Articles

Blended excerpts from various sections of

Authored by Franco Cavaleri ISBN 0-9731701-0-7

This article is composed of multiple excerpts to result in tone and content shifts.

Since muscles use their glycogen stores as fuel quite efficiently, maintaining

these stockpiles is essential to performance potential whether you’re a cyclist,

runner, swimmer, bodybuilder, power lifter, soccer participant, or football player.

This includes anyone who makes a living performing a physically demanding job.

Research shows that the most effective means for replenishment of glycogen

is the consumption of the carbohydrate source immediately after physical

work is completed as opposed to several hours later. This is the same period

when processed, high-glycemic-index food is better tolerated and can be

safely eaten without major impact or strain on insulin efficiency(7). Studies also

demonstrate that protein in that same post-work meal further enhances glycogen

restoration as well as muscle protein synthesis and tissue repair.

These strategies boost the potential of the subsequent work or workout session,

as well, since the body has been fully reloaded for action once more (8).

Glycogen is the muscles primary energy source and maintaining healthy

concentration is critical for maximum performance but liver glycogen is

also a crucial factor in detoxification and general metabolic balance.

Understanding how foods influence glycogen stores is important when it comes

to health and fitness.

UNDERSTANDING THE INDEX

Processed foods, being refined and devoid of fiber, tend to be higher in

glycemic value (9, 10, 11). These foods should be avoided as much as

possible and consumed only to help restore glycogen and tissue in the

post-work opportunity or post-workout window. Eat these refined foods

regularly and you’re bound to accelerate the development of the insulin-

resistant state, Type II diabetes, cholesterol problems, and serum-fat

accumulation (12, 13). The low-glycemic-index diet is research-documented

to reduce insulin secretions and induces a therapeutic effect on the condition

of glucose intolerance/insulin resistance (14).

Exercise, even a daily brisk walk, plays a significant part in blood-sugar

control. Not only does regular exercise stimulate blood-sugar clearance

through the glycogen-synthase system, it actually promotes incorporation

of glucose-transport sites in cell membranes. Studies show that the working

body accommodates for its incremental energy requirement by recruiting

more GLUT4 (one type of glucose transporter) within the cell membranes of

the skeletal and heart muscles (15, 16). This actually means that glucose-transport

systems are upgraded to a functional state by this process.

Maltodextrin supplementation is definitely not conducive to healthy weight

management, nor is it appropriate if chronic disease is a factor. The only time

maltodextrin is recommended is immediately after intense physical exercise to

help restore and build glycogen stores and muscle mass. When you apply these

simple strategies, you’ll quickly notice easier fat loss and lean muscle tone

enhancement without working any harder than you did before.

Carbohydrates should be avoided as much as 90 minutes prior to a

workout in order to allow your body to burn fat during the exercise period.

Contrary to what many people advocate, the carbohydrates eaten just

before or after exercise aren’t used as efficiently to fuel muscles the way

stored glycogen is (43). Your body will replenish glycogen, both in the liver

and muscles, as soon as it gets a supply of dietary carbohydrates. The

sooner after work the better. Keep in mind that liver glycogen is essential

for maximum health of this organ. If liver glycogen is depleted and this

state persists, the organ’s function can be severely compromised. This

means impaired body detoxification, amino-acid synthesis, gluconeogenesis,

hormone regulation, and an increased risk of disease (44, 45).

Glutamine, as we’ve seen, acts as a significant cortisol blocker, and the

gluconeogenic alanine promotes glucose production from the liver and delivers

a small glucose spike. Alanine is also the second most abundant amino acid of

the skeletal muscle mass and is required abundantly for complete tissue recovery.

Finally the high concentration of glutamine (greater than in the common glutamine

tripeptide described in previous chapters) feeds the immune system more completely.

This dipeptide strategy can be used to block cortisol in the absence of a dietary

carbohydrate in the post-workout meal to advance the more intense thermogenesis

that a workout can initiate. You’ll read more about this fat-burning trick in an

upcoming chapter.

Regular activity, especially that of weight training even twice weekly, helps preserve

lean-muscle tissue, but only if all of the required nutrients are available for restoration

of spent tissue. Most restrictive dieting endeavors are coupled with exercise to facilitate

calorie expenditure and promote faster weight loss. Nutrient restriction amid increased

physical work presents an obvious problem. Muscle is metabolically active. The loss of

this tissue is inevitable if nutrient deprivation accompanies excess calorie expenditure.

This reduction in active tissue makes fat loss more difficult, and if you play sports of any

kind, the stripping away of lean muscle is certain to compromise your game. Dietary

protein is an important factor for muscle maintenance and growth from training. Whey

protein isolate supplementation that’s next to zero percent lactose and fat is my preferred

choice of lean-muscle and immune-system building blocks.

GPC is a formidable source of choline. Research shows it improves acetylcholine

production in the neural synapse to heighten memory, and even physical performance.

GPC is also shown to improve growth hormone secretion. It appears to be a

tremendous youth preservation molecule. My regimen is a hybrid of the Active and the Bodybuilding/Power Program displayed in the next goal-specific discussion. I’ve also incorporated a more aggressive anti-aging nutraceutical component. You might

require the development of your own hybrid program to fit your unique metabolic

demands and personal goals. Although the calories seem low for my level of activity, the

actual bioavailable calorie total of the daily intake is even lower than the calculated values

indicate due to the higher-than- average fiber content of the meals.

If you’re a proponent of conventional endurance nutrition, which involves inadvertent

megaloads of dietary carbohydrates with no consideration for protein and vitamin and

mineral co-factors, then you haven’t yet reached your full potential in sport. Higher dietary

protein intakes will better support lean-muscle-mass recovery from physical work and,

therefore, recovery potential from your training. And if you think muscle strength isn’t

conducive to endurance sport, you’ll lose out to someone who does. Note, however, that

these extreme macronutrient strategies are designed for athletes training a maximum of

one and a half to two hours daily.

Individuals who work over the two-hour mark have atypical training habits and will need

atypical carbohydrate consumption. They’re also vulnerable to overtraining and compromised health. Again, you’ll have to find your personal nutritional requirement based on your distinct metabolism and personal activity level. Dietary intake needs to fulfill the demand created by the exercise program. Results depend on this delicate co-dependent balance.