ANABOLIC VS CATABOLIC 🔥
When people hear anabolic they think steroids. The word itself has a bad reputation, but is actually a GREAT thing when it comes to fitness for MEN & WOMEN!
CATABOLIC = BREAKDOWN/OUTPUT
Breakdown of muscle tissue or body fat to use for energy. I.e exercise, working all day, stresses of all kinds.
ANABOLIC = BUILD/GROWTH/INPUT
The repair, rebuild and growth phase. I.e fuelling the body, rest and recovery.
When we exercise we put our body under physical stress. The body is finding energy wherever it can to facilitate your exercise. Breakdown of body fat and muscle tissue to be precise.
This is why after exercise it is important to refuel and recover in order to get the gains you want and best prepare for your next session. If we do not the body will remain in that catabolic state and over time start to freak out. Hormone imbalances, muscle tissue breakdown, lethargy, injuries etc. All of this means a negative effect on your results.
For example there are many people that will train all the time, eat next to nothing because they think not eating means burning body fat. They will find their body composition and performance in the gym has also been negatively affected. Simply because there is too much output and not enough input.
In order to help this we need to somehow communicate with our body and let it know it’s time to rest and recover as soon as it can.
This is where a cool down and protein shakes are great in my opinion. Shakes are a quick source of nutrition to start ‘feeding your muscles’ and trigger that anabolic response from the body. Your body will begin repairing damaged tissue, building muscle, strengthening bones etc. Follow this with some proper nutrition, electrolytes and recovery.
Quality sleep is important when it comes to recovery. As Growth hormone, oestrogen, and testosterone, are generally at their highest during your sleep and when you first wake. They all play vital roles in relation to anabolism.
Bottom line we must keep a good balance of OUTPUT VS INPUT.
