And why would I want to "get salty", Allan?
Well, let’s see… because you want to kick your workout’s ASS!!!
[Confused face] I eat plenty of carbs to have energy for my workouts though. I even drink a BANG with two scoops of old-school Jack3d 3D in there to give me an extra jolt of energy for my workouts… that’s all I need to kick ass in the gym, right?
It's a common misconception that people need to get carbs in their system to "have the energy" for their workouts. Recently, (like, within the past couple of months) I can say that I have been hitting some of my best workouts, EVER, and all I’ve been having before my workouts is a good dose of electrolytes (sodium is a big one here) and maybe some BCAAs, if I want to add a little “sweetness” to the mix.
Why does this work so well though?
It works so well because muscles need electrolytes to fire and contract properly. If you are hitting your workouts in a fasted state, while also getting your electrolytes (because you are a responsible person… like you pay your taxes and get eight hours of sleep as well) you are probably using ketones as energy rather than glycogen (glycogen are carbohydates that have been stored in your body in both your liver and muscles). Besides, you only have enough glycogen stored in your body for about 30 minutes' worth of high intensity activity.
And what are ketones Allan?
Ketones are a molecule that your body uses as energy when carbohydrates are absent from the system. Some experts refer to ketones as “the fourth substrate.” Your body converts both dietary fat and adipose tissue (body fat) into ketones, and even if your body fat percentage is 3%, your body can produce a consistent source of energy from this fat for hours on end without having to have "carbs for energy".
By fueling your body this way (just electrolytes as pre-workout) rather than with carbohydrates, you are less prone to having blood sugar spikes or crashes while consistently burning the stored fat in your system. There are studies that show that performance goes down with just about 2% - 3% dehydration. If you can give your body a consistent stream of electrolytes, while fueling the body with ketones, you will be feeling like a million bucks during strenuous workouts. Electrolytes keep you well hydrated, with the added benefit of balancing water levels in your body by keeping blood volume up, which makes your ticker work a little easier as well.
And what is blood volume Allan?
Blood volume is the total amount of blood that your body has, and since blood is composed of red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets and plasma (being roughly 90% water), the second you start getting dehydrated, your blood volume goes down, which means blood pressure in your body also goes down. When this happens, your heart has to pump much harder to keep circulating the same amount of blood through your system, which in turn, raises your heart rate, which raises how much you exert yourself during a workout. You intake sodium (electrolytes), so your body can retain water, therefore sweating a little less, which means that you will keep your blood volume pretty consistent making your ticker not work as hard. I bet you never knew it was this easy to keep your body performing at a high level. In short, drink your fucking water and put some electrolytes in the mix, and like i said, if you want a little extra sweetness in the mix, add some BCAA’s.
Back to carbs though. Don't get me wrong… I still eat carbohydrates, but those come after my workouts to replenish my glycogen stores, not before, to "fuel" my workouts. You have to earn your carbs in the gym before you enjoy the sweetness on your lips. By fueling your workouts with electrolytes, instead of the conventional way, you are also very prone to lose a good amount of body fat while increasing your performance at the gym. Especially when going for those extended training sessions that you never saw coming. As for the BANG and two scoops of Jack3d 3D you took before heading to the gym, both of those combined have over 500-600mg of caffeine, which is a diuretic (makes you pee and go take a shit, QUICK, hence, the the saying “i just got the pre-workout shits) and all thats gonna do is make your blood volume plummet, therefore having to intake a lot more water and a bit more electrolytes to re-up that lost blood volume. So, in short, chill the fuck out on stimulants.
Ketones and electrolytes are key to fueling long gym sessions, maybe a bit of caffeine here and there. But, you can go home now, rest, and recover, so you can come back tomorrow and hit your workout like the badass motherfucker you are!
Now get out there, and go get salty AF!
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