What should supplementation before and after exercise look like?

In this article, we'll break down the supplements that I generally find important and beneficial to use before and after training. First and foremost, it's important to remember that a quality diet and proper training is the most important thing. Supplements come last in this regard , and you definitely shouldn't address or rely on them if you don't have your diet or training sorted out. If you already have your diet and training figured out, the proper use of supplements can help you improve your training and therefore your results.

I would also like to point out that the dosage of each of the supplements that we will introduce today may vary. Therefore, you need to see what amount of these substances suits your body and what amount is too much or too little.

Supplementation before training

1. Caffeine

The first supplement I would like to recommend is definitely caffeine. In scientific terms, caffeine is a chemical substance, more precisely an alkaloid, that stimulates our central nervous system by acting on adenosine receptors. Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) is an important nucleotide that provides us with energy, but in the process it also releases the substance adenosine. This gradually binds to nerve cells in the brain during the day, slowing down their activity.

High levels of adenosine in the brain indicate that the brain has been very active and needs rest, hence fatigue. But caffeine has a similar structure to adenosine, and can bind to ourour nerve cells and therefore, more specifically, increases the resistance of nerve cells to adenosine.

It can thus delay fatigue for a few hours and make us feel energised. Caffeine also affects heart function and the production of adrenaline, dopamine and epinephrine. Improves concentration and physical performanceallowing you to exercise for longer and at a higher intensity. It also has a positive effect on fat burning and also on recovery, by replenishing glycogen faster after training.

The recommended dose is in therange of 100-400mg approximately 15-45 minutes before training. It's important to start from the lowest dose of caffeine first, I personally recommend using 100mg first so you know how the caffeine will affect you. If you don't feel any difference, you need to increase the dose.

You also need to watch when you take your caffeine, I recommend avoiding the evening and late afternoon hours. I myself am very sensitive to caffeine, so I just take 150mg of caffeine 30-45 minutes before training, at least 7 hours from when I go to bed.

These recommendations are purely from my own experience, everyone has to try it out for themselves to see what works for them. One espresso contains about 70mg, pre-workout supplements ("pre-workouts") contain about 150-250mg per dose. The advantage of the pre-workouts is that they contain more than coffee substances that can positively affect your training, which we'll get to below.

2. Beta alanine

Another very useful supplement is beta alanine, which is contained in most pre-workoutsning supplements, and it is the one that causes the tingling and itching sensation all over the body. However, this is just a side effect that is caused by the rapid increase in carnosine levels in the body. Beta alanine is an amino acid that, together with histidine, produces a peptide called carnosine.

When the muscles are loaded, the amount of lactic acid in the muscles begins to increase. carnosine reduces the production of lactic acid, maintains the pH or acidity in the muscles, and thus increasing strength. and endurance of the muscles and aids in their regeneration. However, supplementation with carnosine directly to increase its content in the muscles is not suitable because the muscle fibres cannot absorb it. This is not the case with beta-alanine, which they can absorb and which then leads to increased carnosine production.

The content of Beta alanine in one dose of a "pre-workout" is most often in the range of 2000-4000mg. We recommend taking beta alanine approximately 15-45 minutes before training.

For maximum effect, we recommend taking beta alanine together with creatine, these two láThese two drugs work synergistically, helping each other in their absorption, availability and effectiveness.

3. Citrulline

Next up is citrulline. Most of the ingested citrulline is absorbed by the kidneys and converted into the amino acid arginine. However, I do not recommend supplementation with arginine alone, because supplementation with citrulline paradoxically leads to higher plasma arginine production in the body than if we dosed arginine alone, and it also leads to a higher plasma production of the amino acid ornithine, which plays an important role in the blood supply to the muscle.

Citrulline, arginine and ornithine then combine to form the urea cycle, which helps to remove harmful substances from the body. In particular, ammonia, which causes fatigue. Citrulline also causes increased blood flow and increased nitric oxide production, leading tobetter oxygenation of the muscles and therefore better pumping during training, greater endurance and greater muscle nutrition. Citrulline therefore delays fatigue, improves endurance and muscle pumping, as well as improving recovery and reducing muscle soreness after training.

The recommended dosage for maximum citrulline benefits here is most commonly around 5000-6500mg of pure citrulline at15-45 minutes before training, or 7000-8500mg of citrulline malate, which is a combination of citrulline and malic acid.

4. Creatine

We primarily use the nucleotide adenosine triphosphate (ATP) as our energy source. This is made up of adenosine and triphosphate. The energy is released by separating the phosphate group and ATP becomes ADP. However, ATP is only an immediate source of energy for the muscles and the body has a limited ability to regenerate it.

Once ATP is depleted as an energy source, performance and endurance are reduced. Creatine, however, promotes the formation of ATP by rebinding the phosphate group to ADP to form ATP again. And it is in this way that it aids energy production. Creatine therefore improves performance and increases strength, it also reduces the rate of muscle damage and improves recoveryWe recommend taking creatine monohydrate, whose effectiveness has been confirmed countless times.

The dosage of creatine is a bit more complicated than with other supplements. Personally, I would not recommend the so-called saturation phase, when you have to take about 20g per day for a certain period of time. In general, in my experience, it is best to take 5-10g of creatine (depending on depending on your total body weight) after training along with protein and fast carbohydrates. On non-training days then 5g anytime during the day, but ideally I would recommend taking creatine in the morning fasted before your first meal.

Post-workout supplementation

1. Whey protein

The first place is clearly whey protein. Thanks to its high and fast absorption, whey protein is the ideal post-workout supplement. In addition , whey protein can kick-start muscle protein synthesis (Muscle protein synthesis) after training. It also contains a large number of amino acids. Of the amino acids, I would like to mention in particular leucine, which is a mediator of proteosynthesis and also increases insulin levels. Insulin is a hormone that has a positive effect on recovery and anabolic processes by preventing the formation of cortisol. Whey protein therefore supports muscle proteosynthesis, muscle building, recovery and also the immune system.

However,some studies state that post-workout protein supplementation is not important and the main thing is total daily protein intake. Which on one hand I have to agree with, as increased protein synthesis in the muscles takes place 24-48 hours after training. Therefore, it follows that it is important to have a balanced protein intake just for 24-48 hours. On the other hand, protein post-workout will get the body into an anabolic process, improve proteosynthesis and initiate repair processes, thus promoting muscle building.

Our favourites for post-workout include:

2. Creatine

I've already mentioned creatine in my pre-workout supplementation, but personally I thinkm think it has much more use in the post-workout period. In this time, creatine is immediately driven into the muscles, replenishing our training-depleted muscle glycogen and aids muscle recovery, so we will be able to exercise more often, harder and have more strength.

3. Carnitine

Carnitine, nowadays a bit controversial dietary supplement, but its health, performance, regenerative benefits for our body are enormous. Carnitine can increase blood flow, which improves the delivery of nutrients, hormones and oxygen to muscle fibers. This not only increases energy during training, but also muscle recovery after training. Furthermore, carnitine positively affects the natural amount of testosterone in the body and stimulates muscle growth.

4. Carbohydrates

I'm sure you've wondered if you should have some carbs after a hard workout or not. A lot of people skip carbs after a workout and thus deprive themselves of big muscle gains. So for me, carbs are definitely a yes. After a workout, muscles act like a sponge that wants to soak up all the nutrients and first the first thing your muscles reach for to replenish their energy stores is carbohydrates. When you add to that all the substances mentioned aboveyou can be sure you've done all you can to grow your muscles.

Supplementation during training (or before and after)

1. Glutamine

Glutamine is the most abundant amino acid in our body. Moreover, our body can make it on its own, which is why it is referred to as a non-essential amino acid. Glutamine plays an important role in many biological processes in our body. The cells of the digestive tract and the immune system use glutamine as a source of energy.

During any extreme physiological stress, which can be just as demanding training, it puts more pressure on our immune system, which uses up a lot more glutamine. Thus, glutamine levels drop rapidly because the body cannot make enough of it in these situations. This results in poorer endurance and recovery.

Glutamine supplementation therefore positively affects performance and recovery. Furthermore, glutamine has anti-catabolic effects and also has a positive effect on protein synthesis, energy production or the maintenance of acid-base balance in the kidneys.

In terms of dosage, we recommend taking 20g of glutamine per day divided into three to four servings. For example, 5g in the morning after waking up, 5g before training, 5g after training and 5g in the evening before going to bed.

Our favorite glutamines include:

2. BCAAS

BCAAs are branched-chain essential amino acids that our bodies cannot make on their own. Namely leucine, isoleucine and valine. Leucine, as the most important of them, ensures the regulation of glucose levels in the muscles, helps protein synthesis and, as I mentioned earlier, increases insulin levels and mediates protein synthesis.

Leucine therefore promotes recovery, enhances performance and last but not least also prevents muscle catabolism. Isoleucine has very similar effects to leucine, for example it also affects proteosynthesis, however not to such a large extent. It also increases glucose utilization and thus saves glycogen stores, the depletion of which causes fatigue.

Valine, like leucine and isoleucine, helps supply glucose to the muscles, and also positively affects the immune system and brain function. Thus, BCAAs function primarily as an immediate source of energy for the muscles, sparing their glycogen stores.

We recommend taking 5-10g of BCAAs before and after training. However, I personally take 10g of BCAAs during my workout and I'm maximally satisfied, if you add 10g of glutamine and 5-10g of creatine to your shaker, you have the so-called "BCAA shake". The ideal Intra drink that reliably prevents any catabolism and starts anabolism already during training.

3. Electrolytes

Electrolytes refer to the ionized forms of minerals, which include sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium, chlorine and phosphorus. Each of these performs a specific function in the body, and a deficiency of any one of them reduces the health of our bodies. The presence of these minerals is also crucial, as well as their relative proportions, which determine how much fluid inside and how much outside the cells, which also has a great influence on our appearance (whether we will have full and hard muscles or not).

Electrolyte deficiency or disturbance of electrolyte balance is one of the most commonThe most common reasons for physique transformation due to excessive water retention. Thus, by supplementing with an appropriately selected ratio of the 6 essential electrolytes, you can very easily changechange your physical appearance and at the same time optimize the function of your nervous system and overall health.

We recommend the use of electrolytes to athletes who exercise for long periods of time (for example, 2 or morehours), as excessive sweating eliminates electrolytes from the body and it is therefore necessary to replenish them in some form. The ideal drink for use during training can be found from the proven company Prom-in, specifically the product Intra Amino.

In conclusion, I would like to say that in this article we have only covered the basic supplements that are definitely worth taking. All of these substances are maximally functional and can move your trainingning and recovery to a whole other level to new and better muscle gains.

Next, I would like to refer you to our older articles in the series "Supplementation under the microscope" where we cover individual supplements in much more detail and are definitely worth a read. We hope you enjoyed this article and if you have any questions, please feel free to ask in the comments.