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June 12, 2023 By Mohammed Tufail Qureshi 1 Comment

All You Need To Know About Creatine

CreatineIf you regularly workout in the gym chances are that often you could get some sorts of advice in terms of what you should be eating, which is the right protein supplement that you should take, etc. Getting advice is one thing and but, nobody should take any supplement or put anything in their body without weighing the benefits and risks first. This goes for everything from beer to marshmallows to the amazing amino acid called Creatine.

What Is Creatine?

Creatine is a combination of three different amino acids, glycine, arginine, and methionine. Creatine is a well known substance, and while it offers benefits in terms of muscle and strength gain, it can also generate an energy boost that assists muscle recovery and decreases muscle fatigue.

When you take creatine in the powder form – it is in your blood stream for about 1 – 1.5 hours. For muscle growth, the creatine must be absorbed into the muscles. If you are working out and deplete your creatine supply in your muscles and you have creatine available in the blood stream, your muscles can replenish their creatine supply from the creatine in your blood.

How Does Creatine Help You? 

It is a naturally present nutrient in foods like meat, to some extent in certain types of fish but in low quantity. It gets stored in the muscle & regenerates ATP to produce explosive power output. Everyone from gym users, bodybuilders, power sports players to endurance athletes can see lean muscle gains, increased endurance, speedy recovery and improved performance with creatine.

When Should You Take Creatine? 

It is recommended to take creatine monohydrate with a simple carbohydrate source to help it absorb more quickly. A good time to take creatine would be right after your workout and early morning after waking up. It is highly absorbed post workout and first thing in the morning.

On rest days, creatine can help muscle recovery and can be consumed early morning after waking up along with simple carbs.

Creatine draws water to the muscles, so if you are not drinking enough water, dehydration and muscle cramps can be an issue. Also, due to the accumulation of creatine in the small intestine, you may experience stomach pains, diarrhea and an upset stomach. So drinking water and proper dosage is highly recommended.

Best taken in a cycle, 2 months on and 1 month off – 5gm/day.

If this article helped you, let us know in the comments below. You can find more articles on fitness here. To get more expert advice like this, speak to a GOQii Coach by subscribing to Personalised Health Coaching here.

#BeTheForce

June 5, 2023 By Hajra Mithani 1 Comment

Dietary Supplements For Bodybuilding: Who Needs Them and When

dietary supplementsWith everyone focusing on their health, we’re also getting to hear about dietary supplements which improve our health or build our bodies and we’re probably consuming them without knowing their uses or side effects as well. There are many young athletes who want to excel at their respective sport but most of them haven’t mastered the art of proper eating behaviors to sustain a healthy lifestyle. Influenced by peers, social media or ads which claim incredible effects, there are many people who are turning to these dietary supplements. 

What Are Dietary Supplements? 

Nutritional or dietary  supplements are basically taken to meet our nutritional requirements. These include: 

  • Whey Protein 
  • Casein 
  • BCAA (Brand Chain Amino Acid) 
  • L-Arginine 

1. Whey Protein
Whey is essentially a milk protein consisting of essential amino acids which are absorbed quickly by the body. It is one of the safest proteins out there and can be used by beginners as well as bodybuilders. It’s purpose is to fulfill your daily protein requirement whether you workout or don’t. It promotes lean muscle mass growth and helps with muscle protein synthesis. Just ensure that you buy it from authentic sources because of adulteration and avoid any variants which have added sugars. If your purpose is to lose weight, start with a weight training regime along with whey protein consumption. Ideal time to consume whey is within 15 mins after your workout.

2. Creatine
It is an amino acid found in the muscle cells which is responsible for producing energy through the anaerobic pathway. It boosts power, helps improve strength, increase lean muscle mass and helps the muscle recover more quickly during exercise. There should be a good intake of water and the person must follow a proper diet for creatine to be absorbed by the body. Creatine supplements should not be taken along with food. Creatine doesn’t give instant effect and it should be taken in regular cycles. This is not for everyone though. Avoid using it if you’re a beginner as your muscle density isn’t built as much as an intermediate or advanced level bodybuilder. It should be taken post your workout within 20-30 minutes. Please note that too much creatine can harm your body so use it in moderation.  

3. BCAA
BCAA are a group of 3 essential amino acids: leucine, isoleucine and valine. They increase protein synthesis and muscle growth, reduce fatigue, reduce tiredness after exercising, prevent muscle loss, rapidly absorbed by the body and provide additional fuel for working muscles.

The ideal time to consume BCAA is during exercises when sports drinks/carbohydrates are not required. It can be mixed with water and consumed.

4. L-Arginine
It is needed in the synthesis of most of the proteins and hence it helps increase muscle mass. In simpler terms, it expands your blood vessels, allowing more blood flow to reach your muscles which help you get a good pump during your workout. It’s great as a pre-workout supplement as it supports your body during workouts. A bodybuilder, strength or endurance athlete can take L-Arginine. The ideal time to consume L-Arginine is 30 minutes before a workout.  

All of the above supplements are readily available on the GOQii Health Store – within the GOQii App. Remember that supplements cannot replace proper meals. So follow a proper diet and back it up with dietary supplements depending on your goal.

We hope this article helps you! Find more articles on fitness and nutrition here. You can also get all this information and more, directly from a GOQii Coach by subscribing to Personalised Health Coaching here. 

#BeTheForce

May 8, 2023 By Farhat Khan 14 Comments

Active Rest For Muscle Building

Active Rest

Yes, you heard it right. Rest is an essential part of any training program. Even when it comes to classes or work, we recognize that a few days leave can be recharging and renewing. For athletes, this can be harder, as they may feel guilty for taking a day, a week or a month off their training plan. Whether you are training for a competition or feeling extra motivated, more is not always better. Rest days are just as important as exercise. In fact, a successful fitness regimen isn’t complete without rest days.

What is Active Rest?

In terms of Rest days, there are 2 types of rest days

  • Passive Rest
  • Active Rest

Passive rest means a day of total rest without any physical activity, whereas Active rest means including low-intensity exercise that promotes blood flow to the muscles, helping them to recover better and faster.

Active rest is the sweet spot between being idle and training intensely. The goal of Active rest is to help your body heal from exercising by reducing the likelihood of inflammation and soreness. It allows your body to recover and repair. On your Active rest day you need to be active enough to increase blood flow, but gentle enough to allow your muscles to heal. 

Benefits of Active Rest

Whenever we use our muscles for exercising, our body turns glucose into Lactic acid; this is how our muscles get the energy to perform. Once our muscles stop working, the lactic acid our body remains in our muscles and causes that dreaded post-workout soreness. Active rest helps lactic acid move out of our muscles and dissolve into our bloodstream, so it’s not around to cause us pain afterward. The increased blood flow also makes it to our joints, reducing the chance of joint and muscle inflammation. It is essential for muscle growth. Exercise creates microscopic tears in your muscle tissues. But during rest, cells called fibroblasts repair it. This helps the tissue heal and grow, resulting in stronger muscles.

Active rest is also known to improve our mood and keep us from getting the post-workout blues, while also alleviating any fatigue. Plus, it’s great for our heart since it increases our heart rate and builds endurance.

Planning an Active Rest Day

An active rest day should include a different activity from your usual workout at the gym. You shouldn’t be working at maximum effort. Rather, go slow and don’t push yourself too hard.

Examples of active recovery exercises include:

  1. Stretching: is a simple and effective way to maintain increased blood flow and relaxation.
  2. Yoga: lengthens our muscles and tendons, aids in their recovery, and helps our body develop better mobility and flexibility.
  3. Meditation: is a great way to rest and refresh your mind. If sitting still for extended periods isn’t for you, there are alternative ways of meditating that keep your body busy and your mind free, such as doing the dishes or knitting.
  4. Swimming: is a low-impact exercise that’s easy on your joints and muscles.
  5. Walking or Jogging: is one of the best forms of Active Rest. Walking or jogging at a leisurely pace can enhance blood flow and help with recovery.
  6. Cycling: at a leisurely pace is an excellent way to get in an active recovery. It is low-impact and doesn’t put pressure on the joints. One can cycle either on a stationary bike or on a bicycle outdoors.
  7. Myofascial release with a foam roller: Active rest doesn’t only include movement. One also can stretch and roll a foam roller over parts of your body and get many of the same benefits. If your muscles are sore, foam rolling can help relieve tightness, reduce inflammation, and increase your range of motion.

A Word of Caution

Active rest day exercises are generally considered safe. During active recovery, make sure you aren’t working harder than about 50 percent of your maximum effort. This will give your body the chance it needs to rest. You may find that you feel less tight, sore, and even have more energy to exercise after active recovery. If you’re injured, in pain, or very fatigued, your body may need passive recovery which means total rest.

We hope this article helps you make the most of your workout and recovery. Do let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

You can find more information on muscle building here. You can also get these tips and know more about Active Rest or set up your own fitness routine by speaking to a GOQii Coach. All you need to do is subscribe to GOQii’s Personalised Health Coaching here.

#BeTheForce 

March 20, 2023 By Mohammed Tufail Qureshi 20 Comments

Building Muscles With Proper Diet & Exercise

Muscle Building TipsBody building has always fascinated me. My weight training journey began at the age of 16 and since then my goals have been very clear – building muscles and lifting weights! They became my passion. But I realized that just lifting weights to achieve a fit body was not the solution. Anything to do with fitness requires dedication and hard work coupled with smart eating and proper rest. This ultimately helped me achieve the results I was seeking.

You must be wondering how I managed to achieve what I was seeking. Well, the idea germinated in my mind after I watched a movie, ‘Pumping Iron’ starring Arnold Schwarzenegger – my body building idol. Arnold is perhaps the greatest bodybuilder of all time! It was his personality and muscles that I admired and got kicked about lifting weights.

It’s funny – I am half as tall as him, yet I wanted to have a body like him. I set out on the path of building muscles. Within a short period of time, I learned the techniques and secrets of building muscles – which I am about to share with you.

For many of us, gaining muscle would mean spending countless hours in the gym and we seldom think a good diet is important. Remember that our body needs calories and nourishment to feed growing muscle mass and to adjust to varying amounts of activity.

I am going to tell you about building muscles through a three tier process namely proper diet, good exercise and good rest. Each of these tiers is equal and important. Let us take a closer look at each of these processes.

1. Proper Diet

To build muscles you need a proper diet that consists of micro and macro nutrients. Micro nutrients are vitamins and minerals whereas macro nutrients are a combination of protein, carbs and fat. Eating each of these micro and macro nutrients in the right quantity is important to build proper muscle mass.

Just pumping iron or what we call ‘lifting heavy weights’ in the gym does not serve the purpose. One needs to create a proper balance between the two.

1.1 Protein

One needs to eat sufficient amounts of protein to build good muscle. The rule of thumb is that an average person needs one gram of protein per kg of his body weight to maintain his muscle mass, skin and hair. But an individual who is exercising needs almost 1.5 to 2 grams of protein per kg of his body weight to build muscles. For example, if you are 150 lbs(pounds) or 68kg, you should eat between 150 and 225gm of protein each day if you want to consistently gain muscles.

Proteins are found in eggs, meat, fish, cheese, milk and soya beans. Muscles are active tissues, unlike fats. Like every active thing, muscles also need proper maintenance. In order to maintain muscles, the body needs to burn calories and that’s one reason why our basal metabolic rate (BMR) goes up. More the muscle mass in the body, more the BMR level. Increase in BMR level avoids gaining fats in the body and is very helpful for fat loss as well.

1.2 Carbs

Including carbohydrates in your diet in the morning and post workout is essential. The primary function of carbs is to provide energy.  Carbs intake should be monitored very closely. One gram of carbs gives 4 calories. A number of carbs that get utilized as energy and the extra carbs that are still present, get stored as fat.

In order to avoid carbs getting stored as fat, we need to limit their intake. You can get Carbs from Sugar which provides the energy required for daily activities. Sugar may be available in three forms, lactose, fructose, and sucrose obtained from milk, table sugar, and fruits respectively. Carbs from Sugar Starch can be found in rice, beans, peas, and other grains. And lastly, carbs from fibers. Fibrous foods help in quick digestion of food and can found in some green vegetables, whole grains, peas, dry beans, bran, and soya beans etc. Fiber is also good to remove waste from your body.

1.3 Fats

Most people are of the opinion that fat is our enemy. Although, it gives 9 calories per gram. That’s much compared to carbs and proteins. The function of fats is to give energy during an emergency such as when the glucose level of the body dips to a low and there is no source of energy (Adenosine Tri Phosphate) and there is no food available in the body. In such a case, the body uses stored fat as the source of energy for that period of time.

You can get fats from olives, peanuts, sunflower, fish, nuts, flaxseeds and pumpkin seeds, soy products such as tofu or soy milk. Fats build healthy cells. Without a healthy cell membrane, the rest of the cell cannot function. Fats help the body use vitamins. Vitamins A, D, E, and K are fat-soluble vitamins, meaning that the fat in foods helps the intestines absorb these vitamins into the body. Therefore the diets should contain carbs, proteins and fats. You can get vitamins from the inclusion of green vegetables such as spinach and broccoli.

1.4 Water

It is the other important nutrient that is important for our body. One who is exercising should always hydrate himself or herself well. Water provides cushioning and lubrication between joints. Pain problems around joints are a very common among bodybuilders and strength athletes. Maintaining hydration and joint health is a very important part of your training over the long haul.

2. Proper Exercise

The second tier of building muscles is through proper exercise. Without exercise, it will be impossible to build huge muscles.  When we exercise there is a wear and tear process that takes place within the body and the immediate reaction of the body is to repair those muscles.

The greater and deeper the damage to the muscle, the bigger and stronger the muscle will be repaired. It is therefore important to schedule the exercise program in order to achieve great results. Weight training should be done 3-4 days a week and this should be coupled with cardio exercise on the balance days of the week when you are not weight training. With weight training, you will be able to build muscles and get stronger. With cardio, you will be strengthening your lungs and heart and it will help you increase your stamina.

3. Rest and Recovery

This is the last and final tier of building muscles. This aspect is the most neglected tier of the three. You train hard in the gym, nourish your body with proper nutrition but if you do not give enough time for your body to recover through proper rest, the body will not utilize the nutrients in a proper manner to build muscles. After a hard day’s work when you finally go to sleep, that’s when the damaged and tired muscles get repaired. One needs to sleep for at least 7-8 hours to obtain good results.

Muscle can only get stronger and bigger by stimulating it through hard exercise, helping it recover with high-performance nutrition and giving it rest.

Disclaimer: Before making sudden changes in your lifestyle, you may want to consult your doctor and trainer

If you found this article helpful and would like to read more on fitness, click here. Additionally, you can also join a live, interactive workout session with an expert by booking a GOQii PRO class through the GOQii App.

What were your key takeaways from this article? Let us know in the comments below!

#BeTheForce

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