Beyond Glycogen

10 Ways To Boost Your Energy

By Jim Taylor

Bodybuilders are always keen on learning new methods of training to stimulate their muscles so they can train harder and increase hypertrophy. In this sense they are always looking for ways to improve muscle synthesis, but they frequently forget the most relevant link in the chain of muscular hypertrophy: energy. The prime factor in making muscles grow is training them intensely and this is not possible without sufficient energy reserves. When you are lacking the spark necessary for training, everything falls by the wayside. Let’s look at ten methods you can use to boost your energy levels, so that you can train with sufficient intensity to make your muscles respond.

Let’s start at the beginning: the human body is a machine that is constantly expending energy, as the simple act of living requires the combustion of fuel for the continuing function of the internal organs.
Then, on top of subsistence, any activity the body performs requires energy. The fuel used by all cells is called ATP, or adenosine triphosphate, which comprises the energy substratum at a cellular level. Before reaching this point, however, energy is primarily obtained from glucose, or blood sugar, which is in turn primarily obtained from the carbohydrates in the diet.
As you are no doubt aware, the body depends principally on glycogen reserves to produce the energy that you require during a workout. Intrinsically speaking, glycogen is a carbohydrate stored in the liver and the muscles that is easily converted into glucose in accordance with immediate needs.
However, glycogen reserves are limited, and it is calculated that they are normally exhausted after 1.5-2 hours of exercise, at which point the body is forced to look for other sources of energy.

The Glucose Cycle
As we’ve just seen, glucose is the primary source of energy for the body and its natural precursor is carbohydrate. In fact, carbohydrate molecules are nothing but a string of glucose molecules, which once divided through the process of digestion end up as simple units of glucose in the blood providing combustible fuel required by the muscles. The body burns what it needs for immediate operation and stores the rest in reserves for future needs.
Consequently, the individual glucose molecules are reformed into a complex carbohydrate, glycogen, which is stored in the muscles and in the liver, to be converted back into glucose when the body has exhausted the glucose circulating in the blood.
The body has a tendency to adapt to habit, so when it is more sedentary the glycogen reserves are smaller, and when it is generally more active the reserves are larger.
Thus, a physically active man of 80kg would have a reserve of around 2,200 calories, made up of 1,700 calories in muscular glycogen, 400 calories in liver glycogen and 100 calories in glucose freely circulating in the blood.
The liver is a very important gland, as with a weight of around 1.5kg it is the largest in the body and carries out more than 500 distinct functions. One of those is regulating the level of sugar, or glucose, in the blood. When the muscles undertake activity they first burn the glucose available in the blood, then they use that stored as glycogen in the muscles and, if necessary, resort to the final reserves in the liver.
The Drop In Glucose
In normal circumstances the body maintains sufficient glycogen to provide the glucose required for regular needs. Thus, the more training it undergoes the greater the expenditure of glucose and the more it will accumulate in the muscles in order to satisfy future needs. Of course, when the diet doesn’t provide enough raw materials to fill these reserves, or when exercise is more intense or longer than usual, then it is possible that muscular glycogen reserves will be drained and liver is obliged to give up its store.
This is a dangerous point to reach; as brain function depends directly on glucose and the liver will fight to maintain a minimum reserve for such an important organ, what is called a drop or fall in glucose occurs. This phenomenon seeks to reduce activity levels in order to preserve remaining glycogen while searching for other sources of energy. Under these conditions it is not possible to train, at least not at any level of intensity.
Let me recall that the energy molecules at a cellular level used when contracting muscles are ATP, which is not used up if activity is light or moderate, but when it becomes intense, ATP is the substratum that facilitates intense contraction. Now, ATP is not stored, so it must be instantly regenerated, and the mechanisms for this include the hydrolysis of phosphocreatine (which is deconstructed), glycolysis (the glucose from glycogen) and the metabolism of by-products from the breakdown of carbohydrates, fats and proteins.
In other words, the body looks for alternate ways to keep providing fuel to the muscles so they can continue contracting, but the crux of matter is that if the muscles do not get alternative sources of energy they simply cannot perform intense contractions, as is necessary to lift significant amounts of weight and develop imposing amounts of muscle mass.
For all the protein you eat, if the muscles fibres aren’t stimulated with sufficient intensity, you can forget about growth.
By the same token, after a workout the body’s priority is to replenish its energy reserves and only then will it begin to grow. So the more depleted they are, the longer recuperation will take and the harder it is to grow.
Essentially, anything that prolongs energy permits more intense training, depletes energy reserves from metabolised substrata less, and thus allows faster recuperation and more growth.
In physiological terms we can define energy as the capacity to provide fuel to the muscles.

10 Ways To Increase Energy
At this point I imagine it’s clear that having inexhaustible energy reserves is the first step to building big, strong muscles, as this increases the ability to train intensely, an essential factor for muscle stimulation, as well as faster recovery, which also leads to better development.
Let’s look at ten methods you can employ to increase your energy levels and climb a rung higher in your muscular development.

Glucose
Obviously the contribution of glucose raises energy levels, particularly because as well as providing blood sugar it retards exhaustion of glycogen reserves. In other words, while there is glucose circulating in the blood there is no call upon the glycogen reserves.
However, although this looks like a complete solution on paper, it is not. High glucose levels cause the release of insulin, which leads to a drop in blood sugar and also blocks the production of growth hormone and the burning of fat for fuel.
Glucose should be used in moderate quantities, ideally in small doses before and during a session, and a larger dose after training in order to replenish glycogen reserves.

Creatine
This is without doubt one of the most well known elements in muscular energy in the sporting world. It is produced by the body from amino acids arginine, methionine and glycine and increases muscular strength and endurance, as well as accelerating recovery after exercise.
When creatine is taken orally is converted into phosphocreatine, which is a very important element, as it is the immediate supply of phosphate that ATP loses when it is used to produce intense contractions. Ultimate capacity to generate force and intensity depends on reserves of phosphocreatine, which allows harder and longer training sessions.
Furthermore, creatine is known to increase the capacity of storage for glycogen in muscles, it hydrates and accelerates its synthesis while preventing its degradation.
Creatine can be used at different times, both before and after training.

Carnitine
The liver and kidney produce carnitine from food, and it is a non-essential amino acid. It regulates the free coenzyme A (CoA) intramitochondrial, a metabolite involved in energy production, the oxidation of pyruvate and the metabolism of amino acids, as well as in coordinating the energy cycle of Krebs and in mitochondrial and peroxisomal beta-oxidation.
Such big words! Forget these terms; just remember that carnitine keeps the energy fire burning.
One of the functions of carnitine is transporting free fatty acids to cells to be used as fuel. This substance is the key to opening the doors to mitochondria, which is where all energy is produced and all fat is burnt. The dual effect of carnitine is that it transports not only useful substances to the mitochondria to be burnt as fuel, but also potentially harmful compounds, preventing their accumulation.
In fact, some scientists like Dr. Jane Higdon of the Linus Pauling Research Institute at the State University of Oregon, USA, affirm that carnitine stimulated the immune system and preserves glycogen reserves during exercise.

Ribose
This is a sugar that constitutes the raw material in the formation of ARN (ribonucleic acid). It serves to make glucose and converts into pyruvate, which metabolises to form ATP.
Studies have claimed that supplementation with ribose increases the rate of ATP production in skeletal muscles as much as 400%. This appears to be because ribose provides adenosine nucleotides, necessary in the regeneration of intramuscular ATP, which is a slow process without a source of ribose.
As such, ribose reduces the time required for the recuperation of muscles fibres.

Glutamine
Glutamine is known as a key agent in recuperation that prevents muscle degradation, but scientists have also proven that it helps modulate gluconeogenesis.
Researchers at the University of Rochester, New York, administered glutamine to active people to see how it converted into glucose without appreciable changes to levels of insulin or glucagon, the pancreatic hormone that regulated insulin. They found that the transformation was carried out in the kidneys, not in the liver.
Glutamine has the ability to increase energy levels without affecting insulin production, and it also accelerates fat loss, reconstitution of glycogen reserves after training and is the main source of energy for cells in the immune system.

BCAAs
Branched-chain amino acids such as leucine, isoleucine and valine help rebuild muscular deposits of glutamine. During high intensity training glucose levels fall, the body turns to leucine, because it converts easily into glucose, and the energy levels needed to continue activity are maintained but at the expense of muscle mass, since using leucine degrades the ramified chain and with it the muscle. Consequently, taking BCAAs helps improves performance and preserve muscle.
Finally, there is evidence that BCAAs are also effective in preventing the decline of the central nervous system that occurs with fatigue from exercise.

Tyrosine
Tyrosine is the amino acid that fights against mental fatigue to naturally regulate the performance of various neurotransmitters in the brain.
It elevates alertness and stimulates concentration and energy levels, as well as stimulating the production of epinephrine, norepinephrine and dopamine, all chemicals that stimulate brain activity.
These hormones, called catecholamines, have the function of breaking down fatty acids in adipose tissue to be immediately used as combustible energy. They are known as “counter-attack” or “escape” hormones and they act quickly.
On the other hand, tyrosine is also the raw material for the construction of thyroid hormones, which are also involved in the production of energy.

B Vitamins & Minerals
Group B vitamins are the catalysts that allow the body to obtain energy from the carbohydrates we ingest. It would simply not be possible to extract energy from them without vitamins B1, B2, B3 and B5. Vitamin B6 is also essential for the metabolism and endogenous production of amino acids.
The minerals calcium, potassium, magnesium and phosphorous are necessary for all energy related reactions, and the also participate in the production of ATP and in muscular contractions.

Ginseng
Ginseng is a tuber that is well known for stimulating physical and mental energy.
There are various types of ginseng, but the one known as Siberian (eleuterococus) has had many studies of its properties done. One carried out at the Institute of Cultural Physics in Leningrad, Russia on more than 1500 athletes concluded that ginseng increased energy, accelerated recuperation from training and improved mental concentration.
Studies into other types of ginseng, like Korean, have shown that these are more notable for slowing fatigue of the central nervous system.

Cq 10
This is a coenzyme that is found in every cell of the body and its action is critical to the production of energy, particularly ATP.
The highest concentrations of Cq 10 are to be found in the liver and heart. It is also a powerful antioxidant that combats free radicals and eliminates many dangerous waste products that can impede maximum performance. 

In Practice
This is not an exhaustive list, and of course, you may be able add other ways of increasing the energy available during training sessions to it yourself.
It is important to note once more, however, that without sufficient energy to train at maximum intensity, you will not reach your full potential in muscle development.
So how do we get enough of these elements?
Well, it’s not easy to find all these energy-giving substances in a single formula, but the interesting thing is to find them in the best combinations possible.
In this sense, one way to get hold of a number of them is through the use of the ergoceutical CRS 086 from Future Concepts.
This formula is designed to provide torrents of energy and hydrate the muscle cells, so it increases both strength and muscle volume.
Essentially, with CRS 086 you get a good dose of glucose – around 75g per 100g – as well as 10g of creatine; 5g of glutamine; 2g alanine, another amino acid; 2g ribose; 3g of amino acids arginine, methionine and glycine, which are the natural precursors to the internal production of creatine; as well as the correct combination of electrolytes and mineral for energy production.
Prepare a dose and take a quarter of it before you start working out to raise your energy levels, then take another quarter in small sips throughout the session to maintain energy while training, and finally take the remainder at the end of your session to accelerate muscular recuperation and growth.
Further help comes from the use of another ergoceutical, TH 101, which although essentially designed to speed up the elimination of fat deposits, amongst its 12 ingredients you will find compounds that stimulate energy, like amino acid tyrosine, as well as other plant-derived agents that stimulate the central nervous system and the liberation of fatty acids as an energy source.
So there you have a number of recommendations on how to increase your energy levels naturally, and don’t forget that it all depends on your ability to train hard, as well as recuperate, to grow more.
Good luck!