yatinder2016-blog

[yatinder2016-blog]

Pre & Peri Workout Nutrition

When hypertrophy (muscle building) is your main goal, the food and nutrients you consume is by far the most important aspect towards achieving your goal.

To underestimate pre and peri (“during”) workout nutrition is to kiss your bodybuilding gains goodbye.

For someone who has never trained under a professional fitness expert, getting appropriate macro nutrients is enough to change your current state.

What if a body building champion tells you what to eat to ensure maximum strength every time you went to train with a fitness expert?

I’m focusing on my pre and peri-workout nutrition for ‘hypertrophy’ training ONLY. These recommendations change for a bodybuilder if strength is the goal of that workout (Read Derek Woodske’s blog for strength)1.      Intake for 72 hours leading into a workout will affect the workout2.      For optimum hydration, 400-500mls of water is required every waking hour. (I start each day with 1.5-2L of water)3.      Carbohydrate intake for 24-72 hours prior to training also affects performanceBody building workouts don’t deplete systemic glycogen.

Pre-Workout

2 protocols effective for maximizing bodybuilding results are:No pre-workout carbs to maximize mental focus, energy and drive. This allows for the natural GH spike initiated with intense exercise.

Pre-workout meal:

8oz of lean meat (chicken or turkey breast)

1-2 cups of green vegetables

40 grams of fat from coconut oil, butter, or MCT (Medium Chain Triglycerides) oil (depending on what body-part I’m training. Avoid butter before legs).

1 cup black coffee

Another pre-workout protocol is “slow carb”

. Slow carbs like brown rice, vegetables, beans, whole grain oats, sweet potatoes etc. provide insulin to negate muscle breakdown while increasing cell swelling and hyperemia.

Slow carb pre-workout meal:

8oz of lean meat

2 cups of sweet potato mash with cinnamon

2 tablespoons of coconut oil

To optimize both these, is a non-carb pre-workout; after 20-30 minutes of HARD exercise add carbohydrates (“Vitargo” with 30 grams of BCAA (Branched Chain Amino Acid)).When training intensity is down, or fat-burning is the goal, carbs can wait until after training.When I hold off on intra-workout carbs, I take in BCAA (Branched Chain Amino Acid); add extra (40 grams, my offseason weight is 300lbs).Another pre and peri-workout trick is to add an electrolyte supplement to my pre and peri-workout drink. This increases hydration, cellular uptake, muscle contractibility, negating cramping and decreases chances of injury.

[yatinder2016-blog]

Basics of Weight Training

Youtube and various other video sharing platforms, has become a forum for self proclaimed trainers and professionals, to display the methodical and correct exercise techniques. In order to make the viewers believe that they are professionals, better known as fitness experts, use various terminologies which draw the attention of the viewer. In most of the cases these so called fitness experts don’t even have the requisite knowledge and qualification to guide others.

As a professional, I have undergone rigorous training sessions, but I don’t claim to know it all. I would suggest certain basic things which must be kept in mind. These simple things must be taken into cognizance by your trainer and the knowledge must be passed on to you, so that you can apply them for building and “shaping” muscle. (There isn’t anything like shaping a muscle, but women get perturbed at hearing the term body building, they prefer to call it shaping).Before we start with the basic essentials, I must say that  for better and quick results, while workout you must have a strong CNS (Central Nervous System). You should be communicating with your muscles. The more you are connected to your muscles, the better results you would experience.

Exercise Essentials:

Ø  The first step starts with engaging the target muscles (squeeze it before you move it).

Ø  Continuous tension must be maintained throughout the range. (This may seem redundant or simple but it is of utmost importance). This might be the last thing to master, but important to think about nonetheless.

Ø  The trainee must maintain tension at the extremes of the range (i.e. when you’re fully stretched or squeezed). Do not allow the weight to bounce or change direction quickly.

Ø  Maintain proper posture. Try to attain the ‘attention’ position used by armed forces in which they ‘stand proudly’ with their chest up and chin straight ahead.

Ø  Muscles must be taken through the entire Range of Motion. NOTE: this may not happen in each exercise, this must be practiced, as long as it happens within a given workout.

Ø  Squeezing the muscle at the maximum will create the maximum difference and would lead to your success. You ought to learn how to implement it to all parts of the body.

Ø  Every muscle has a complete range of motion. It must be learnt and exercise pattern should be designed at accordingly, it may appear complicated but is simple to identify in course of time.

Ø  Heavy weights can yield maximum benefit when applied with control and precision. (Advanced athletes are able to use acceleration and control/precision at the same time).

Ø  Acceleration must be implemented once you’ve mastered all of the techniques.

Ø  Locking out is not always bad, if done with acceleration, it may lead to damage.