Although sugars/refined grains are permissible in the AM, they are absolutely essential during the training window if we desire to maximize recovery & growth. During this time all the body’s anabolic processes are heightened. Glycogen synthesis is enhanced, protein synthesis rates go up, and our muscle cells become more sensitive to the nutrients they come in contact with. When it comes to improving our physiques, no other time of the day is so important, but this anabolic environment can only be sustained for a brief period of time, so we need to do everything we can to take advantage of it.
There are many ways we can accomplish this. Implementation of the above measures (controlling bodyfat, diet, cardio, drugs, supplements, etc) allow us to do so in the most effective way possible. Acting as both potentiators and primers, they not only help us better utilize the food we eat during our regular meals, but they also enable us to take maximum advantage of the training window by making the body ultra-sensitize to insulin. In essence, we have turned the body into the ultimate nutrient repartitioning machine. But that’s not all. By the time the training window rolls around, we only need to take a few additional steps to turn our body into the ultimate muscle-building machine.
By consuming hydrolyzed proteins and highly branched cyclic dextrins during training, we are able to induce a state of hyperaminoacidemia and hyperglycemia, which would normally be dealt with by endogenously produced insulin, but with exogenous insulin at our disposal, we can quickly induce a state of hyperinsulinemia. This will help deliver all of these nutrients to the cell surface in rapid fashion, where they can then be transported into the muscle cell in large quantities by the highly active Glut-4 transporters. The end result is a massive increase in the rate of glycogen and protein synthesis. I recommend using Humalog (a fast-releasing form of insulin) about 5 minutes pre-workout, which will remain active through the entire training session.
With the body’s anabolic processes in overdrive, it would be foolish to stop there. Being the regulator of protein synthesis via the M-tor pathway, consuming a few grams of free-form/peptide bonded leucine along with the above protein & carbs is a no-brainer. Creatine is another obvious choice. Science has shown that the cell swelling effect which accompanies creatine administration (also known as muscle volumization), activates protein synthesis in its own right, further augmenting muscle recovery & growth. Any other supplements/drugs which exhibit a similar effect would be valuable at this time.
Although frequently utilized, most who use the following technique do so without being aware of its benefits on insulin sensitivity. This is training for the pump. While I don’t recommend training solely for the pump for various reasons, especially when growth is the primary goal, it is a valuable aspect of any training program. While training intensity remains the single most important factor in stimulating muscle growth, there are many who have claimed that the pump is worthless for stimulating growth—that it was nothing more than a temporary, visually gratifying experience. These people are being proven wrong every day, as more and more scientific evidence comes to the forefront. Whether a pump stimulates growth directly is irrelevant. All that matters is if it makes our muscle bigger…and we now know that it does through more than one mechanism, qualifying it an important component of any training program. With that said, how does the pump relate to this article? Science has now shown, indisputably, that increased blood flow leads to improved insulin sensitivity in muscle tissue.
After training is finished, I recommend another insulin injection (this time Humulin R), along with a large whole-food meal. With the hydrolyzed protein and branched cyclic dextrins being consumed throughout the training session in optimal quantities, the body has already been flooded with carbs and aminos, negating the need for additional rapid-digesting carb & protein powders. At this point, the recovery & growth process is better served by supplying the body with a sustained flow of nutrients in greater quantities. This should be a very large meal, containing significantly more carbs, protein and overall calories than any other meal of the day. As much as ½ of your daily carb intake should be consumed between the intra-workout shakes and the post-workout whole-food meal. While fats should not be intentionally added to this meal (except in small quantities if needed), there is no need to eliminate all fats. In fact, some fats at this time are beneficial. Whatever fat is naturally found in your whole-food sources is fine. If you need a ghrelin mimetic to increase appetite, such as GHRP-6, go for it.
An example of an ideal post-workout meal (assuming the previous rapidly digesting carbs & proteins were consumed) would be a big steak, a pile of mashed potatoes, some corn…and maybe a bowl of reduced-fat ice cream to finish it off. Or, a big plate (or two) of spaghetti & meatballs, some home-made garlic bread (so you can control the fat content), and some broccoli…and you could always throw in a piece of reduced-fat cake for dessert. While these examples may not seem like traditional post-workout meals, you should understand that the body has already been supplied with a substantial blast of quickly digesting carbs & proteins, which will keep blood aminos acid and glucose levels elevated for a good hour after training. This is enough time to get a whole-food meal in you and continue feeding your muscles over a much longer period of time.
If you think back to the meals that resulted in the greatest increases in muscle fullness, what were they? Was it a shake containing some hydrolyzed protein and branched cyclic dextrins? Uhhh…no. Although useful for kicking off the recovery & growth process, continually consuming these shakes would not provide the best results. Otherwise, we would just skip the whole-food and drink this stuff all day long, but no one is doing that…and for good reason. Whole-foods sustain protein & glycogen synthesis for a longer period of time, allowing us to optimize recovery & growth. Now, if you think about thanksgiving dinner, I bet you can remember feeling like your muscle were about to bust a few hours later. This is the type of effect we are looking for with your post-workout meal. Your immediate protein & carb needs have already been met with the shakes and now your body needs a sustained flow of nutrients to keep the growth process going long-term.
As far as insulin doses are concerned, there is too much variance among individual in order for me to provide any set dosing amounts. Without providing potentially dangerous advice, I would like to say that you should administer as much as you can without going hypoglycemic—use just enough to transport every last bit of nutrition into your muscles with maximum efficiency, but this require experience, so for those of you considering insulin for the first time, do not attempt this. If you are taking all the steps in this program, you will need far less insulin to accomplish this than most other people due to your superior insulin sensitivity. So, start low and gradually work your way up as you gain experience. You will get there soon enough. I guarantee that if you utilize this information as directed, you will begin to quickly notice radical changes in your physique. You will get bigger, harder, denser, leaner, and most importantly, you will avoid all the negative side effects, both visual and health related, associated with the insulin and diet programs employed by so many BB’rs today.
|