Coach,
I know you’re more of a training guy but I figured I ask first here anyway, I’m having trouble figuring out my peri-workout nutrition. I’ve taken Plazma pre-workout, but the carbs put me to sleep and I always have a crappy workout unless I have a stimulant with it. I’ve taken to having my Plazma after training, but it’s not really designed for that and I’m wondering if I’ll get more out of having a serving of Mag-10 before and after training instead, along with some tyrosine before. My hesitation comes from losing a lot of the anabolic effects of carbs around the workout, as I’m trying to put mass right now. Any thoughts are greatly appreciated!
The reason why Plazma pre-workout put you to sleep (and MAG-10 doesn’t) is likely two-fold:
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It increases your serotonin which is already high (which is why 1A are good under pressure and can lift heavy often)
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It decreases cortisol production during training. Which is normally a good thing. But 1As are cortisol under-producers (one of the reasons why they are so good under pressure and have a very stable physiology). While cortisol receives a bad rap when it comes to muscle-building, it does play a big role in workout performance, acting as a CNS activator on top of mobilizing energy.
In essence, Plazma (or any carb intake pre-workout) will make it much harder for a type 1A and 1B to get into the optimal performance zone.
Look at the graphic below:
On the left of the curve the CNS is less excited, the neurons are firing more slowly. The upside is that this keeps you more in para-sympathetic (rest and recover mode) and less in sympathetic mode (fight or flight). The more you move toward the middle the faster the neurons are firing: it increases motivation, you think and react faster, muscles contract harder and you are more efficient at planning movements. But if you move too far to the right your CNS gets over-excited and you “lose control” of your brain: you are thinking too much, you are thinking too fast; making you create scenarios in your mind and even leading to paranoia, your reaction time is too fast and often incorrect, instead of firing faster your muscles become tensed and tight, etc.
Adrenalin and dopamine move you to the right, serotonin and GABA move you to the left.
Type 1A and 1B having a higher level of serotonin/GABA (or have a more efficient serotonin or GABA system) and as such easily calm their brain down when it is too excited. That’s why they are calm under pressure and can perform better in competition.
But it also makes it a bit harder to get UP to the optimal performance zone. Rapid carbs intake pre-workout can make that process even harder. Which might make you lazy, sleepy or unmotivated to train.
That’s why for a 1A and 1B I prefer to have the peri-workout during and post-workout instead of pre and during.
And when I say during in their case, it is from the mid-point of the workout, where you’d have half of it. The other half being consumed at the end of the session.
Why at the halfway point? Because by then your CNS will be excited/amped up and the carbs will not prevent you from getting into the zone.
You could also use a serving of MAG-10 pre-workout (to pre-load your bload with amino acids), half a serving (30g) of PLAZMA at the midway point of the workout and half a serving (30g) of PLAZMA at the end of the workout.
The best option in a mass gaining phase will then be to have a serving of MAG-10 30 min after the session than a solid meal with carbs and protein 90 minutes later.
This is exactly what I was wondering and makes perfect sense. Thank you!
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