Liquid Bomb

High frequency, maximum intensity resistance training programming … this is where the magic starts to happen: more muscle growth, improved muscle performance and a shredded physique. Given enough time, sufficient training experience and legit training methods, you will become progressively more capable of lifting weights with a relatively high frequency (five to seven times per week!), maximum intensity and mind-blowing volume.

This enhanced work capacity is characterized by the body’s ability to tolerate increased training stress—more intense workouts and greater loads—and to recover more quickly and efficiently between training sessions. Importantly, this hard-earned effect from long-term training must be supported by results-driven nutritional strategies—or your gains will not meet your efforts.

DRINK UP & BENEFIT

A crucial and performance-driven component of a holistic training and nutrition program is liquid-nutrition based around your lifts. This is referred to as “peri-lifting liquid nutrition,” and it is, in fact, simple and easy to implement.

This strategy provides your body with the muscle-building and performance-enhancing nutrients you need, when you need them, in an easy-to-digest form. It also helps you to maximize your work output in training, athletic/muscular performance, and short- and long-term adaptive responses to intense training, such as increases in muscular strength, power and endurance. In addition, this critical nutritional strategy will help you to optimize your recovery, lift to lift, day in and day out. It almost sounds too good to be true, but it isn’t.

LIQUID RULES

Here’s an outline for an effective supplementation protocol that flat-out yields results, if your goals include high-level muscular performance, increased muscle protein synthesis (MPS), lean gains in muscle mass over time and fat loss. All you have to do is the following: 1) Adhere to it consistently! Consistency is key to gaining and improving; 2) Adjust your dosages, relative to your bodyweight and activity level; 3) Always work hard, and watch your gains accelerate!

LIQUID STEPS

You’ll make three shake blends for yourself, each targeting a specific window of need when you training.

Pre-Workout Drink: For this drink use whey protein or a blend (e.g., casein and whey plus BCAAs).  A powdered form is recommended so that you can mix readily with fluid, like water. The protein load follows these basic rules: If you weigh 200 pounds or more, use 1 to 1.5 scoops of the powder, which supplies 20 to 35 grams of protein. If you weigh less than 200 pounds, use 0.5 to 1 scoop, which supplies 10 to 25 grams of protein. Drink the shake 60 minutes before lifting.

 

Intra-Workout Drink: For this, use branched chain amino acids (BCAAs) or essential amino acids (EAAs). Stick with powder-form that can be mixed readily in fluid, like water. The protein loads should follow these suggestions: If you weigh 200 or more pounds, use 10.5 to 14 grams of the BCAA (or EAAs) mix; if you weigh less than 200 pounds, use between 3.5 and 7 grams. (Note: It is ideal to consume equal dosages at each recommended time point for the workout; if you make 24 ounces of the workout shake, and you use the four-times drinking schedule presented here, make sure to drink 6 ounces at each drinking time point.) Here’s when you should drink your shake: 1) immediately prior to training; 2) during training (e.g., one-third and two-thirds of the way through your session or at the halfway point); and 3) immediately after training.

Post-Workout Drink:  Mix whey protein or a protein blend (e.g., casein, whey and BCAAs). If you weigh 200 or more pounds, use between 1 and 1.5 scoops of the powder, which provides 20 to 35 grams of protein; if you weigh less than 200, use 0.5 to 1 scoop of the mixture, which will deliver 10 to 25 grams of protein. Drink the mixture 30 minutes after lifting. You can drink this immediately before or after a solid-food meal.

WHY THIS LIQUID BOMBING WORKS

You can increase muscle protein synthesis (MPS) through two main strategies: Training, specifically with the performance of resistance exercise, and nutrition, specifically through the intake of select amino acids.

While both strategies are critical to your weight lifting and performance success, without proper nutritional strategies, your training efforts cannot be maximized. Based on scientific research, the (peri-lifting) liquid nutrition protocol found here ensures that you deliver the right nutrients to your body at the right times, in order to gain optimal benefits of strategy one.

The success of strategy two is founded upon the ingestion of a liquid-based complete protein source (i.e., powder-form whey protein or protein blend mixed with water) and a fast-release/fast-absorbing BCAA/EAA formulation (i.e., powder-form mixed with water). Here’s why:

In general, amino acids are the building blocks of muscle protein; they can also serve as an energy source for skeletal muscle. Importantly, research throughout the past five decades has provided very solid evidence that combining the intake of specific amino acids—the BCAAs/EAAs—before, during and after resistance exercise will increase the rate of skeletal muscle protein synthesis (MPS)to a significantly greater extent, compared to amino acid ingestion/supplementation or resistance exercise alone (References 1, 2). Further, consistently stimulating an increase in MPS over time, given adequate solid-food nutrition and recovery from training, will lead to muscle growth.

The fact is, if you don’t supplement with the right amino acids/proteins in effective dosages around your lifts in a systematic fashion, you will essentially be wasting your efforts and dedication in the gym. Consuming BCAAs, EAAs and/or complete (liquid) proteins in scientifically researched and evidence-based quantities around your resistance exercise not only stimulates an increase in MPS, but it is necessary to shift muscle net protein balance from muscle breakdown to a positive state known as anabolism. (Reference 3). Again, over time, this is a formula for muscle growth, gains, transformation and success.

Bottom Line: Muscle growth and all muscular performance-related improvements greatly depend on cutting-edge nutrition and supplementation strategies that produce results. If you have the work ethic, never attempt to crush an intense lift without proper supplementation. The liquid bombing protocol suggested here will take your performance and physique to the next level. It can optimize your muscular and athletic performance and perfect your physique!

References:

1. Burd NA, Tang JE, Moore DR, Phillips SM. “Exercise training and protein metabolism: influences of contraction, protein intake, and sex-based differences.” Journal of Applied Physiology 2009;106:1692–1701.

2. Kumar V, Atherton P, Smith K, Rennie MJ. “Human muscle protein synthesis and breakdown during and after exercise.” Journal of Applied Physiology 2009;106:2026–2039.

3. Biolo G, Tipton KD, Klein S, Wolfe RR. “An abundant supply of amino acids enhances the metabolic effect of exercise on muscle protein.” American Journal of Physiology 1997;273:E122–E129.