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In order to improve your figure, increase your strength and endurance during training, you should reach for a vitamin and mineral complex (so-called all-day) and a regenerative preparation based on these ingredients - without their presence, there can be no proper regeneration of not only the body as a whole mechanism, but also the process of muscle and joint regeneration. Hence, their presence in smaller or larger quantities can be seen in most dietary supplements - usually it is not the amount that we should perceive on the basis of replenishing deficiencies or demand, but on the basis of intensifying the anabolic processes of the muscles.
Vitamin and mineral complexes
This is the basis of supplementation known for many, many years, which supports biochemical processes related to the transformation of basic nutrients (proteins, fats, carbohydrates). These complexes support the functioning of the body in a global, holistic way, and the usually used form of chelates intensifies their action on the basis of better absorption and reaching cells. Their main task is to maintain the appropriate amount of these ingredients in terms of demand, as well as an optimal surplus, because athletes on the path of extreme effort use a much larger amount of vitamins and minerals - they also excrete more of them, for example, with sweat in thermal processes. These preparations, as the name suggests, approach our body comprehensively, unlike vitamin and mineral supplements (with an admixture of other ingredients), which have a strictly defined application - however, this does not mean that their value is less, nothing could be further from the truth.
Firstly, such complexes provide (mostly) exogenous substances, i.e. those that humans are unable to synthesize on their own and must supply from the outside (food, dietary supplements). In general, the demand for vitamins is relatively small (with the exception of ascorbic acid, i.e. vitamin C) if we look at the numbers, but of great significance. Some vitamins still remain a mystery in terms of their biochemical role in our body, but they are a part of many enzymes, coenzymes and so-called prosthetic groups (non-protein components of proteins that are a kind of cofactors for enzymatic activity). The main function of these components is their catalytic ability.
By dividing them by chemical structure, we can also determine to some extent the functions they perform. Water-soluble vitamins (vitamins from the B, H and C groups) have a special value for metabolic processes - they do not accumulate, so it is advisable to constantly supplement them , because we excrete them with urine, sweat, etc. On the other hand, those accumulated in the body, which we call fat-soluble (A 1 , A 2 , D 2 , D 3 , E, K 1 , K 2 , K 3 ) perform important functions beyond enzymatic and regulatory. Athletes who do not have a well-balanced diet and do not take appropriate supplements are particularly exposed to mild avitaminosis (lack of vitamins) or hypovitaminosis (a state between avitaminosis and optimum) of one or more of these components. Nowadays, this happens very rarely, but extreme effort causes an extremely high excretion of vitamins and their use (especially for the synthesis of nutrients in a diet due to the large number of meals and food consumed and for nutritional purposes for tissues) by the body. This can of course be reflected in the lack of expected muscle mass gains or reduction of unnecessary fat tissue.
Vitamin and mineral complexes that are dietary supplements for people who train are composed in such a way, in terms of quantity and type of ingredients, as to meet all the needs of tissues and biochemical mechanisms - this also applies to the regenerative processes of muscles and joints. An important factor is also psychological comfort, because exercise also causes certain stresses in this area. It is the same in the case of the antioxidant function - vitamins are some of the best antioxidants that fight dangerous and aggressive free radicals , which can even cause some blood molecules to stick together, and as a result, to disintegrate. Radicals also inhibit tissue growth mechanisms (including muscle).
More information about vitamin complexes can be found in our article: https://www.activlab.pl/pl/blog/Suplementy-dla-fighterow-Guard-kompleks-witamin-i-skladnikow-mineralnych-wzbogacony-jednym-z-najlepiej-poznanych-adaptogenow-zen-sczeniu/750
Isotonic drinks – salvation during training.
Complexes are a daily source of vitamins and minerals – but why not add something that is currently essential for muscle tissue development? We are of course talking about the training session period, where we burn huge amounts of energy, and in the case of fat reduction or recomposition, we have double the needs due to the addition of aerobic training.
During increased physical exertion, not providing the right amount of fluids and electrolytes can lead to water and vitamin-mineral imbalances – this is especially the case during intensified thermogenesis processes in the human body (exertion + air temperature). According to scientists, people performing activities leading to extreme exertion for up to 20 minutes should provide fluids before, after and during these activities.
Loss of water (and electrolytes) above 2% of body weight results in increased thirst and reduced urinary tract function - loss of up to 6% leads to a significant decrease in both physical and mental efficiency. Speaking of minerals, unlike vitamins excreted mainly in urine, we excrete them primarily in sweat - so this is common among athletes. Such elements include primarily: sodium, magnesium, calcium, potassium. Drastic loss of the latter of the above-mentioned components can lead to the so-called hypomolarity of extracellular fluid and excessive cellular hydration. This is particularly dangerous, because it results in muscle cramps that we so dislike and a drop in blood pressure.
Isotonic drinks are not only used to supplement vitamins, minerals and maintain water and mineral balance - they also play a role in balancing energy potential thanks to the content of sugars (usually dextrose or maltodextrin). Carbohydrates taken from this supplement will of course be transformed into glucose, but their quantity and dilution in water are particularly important issues. The content of sugars in isotonic drinks is selected so as not to exceed the limit value, i.e. 8 g per 1 ml. Why? Well, if there were more of them, the concentration of the solution would be proportionally higher - this in turn would change its form from an isotonic solution to a hypertonic one.
In addition to balancing the energy potential, the amount of carbohydrates (small) serves to improve and accelerate the processes of water absorption with vitamin and mineral substances. Vitamins from group B and C and E, called antioxidants, are deliberately present in small amounts - their task is not to supplement the deficiency of these components (all-day complexes described above are responsible for this), but an auxiliary function in order to improve psychophysical efficiency during training. The essential elements, which we consider to be the three pillars, are the previously mentioned elements (sodium, magnesium, potassium). Sodium will improve the functioning of sodium-potassium pumps and improve the transport of nutrients - in addition, it will stop unwanted, painful muscle cramps. Potassium ions, on the other hand, will normalize the work of the cardiac and nervous systems during physical exercise. We can expect magnesium to act synergistically with the two previous ones - it will support the work of the nervous system and stop cramps, and additionally it enters indirectly into the processes of regulating body temperature.
When to take isotonic drinks?
The answer is simple: before, during and after the effort. We take a powdered isotonic drink with us to the training and dilute it relatively with still water. You can drink about 500 ml of this product, say, 2 hours before the planned effort. During the training, we drink in small sips. After the training session, we reach for about 300 ml of the drink. On warm days (especially the summer season, i.e. the reduction period), the isotonic drink should have a lower temperature - however, the optimum is determined to be within the range of 5-10 degrees Celsius. A colder drink will be transported more quickly through the digestive system to the small intestine (very cold drinks are not recommended for people with a particularly sensitive stomach).
ZMA – regeneration worthy of a medal.
ZMA also belongs to vitamin and mineral agents, however, it has a strictly defined function, and the role of the main and active ingredients is: zinc, magnesium, vitamin B 6 . ZMA is a synergistic combination, so each of the listed elements cooperates with each other in the release of anabolic hormones (testosterone and IGF-1) and improving the quality of sleep, which in effect has a particularly positive effect on the regeneration of the body and muscles. Magnesium contained in this preparation is called a mineral with a broad spectrum of action, because it cooperates with many systems of the human body (nervous, hormonal, immune).
We are interested in its regenerative function and its effect on muscles – it is the main conductor of neuromuscular impulses , so also the cramps, which I wrote about above in relation to this mineral. In addition, the amount contained in ZMA, with the conscientious inclusion of this agent in constant supplementation, is able to improve training efficiency, sleep quality and regeneration. Additionally, it supports thermoregulation processes and the absorption of another important element, calcium. Magnesium takes part in the processes of glycolysis and the synthesis of body proteins. Its deficiencies can most often be felt as calf cramps, often painful (also restless twitching of the eyelids). Zinc, on the other hand, is considered one of the most important metals occurring in traces – the largest amounts are found in the liver, muscles, bones and skin. Its undoubted advantage is its participation in protein biosynthesis and iron metabolic processes.
Zinc, despite its trace amounts in the body, is present in most body tissues – it is considered an essential element in the construction and development of muscle tissue. Pyridoxine (vitamin B 6 ), on the other hand, reduces the symptoms of stress and regulates the proper protein metabolism of the body. It is also a kind of protection for the proper course of glycogen synthesis (the body's reserve sugar).
By influencing the processes of protein biosynthesis in the human body, ZMA is able to effectively influence the regeneration of damaged muscle fibers and stimulate the growth of new fibers. Moreover, thanks to the synergism that all three components demonstrate in appropriate amounts, it allows us to maintain appropriate psychophysical efficiency. Thus, the supplement participates in the release of one of the most anabolic hormones, testosterone - further tissue development is also a form of regeneration. Damage, in turn, is rebuilt on the principles of activity in the processes of the hormonal system and protein synthesis.
Pyridoxine, which has a somewhat calming and soothing effect, will allow for deepening sleep and its regenerative properties - muscles develop the most during rest. In relation to this supplement as a whole, it can be safely said that it effectively improves the entire metabolic process at the cellular level, thanks to which all processes take place more precisely and at the same time faster.
Janusz Ziolkowski
Editor-in-Chief of BodyBuilding Magazine
