Naked Science Forum
Life Sciences => Physiology & Medicine => Topic started by: TheHerbaholic on 27/04/2008 17:02:33
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Is it true that if you lift weights before you eat anything at all, the muscles grow stronger? Because their is less starch (sugars) in the muscles and more of the strong stuff lol
Rocky Marciano (a heavyweight boxer only standing about 5'10) used to wake up, weight lift and do his road work and sparring and other training before eating one massive meal a day, then resting for the rest of it to let it digest. Apparently thats what made him so strong (he never lost)
But I'm just asking you all what you think the best time of day to pump iron is, and if that really does work better?! Thanks.
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Anybody know anything enlightening on this ? lol
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A few things. Starch, yes is sugar, but is how plants store sugar, animals store sugar as glycogen. Glycogen is stored in two places: the liver and the muscles. The liver generally supplies glycogen to the body for energy doing normal everyday things. The muscles save the glycogen for when you workout. You WANT this glycogen to be in your muscles when you workout otherwise your body will break down fat and PROTEIN to fuel your workout.
The reason "rocky marciano" was able to lift weights and spar before eating was due to his genetics. There is no way normal people or average genetic potential could benefit from his example and he could probably do much better if he did things the proper way.
If you lift weights before you eat anything your muscles will not grow stronger, in fact they have a better chance of losing strength than gaining strength. I have no idea what you are referring to as the "strong stuff." Our body uses glycogen for its main fuel source, so when you lift weights without a full reserve, especially if you are doing a strenuous routine for over an hour, your muscles are actually breaking down in order to fuel your body.
The best time of day to workout depends on you. What is your preference? If you enjoy getting up early to lift weights and your body is acclimated to working hard in the morning, then do it, but just remember to get some carbohydrates in at least 40-50 minutes before you do (your body needs time to digest it and send it in the blood stream - one serving of meat generally takes 70-80 minutes to digest. if you workout while your body is still digesting the food, you are losing energy to your digestive system, energy you could be using for your workout). If you like working out at night, try to get it done well before you usually go to bed, otherwise you could be up for a while. Either way, you need to get a full night's sleep in order to reap the benefits from a strength training routine. Your body only repairs itself during your sleep, so if you aren't getting enough sleep, you are wasting your workout, losing muscle mass (because your workout will break it down and if you can't repair it, it will remain damaged), and then overtraining, because there will not be sufficient time in between your workouts.