How Your Diet Affects Your Results

Sprint 8 is a tough workout, but the results are worth it. You can make those results even better by eating the right foods at the right time. But if you eat the wrong foods, you might not get the results you’re looking for. Read on to learn how your eating habits can help you make the most – or least – of Sprint 8.

Before Your Workout

Half an hour before your workout begins, try eating a banana and a square of 85% dark chocolate. This will give your body the sugar it needs to complete the workout. If your body doesn’t have enough sugar, you might experience headaches, dizziness, or other symptoms of exercise-induced hypoglycemia.

Hypoglycemia occurs when your body runs out of glucose and glycogen, both of which are made from sugar. It’s not life-threatening, but it can make your workout harder. If you become hypoglycemic during a workout, be sure to eat some carbohydrates afterwards.

Dark chocolate is good for more than just carbs. It also contains epicatechin, an antioxidant that can make it easier to build muscle during a workout. Remember, it has to be dark chocolate — at least 85%. Milk chocolate doesn’t have enough epicatechin to make a difference.

You should also consider taking 2 grams of L-glutamine half an hour before you exercise. L-glutamine is an amino acid that helps your body in a variety of ways, like synthesizing proteins, taking care of your gut and building muscles. Rigorous exercise uses up a lot of L-glutamine, so it’s a good idea to take 2 grams before doing Sprint 8.

During Your Workout

Drink water! If you become dehydrated, you won’t be able to work as hard, and you might even hurt yourself. The harder you sweat, the more water you need, so be sure to drink plenty of water during your 90-second recovery periods.

It’s important to drink water before and after you exercise too. If you drink a glass of water ahead of time, you’ll be less likely to become dehydrated during your workout. Plus, water helps your muscles recover from intense exercise, so it’s important to keep drinking water after the workout ends.

After Your Workout

Sprint 8 triggers the release of human growth hormone. This chemical helps you burn fat and build muscle, and it stays in your system for two hours after working out. In that two-hour period, you need to do two things.

First, try to eat 20-30 grams of protein within half an hour of finishing your workout. This will help your body repair itself and build muscle. You might think it’s a good idea to eat as much protein as possible, but don’t bother. Your body can only process up to 30 grams in one sitting. If you eat more, it won’t hurt you, but it probably won’t help you either.

Still, you need more than 30 grams of protein per day, so try to have a lot of protein with every meal. Most adults need 0.35 grams of protein per pound of bodyweight each day. If you’re doing Sprint 8, you need even more. Try to aim for 0.75 grams of protein per pound of bodyweight. For example, if you weigh 165 pounds, you need 124 grams of protein per day.

Second, try to avoid high-glycemic carbohydrates for two hours after working out. These are simple sugars, like the ones found in candy, chocolate and white bread. When you eat a lot of simple sugars, your body releases insulin, a chemical that turns carbohydrates into fat. This makes it harder for human growth hormone to do its job.

Complex carbohydrates, like the ones found in whole grains, are fine in moderation. After your workout, try to have 3 grams of complex carbs for each gram of protein. For example, if you eat 25 grams of protein, you can have up to 75 grams of complex carbs.

Conclusion

Nutrition is an important part of the Sprint 8 exercise protocol. If you eat the wrong foods at the wrong time, you might not get the results you’re looking for. But if you follow the above guidelines, your Sprint 8 workout will be a little bit easier, and the results will be noticeably better.