports drink. The addition of electrolytes not only helps replace what's lost due to sweating but also encourages continued fluid consumption because of the salt, which stimulates thirst.

VITAMINS

Although many sports drinks contain varying amounts of different vitamins, we recommend adding vitamins E and C because they reduce free-radical levels, an important cause of muscle damage.

FLUIDS

You should try to fully replace fluid and electrolyte losses that occur during a strength-training workout. Although strength training does not produce the same level of fluid loss as an endurance workout, fluid losses can still be considerable. Drink at least 12 ounces starting ten minutes before and continuing throughout your workout. For maximum effectiveness, consume several ounces of your Energy Phase beverage every fifteen minutes.

**i'll post subsequent chapters for the Anabolic and Growth phases once i figure out how to use the Text Select tool on these PDF files i created from the scanner**

[itlnchik]

thanks for the interesting read...looking forward to more on the subject..was looking into getting that book

[bodybob]

Now I'm wondering if I should just have POST-WORKOUT shake during the workout (sipping on it every 15min) and then after, just follow up with my post-workout solid food meal

[Alpha*Male]

thanks for the interesting read...looking forward to more on the subject..was looking into getting that book

man, i manually typed all that...ive got the remaining stuff on PDF from my scanner, but i can't use the text select tool, and the files are too large to post...if anyone knows how to work with that stuff, let me know...otherwise, i'm gettin' carpal tunnel

[Khryz]

Thanks for the read. I just recently started experimenting with a during-workout shake and I like it much better than just chugging the whole thing down post-exercise.

So, during your workout you want high-GI carbs such as dextrose and whey? Would that be a good combo? And, is a during-workout shake still recommended if you already had a pre-workout meal with slow-digesting protein & carbs? I was told that a during-workout shake was only beneficial if you didn't have a good pre-workout meal.

[Alpha*Male]

yeah, they say the preworkout shake should seque into your during workout shake...i've seen some say to mix it in approx. 2L of water and drink half right before, then the other half throughout...but if you've eaten a preworkout meal already, with similar nutrients, then i wouldn't necessarily do a shake during, JMO...i would follow immediately with a pwo shake...

[Khryz]

So if you've already had a good, complex pre-workout meal - is it still easy for blood cortisol levels and potential muscle damage to occur if you don't have a during-workout shake and just have a post-workout shake? Will the pre-workout meal stop all the negative effects you listed above just as well as a during workout shake?

[Alpha*Male]

So if you've already had a good, complex pre-workout meal - is it still easy for blood cortisol levels and potential muscle damage to occur if you don't have a during-workout shake and just have a post-workout shake? Will the pre-workout meal stop all the negative effects you listed above just as well as a during workout shake?

yeah, in the book it just mentions the shake being a little easier, and possibly faster-absorbing, but a good solid meal with all those components should be just as good, IMO...

[HalleluYAH]

alpha, you were right, my post here ... http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showpo...postcount=1797 is pretty much in line with this book of yours.

Pre WO nutrition is, IMO, the key to gaining the anabolic "upper hand" in the gym we are all looking for.

[kreydat]

Hello

Thanks for your post, Alphamale.

I am a healthy male in my late 30's who hits the gym 3x a week. Also, I am primarily a pedestrian and walk just about everyday.

I am 210lbs and currently trying to bulk up this winter, and shoot for at least 8 exercises, 3 sets of 5 reps. So far, it's working alright, but after reading Nutrient Timing (I own the book) I felt even more confused about my nutrition. This book doesn't seem to speak to the non-serious athletes, the ones who work out 3 days a week, not every day. Therefore, I know that I shouldn't be taking in 3k calories every single day.

Intuitively, I feel that I should be meeting my daily caloric needs on my training days, but cutting them in half on my non training days, so that my daily caloric needs fluctuate throughout the week.

Does anyone have any suggestions and words of wisdom for me?

Thank you, your feedback is much appreciated.

[boo99]

Hello

Thanks for your post, Alphamale.

I am a healthy male in my late 30's who hits the gym 3x a week. Also, I am primarily a pedestrian and walk just about everyday.

I am 210lbs and currently trying to bulk up this winter, and shoot for at least 8 exercises, 3 sets of 5 reps. So far, it's working alright, but after reading Nutrient Timing (I own the book) I felt even more confused about my nutrition. This book doesn't seem to speak to the non-serious athletes, the ones who work out 3 days a week, not every day. Therefore, I know that I shouldn't be taking in 3k calories every single day.

Intuitively, I feel that I should be meeting my daily caloric needs on my training days, but cutting them in half on my non training days, so that my daily caloric needs fluctuate throughout the week.

Does anyone have any suggestions and words of wisdom for me?

Thank you, your feedback is much appreciated.

He might not still be Alpha

Thread is 13 yrs ago

LOTS of research since then