Eating sweets during classes
Almost every man strives to look impressive in the eyes of women and intimidating for competitors. To achieve this goal, it is very important to have a beautiful, athletic and toned body. Large, elastic muscles, a wide chest, and that’s what we need to stand out from the crowd of monotonous silhouettes.
In order to pump up your muscles to the maximum, you need not only constant hard training, but also proper nutrition. It must be remembered that a training person should never be hungry. Therefore, you will have to increase the amount consumed several times. An athlete's diet should contain a large amount of carbohydrates, which produce energy. Carbohydrates can be divided into two main groups: slow carbohydrates and fast carbohydrates. Slow carbohydrates include foods that contain virtually no sweeteners. Example: cereals, potatoes, pasta, dairy products. The human body digests such food more slowly, which means energy is produced gradually. The specified nutrition must be consumed before training and during the day. Another type is fast carbohydrates. These include, among other things, all sweet desserts. But when choosing fast carbohydrates for food, it is worth remembering that they should be as low in calories as possible; unless of course you are underweight. However, sometimes you can indulge yourself, but without fanaticism.
Cases when you can and should eat sweet foods:
- Immediately in the morning - after a long overnight fast - along with a breakfast of complex carbohydrates (after all, it takes some time for them to start “working”).
- Thirty minutes before training after eating protein foods, if it is not possible to “fill up” with slow carbohydrates. This meal plan is considered the most optimal and reasonable option.
- In the interval during training. This may be necessary to replenish lost glucose reserves and restore tone.
- Immediately after training to quickly replenish the body’s depleted reserves and begin recovery processes (the so-called “carbohydrate window”).
In principle, every time after finishing your workout at the gym, you can eat sweets. This could be one of the following desserts: a carbohydrate bar, natural yogurt, fruit or freshly squeezed juices; or anything of your choice. Among fruit and berry products, bananas, kiwi, papaya and cherries are considered the most beneficial for athletes. Banana smoothies contain protein. Kiwis contain a large amount of collagen, which is very beneficial for ligaments and muscles. Cherry juice is a rich natural analgesic. Fresh papaya can speed up the breakdown of proteins in the human body. When choosing sweets, you shouldn’t go too heavy on fatty cakes and pastries. Try replacing these high-calorie products with sesame halva, apple marshmallow, jelly, marshmallows or marmalade. Marmalade and jelly are dietary products. They contain a low amount of calories, as they consist of fruit juices. Marshmallows and marshmallows help strengthen the immune system. Thus, they indirectly have a beneficial effect on the growth of muscle mass. But, for example, such a wonderful dessert as ice cream, like everything cold in principle, is digested rather slowly; and this must be remembered.
Many athletes use high-carbohydrate or protein-carbohydrate mixtures after training: gainers and protein shakes. And also in various forms. There's nothing wrong with that either. The vast majority of these sports nutrition products, if you follow the dosage, are absolutely harmless.
The role of sweet foods is very important when playing sports. Due to their high calorie content and relatively quick digestibility, they allow you to restore the energy spent during training in a short period of time. In addition, you should not deny yourself the pleasure of eating a delicious sweet treat every now and then.
Happy training.
If you liked this article, please click on the corresponding icon and share it with the readers of your social network. Thank you.Professional bodybuilders say that before training, namely 30 minutes before, it is useful to eat something sweet: a banana, an apple or a pear. This recommendation is very appropriate and can be easily explained. The fact is that sweets are a powerful and unlimited storehouse of fast carbohydrates, which are extremely necessary for any athlete. As for dark chocolate, it is very useful before training. However, you should figure out how and when to eat it correctly.
The benefits of pre-workout treats
An interesting fact is that natural chocolate is very useful for professional athletes and sportsmen, so many people enjoy it not only before, but also after training in the gym. This news will please all those with a sweet tooth who practice it professionally or at home. What is its benefit when playing sports?
The fact is that dark chocolate can significantly increase the level of nitric oxide, which is extremely important for athletes. However, you don’t have to eat the bar in its pure form; you can safely add it to a special cocktail to increase its effectiveness.
It helps speed up the process of building muscle mass, promotes full recovery of the body, and this is not a myth, but a real reality. This information has a number of scientific confirmations, which were obtained through numerous studies.
It is worth remembering the experiment that was carried out at the University of Wales. It involved men who ate dark chocolate before training. In addition, the levels of glucose, insulin, and oxidative stress were monitored.
Interestingly, the results of this experiment surprised the researchers themselves. Athletes who ate a small amount of sweets immediately before training could boast stable blood glucose levels. As a result, they have much more energy, which is enough for a full-fledged lesson. As for insulin, it is at a high level, and this ensures accelerated muscle growth. However, this trick has some disadvantages. The main disadvantage is that the process of burning fat deposits is limited.
It is important to note that natural chocolate reduces the oxidative process, so muscle recovery after training is significantly accelerated.
In simple words, the product is extremely useful, especially for bodybuilders. The only condition is that it should be eaten correctly. It is advisable to add a small amount of sweetness to a protein shake. Particularly beneficial is the product that contains less than seventy percent cocoa. Cocoa powder is sometimes added to the shake, which will turn the usual mixture into a more tasty, aromatic and very nutritious one. All this will allow you to quickly restore strength and spent energy after training.
As for the percentage of cocoa, this aspect is extremely important in this matter. That is why you should not neglect them. If the treat contains about 40-55 percent cocoa, then you will not be able to get any benefit. Many manufacturers replace cocoa deficiency with sweeteners, which are empty calories. When purchasing pre-workout chocolate, read the label carefully.
Useful composition
Many scientists and researchers argue that chocolate is not just a banal sweet that children and adults love. In addition to all this, the delicacy can prolong life, strengthen the immune system and restore strength. This is due to its unique, valuable composition, since it contains special antioxidants, namely ketahins. They ensure the preservation of the protective function of all cells from radicals. In simple words, chocolate protects the human body from various diseases that relate to the heart muscle and blood vessels. Sometimes it prevents the development of cancer.
With its help you can avoid strokes and heart attacks, because it helps normalize platelet function. How does this happen? It contains biologically active substances, flavonoids, which prevent the same platelets from sticking together. As a result, there is a barrier to the formation of pathogenic platelets that can threaten human life. Cardiologists say that dark chocolate should be present in the diet, as it provides very high-quality prevention of diseases of the cardiovascular system.
Strengthening the circulatory system occurs due to phenols, which prevent free cholesterol from oxidizing, ultimately preventing the risk of vasoconstriction. Chocolate contains a large amount of stearic acid, which in turn deeply cleanses blood vessels.
The delicacy contains a huge amount of magnesium, calcium and phosphorus ions. They ensure the strength of the skeletal system, nourish brain cells and take part in cellular metabolism. Don’t forget about the unique theanines, which are famous for their excellent antibacterial effect. Some of them protect teeth from plaque, and fluoride helps strengthen them.
Additional properties
Everyone's favorite delicacy perfectly lifts the mood. That is why you need to eat it before going to the gym. If you have a lot of strength and a good mood, then any workout will be more productive, efficient, and most importantly, effective. The effect of all the exercises you do directly depends on your mood and state of health.
Chocolate contains magnesium, which supports normal mental and physical health, and helps strengthen the immune system. It is important to note that one chocolate bar can relieve even the most severe fatigue. This is very useful during training, as the athlete can perform better and longer without experiencing excessive fatigue.
In simple words, we can say that thanks to chocolate, training takes on new and bright colors, it becomes more productive and useful. Do you want to have good results? Then this product can help you with this. As for the unique composition of the product, as well as useful and valuable properties, all this will have a beneficial effect on the process of building muscle mass.
It is important to emphasize that any training will begin to be livelier, more active and more interesting. Most athletes who indulge in a dark chocolate bar before exercise are able to exercise much longer, better, and more effectively.
To summarize, it should be noted that cocoa powder and real chocolate can help athletes in their field. With the help of such sweets, health and immunity are strengthened, strength and vitality are replenished. That is why, if you eat a little of this sweetness before the workout itself, namely 20 minutes before, you will be able to work out better and more effectively!
The worst enemy of our health is ourselves. More precisely, our blind faith in “that’s what people say” and “everyone has known this for a long time, everyone can’t be wrong!”
This is called militant amateurism. Because what people say may be outdated knowledge a long time ago.
Let's say, 200 years ago, no one believed in the existence of germs and that hand washing was good for health. But this did not cancel the impact of microbes!
The same “immutable, well-known truths” exist in matters of weight loss. For example, “don’t eat after six”, “don’t eat two hours before training and two hours after training”, “don’t eat sweets and starchy foods”, “don’t eat salty”...
In general, in the understanding of an ordinary person, in order to lose weight, you just need DO NOT EAT– absolutely or something specific. The main thing is not to eat. And the knowledge of specialists that MUST EAT.
The usual picture is when a person comes to the gym with a desire to lose weight, asks to schedule a workout for him to lose weight and give him recommendations on a diet.
The trainer, taking into account dozens of factors, writes an individual program, and the client who receives the program begins to look at the training plan, diet and quietly wonder: “What kind of ignoramus is this trainer? What does it mean to eat an hour and a half before training?! What does it mean to eat 6 times a day?! What does it mean to eat sweets immediately after training?!”
In the best case, complaints are made to the coach - and the coach tells about the basics of nutrition and the “carbohydrate window”. In the worst case, the recommendations of a coach who has discredited himself from the point of view of a fat guy who considers himself tougher in sports are simply ignored.
As a result of violating the scheme and ignoring the “carbohydrate window”, the fat man does not lose weight in 1.5-2 months. However, if he ate chocolate after training, as the trainer recommended, the weight loss effect could be quite significant. Simply because the trainer in his recommendations was guided not by myths that “everyone knows,” but by exact scientific knowledge.
And they say that human metabolism is regulated by hormones. For this purpose, complex schemes are created, including training, diet and sleep, designed to trigger the production of the necessary hormones in the body at the right time and in the right quantity.
The “carbohydrate window” refers to a certain hormonal level that occurs as a result of intense training and lasts for some time after it.
In other words, this is an altered state of the body and the time during which this state lasts. Typically the carbohydrate window is between 30 to 60 minutes depending on the personal characteristics of the athlete.
During intense and prolonged physical activity, especially if it is close to the limit of the body (repetitions "to failure", exhausting multi-sets or a long run on a cardio machine), in response to "danger" - and the body perceives such loads as a danger to survival - secretes "stress" hormones.
They rearrange metabolism so that the body survives with minimal losses. Safety and energy-saving systems are turned on, blood flow, pressure, and the functioning of the skin glands change, and stored fats and glycogen are involved in energy exchange. Otherwise, the load will cause excessive damage to the body’s energy and muscles.
A change in hormonal levels entails a change in the entire biochemistry of the body, adjusting it to an economical way. Therefore, a second wind opens, an illusory surge of strength occurs, the joy hormone endorphin is released into the blood - so that “it won’t be so scary.”
This condition begins approximately in 30-40 minutes after the start of intense training and continues for about an hour after its completion. Any supply of external nutrients at this time immediately goes towards emergency restoration and increased efficiency.
Proteins and carbohydrates are absorbed 4 times faster than usual and 100%. Then the hormonal levels stabilize and the body enters the “calm recovery” phase
"Stress" hormones
Most famous adrenalin And cortisol, their work is corrected by insulin. In addition, adrenaline increases tissue oxygen consumption and blood glucose levels, triggering the breakdown of glycogen (first in the liver, then in the muscles) and increased hepatic blood flow in the liver.
The precursor to adrenaline, norepinephrine, regulates blood flow throughout the body. Thus, adrenaline increases the efficiency of muscle nutrition and breathing.
Cortisol also stimulates the synthesis of glucose from liver glycogen and its release into the bloodstream, while simultaneously slowing down the consumption of glucose by the muscles (they begin to work more economically), and stimulates the synthesis of proteins that go towards repairing damaged muscle tissue.
Why a carbohydrate window after a workout?
Under the influence of the above hormones, taking quickly digestible carbohydrates allows you to increase the storage of glycogen in the muscles, repair damage, and build muscle - without restoring fat reserves spent during training.
In the first hour after training, any food eaten goes only to muscle recovery! This is what the weight loss effect using the “carbohydrate window” is based on.
Muscle mass increases, which burns fat more and more effectively with each workout. Thus, the carbohydrate window is an excellent opportunity for weight loss.
If you don’t eat anything after a workout, the effect of stress hormones lasts for several hours, but it’s not so much the fat that is destroyed, but the already damaged muscles from the workout that haven’t received nutrition for quick recovery.
If you take carbohydrates immediately after a workout, the body responds by releasing insulin into the blood, and it is an antagonist of adrenaline and cortisol, since it immediately transfers excess glucose back into “reserves”. But not into fat, but into glycogen, that is, it builds muscle and removes the body from post-workout stress.
How to close the “carbohydrate window”
That's why those who want to lose weight need to immediately after training eat something sweet– banana, orange, grapes, a piece of chocolate, some sweets or honey; drink a protein shake or juice.
Those who want to build muscle mass should drink gainer, containing fast sugars and amino acids. Even something sweet will help pie or sweet tea.
The “carbohydrate window” is an excellent opportunity to treat yourself to sweets “for good behavior” and get benefits from it, because living on a diet without sweets and trying to lose weight while starving is a very sad alternative to proper exercise!
Recipe for how to close the carbohydrate window after a workout - video
A step-by-step description of preparing one of the instant meals that can be used to close the “carbohydrate window” after a workout.
It is better to combine strength training in the gym with proper nutrition to enhance the effect and speed up the path to health and a beautiful body. A gym instructor at the S-Fitness club shares his opinion on this matter. Denis.
Opinions about what to eat after working out in the gym often differ. “Recently, I’ve been hearing more and more from people that carbohydrates are needed after a workout, and the simpler they are, the better,” says Denis. “In fact, if you exercise naturally (without the use of pharmacology), eating carbohydrates after a workout is at least stupid!”
The fact is that for the development of muscle tissue cells, you need to take into account some factors and create conditions. The main and fundamental factor in any strength sports and in any theories, be it the accumulation theory or the destruction theory, is the release of hormones such as growth hormone and testosterone.
In other words, whether you are losing weight or gaining weight, whether you are a man or a woman, young or not, the entire training process is completely tied up around the release of hormones, which subsequently change your body in one direction or another.
You don't need to have a background in biochemistry to understand that eating carbohydrates causes your blood sugar to rise. After training, the sugar level is low, and the level of hormones, especially growth hormone, is several times higher and by eating bananas or drinking sweet yogurt, you thereby cause the release of insulin into the blood and instantly change the situation on the contrary.
For about an hour after training, these same hormones are in the blood and enter the cell nucleus, where they work and die for several more days after training. “So, by taking fast carbohydrates immediately after training, you deprive yourself of a portion of hormones, which are worth their weight in gold for a person who naturally works out in the gym,” adds Denis.
The second factor is the presence of amino acids in the blood. If you drink whey protein hydrolyzate, and thereby allow the body to transport amino acids into the cell, protein synthesis will occur and, as a result, muscle growth and a decrease in the percentage of fat.
Some people wonder what to do about energy loss during exercise. The answer is very simple - glycogen reserves are restored from a day to three, and there is no point in eating Snickers, thinking: “Now I will recover, and a supercompensation effect will occur, and tomorrow I will do more than today.”
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