1. I have heard that it is very useful to take supplements with Vitamin C. But what are its benefits for stength athletes? I train 4 days a week and use a progressive overload cycle of training. How much Vitamin C should a powerlifter who is following a hard training regime take on a regular basis? Is it really so useful and crucial for bodybuilders? Vitamin C has a lot more benefits than just helping you out when you catch cold. This vitamin has a positive influence on the immune system. It is an essential micronutrient which should be added to the nutrition plans of all strength athletes.  Vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin which means that any toxitiy level will be built due to it. Any excess amount of water-soluble vitamins among which is Vitamin C is excreted through your urine. One of the avantages of vitamin C for your body is that it assists in repairing the connective tissues. Supplementing with Vitamin C is very crucial for bodybuilders who train hard every day because it will help in the recovery process from their intense workouts. It should be mentioned that recovery from workouts is one of the most important parts of bodybuilding training. If you won't recover enough this can result in overtraining or injury.
Another benefit of Vitamin C is that it influnces positively on powerlifter's favorite hormone - TESTOSTERONE. It has the ability to reduce Cortisol levels which is very important for all bodybuilers. When a human body goes through a perceived stress it releases more of this catabolic hormone. This hormone has its benefits however all powerlifters should pay much attention to its muscle wasting properties. To sum up everything said before, excess stress leads to the increased Cortisol level which results in muscle wasting and the formation of fat stores. The intake of Vitamin C assist in decreasing of Cortisol levels that's why it is crucial to take this useful vitamin with you for your next intense workout session which can really help you in fast recovery and improve your immune system. It should be also stated that this vitamin influences positively on your hormones. It is necessary for every hard training powerlifter take nearly 3,000mg of Vitamin C per day and increase the amount when you are sick. However you shouldn't take it all at once because in this case most of its properties will be lost. The recommended dosage is 500 to 1000mg three times a day. 2. I have got a question connected with protein quality. There is something called BV in relation to different protein sources. What is BV and what is its influence on different protein sources? Is all protein the same or are there special kinds of protein for powerlifters? By BV you should understand the term Biological Value. This method is used to assess the quality of different sources of protein. The higher the ratings on the BV scale, the better the quality of protein. The lower the rating on the BV scale, the lower quality the protein is. There are a lot of different protein rating systems which help determine the quality of specific protein.
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