Glutathione is the body’s master antioxidant that you need to keep you healthy and disease free. Glutathione is not like any other antioxidants. It is the only antioxidant that resides within your cells, which acts as the main regulator. It is the master detoxifier. Your body produces its own glutathione, unfortunately, due to pollution, toxins, poor diet, stress, aging and infections all deplete your glutathione. This leaves you vulnerable to free radicals, oxidative stress from training, and infections that can damage your body. Glutathione is an important antioxidant to help the liver filter waste.

As we saw in part one of this series, once athletes get to a certain level in their training, the strength of their bio-electrical current is what makes the difference for explosive strength and power. But how does this current, created through electron transfer and donation, travel through the body? One of the key answers is through the nervous system: using a form of electrical current (called action potential) the brain communicates via the spinal cord to the muscles, and vice versa. This provides the second key to building maximum strength and power for athletes: a strong, healthy central and autonomic nervous system is vital for optimal athletic performance. Why? There are two main reasons.

Amino acids are the building blocks of protein in the body. This makes protein a critical element of your diet as you must have amino acids to build strength. Muscle in all body systems are derived from the amino acids produced by the breakdown of protein, but while protein primarily makes muscles, it is also the last source of reserve energy.

Amino acids are the bricks making up the more complex protein molecules. When you eat protein, it is broken down into the amino acids that can then work within the body to build muscle, repair tissue and perhaps provide energy as needed.

Many people get confused between antioxidants and anti-inflammatories, which is quite understandable given that many phytochemicals possess both properties. Most flavanoids, for example are both, although the mechanisms are quite different. Here we shall discuss each and then apply that knowledge to the needs of runners and athletes in general.

Our bodies are made up of approximately 100 trillion cells. Each of our cells is like a tiny battery, producing energy through cellular respiration. As we age, environmental toxins and unhealthy foods containing free radicals – such as fried foods – rob electrons from our bodies (a free radical is a molecule, atom or ion that’s missing electrons in the outer orbit).

An increase in cellular respiration is accomplished through establishing current within the cells of your body. Establishing current helps the glucose to convert into energy or to get stored in the cell as glycogen. So once again it goes right back to cell electricity, which leads to greater capacity for glycogen storage.

The right amount of protein depends on your activity level and weight. The Recommended Dietary Allowance for average adults is 0.83 grams of protein for kilogram of body weight. The 70 kilogram (154 pound) individual would need to eat 58 grams of protein or the equivalent of two chicken breasts. Strength and endurance athletes, however, need considerably more protein in their diets. These athletes should consume 1.2 to 2.0 grams per kilogram of protein.

When protein is stored in the body, it can provide up to 30,000 kj of energy, this is your last resource for fuel when your body is truly in need of energy. This slow-burning energy source is used primarily in the late stages of endurance exercise when stores of glycogen have been depleted. During the course of exercise, the body uses stores of glycogen in the muscles. Remember your body’s primary source of glycogen is produced from carbohydrates eaten before exercising.