muscle development: sports supplementation
Fundamental, both to facilitate our daily diet and to complement it. In the first section, proteins, carbohydrates and fats play a fundamental role. Whenever there are deficiencies in the diets, we should replace them with shakes. In most cases, this will avoid overexertion of the digestive system, since when we take, for example, a 30 g protein shake, we only ingest the protein, and to ingest that amount in chicken, we would have to go to 150 g. Therefore, first, extract the 30 g of the 150 chicken and second, ingest the remaining 120 g of substances that we may not want at the time. In addition, supplementation will also make it easier for us to follow the diet.
The great key to modern sports nutrition is to use the performance-enhancing products at our fingertips, with our needs in mind. At the level of muscle development, one of the most basic would be to use protein or amino acids when necessary; and a second, very important, to improve protein synthesis, the chemical process in which we assimilate protein in the body. We can achieve this with vitamins and minerals, with an extra contribution of amino acids, cellular creatine or with a prohormone (preferably, always natural). The same as we use proteins, when necessary, we will use carbohydrates or fats.
Finally, if we need to improve rest, strength, endurance or recovery, there are specific products to improve these aspects.
Metabolic stress
Have you ever felt like you don’t have enough strength to do one last push-up? Or that your muscles burn during or after a session? Well, those are the typical indications of metabolic stress.
The more repetitions and sets you do, the more the muscles will grow since the blood vessels contract, and less oxygen reaches the muscle fibres. As a result, the body manufactures metabolic by-products such as lactate and creatine, and a burning sensation occurs.
Fortunately, this suffering does help because metabolic stress has been shown to affect muscle development positively.
Helpful Tip: Do a good number of reps (15-20 per exercise) with an intensity between 60-70% of your maximum strength.
Mechanical stress
Mechanical stress has to do with the resistance of the load. Using more resources to hold the bar or kettlebell, the hypertrophied muscle is forced to adapt and stimulate itself.
Helpful tip: it is advisable to perform a low number of repetitions (8 to 12 per exercise) at a higher intensity, between 60 and 80% of your maximum strength. Increase the load more and more so that you do not exceed eight repetitions in the last set.
Muscle damage
Damaging your muscles seems, at first, bad for your health. However, from our point of view, this is necessary for mass muscle gain. If you lift weighty loads or your muscles are under tension for a long time during a session, micro-tears may appear.
The most striking thing is that, while you recover, the body repairs the damages caused, and the muscles develop. The greater the damage, the longer the recovery will last and the more unpleasant it will be to climb the stairs the next day.
Helpful tip: put on a good load and do a small number of repetitions (6 to 8 per exercise), with an intensity between 65 and 85% of your maximum strength. It also lengthens the eccentric phase by decreasing the speed at which you lower the load.
To obtain the best possible results, take advantage of all the information and strategies we have shared with you and integrate them into your training program.
When your muscles get used to the stimuli, muscle growth will stagnate. Therefore, it is advisable to vary the training program every two or three months. For example, you can incorporate new exercises, increase the load, or modify the number of repetitions and pauses.
You can see the first results of the gym with at least three months of regular practice of muscle exercises, and with six months of exercise, it is already possible to notice a big difference in growth and muscle definition. However, the improvement in cardiovascular conditioning can be noticed in the first month.
