Let’s get something straight before we start discussing the matter: every person who trains one way or another for all kinds of purposes and puts his/her body under that immense stress and pressure to re-sculpt it, is an athlete. And while some athletes are more familiarized with the issue, some do one major mistake that holds them back from making one step further in their success – they take their vitamin and mineral supplements the wrong way. What this means is knowing what purpose every supplement serves for and when to take it. After all, with muscles – timing is everything. With that being said, how does the supplements-taking schedule of a devoted athlete should look like?
Time: Immidiately after waking up
This is the time when you need something called whey protein. Your body has been fasting for the past 6-9 hours, which means that in order to function it’s been using your muscles as a source of fuel. This is very detrimental as it means your body is turning against your muscles and eats them away. To stop this process, you need a shake made of whey protein, BCAA and caffeine for a fast kick-start of your system.
Time: 60-90 minutes after waking up
During this time, you’ve prepared breakfast and are about to start the day. You need your body to start with the fat-burning process, and the best way to do this is to take a green tea extract. It’s been scientifically proven that green tea extract is far more powerful than green tea for example.
Time: Lunch
Always make sure you have a bottle of fish oil with you. Fish oil is rich in saturated fats. Take one tablespoon in about 30 minutes before or after lunch, or even immediately after you’ve eaten.
Time: 60 minutes before workout
The minutes before starting your workout session are crucial for success. You need to prepare your body for the stress and pressure it’s about to endure. At this moment, take a green tea and caffeine combo so the fat-burning process begins. This will also give you the initial dose of energy you need to perform high-intensity workouts.
Time: 15-30 minutes before workout
You need a combination that will supply your body with a source of amino acids for your muscles to feed on while working out, and a combo that will provide you with strength so your training can last longer. From the vast palette of vitamin and mineral supplements, mix whey protein, BCAA, creatine and beta alanine. This is considered to be the ultimate blend that will satisfy your energy needs, muscle growth and recovery needs.
Time: 45 minutes after workout
Those 45 minutes are your window for starting the muscle recovery process. Make sure you never skip this short time interval because all your hard work will go to waste. Muscle recovery is best done with a mix of whey protein, casein protein, BCAA, creatine, beta alanine and fast carbs. Since this is the time when your muscles break down in order to grow, the nutrients you consume need to work very fast, which is what casein serves for.
Time: Dinner
During your trainings you lose a dose of micronutrients like vitamins and minerals. To repair that damage, take vitamin C, calcium and vitamin D, which are considered to be the most essential addition towards your physical development.
Time: 30 minutes before bedtime
While sleeping, your muscles break down the fastest, which is why it’s really important to consume a slow-digesting protein, like casein. Casein will give your body the fuel it needs to continue working throughout the night without turning to muscles.
All in all, for a hard-working woman (or a man, with slight differences in supplements) this is a good schedule for taking your vitamins and minerals. Combined with clean food and a lot of fruits and veggies, you should have no problems achieving your goal quickly.
