In terms of intra workout nutrition I'd like to go into a bit of the details. Things that you might not have known. Because this is what I do. I do sweat the small detail because it makes all the difference and is what makes or breaks someone in the long run!
In terms of intra workout nutrition there are 4 important pillars that we want to target. a readily available form of amino acids, glucose , hydration and number 4 most importantly of all accomplish this while keeping gastrointestinal stress to a minimum.
When mixing your intra workout with water there is a perfect balance/ ratio in which you want to have your intra workout drink and that is a 6-8% solvent of your 100% solution. Why? Because this is the optimal percentage at which your small intestine will absorb the intra workout source. Anything more concentrated will lead to gastrointestinal upset. Now what would be the ideal amount of carbohydrates typically for a bodybuilding athlete? Typically for most females that range would be anywhere between 25-35g of carbs and for a male 35-45. Upwards to 60-75g of carbohydrates can be consumed. Interesting thing about the human body is that it can absorb about 1g of glucose per minute which effectively leaves you at 60g of carbs in a 1 hour space. Keeping in mind that if you took in a pre workout meal some of those carbs and amino acids will also be utilised in the workout. I myself recommend highly soluble forms of carbohydrates as intra workout sources. The most optimal carbohydrate that you can take in will probably be a highly branched cyclic dextrin. It has the lowest insulin release which means it will sustain you longer and prevent muscle breakdown better than other forms. We also need sodium to absorb carbohydrates in our small intestine! Transporter channels known as SGLT1 help with the absorption of carbohydrates in the small intestine.
As for other ingredients glutamine and glycine are both amino acids that can help with the uptake of electrolytes. In terms of electrolytes we want our sodium, potassium and magnesium in a 1:1:1 ratio. Important to note that a bit more sodium might be beneficial as we have a tendency to deplete sodium quicker than the other electrolytes. Sodium will be important for muscle contraction while potassium will be important for muscle relaxation. Magnesium helps to stabilise the gradient between the two.
In my team we take all detail into consideration. No detail is too small. We want to utilise every bit of advantage that we can. If you’re ready to work lets get started
