Bodybuilding Nutrition For Training Endurance

As you probably almost certainly already know, most of your success in competitive bodybuilding will be determined by the set of genetic gifts (or lack thereof) with which you were born. It doesn’t take a scientist in a white lab coat to ascertain the fact that all thing equal, Ronnie Coleman was going to be more successful in bodybuilding than say, a person with the physique of a Lance Armstrong. Our propensity to hold muscle is pre-determined. We can only work within its boundaries to become the best individual bodybuilder that our genetics will allow us to become.

That being said, we will all fall into our own genetic categories and end up on the local, regional, state, or even national stage, should we choose to complete. Once we are within the ranks of where our genetics allow us to reach, another factor is just about the sole determinant in how high we are able o soar in the bodybuilding universe. Here’s a hint: It isn’t training. No matter how hard you train, no matter how intense your workouts are, the limiting factor in how close you come to reaching your genetic potential is another factor: Nutrition.

Nutrition is the key to all things bodybuilding. If you want to be the best at your level, you have to make sure your nutrition works to fully support your goals. Your training will be much like the training of your peers – as hard as you can train, as frequent as you can train. The nutritional plan you follow will set you apart in the recovery and growth phase.

If you’re ready to get serious about nutrition, you’re probably ready to focus upon learning more about the tenets you should be following to allow you the most efficient training. First off you need a solid base of good, clean, slow-burning carbohydrates. Slamming a Red Bull before your workout might feel great, but the skewed insulin sensitivity your body experiences following such indulgence won’t help you grow. You need to consume complex carbohydrates such as rice, pasta, and sweet potatoes.

When it comes to protein, the slow-burners are also your best bet for the most successful training platforms. Whey is very quickly digested, and will be on its way down your digestive track in less than 30 minutes. This is useful for workout recovery – but if you want the most proteins present through a tough workout, sources such as beef, casein, or chicken are going to be safer bets. The higher the fat content of a protein, the slower it will be digested.

Fats are the final group whose consumption should be planned and implemented. A nice combination of fish oil and flax oil, mixed with a diet containing almond, red meat and milk will deliver the fats you need to shine through long and strenuous workouts.

The bottom line is that all other factors equal (including genetics), those bodybuilders whose diet delivers for endurance will see the most success in the gym – and the resulting growth will put them first on the stage!

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Improve Your Muscle Endurance

Muscle endurance is necessary for any athlete who performs for extended periods of time. If you are able to perform a high number of repetitions using your maximum strength for an extended period of time you have muscle endurance.

Most athletes work constantly, through exercise and the use of healthy supplements, to build their muscle endurance. It is an important factor in almost every type of fitness activity. From swimmers to weight lifters, athletes will benefit from increased muscle endurance.

Twitch Muscles

Muscle endurance determines how well your “slow twitch muscles” are functioning or developed. Slow twitch muscles are the main type of muscle used for endurance. They are not able to exert great amounts of pressure but can withstand effort for a long period of time.

The other type of muscle fibre is the fast twitch muscle.

These muscles are utilized for strength. They can exert great force, but they cannot sustain the force over time.

You can improve your slow twitch muscles by participating in aerobic activities such as biking, swimming, or any other type of sustained exercise. They can also be improved by building your upper body strength through pushups, pull ups, and triceps dips.

Natural supplements such as creatine are specifically formulated to help build slow twitch muscles.

Types of Endurance

Different sports utilise different forms of endurance. The first form of endurance is power endurance. This is developed for sports that require powerful movements that are repeated for extended periods of time. Tennis and martial arts both require power endurance.

Power endurance requires the athlete to use his slow twitch muscles.

He must also build up his fast twitch muscles so they can exert power and force for longer periods of time without becoming fatigued.

Short time muscular endurance is used when the athlete only exerts power and force for short periods of time, usually from 30 seconds to 2 minutes. Long term muscular endurance is needed for exercise that is steady and continuous. Rowing, marathons, and triathlons all require long term muscular endurance.

Increasing Muscular Endurance

Muscular endurance is best achieved by a combination of exercise and healthy supplements. Your exercise routine should be designed to overload your muscles. This means that you want to overwork your muscles in order for them to become stronger and build endurance. This must be done under professional supervision so you do not stress or strain your muscles.

As you work out, especially when you overload your muscles, they will burn muscle mass as fuel. As a result, the muscle mass you were seeking to “pump up” becomes depleted. Supplements are necessary to prevent this depletion and help rebuild muscle mass.

A creatine supplement will allow your muscles to recover faster and enhance your metabolism. Athletes who take creatine supplements do not require as much down time between workouts. Their metabolism is increased and they are able to efficiently flush out the trash left behind, (lactic acid), from the burning of their muscle fuel.

Creatine is a natural and safe muscular endurance supplement. It is not a steroid and is found naturally in meat. You will find that creatine is available in several different forms such as serums and powders. You can even purchase mixes which combine creatine with other muscle enhancing supplements such as glutamine.

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The NASA Endurance Fitness Test

This test was made to measure your body’s ability to endure an aerobic effort for prolonged periods of time.

An aerobic effort is when your body consumes oxygen in order to create energy. After your body exhausts its maximum capacity to burn oxygen, the process becomes anaerobic: when oxygen is not used and the body creates lactic acid.

Since oxygen consumption increases proportionally to the increase of energy released, we can evaluate the maximum aerobic capacity by measuring the VO2max: your body’s max possible consumption of oxygen in order to produce energy.

A strong aerobic base is essential if you want to remain injury free or run that fast race you are aiming for. Aerobic training involves running at 60-75% of your maximum heart rate. This translates to a pace that is 1½ to 2 minutes per mile slower than 10K race pace. At that rate you can run and keep up a conversation without huffing and puffing.

This test is commonly called Cooper’s Test, from the NASA doctor who invented and utilized this method for military reasons.

Test consists in running 12 consecutive minutes on flat at a constant speed.

You just have to measure the distance you run in these 12 minutes and compare your results with the tables below.

With Cooper’s Test you can also measure your VO2max by using the formula: [distance in meters – 505] / 45.

A good rule of thumb is to measure and track the variations of your endurance fitness over time in order to evaluate your progresses.

Please visit The NASA test of endurance fitness on Running Shoes Guru to find the table with the results, split by ages and genders.

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