Eat For the Long Haul:When it comes to training endurance in high-intensity situations, the most critical issue — besides training performance itself — is knowing how to properly fuel your body. The two most critical sources of fuel are carbs and protein. Getting the right kinds of carbs and protein at the right times can make all the difference between going the distance and hitting the wall. Here are some recommendations for carbs and protein, regardless of whether you choose to get these macronutrients from foods or sports supplements.
Carb Sources
It should come as no surprise that carbohydrates are essential to your endurance capacities. But when it comes to choosing the right kind of carb foods, it’s far more complicated than simply grabbing a sports drink. There are three exercise time windows that are highly influential on muscle endurance: 1) 30 minutes before you weight train; 2) the period during which you weight train; and 3) the time immediately after you train. Knowing the right type of carbs to consume during each of these windows is critical for enhancing your endurance.
► Before you train: Thirty minutes before you start to weight train, you should fuel your body with both high-glycemic-index (GI) carbs and low-GI carbs. The sugar in high-GI carbs will get into your bloodstream rapidly, providing you with immediate energy that will be available at the beginning of your workout. Low-GI carbs will slowly release their sugar into your bloodstream, keeping insulin levels low and steady and allowing the carbs to stay with you, giving you more energy for longer during your workouts.
A good and convenient carb source before exercise are energy bars that provide about 40 g of carbs from high-GI carbs such as sugar, cane-juice syrup or maltodextrin, and low-GI carbs such as oat bran and brown rice flour. You can keep them close by in your gym bag, backpack, glove box or even your pocket so they’re there when you need them. A good whole-food choice is a jelly sandwich on whole-grain bread (but don’t put that in your pocket).
► During: When you are in the process of exercising, you need to switch to high-GI carbs. That’s because during exercise, anything that you consume needs to get into your bloodstream ASAP, or it’s going to offer you no benefit during your workout. At this point, it’s all about quick delivery, as you won’t have time for any prepping or even chewing.
That’s why we recommend sports drinks or energy gels as an easy way to get down some fast carbs so you can stay strong and pumped for more extended weight-training sessions. A possible whole-food choice is black coffee with a few ounces of fat-free milk and table sugar.
► After: The time immediately after exercise is critical for endurance in your next workout. The reason for this is that immediately after you exercise, your muscles are like sponges. They are depleted of their glycogen (the storage form of sugar), and they are looking to refill. You need as high a GI carb as possible to get as much sugar back into those muscles. That glycogen will then be present for energy and endurance during the next exercise session.
The perfect postexercise carb sources are waxy maize starch and Vitargo. Basically made from corn, waxy maize is a very high-molecular-weight carb, heavier than other starches due to the fact that its molecular structure is highly branched. This means that there are lots of points for digestive enzymes to begin breaking waxy maize apart, which makes it digest very rapidly. How rapidly? Swedish studies show that it passes through the stomach at a rate almost 100% faster than sports drinks.
Vitargo is a patented high-molecular-weight carb derived from barley starch. According to research, Vitargo empties from the stomach twice as fast as malto-dextrin combined with glucose, rapidly spikes insulin and replaces glycogen faster than a combination of maltodextrin and simple sugars.
How much you take depends on how intensely and how long you exercise. The more of either, the more you need, but generally speaking, take 40–100 g of waxy maize or Vitargo immediately after exercise. For a whole-food alternative, go with the same amount of table sugar mixed with your protein shake or another sugary beverage.
Protein Sources
For years, endurance was all about carbs. Today, though, research shows that endurance is enhanced when athletes take in protein along with carbs.
Research shows that a ratio of carbs to protein of 4:1 is best. This means that if you eat 40 g of carbs before workouts, you should also eat at least 10 g of protein. But if you want to build more muscle, you should go with a carb-to-protein ratio of 2:1.
So what kind of protein is best? Before and during workouts, your best bet is a fast-digesting protein such as whey and soy. These quickly get into your bloodstream so that they can provide you with energy during your workout, helping to spare muscle glycogen.
After workouts, you need a combo of fast- and slow-digesting protein, such as a casein-soy or casein-whey blend. This will provide fast-acting and long-lasting recovery. Go with about 20–40 g.
For whole-food protein sources, egg whites are among the fastest digesting, and are good before and during workouts. After workouts, milk makes a good choice, as it provides both fast (whey) and slow (casein) proteins.
Nutrients That Won’t Quit:
Once you have your protein-and-carb regimen down, you can begin to focus on endurance-boosting supplements that will enhance the energy provided by the protein and carbs. These are nutrients that won’t quit — and neither will you.
Branched-Chain Amino Acids (BCAAs)
The three amino acids that comprise the BCAAs (leucine, isoleucine and valine) are critical for muscle growth, and are also an important source of energy for muscle cells, which means they can enhance endurance. Unlike most other amino acids, BCAAs are used directly by the muscles for fuel during exercise. BCAAs reduce the amount of the amino acid tryptophan that gets into the brain, which reduces fatigue.
► Dose and timing: Go with 5–10 g of BCAAs within 30 minutes of exercise.
Caffeine
Caffeine is a must before exercise for boosting endurance whether you’re going for a long run or marathon weight workout. Numerous studies show that caffeine ingestion before exercise increases endurance. One of the reasons for this is the fact that caffeine increases the amount of fat burning during exercise, which spares muscle glycogen. Caffeine also reduces muscle pain during exercise, which increases endurance.
► Dose and timing: Go with about 200–400 mg of caffeine an hour or so before workouts.
Citrulline Malate
This supplement consists of the amino acid citrulline bound to malic acid (malate). Once inside the body, citrulline is readily converted to arginine, which boosts nitric-oxide (NO) levels. This enhances blood flow to the muscles, which delivers more oxygen and nutrients to the muscles and allows for greater energy production and therefore greater endurance. Research shows that citrulline malate supplements significantly reduce fatigue, increase ATP production during exercise, and increase the rate of creatine phosphate production following exercise.
► Dose and timing: Take 1–3 g of citrulline malate within 30 minutes of beginning your workout.
Creatine
You may associate creatine with muscle mass and strength, yet, in reality, it’s an energy supplement. Creatine enters muscle cells, where it picks up a high-energy phosphate molecule. Creatine holds this molecule of energy until it is needed by the muscles to make ATP, the energy currency of every cell. Therefore, the more creatine your muscles have, the more ATP they can make when exercising, and the longer and stronger your muscles contract.
► Dose and timing: Go with 3–5 g of creatine before and after exercise.
Beta-alanine
Beta-alanine is an amino acid that gets combined in the body with another amino acid, histadine, to form what is known as carnosine. Research shows that muscles with the highest carnosine levels also have the greatest strength and power. Athletes who supplement with beta-alanine are able to maintain muscle power even when muscles normally fatigue. For those training with high-intensity routines, this means your power will be potent during your entire workout.
► Dose and timing: Take 1 or 2 g of beta-alanine immediately before and immediately after training.
Omega-3 Fish Oil
According to the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, subjects with at least one cardiovascular risk factor showed considerable improvement in their overall heart-health profile by ingesting 6 g of fish oil daily while also engaging in exercise (45 minutes walking or running) three times per week. While it may not affect your workout per se, omega-3 fish oil can help your body handle the intense punishment you give it during high-intensity training.
► Dose and timing: Take anywhere from 2–6 g daily with meals.
Rhodiola Rosea
This is a root extract that increases the body’s resistance to a variety of stresses. In regards to performance, rhodiola boosts exercise capacity and promotes recovery. A 2004 study found that taking 200 mg of rhodiola extract one hour before exercise increased endurance. This is likely due to the fact that rhodiola has been found to enhance ATP production.
► Dose and timing: Take 200 mg of a standardized s extract yielding a minimum of 3% rosavins and 0.8–1% salidrosides. Take one or two times per day, including an hour before exercise.
Betaine
A study found that when weight-trained men supplemented with betaine for just two weeks, they experienced a 25% increase in bench-press strength and a 15% increase in muscle power on the bench press. This study holds particular interest for traditional martial artists, boxers and MMA fighters in that the muscles involved in the bench are also heavily recruited when throwing a punch.
► Dose and timing: Take 1,250 mg of betaine twice a day with meals, before and after training.