Recovery 2.0 - Exemplary regeneration!

The phenomenon called regeneration is not just rest or replenishing energy reserves depleted as a result of intense physical effort - the body uses a certain amount of substances on its own for various processes necessary for functioning, and when we add extreme training to our daily schedule, the demand for each of the flagship substances increases drastically. It is not easy to rely solely on a diet these days, and even a perfectly tailored one may require additional supplementation (a supplement, as the name suggests, is a dietary supplement). It is said that muscles grow mainly at night - this is true, but not only... The time around training is equally important - especially the time after a session at the gym.

Proper post-workout regeneration

As I mentioned above, after a relatively large burden on the body, where we have work/school and on top of that an exhausting physical training in the gym, and additionally often cardio as a form of activity, it is necessary to take care of the proper regeneration of the body - it should take place through multidirectional action. Why?

The greater the effort and physical activity (also the physical activity factor taken into account in diet plans), the greater the demand for building, energy, vitamin-mineral, transporting, prophylactic and synergistic and supporting the action of others. During a training session, whether cardio or gym, colossal amounts of vitamin and mineral substances leave us with sweat. Additionally, the body, and especially our muscles, enter a state of strong catabolism on the way, the muscle fibers of which are subject to significant damage, tears and micro damage - of course, this state is essential for strengthening the muscles and their further development, however, after training it must be properly inhibited and thus the growth and regeneration phase (anabolism) initiated.

The same is true for joints - when working intensively, they simply destroy themselves, so it is good to prophylactically support them and protect them from micro-injuries not only with the correct exercise technique or warm-up, but also provide protective and friction-reducing components. When the body is significantly exhausted due to physical fatigue, energy reserves are depleted - as a rule, we supply them with the help of sugars, and our body is able to store energy in the form of a specific sugar called glycogen (it stores it in significant amounts in muscle tissue and liver, and in smaller amounts in the brain). When we do not have access to additional energy reinforcement, we start looking for another solution - in such a situation, other compounds circulating inside us are converted into energy substances, and they could be used much better (of course, sometimes this is the intended effect, but this is not the subject of the article). Along with the decrease in physical strength, mental comfort also decreases, and our nervous system also functions much worse at the moment of exhaustion. In the case of supplementation, it sounds a bit strange, doesn't it? Because who would want to swallow so many capsules, drink so many supplements, etc. That is why new formulas are being created and constantly improved, bringing together various, patented regeneration mixtures for use in the post-workout period - an example of such action and a very good solution in terms of the needs of the person training at a given moment and the quality of the product is the new Activlab Recovery 2.0 formula.

Proteins, something you can't miss!

The aforementioned Activlab product uses the Protein Matrix formula. Most often, protein matrices are mixtures of different protein fractions that complement each other in terms of bioavailability, activity and absorption time by the body - here is a very similar situation. Protein Matrix in the Recovery 2.0 supplement consists of whey protein concentrate, isolate and hydrolysate . All three of the mentioned protein fractions are proteins with a relatively fast absorption time, but in terms of that time they also differ from each other - the difference also lies in the method of obtaining and filtering the raw material. WPC (Whey Protein Concentrate), WPI (Whey Protein Isolate) are obtained in terms of raw material from whey milk proteins. Therefore, as befits proteins of animal origin, they contain an ideal or close to ideal aminogram, necessary for an active person in terms of anabolic and anti-catabolic functions. Whey proteins are subject to strict selection and subjected to ultrafiltration processes, and then isolation and possible drying. The body is not able to synthesize all amino acids on its own, and whey-type proteins are similar to those in the milk of nursing mothers, thus containing precisely those essential, exogenous amino acids that we must supply from the outside. They are characterized by quite high absorption and thus biological value (BV) - for example, for isolate it is BV equal to 159, and 104 in the case of concentrate. Not to mention hydrolysate, which is considered de facto the most accessible and the best quality form of protein.

Thanks to this formula, we are able to stop the unfavorable, destructive catabolic processes that affect our muscle fibers during extreme physical training. Catabolism itself does not have to be bad, but it must be controlled and kept in check. We inhibit it at a specific moment - thanks to the initial destruction of fibers and the activation of the anabolic, or building, phase, we can thicken the muscle fibers that have been damaged. We rebuild them, and they become more durable, thicker and stronger. Through the stimulation of effort and the anabolic phase, we can also activate dormant fibers that have not actively participated in the work performed so far. The Protein Matrix mixture contained in this product complements its action with the content of amino acids (amino acid pool) and the absorption time, thanks to which we can constantly supply the muscles with building materials after the end of training at optimal time intervals.

Carb loading and energy!

You have probably wondered where we get our energy from... Well, the answer is simple: carbohydrates, or sugars. In terms of caloric value, they are worse than, for example, fats, because 1g of sugars is about 4kcal, while 1g of fats is defined as about 9kcal. So why? The body is metabolically tuned to carbohydrates as the main source of energy for performing physical work - besides, in the nutrition or diet plan, whether of an athlete or a person who does not train professionally, there are much more sugars than fats. It is much easier and cheaper to get them from the diet than, for example, proteins or fats. Activlab's product has been equipped with a special CarboLoad formula, which has a regenerative effect on energy reserves, which also allows us to save on the use of other nutrients that our body can use for more useful purposes.

As I mentioned, during training, the body draws energy from the pre-training meal, managing nutrients processed from food products through biochemical and metabolic processes. Then, it uses the energy store, glycogen - muscle glycogen used during intense exercise will not last very long - at the moment of exhaustion, what next? We also draw energy from the so-called energy carrier, adenosine triphosphate (ATP) - this is a compound that has an extremely positive effect on the effects on the muscles. However, it is not very durable in terms of time, and the amount of energy is not too high in this case (depending of course on the goal and dietary and supplementation aspects affecting the production of ATP). After training, when the body is exhausted, it is necessary to react quickly and replenish the energy losses caused by extreme physical (and mental) effort. At the moment of fatigue, mental comfort is also drastically reduced - this is associated with low blood sugar levels. The CarboLoad formula contains three types of carbohydrates: maltodextrin, oligofructose, glucose. As with proteins in the ProteinMatrix formula, in CarboLoad the sugars are differentiated in terms of absorption time and activity. Thanks to them, we can continuously supply energy sources - both those absorbed very quickly and those that reach the cells later. After the rapid delivery of simple carbohydrates, which are the fastest source of energy, the blood sugar level increases just as quickly - this also causes a rapid release of insulin into the blood, which is manifested by the regulation of excess sugar. We call this the pendulum effect, but remember that insulin is one of the most anabolic hormones - the use of "fast sugars" will also result in sufficient supplementation of energy losses, and thus muscle glycogen. This will also allow for optimal muscle regeneration.

Full regeneration and perfect replenishment

RecoFormula in the Activlab product is a multi-component complex and at the same time a mixture that plays the most important role in terms of the regenerative processes of the post-workout period. Here, there is a properly selected set of branched-chain amino acids with an exogenous or relatively exogenous character - they can therefore play an anacatabolic, anabolic and purely regenerative function in this context, but we have already talked about this earlier.

In states of drastic energy depletion of the body, BCAA amino acids also come to our aid, because considering their chemical structure, their carbon skeletons are burned and then processed into energy molecules for quick use. RecoFormula can also be an invaluable addition during the reduction of unnecessary fat tissue. Why?

Well, when using so-called thermogenic fat burners or even without them, for example thermogenesis induced by physical exercise, water along with vitamin and mineral components "come out" of us in the form of sweat. Unfortunately, in this way we get rid of large amounts of these components, especially during cardio or "strength" training sessions - it is important to replenish electrolytes and hydrate the body after training. At the time of high load, considering the intensity of training, the entire weight rests not only on our muscles, but also on the joints - it is the bone connections that are responsible for the possibility of movement, so they can also be "worn out". At this point, so-called micro-injuries occur, which can cause greater complications leading to injuries that exclude us from training in the gym for a long time.

That is why, in addition to anti-catabolic agents, anabolism activators, energy and electrolyte loss supplements, it is necessary to take care of the prevention of the entire musculoskeletal system, including de facto joints. RecoFormula has been enriched with preventive and also active ingredients during joint injuries or strains, such as: glucosamine sulfate and chondroitin sulfate. A big plus in the Activlab Recovery 2.0 formula is the presence of vitamin C, or ascorbic acid - it participates in many biochemical processes, also contributing positively to the other regenerative processes mentioned above. It is worth mentioning that optimal regeneration and prevention of joints and connective tissue cannot take place without relatively large amounts of vitamin C, which is often unfortunately omitted in articles on joint protection.

Janusz Ziolkowski - www.bb-mag.pl