Suburban Boot Camps
Posted on May 13th, 2011
Nutrition Warehouse would like to thank Suburban Boot Camps for their ongoing support and would like to share what they have been up to lately. Thank you Suburban Boot Camps:
Mega Fitness Session for World Health Day
On the 9th of April, a mega fitness session occurred in Brisbane. With the support of Nutrition Warehouse, Lorna Jane and Sumo Salad, Suburban Bootcamps were able to organise and conduct a mega fitness session with over 90 people participating at once!
The super sized fitness session consisted of boxing, bodyweight exercises and a Kettlebell demonstration from the Suburban Bootcamp members. With the music pumping and a loud speaker to get the instructions to the participating attendees the atmosphere and energy was buzzing. Fitness dominated the park with many onlookers from the local community stopping by and watching in amazement at the fitness session taking place.
Thanks to Nutrition Warehouse and Suburban Bootcamps everyone who participated in the fitness event for World Health Day received well over $100 in free fitness giveaways!! Not only did over 90 people get an awesome work out, they went home with heaps of fitness gifts to keep them motivated and working towards their health and fitness goals.
Due to the huge success of this fitness event Suburban Bootcamps will look to team up with Nutrition Warehouse again in the future to bring another, and even bigger fitness session to the fitness conscious people of QLD! Thanks Nutrition Warehouse for your amazing support!!
Who is Suburban Bootcamps?
Suburban Bootcamps is not your normal bootcamp. Suburban Bootcamps is Brisbane’s only outdoor group fitness organisation that specialises in Kettlebell training. Training sessions are high energy with a strong focus on metabolic training, strength training and power endurance.
All Suburban Bootcamp members receive their own Kettlebell at no cost and are guaranteed to achieve results or they train for FREE. For more information on Kettlebells and how they can help you achieve the results your looking for contact Trent or Sarah.
Website: www.suburbanbootcamps.com
Email: info@suburbanbootcamps.com
Tags: Boot Camps, fitness, training
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Carbohydates for Hypertrophy Training – Part 2
Posted on December 13th, 2010
Last week I left everyone with the question of whether or not they believe CHO’s are necessary in a post workout shake for hypertrophy training. The most accurate response is it depends on the individual. Myself personally, I do not believe they are necessary in a hypertrophy specific program and I will explain why…
CHO use Post-Workout (0-30min)
Here is where it gets interesting. Looking back let’s focus on how the body primarily uses CHO. First and foremost they provide energy, secondly they prevent muscle breakdown (albeit indirectly as an energy provider) and finally they enhance our hormone control via increasing insulin and decreasing cortisol.
Now lets look at these 3 factors:
1) We don’t need more energy once our workout is finished, so we shouldn’t need CHO.
- Some sports however rely heavily on immediate glycogen replenishment for a fast recovery between multiple bouts of exercise with short recovery time. These athletes most definitely want CHO’s in their post-workout shake to increase the rate of glycogen replenishment. Failing to do so will almost certainly reduce performance.
2) As we aren’t expelling more energy we don’t need CHO to prevent the break down of muscle.
3) We want to increase our potential for repair and growth through hormone manipulation.
*If you remember CHO’s spike insulin the ‘recruiting hormone’. So we absolutely want to do this right? Maybe not..
Theoretically it sounds great… Insulin increases the uptake of nutrients –> CHO’s spike insulin –> Ingest CHO, spike insulin and therefore increase growth potential, recovery and repair! Unfortunately it’s not that simple. When we work out we produce a sympathetic response in the body that results in the release of catecholamines (adrenaline, noradrenaline). We do this because the body recognises it is about to go into over drive, our heart rates increase, blood pressure rises and our energy production sky rockets. The down side is that catecholamines also prevent the release of insulin, which allows for maximum energy production (if the body allowed insulin to be released the we would go into storage mode not energy releasing mode). One other important factor studies have shown is that catecholamines levels in the blood are still raised for up to 1hour post exercise, which means a reduced potential to spike insulin immediately post exercise (at least with CHO anyway).
So what does all that mean?
CHO aren’t necessary to initiate muscle repair immediately post workout. Instead a simple fast absorbing protein source (WPI or Hydrolyzed WPI) combined with Leucine will be sufficient. I firmly believe everyone should be using leucine in their Post-Workout shake as studies consistently prove it increases protein synthesis markedly, with some studies suggesting an increase of up to 250%. This effectively removes the ‘necessity’ for a CHO induced insulin spike post workout to promote nutrient absorption.
Now there are some exceptions to this rule.
First and foremost, athletes involved in high energy demanding sports such as rugby league, rowing, soccer, marathons and triathlons etc most definitely require CHO’s post exercise. As they are high energy demanding sports, athletes require maximum glycogen replenishment. These athletes differ to those training for aesthetics, whereby glycogen replenishment is not as important.
Secondly I would suggest anyone who considers themselves a ‘hard gainer’ to also have CHO’s in their post workout shake purely to keep them in a caloric surplus. Alternatively you could also up the CHO’s in your pre and intra-workout shakes.
Following this I encourage anyone who has trained vigorously to then have a high CHO/High Protein/Low Fat meal approximately 45min-1hr after their post workout shake. This will provide the body with the necessary glycogen replenishment.
Until next time.
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Carbohydates for Hypertrophy Training – Part 1
Posted on December 9th, 2010
Last week I touched on the key nutrients everyone should be utilising in their para-workout nutrition protocols and I asked everyone to check back in for my take on the use of carbohydrates (CHO) in a hypertrophy (muscle growth) phase.
So what do CHO’s do?
CHO’s provide the body with numerous functions. They provide energy to perform exercise, energy for the brain to function and importantly they prevent the use of amino acids (AA) in the form of broken down muscle tissue to be used for energy (thus delaying muscle breakdown). They can be used as an immediate energy source in the form of blood glucose, stored in the muscle as glycogen (stored energy) or if in excess they can also be stored as fat. Finally CHO can be used to manipulate hormone release by either increasing insulin production (a storage hormone) or decreasing cortisol release (a break down hormone). Taking into consideration all of these factors I will now layout how, when and why CHO should be used in conjunction with your workouts.
Note: Remember this information is predominantly geared towards an individual looking to increase muscle mass. Other factors such as weight loss or energy control in sports requiring more anaerobic/aerobic performance will vary. I will touch on the variances marginally throughout this blog.
CHO use Pre-Workout (15-45min before)
The primary role of a CHO feeding prior to your workout is to provide the body with readily available energy. It is advised that fast absorbing CHO’s such as Waxi Maize or Maltodextrin (mentioned in my last blog) be utilised at this time. Not only will these types of CHO’s provide the body with a rapid surge of blood glucose but they will also stimulate insulin release. Insulin is a hormone released by the body to promote uptake of nutrients into the cells. When a CHO source is co-ingested with AA’s, creatine’s and beta-alanine the rapid insulin production will result in a greater uptake of the nutrients and therefore create a more efficient, more anabolic environment for growth. Studies have also consistently shown a delayed onset of fatigue, increased strength and a greater level of protein synthesis post workout in individuals co-ingesting a CHO and AA/Protein source prior to their workouts.
Traditionally CHO’s have been used to spike insulin post workout (I will touch on this in part 2 of this blog), however studies are now starting to prove how important pre-workout nutrition is in an hypertrophy or performance based program.
Anywhere from 0.5 – 1.0g/kg of CHO will be sufficient here.
CHO use Intra-Workout (during)
So we now know CHO’s are the primary energy source used for exercise at high intensities and we have now provided the body with what would seem to be enough in our pre-workout drink. The question is, do we need more and if so why would we need them intra-workout?
The number 1 reason for the intra-workout CHO pulse is to prevent cortisol release and prevent excessive muscle glycogen depletion. As mentioned previously, cortisol is a hormone released by the body when we are in need of more energy. It’s primary role is to break down stored energy sources in order to make them readily available in the blood. The 2 energy sources it will target will first and foremost come from muscle glycogen (stored CHO) and secondly from muscle in the form of AA’s if glycogen is depleted.
Bearing in mind our goal is for muscle growth and therefore prevention of muscle breakdown, I suggest you intake anywhere from 0.2-0.5g/kg of CHO here (waxy maize or maltodextrin). Remember, this serving is designed simply to ‘top up’ the body with readily available energy and should be sipped from the beginning until 15minutes from the end of your workout. When introducing CHO’s into your pre and intra-workout nutrition protocols always start at the low end of the scale and work your way up in serving size to assess your tolerance.
Note: An individual can completely deplete their muscle glycogen within 40min-1hr of intense exercise and studies have shown as little as 0.2g of CHO per kg of body weight can reduce muscle glycogen depletion by up to 50%, increase strength, decrease fatigue and once again improve post workout protein synthesis when co-ingested with an AA supplement. This means the body will perform better, create a larger adaptation and importantly, utilise more of the post-workout protein source as a building block for repair and growth.
Conclusion
CHO’s are a vital source of energy when looking to improve performance and body composition, yet they are not a sole source of nutrition. Make sure to re-read my previous blog on the necessary nutrients to include in your workout nutrition. In my next blog I will touch on CHO’s and their place in the post workout shake.
Do you think they are necessary?
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New kid on the block
Posted on December 3rd, 2010
To the customers I am yet to meet I would like to take this opportunity to formally introduce myself. My name is Dean and I am one of the new team members at Nutrition Warehouse. I am currently working out of our new Lutwyche store but can also be found at Greenslopes or Underwood from time to time.
Sporting History
All my life I have played soccer, starting at the age of 4 playing in the Dalby under 6’s league until 2 years ago when I decided to leave the game at the age of 21. In the 18 years that I played I was lucky enough to represent both my state (outdoor) and be selected for my country (futsal). At the age of 16-17 I was also asked to trial in the UK for a semi-professional club, however my time and opportunity was cut short due to injury.
Since leaving soccer I have found a new passion in working out and am entertaining the idea of competing in the years to come.
Qualifications
I recently completed my 4 year degree, graduating with a Bachelor of Exercise Science and Human Movement studies. I am also a certified level 2 strength and conditioning coach with the Australian Strength and Conditioning Association. My most recent work in this field was as a student Assistant Athletic Performance coach at the Brisbane Broncos for the entirety of their 2010 pre-season preparation, which was an awesome experience.
The Future
Nutrition Warehouse is the future. We have an awesome team here, filled with past and present athletes, great knowledge, the highest quality supplements and cream of the crop customer service. I am loving my time here and I can’t wait to see what the months to come will bring.
Come in and pick my brain, talk training, nutrition and supplementation. Hopefully you will leave with not only the most suitable products for your goals but also some extra knowledge in this massive world of training and nutrition.
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Para-Workout Nutrition
Posted on December 3rd, 2010
Not everyone will be familiar with the phrase ‘para’ workout nutrition. ‘Para’ refers to your nutrition protocols focused in and around your workout, of which they can be broken into sub categories of Pre Workout, Intra Workout and Post Workout. In this blog I will be focusing on some key principles I personally use when in a hypertrophy or growth phase. Historically workout nutrition has always been predominantly focused on post workout recovery, however today we are seeing more and more ‘pre-workout’ supplements as the importance of nutrient delivery prior to exercise becomes more evident.
The Pre Workout Shake (15-45 minutes prior to a workout)
There are 2 major goals to a pre-workout supplement. First and foremost is the nutrient quality, content and delivery mechanism. These three factors should be the dominant thoughts in your mind when deciding what you need in your pre-workout drink. No single ‘pre-workout’ supplement will provide you with everything and so it is necessary to stack supplements for the most effective response.
The top 5 ingredients I believe should be in your pre-workout are:
1) Amino Acids (EAA/BCAA) –> 0.1g per kg of body weight
2) Creatine (Titrates, malates, di-phosphates) –> 5g
3) Arginine/Citrulline Malate –> 3-5g
4) Beta-Alanine –> 1.5-2g
5) Carbohydrates (Waxy Maize dominant) –> 0.5-1g per kg of body weight (depending on goals, exercise intensity and carbohydrate tolerance)
Secondly a pre-workout supplement can also be used to increase energy and focus. My current pick of the bunch would have to be products using 1, 3-Dimethylamylamine and minimal caffeine levels (<100mg per serve). Caffeinated products will also have a positive effect on your performance if this is your personal preference (Dosage: 3-5mg per kg of body weight)
The above combination stack includes our best selling 1, 3-Dimethylamylamine supplement and when used in combination will provide you with the necessary ingredients of creatine, beta-alanine, arginine, BCAA’s and carbohydrates.
DISCLAIMER: Athlete’s competing in WADA or ASADA tested sports SHOULD NOT be using any 1, 3-Dimethylamylamine products during competition!
The Intra-Workout Drink (during workout)
This is one part of para-workout nutrition that most are missing, yet in my opinion is vital. This phase of nutrition should be focused on fast, readily available, easily digestible nutritional sources consisting of an energy provider and muscle building/recovery nutrients.
The top ingredients for intra-workout nutrition include:
1) Amino Acids (EAA/BCAA) –> 0.1-0.15g per kg of body weight
2) Carbohydrates (Maltodextrin/Waxy Maize) –> 0.2-0.5g per kg of body weight
*Note: The carbohydrates during the workout are designed to provide the body with readily available energy and prevent muscle breakdown (in cases of complete glycogen depletion).
A person on a high carbohydrate diet will be less inclined to require a large source of carbohydrates here as stored glycogen levels should be high enough to prevent complete glycogen depletion.
Secondary but also very beneficial nutrients here can also include a small dosage of arginine/citrulline malate (2-3g) to maintain high blood flow.
The above supplements will provide you with these necessary nutrients:
The Post-Workout Shake (0-30minutes after finishing session)
This shake is without a doubt the most utilised shake of para-workout nutrition and for good reason. The post-workout shake is implemented for 2 main reasons. Those being replenishment and recovery (growth and repair).
The key ingredients one should have in their post-workout shake include:
1) Fast absorbing protein source (Hydrolysed WPI or WPI) –> 20-45g depending on body weight and level of hydrolysation
2) Leucine (added in free form) –> 5g
3) Creatine (monohydrate, titrate, malate, di-phosphate) –> 5g
An optional ingredient here can also be added carbohydrates. Look out for my next blog where I will explain my thoughts on whether or not post-workout carbohydrates are a necessity in a muscle gain program. For now I will leave it at that or else this blog will last forever!
The above supplements will provide you with the necessary nutrients.
So there it is, a complete guide to para-workout nutrition. With a budget allowing and a keen dedication to your training, I truly believe a consistent approach to para-workout nutrition can help you reach new goals, break through plateaus and above all, grow more muscle!
Until next time.
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