Greetings, Ivan Ustinov is in touch. This article is not about ordinary energy drinks, like

Before you decide for yourself to take these things - think carefully about everything and do not joke with it. The question is quite serious, especially considering the growing popularity of these additives.

Sports energy drinks (isotonics)- these are balanced complexes of carbohydrates of various types, necessary for obtaining quick excess energy for athletes. Carbohydrates differ in the length of the carbohydrate chain (the most popular are maltodextrin and fructose). Often these complexes contain polyunsaturated fats along with vitamins and minerals, proteins and amino acids, as well as strong natural stimulants such as caffeine and guarana extract, may be present. Sports energy drinks are sold either in liquid form, like a drink, or in the form of a powder that needs to be diluted with a liquid, like regular protein.

Energy drinks in sports nutrition differ in how quickly fast carbohydrates, such as glucose, enter the bloodstream. This is the so-called "glycemic index". The higher this index, the faster carbohydrates enter the bloodstream. Energy drinkers with a high glycemic index usually consume 30 minutes before the start of the workout. Drugs with a high index are generally not recommended when you are not training or training hard, so that excess carbohydrates do not turn into fat and are not deposited in the body, since such drugs cause an active release of insulin.

The best are those sports energy drinks in which proteins and carbohydrates of high quality are ideally balanced. Such preparations give the best effect of a burst of energy and muscle growth and have a lower glycemic index. The best percentage of protein in the preparation is 15-35%!

What are energy drinks used for?

There are a number of reasons athletes take these energy supplements. Let's list the main ones and briefly analyze each of them. The main reasons for taking isotonics are:

• a sharp increase in the strength and energy state of the body;
• preservation of protein in muscles;
• normalization of the water-salt balance of the body;
• fat burning effect.

The decision to buy and take this drug is usually taken when a bodybuilder wants to instantly increase his energy for whatever reason. Maybe you need to extend your workout and increase your endurance, maybe you need to “jerk” big weights. Since the reasons can be different, it doesn't matter what the reasons are. The main thing in this matter is to clearly understand why you need this drug at a given time.

Energy drinks in sports nutrition allow you to store protein in the muscles so that it is not used as fuel during hard workouts. Therefore, it is quite possible to say that energy drinks to some extent help to maintain the athlete's muscle mass.

Another function of isotonics is to maintain the water-salt balance of our body in the correct state. This is a positive feature, since during exercise we sweat and lose important minerals, we lose salt. For this reason, almost all sports energy drinks contain potassium and sodium and have a slightly salty taste.

Energy drinks can help those who have set themselves the goal of losing weight and thinning their subcutaneous fat. Due to the content of such strong stimulants as caffeine, L-carnitine and guarana extract in the composition of energy drinks, a noticeable fat-burning effect can be achieved. At the same time, our nervous system goes into a state of increased activity for a while. Our reaction increases, the work of the brain accelerates.

How to take energy drinks?

You should not take energy drinks at night, as this will lead to active fat formation during sleep. In addition, such a technique will interfere with the production of somatotropin growth hormone. And that's no good anymore!

The best solution is to take energy drinks between meals.

The dosage here is very individual. If it is a powder to be mixed with milk, water or juice, then it is usually 50 g of powder per 0.5 liter of liquid. But you need to look at the instructions on the package.

Is there any harm in using energy drinks?

The beneficial effects for bodybuilding from energy drinks in sports nutrition are all clear. They are there, you can see them, you can feel them. But you will make a big mistake if you believe the sales advertisements for these supplements. Don't forget what kind of world we live in now. It's no secret that often, for the sake of profit, dastardly marketers expose only the advantages of sports drugs, silent about the side effects and possible dangers. So, what about energy?

Many are alarmed by the mere advertising of energy drinks, even sports ones. When advertising slogans promise instant, inexhaustible energy from a drink with a bunch of benefits, then a doubt creeps in - is it not harmful, first of all, to my heart? That's my opinion too. Not everything is as good as they say. But advertisements are different. Some are adequate, some are inadequate. Below you can see an example of more or less adequate advertising. A lot of abstruse words, advantages and other blah blah blah ...

No, I'm not going to dispute what the girl is talking about in the video about energy drinks in sports nutrition. Just do not forget that the main task of those who advertise sports energy drinks is to sell, nothing more. Certain facts can be presented under different sauces and from different angles, so that the bad moments are hidden, and the most attractive is put in the foreground. These people are not interested in your well-being, your health at all. So do not buy into the seeming nobility of sellers and the benefits of the product itself. All this should be filtered on a cold head, without emotions. But these are all just words. And these are the facts.

The main problem has to do with caffeine. Recent studies confirm again and again the harmful effects of this stimulant on our heart. Caffeine raises blood pressure and can contribute to the development of cardiac arrhythmias. In addition, the synthetic substances that are contained in the energy drinks of sports nutrition are poorly absorbed by the body.

The energy drink is an indispensable thing only when you just need to get fast energy and become stronger right now.

But regular use of these drugs just to increase the strength level and rigidity of training will lead to the depletion of the cardiovascular system. This will lead to disruption of the rhythm of the heart, as I said. Moreover, it was precisely because of the abuse of energy drinks that many simply suddenly stopped their hearts.

Participants in the studies were between the ages of 18 and 45. In 4% of the subjects, changes in the rhythm of the heart were found. Although this is a very small percentage, there is still some risk of getting there, especially if you suffer from some kind of heart disorder. Although, people who have at least some heart problems do not need to use energy drinks at all, they should not even try.

Well, it is clear that the degree of these side effects depends on the wisdom of taking energy drinks and on the individual characteristics of the body of each individual person. But still! Personally, this worries me. I have never used energy drinks, neither sports nor regular. I have never had a fanatical desire to get super-energy in spite of my health. And I'm sure that many will agree with me, but many will disagree. And those who disagree will also be right to some extent. And that's okay.

May wisdom be with you...

In fact, if you are healthy, then a few portions of a sports energy drink will not make you strong weather and will not “shake” your health. But even if you are young and hot, don't be overconfident. It often happened that it was the next intake of a portion of the energy drink that discovered a previously hidden human heart disease. So be careful! Follow your feelings. If you feel malfunctions in your heart, dizziness, abnormal nervous tension, excessive unreasonable anxiety appear - then energy drinks and sports nutrition will be incompatible for you.

In this case, use glutamine, etc. but don't get close to the energy guys! At the same time, do not forget that no sports nutrition can replace real food for you, this is 100%. No expensive protein or gainer can be compared with natural food. Real bodybuilding professionals always remember this, beginners often overestimate the role of sports nutrition. On this occasion, I advise you to read, among which there is information that will set the brains of many regarding proteins and other offal.

Here is such information about all these energy drinks and sports nutrition. I am sure you will draw your own conclusions from this or any other information. Be healthy, friends. Take care of yourself!

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