This Q&A will fill you in on some questions about failing during a lifting competition, cottage cheese & yogurt, and about how complex a real powerlifter diet really is. Check it out!

I am glad that you had the sense to realize that it most likely was caused by all the sugar-loaded soda that you consumed on your contest day. I have seen world class athletes drinking soda between their events hoping to keep their energy up, yet they don't realize that they are actually making their performance go right out the window.

Drinking sugary drinks the day of the competition is a major nutrition mistake and you are setting yourself up for disaster with this plan of action. It will not only cause your body to over produce insulin causing you to end up with low blood sugar but it will also dehydrate you.

These nasty side effects will make you sleepy, lower your strength output, decrease your performance, may cause muscle cramps and prevent you from hitting the PR's that you deserve. So what is a powerlifter to do? Should he drink juice during his contest? How about one of those mainstream sports drinks that so many people use? How about plain water? The answer is none of the above.

Juice, which is mainly fructose (a simple fruit sugar), is not the ideal drink when looking to perform at your best. This too will cause a decrement in your performance leading you down the path of not performing to the level that you should be. Many powerlifters drink one specific sports drink that is very main stream.

There are a lot of athletes of different sports promoting it as the best energy drink. This drink is mainly sugar and water with a few electrolytes thrown in. Using it as an energy drink to help get you through a powerlifting competition is a big mistake. So what is the answer for the hardcore powerlifter looking to get maximum results?

Is there a drink that can help maintain energy levels throughout the entire show? Is there a drink that can help prevent cramping and help maximize strength output? Well I have the answer that all you powerlifters are looking for. That answer is a product called Cytomax made by Cytosport.

What The Hell Is Cytomax?

Now you might be wondering how this product differs from many other so called sports drinks out there. You may also be wondering how this is going to help you the hardcore powerlifter at his next competition? Well you want the Cytomax 411, so here it goes. First off let's look as to why Cytomax is a night and day difference from the other popular sports drinks on the market that are actually decreasing your performance on the platform.

Like I said before, most of the commercial sports drinks that flood the market today are primarily made up of simple sugars. As you should already know using simple sugars as your main energy source is a big mistake.

This is due to the fact that once the initial energy rush wears off because of all the sugar, your blood sugar level then takes a nice nosedive due to the massive insulin spike that occurred.

This here is exactly what happened to you my friend when you drank all that soda. You brought you blood sugar level sky high and when it wore off due to the massive insulin spike, you ended up feeling like a bag of dog crap.

These other sports drinks and their scientists that design them ignore the fact that scientific research has shown a 7% carbohydrate solution is optimal for gastric emptying.

Since their drinks are way too high in sugar concentration it causes the body to process it like food thereby decreasing its effects on properly contributing to adequate hydration.

The carbohydrates in Cytomax are not simple sugars like all the other drinks. They are instead made up of complex carbohydrates. This form of carbohydrates helps you sustain your energy level over long periods of time and even prevent glycogen depletion caused by intense training.

Cytomax also contains another very important ingredient that other drinks do not have. It is called Alpha-L-Polylactate. This super compound buffers lactic acid during your training and prevents cramping plus much more. This makes Cytomax the ideal drink for those who had to cut weight the day before and want to make sure that they don't cramp up like so many lifters do only to make their performance sub par at best.

Cytomax also contains a powerful antioxidant formula to help fight free radical production that is caused by your hard training. This makes Cytomax not only the ideal drink for your competition but for this fact alone it is perfect for use during your training sessions as well.

Another thing that will play a role in lasting and performing at your best come the deadlift is how much and the rate in which oxygen is supplied to your muscles. How many of you have a good squat, a decent bench, but come to the deadlift and you fell like you have just been hit by a freight train?