How to Achieve a Positive Nitrogen Balance for Continuous Gains

Photo by: Bigstockphoto
Photo by: Bigstockphoto

Maintaining positive nitrogen balance is a good indicator of anabolism. It is critical to building muscle and achieving a ripped physique. In today’s post, we are listing down all the important aspect of fitness to achieve positive nitrogen balance. We will also outline tips to help you maintain positive nitrogen balance:

3 Basic States Of Nitrogen Balance

Positive: Positive nitrogen balance is the optimal state for muscle growth. During this state, the nitrogen intake is greater than the nitrogen output. This shows that the body has recovered from the last workout. It has reached an anabolic state, allowing for faster recovery time.

Equilibrium: At this state, the nitrogen intake of the body is equal to that of its output. This can be a good thing and a bad thing. The body is not regressing but is not gaining either. This leads to zero muscle gains.

Negative: This is the worst state of nitrogen balance. It denotes that the body is losing more nitrogen than it can take. Negative nitrogen balance could lead to serious damage, poor muscle strength, and very slow recovery.

How to Achieve Positive Nitrogen Balance

To achieve positive nitrogen balance, the body should get a balanced ratio of essential and non-essential amino acids. Amino acids are made of protein, which is critical for muscle growth. With correct proportions of amino acids, you will achieve an optimal anabolic state. This leads to faster gains, faster recovery period, and a fantastic physique!

Balanced Nutrition

To achieve positive nitrogen balance, you need to stick to a high protein meal. Start by breaking down your meals to 6 mini meals instead of 3 square meals. Space out each meal to 2 to 3 hours apart. Your meals should contain 30 to 40 grams of protein per day.

To reduce protein breakdown during training, drink a protein shake an hour before working out. After training follow up with a protein shake to boost protein synthesis. Finally, drink a whey-based protein shake before you sleep.

Sufficient Rest

Never underestimate the power of sleep. You need to get sufficient rest so the body recovers from the training faster. While you sleep, the muscles start repairing themselves. This is important for muscle growth! If you do not get enough rest, the body will utilize protein surprise for energy. This could lead to negative nitrogen balance!

If your nitrogen balance is tipping to the negative, we recommend stopping the training and increasing your protein intake. Working out continuously could lead to muscle deterioration and wasted efforts!

Training Smartly

You want to train in an anabolic fashion to achieve positive nitrogen balance. Training smartly will stimulate the muscle fibers while reducing muscle breakdown.

Start by training well-rested muscles. Keep your training short and intense, about 30 to 45 minutes long. Limit body workouts to 2 to 3 exercises per body part. Finally, never train the body if the muscles are not well rested. Again, if you go overboard on training, you are only destroying the muscles you painstakingly toned for weeks!