We’ve all heard of the juice cleanse, but what does this do for our gains?
A juice cleanse is an interesting concept and for many of us, it seems so foreign. Surviving on just juice for a period of time? No way. That may be our initial reaction. But a juice cleanse exists for a reason, and we should take advantage of it. At the end of the day, we pump our bodies with so much “stuff”, healthy and maybe not so healthy, and having the right plan of attack and the best way to go about cleansing our bodies can help us in the long run.
Juicing and drinking juices, either homemade or store bought, can have an effect on our bodies and how we better defend against illness and stress, along with other elements to improve our overall heath and bodybuilding gains.
The nice part is that many juices do exist and each is targeted for specific goals. Some work for boosting immunity, others for restoring strength, some target weight loss, and others boost energy.
But a juice cleanse is different and we’ll get into that below. For those of us bodybuilders and other athletes, however, we may be weary of this for what it can do for our overall gains. We get used to eating protein, carbs, and fat, making sure these macronutrients are well balanced and introduced into our diets no problem. Plus, whole food works to keep us full and produce muscle that we desperately work hard for day in and day out.
So, let’s get into what a juice cleanse can do and how it can better improve our gains. With the right approach to it, it may work well for you. By the end of this piece, you may be inclined to give it a try, look into this topic deeper, or say not for me. Regardless, you’ll have some baseline information for how best to tackle these gains.
What Is A Juice Cleanse & What Is The Point?
A juice cleanse is essentially a detox where, for a brief period of time, you only consume juices that can remove toxins and waste while providing nourishment for your body. Most often these are vegetable and fruit juices and the point is to, yes, remove toxins, but also support your body as you clear out sugar, caffeine, and other foods and substances that often times leave us feeling rather low in energy (1).
By allowing your body to naturally release these toxins, you do so in a healthy way and work to advance your health by taking full advantage of those great nutrients that fruits and vegetables provide (2).
The nice part about a juice cleanse is that you can juice your own to create those juices you will enjoy, or you can look into a company that specializes in making these juices so everything is set up for you.
Related: Bodybuilding, Juicing & Why You Should Avoid Those Packaged Juices
What To Do During A Cleanse
Along with drinking these juices and focusing on the nutritional element of what this cleanse can do, it is important to take advantage of other elements of your health and fitness to add to the overall experience.
Some things to consider on the cleanse are:
- Engaging in physical exercise and activity that is light and not completely taxing. Focusing on lighter workouts and just getting outside and walking, for example, will keep you active without totally depleting you.
- Get enough sleep to ensure you are all caught up. By doing so, you allow your body to thrive and really take full advantage of what getting good sleep can do for you (3).
- Focus on recovery with things like yoga, stretching, and massages. With a focus on recovery, you work to alleviate those sore muscles and give yourself the best chance at seeing those gains you want most in a more relaxed and helpful way (4).
- Allow your mind to settle and focus on certain things like visualization and mindfulness. What this can do is quiet your mind and give you some clarity taking full advantage of the physical and mental aspect of this cleanse.
- Take a break and allow yourself to reset. By doing this, you allow yourself the chance to fully recover and reset so when you pick up your regular routine, you will be ready to go and tackle anything that comes your way.
Will A Juice Cleanse Kill Gains?
For those us who lift big weight and want to see the best muscle growth possible, what you’ll find is this may be difficult to do during a cleanse. The point of the cleanse is to really reset and allow your body to flush out toxins. Since our bodies do this regularly, it is noted by some that a juice cleanse may not be totally necessary.
To say this cleanse is a gains killer may be a matter of how you look at and define gains. For building muscle and giving yourself the continued success of seeing muscle growth, it will be challenging to do so, especially because your normal amount of fuel is not in your body to power you through those typical workouts.
However, if you want to look at “gains” in a different light, you will allow yourself to work and focus on recovery, mindfulness, and nutrition, so you will progress, just in a slightly different way. For bodybuilders and athletes looking to progress in a way that is constantly moving forward, a juice cleanse may be a different approach and one worth considering if you feel it will set you back.
Wrap Up
A juice cleanse has the ability to work for you when it comes to resetting your body and giving you the best chance at recovering and flushing out toxins. For those looking for continued muscle growth, the brief period of time you engage in this cleanse may not give you that. If a juice cleanse is of interest to you, however, look into this and consider what it can, or can’t do, for your gains.
Let us know what you think in the comments below. Also, be sure to follow Generation Iron on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
*Images courtesy of Envato
References
- National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. “‘Detoxes’ and ‘Cleanses’: What You Need To Know”. (source)
- Henning, S.; et al. (2017). “Health benefit of vegetable/fruit juice-based diet: Role of microbiome”. (source)
- Dattilo, M.; et al. (2011). “Sleep and muscle recovery: endocrinological and molecular basis for a new and promising hypothesis”. (source)
- Sands, W.; et al. (2013). “Stretching and Its Effects on Recovery”. (source)