No doubt there’s been times you’ve found yourself struggling to get through a tough set. You’re having a hard time hitting 8 reps when 10-12 was the goal. No, you aren’t using unreasonably heavy weights - you just need to find ways to push your set to your rep goal. This article covers two supplementation and nutritional tips you can use to extend your endurance. Plus, we look at the needs of endurance athletes in relation to these two concepts. Ready to kill that set? Let’s go!

Here’s Two Great Ways To Extend Your Set

Before we dive into this section, we need to review the generally accepted rep ranges for different goals.⁽¹⁾

Strength & Power: 2-6 reps (some sources will suggest 1-5 or 1-6)

Hypertrophy: 6-12 reps 

Endurance: Anything higher than 12 reps. 

Let’s say you’ve been lifting heavy. On average, let’s assume you’re failing at 5-6 reps, but let’s also assume you want to hit higher reps, say, 8-12. That makes sense if hypertrophy is your goal because your muscles will typically respond better to reps in this range. 

How can you do that without taking weight off the bar? 

Here are two simple adjustments you can make to your pre-workout program. First, it begins with recovery. After your workouts, make sure you’re eating to refill glycogen stores. Since carbohydrates are what the body uses for energy, you don’t want to deprive yourself of carbs in the hours around the workout. Both your pre and post-workout meals and shakes should contain plenty of carbs. Real Carbs, Real Carbs Rice, and Real Carbs + Protein are ideal for this purpose. Any of these innovative products will help you replenish glycogen and help provide enough energy for your workouts. 

Second, use a pre-workout that contains a high dose of glycerol (or glycerine). For example, Kill It RTD features a whopping 10 grams per serving! Research suggests that glycerol promotes water-based pumps and hyper-hydration. It may also promote extended endurance. Of course, we can’t forget about beta-alanine, which blocks fatigue, and Kill It RTD has it. The combination of these ingredients in a powerhouse pre-workout like Kill It RTD may help you impressively extend your reps. Give it a shot and see if it works for you.⁽²⁾

For Endurance Athletes

Before we dive into this section, we need to see the generally recommended carbohydrate intake for endurance athletes. The International Society of Sports Nutrition (ISSN) suggests 8-12 grams of carbohydrates per kg of body weight per day to restore glycogen optimally.⁽³⁾  

For example, if you weigh 200 lbs, you should take in 727 to 1,080 grams of carbs per day. Here’s an example calculation: Your bodyweight (example 200lbs)  / 2.2 = 91 x 8 grams = 727 grams. 

Anyway, you slice it, that’s a lot of carbs!

Therefore, endurance athletes should supplement their carb intake with the whole food carbohydrate sources of Real Carbs, Real Carbs Rice, or Real Carbs + Protein. This will ensure you meet your daily carb needs and go into your training session or event fully replenished and ready to go. If you add Kill It RTD, research suggests it may help extend your endurance. You’ll have the power of glycerol helping to keep you hydrated and able to push harder.⁽⁴⁾

Finally, why not stack any of these tremendous 5% Nutrition products with Hydrate Stk? It’s another exceptional product that helps ensure you stay hydrated during your workout or event. 

Recap

You can depend on 5% Nutrition to be on the cutting edge of supplementation that can make a difference in your results. After all, that’s what Rich wanted when he founded the company. The legend of Real Carbs and Real Carbs Rice to the insight of Real Carbs + Protein, Killt It RTD, and Hydrate Stk are all examples of the kind of innovation that sets 5% apart from the crowd. Why wait? Check out 5% Nutrition right now and find out for yourself!

References:

1. Campos, G. E., Luecke, T. J., Wendeln, H. K., Toma, K., Hagerman, F. C., Murray, T. F., Ragg, K. E., Ratamess, N. A., Kraemer, W. J., & Staron, R. S. (2002). Muscular adaptations in response to three different resistance-training regimens: specificity of repetition maximum training zones. European journal of applied physiology, 88(1-2), 50–60. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-002-0681-6
2. Patlar, S., Yalçin, H., & Boyali, E. (2012). The effect of glycerol supplements on aerobic and anaerobic performance of athletes and sedentary subjects. Journal of human kinetics, 34, 69–79. https://doi.org/10.2478/v10078-012-0065-x
3. Wingo, J. E., Casa, D. J., Berger, E. M., Dellis, W. O., Knight, J. C., & McClung, J. M. (2004). Influence of a Pre-Exercise Glycerol Hydration Beverage on Performance and Physiologic Function During Mountain-Bike Races in the Heat. Journal of athletic training, 39(2), 169–175.
4. Vitale, K., & Getzin, A. (2019). Nutrition and Supplement Update for the Endurance Athlete: Review and Recommendations. Nutrients, 11(6), 1289. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu11061289