Pre-Workout Supplement – Some Pros and Cons

A pre-workout supplement can fire up a dedicated body builder and fitness buff to go to work in the gym. A good supplement can get the body ready to replenish itself of lost nutrients during intensive workouts. In theory, they keep the needed nutrients level all throughout and even after the workout.

However, there are downsides and potential risks. Of late, the market of many pre-workout drinks is now full of ineffective ingredients. In addition, there are many minuscule dosages of good ingredients and there are cheap stimulants to make for a pretty label and misleading copy.

Upside

The main fact is that today, the market for pre-workout pills and powders that promise to boost performances has exploded in recent years. Fortunately, the main ingredients for a successful pre workout supplement have remained to include the four basic ingredients since their development days.

Brands have been throwing many things in the ingredients, but most of them are formulated with the use of one or more of the following ingredients: caffeine, amino acids, carbohydrates and beet root juice. The other exotic additions in the list of ingredients are simply derivatives of one of the four ingredients.

Caffeine / carbohydrates

Caffeine has a good back up in research. It had been indicated that it has the ability to boost energy levels, alertness and arousal. The situation is true even if you are a heavy coffee drinker outside the gym.

Everyone loves carbs, even if many want us to stay away from it. In heavy workouts, it gives a different story. Carbohydrates in pre-workouts help to fuel the muscles with glycogen, which the body uses as an energy source while lifting. (Those who love it but are not exercising are all gifted later with lots of fats all over the body as stored energy.)

Amino acids / nitric oxide / beetroot juice

Our bodies normally cannot manufacture the essential BCCAs (leucine, isoleucine, and valine) which can be obtained through the food we ingest. The amino acids are the so-called building blocks of protein and help increase energy levels. It can also dramatically enhance performance, a study reveals.

Nitric oxide is displayed as arginine, another amino acid. It is touted to dilate blood vessels to increase protein synthesis. Studies show that arginine increase anaerobic threshold (this is when lactic acid accumulates in the muscles) for three weeks.

Nitrate-rich beetroot juice dilates the blood vessels to increase blood plasma nitric oxide levels.

Downside

Like the other supplements, pre-work ones are also not regulated for safety by the FDA. This means these products can be sold until there is a reason for the FDA to pull them from stores.

The regulation of the supplements is not the same as those for pharmaceutical medicines. As consumer, you may want to be assured that a supplement are safe or of high quality or effective by looking for popular independent certifications.

Some ingredients are also overstuffed and excessive amounts (for caffeine, at least) can cause nausea, anxiety and insomnia. Overall, these are some of the more blatant cons in our pre workout supplement.

Branched Chain Amino Acid Supplements – Enhancing the Body’s Protein Synthesis

It had already been scientifically established that amino acids are the building blocks of protein. Branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) are so called because of their structure, which includes a “side chain” of one carbon atom and three hydrogen atoms. Today, this essential supplement is now available as branched-chain amino acid supplements, a staple in the body-building, among others.

These three BCCAs (leucine, isoleucine, and valine) combine and are considered hydrophobic (water-fearing). Among the three, leucine is the most heavily researched, and appears to offer the biggest physiological benefit.

Because of their involvement in protein synthesis and energy production, BCAAs are important components to many metabolic processes. However, they must be available to the body through ingestion.

Intakes

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Among the amino acids, BCAAs are not degraded (processed) in the liver. All the other amino acids are regulated and processed in the gut and the liver before they are being circulated all over the body. BCCAs directly go into the bloodstream.

BCCA intake, therefore, directly influences the plasma levels and concentration in the muscle tissue. They are burned for energy (oxidized) during the exercise proper as an exercise fuel. Consumption of BCCA before training can increase the uptake into the muscle tissues.

Other benefits

Supplementation of BCCAs may lower the lactate levels during the resistance training, hence, improve the oxidation in muscles.  It may also induce the increase of growth hormones in circulation. This is related to anabolic mechanisms that cause muscle growth.

The supplementation may also decrease serum concentrations of the intramuscular enzymes creatine kinase and lactate dehydrogenase after a prolonged exercise. This can decrease muscle damage and improve overall recovery.

The muscles are important sites for Branch Chain Amino Acid supplements activity. There is increased cell concentration and breakdown of BCCAs in muscle tissue. They are continuously released from the liver and other internal organs to skeletal muscles. This enables the BCCAs to assist in maintaining blood sugar levels. During exercise, they may be responsible for the 40% blood sugar production.

Some details

BCCAs are important to muscle tissues and in maintaining blood sugar levels. Consuming carbohydrates, protein and amino acid beverages during and after exercises can induce insulin response.

In turn, it helps transport BCCAs into the body’s cells. In the muscle cells, the pathway for protein synthesis is dependent on leucine. This means that protein synthesis (and muscle building) is dependent on how much leucine is available. Since BCCA levels decline in exercise, there is need to supplement them.

Synthesis

If you train or do strenuous exercise after a fast, or you don’t eat after the routine, you will lose more protein than you rebuild. If you ingest sufficient Branch Chain Amino Acid supplements during this time, especially leucine, you will help enhance the body’s protein synthesis.

The body would need an estimated daily leucine intake of 1 to 3 grams a day, for the body to make new proteins. This minimum intake has to be met before leucine is able to impact the insulin signaling pathway. (Athletes and people doing heavy exercises and resistance training, usually consume 12 grams of leucine daily.)

Branched-chain amino acid supplements actively help these athletes.

Post Workout – Just as Important as your Pre-Workout Preparations

For body building buffs, a good set of pre-workout supplements is one necessity they cannot do without. However, not many of them are aware that in a post workout phase, the body does need just as much as before. There is need for an after workout recovery supplement.

Right after your workout, you depleted your body of its natural stores of essential nutrients. Your muscles have been torn under the stress in your workout. Glycogen, the carbohydrates stored in your muscles and the proteins are breaking down.

Necessity 

There is need to arrest these and reverse the changes. The pre-workout supplements do help greatly but the breakage of muscles can be more than what you have prepared for.

You would need to take your post workout supplements immediately right after the workout (within the first 45 minutes) when it is most effective to put back into the body what had been taken out.

All this starts with re-hydration (water or with added electrolytes for fast absorption). The following workout supplements can bring back right away those essential nutrients.

Without them, your body cannot start re-building (the most important part) and adding the bulk that you wanted in the first place. Each of these nutrients has their own work cut out for them in replenishing your body needs.

Beta-alanine

This essential nutrient that is often included in your pre-workout is vital in restoring the pH levels within the muscle to reasonable levels. When you work out, you build up lactic acid in the muscles. Beta-alanine helps raise the carnosine levels to restore the correct levels and helps in muscle gains.

Creatine monohydrate

This is the rapidly-absorbing form of creatine which is perfect in your body recovery after the workout. It helps increase the ATP production in the muscle cells, and gets the energy right back into the muscles. This prevents the further breakdown of the muscles that happens right after your workout.

Glutamine

Glutamine is the important key in adding fuel back to your muscles to help the repair much faster. Also, it is anti-catabolic, which is very good if you are shredding.

BCAAs

BCAAs (branched chain amino acids consisting of L-leucine, L-isoleucine, and L-valine) help build muscle protein. They are very essential when you plan to work out your body for the day.

Studies have shown that adding them during post workout gives better anabolic effects on your body than if you took them during the workout. A 5g of BCAAs taken after the workout helps supplement the BCAAs you took before the workout.

Carbohydrates

During the workout, your muscles have exhausted themselves of their carbohydrates. Get them back again in your system in amounts depending on your body type, age and metabolic capacity.

Different brands have different types of carbohydrate mixes so you need to find out what is best for your type.

Vitamin C

One of the best anti-oxidants comes with Vitamin C. Anti-oxidants help to protect your immune system (which is depleted when you run yourself down in a workout) and protect yourself from free radicals your body may have produced during the workout.

Your post workout is just as important as your pre-workout routine.

Sometimes You Need Supplements, Sometimes You Don’t

The reality is that athletes, no matter how talented, dedicated and motivated they are, don’t always have the stamina or endurance to push themselves to where they think they need to be. And that’s where the trending, oversized pre-workout supplements online industry steps in. We all want to perform better and faster, and they always show on these promises with products that are designed to improve and boost performance, crush fatigue, extend power, and more. You already know how you feel when you don’t get enough sleep cranky and lethargic. But chronic sleep deprivation has very real consequences in the pool, and perhaps more importantly, to your long term overall health and development. Taking pre-workout to mask the sleepiness and sleep deprivation can keep you chugging along a little while longer while putting off the inevitable crash, encouraging less optimal sleep habits and short-cutting recovery. Why some pre-workout supplements online product gives you a headache if you ask? It depends on the formula, but many have vasodilator compounds in them, or ingredients that cause your blood vessels to expand. This dilates, among others, the blood vessels in your head, which can cause a headache.

The specific vasodilator is typically the amino acid arginine, which increases nitric oxide in the body. The idea behind including this is that at rest, a large part of your vascular beds are closed. In theory, you could take in nutrients or remove waste products better because you have more blood circulating. Some pre-workouts claim this may actually have anabolic effects and can cause muscle growth. But, if you keep getting headaches, see your physician and consider switching to a supplement that doesn’t have this ingredient. Though note that it might have other vasodilators that could cause the same problem. Notice in any generic supplement store and you’re going to see it or better yet, you’ve probably heard of it. Now days there are countless pre-workout supplements online products that simply are not designed to help your goals. We’re talking about of supplements whose ingredients are based on how they can make your brain feel and not how they can help support your body. This is achieved through a combination of the overuse of inexpensive stimulants and the absence of quality BCAAs and power molecules that results in a supplement that’s short-term sensational and incredibly profitable for its maker. What it does is drains your adrenal glands, keeps you awake at night increasing stress hormones, and ultimately makes you jump on the next supplement they make in hopes of that one producing better results. When you glance at the label of a lot of pre-workout powders you not only see a few made-up ingredients, but sometimes a laundry list of vitamins, amino acids, creatine, and much more. The sheer number of ingredients can fool a swimmer into thinking that they are getting what amounts to a well-balanced meal with their pre-workout shake, and as a result, it can lead to some less than stellar eating habits. A supplement should be exactly that, something is complimentary to a full and healthy diet.

What’s behind in Taking Branch Chain Amino Acids

Branch chain amino acid supplements, or BCAAs, are one of the best supplements for muscle growth, muscle repair and muscle recovery.  BCAAs are made up of three amino acids: Leucine, Isoleucine, and Valine. These three amino acids directly influence the muscles. BCAAs are made up of three of the nine essential amino acids: leucine, isoleucine and valine - they account for approximately 35 per cent of essential amino acids in muscle proteins. The idea behind Branch chain amino acid supplements are that they will help build muscle, prolong exercise capacity and spike muscle protein synthesis (due to the leucine in particular). Additionally, to making your workouts more efficient, some studies have found that the BCAA leucine, specifically, may help you feel more full by improving sensitivity to the hunger hormone leptin, explains Smith. Other research indicates that leucine could help promote fat burning and balance your blood sugar levels. And that's important because imbalanced blood sugar levels can lead to weight gain. Many fitness fanatics swear by BCAAs, sipping them throughout the day, during workouts and after a heavy gym session. Taking a Branch chain amino acid supplement before working out can be great for those that train fasted in a morning. Research has shown that taking BCAA supplementation (we prefer powdered BCAAs) can have a fatigue reducing effect allowing you to perform just as well as you would with a prior intake of food 2 hours before. Many people think that they won’t work out as well if they didn’t eat carbs before they train. This is simply not the case, or not the case for most people. If you have a decent meal the night before containing carbs, fats and protein then this should be enough to fuel your morning workout fasted. And you can then take BCAAs to give you that extra amino acid boost. Branch chain amino acid supplements are useful because they contain no carbohydrates or fats, unlike protein shakes: So if you’re on a calorie deficit or fat loss plan and you want to increase lean muscle mass, you can boost your essential amino acid intake with no extra added calories. BCAAs contain six kcal per gram compared to normal whey protein which is four kcal per gram. They basically do the same job as whey, not as well, for more calories, at a higher cost. Part of the hype behind BCAAs is that they contain a 2:1:1 ratio of the amino acids leucine, isoleucine and valine.

Taking Branch chain amino acid supplements in post training is great for muscle recovery and repair. The BCAAs help your muscle fibers to heal and because Amino Performance utilizes instantised BCAAs it means the absorption is rapid and fast acting. Your BCAA needs depend on a number of factors, including your size and the intensity of your workouts, which is why it’s a good idea to talk to an expert before making any drastic changes to your diet. If you’re just getting started or looking for a bit of a boost, Smith suggests timing your meals around your workouts, so you eat within about an hour of finishing your sweat session. It’s worth trying to see if you have more energy and less fatigue and soreness.

The Magic In A BCAA Supplement

While BCAA supplementation may be useful for gaining skeletal muscle. A BCAA supplement is especially helpful for maintaining mass while on a calorie-deficit diet. They're particularly useful for bodybuilding competitors who take their physiques to the lean extreme.  Although dieting down makes you look awesome onstage, on the beach, and to your friends, it can also take a chunk out of your muscle mass. Increased BCAA levels also work in your favor by reducing the rate of protein breakdown. They do this by decreasing the activity of the protein breakdown pathway, and also by decreasing the expression of several complexes involved in protein breakdown. There are three BCAAs: leucine, isoleucine, and valine, which are all essential amino acids not produced by the body but needed for survival. BCAAs are the largest collection of amino acids in the body, accounting for up to 35% of muscle proteins. Basically, a BCAA supplement are excreted rapidly. BCAA intermediates can be toxic at high concentrations, so functional BCAA breakdown is vital. BCAA formulas have been on the market since 1996, mainly for treating liver diseases such as cirrhosis and hypoalbuminemia. Nowadays, BCAAs are mainly used by bodybuilders for exercise purposes, to increase energy, and to boost protein synthesis. Another interesting BCAA benefit is delayed fatigue during prolonged exercise, allowing you to work harder, longer. This study shows that BCAAs may help keep you focused and alert by blocking tryptophan from crossing the blood-brain barrier a process that normally increases during extended exercise, and is followed by serotonin production, which causes fatigue. Additionally, to the recovery benefits, that improved mental edge which is critical during strategic, grueling, long-distance events—is why BCAAs are widely used among endurance athletes like ultra-runners and triathletes.

Some people use branched-chain amino acids to prevent fatigue and improve concentration. Athletes use branched-chain amino acids to improve exercise performance and reduce protein and muscle breakdown during intense exercise. Healthcare providers give branched-chain amino acids intravenously (by IV) for sudden brain swelling due to liver disease (acute hepatic encephalopathy) and also when the body has been under extreme stress, for example after serious injury or widespread infection. Branched-chain amino acids stimulate the building of protein in muscle and possibly reduce muscle breakdown. Branched-chain amino acids seem to prevent faulty message transmission in the brain cells of people with advanced liver disease, mania, tardive dyskinesia, and anorexia. Despite all these benefits of BCAA supplementation, there are many skeptics who say branched-chain amino acids are overpriced and you can just get them from whey protein. While proteins like whey are naturally rich in BCAAs, this isn't the most effective strategy for muscle growth or fat loss. The BCAAs in whey are peptide-bound to other amino acids. In order to raise BCAA levels in your body, they must be liberated through digestion and then absorbed into the bloodstream. Even though whey protein is relatively fast digesting, it still takes several hours for all the amino acids to be broken down and absorbed into the plasma. Branched-chain amino acids in supplement form, however, are free-form, require no digestion, and are rapidly absorbed into the bloodstream. They spike blood amino acid levels more quickly and to a much greater extent than peptide-bound amino in proteins. Even a few grams of free-form BCAAs will spike BCAA plasma levels way more than 30 grams of whey protein. They can start working right away.

Post Window Supplementation

Many people are fatigued and do not have the energy to prepare food or a reduction in appetite may also occur following hard training, therefore it would be necessary to have a convenient liquid food-replacement present to replenish the depleted muscle energy stores. The access to food may be limited, especially when other priorities demand time and energy and limit the time the athlete has to return to work or home while still consuming adequate calories. A post workout supplement can take many forms, focusing on the most popular, amino acids more specifically branch chained amino acids (BCAAs). Amino acids are the building blocks of protein, which are the building blocks of muscle. There are 20 amino acids that are found in the human genetic code, and they can be divided into two categories: essential and nonessential. Your body is able to create 11 out of those 20 amino acids, these are the non-essentials. Since your body can create a sufficient amount of these on its own, it is not considered necessary to get them through your diet. On the other hand, essential amino acids must be consumed from dietary sources in order to get an adequate supply as your body cannot make these. The most important essential amino acids for building muscle are known as BCAAs those famous branch chained amino acids that all fitness fanatics rave about. These three amigos are structurally different from other amino acids and make up around 30 percent of essential muscle tissue is right. Their names are Leucine, Isoleucine, and Valine. BCAAs are great to sip on throughout the day between meals and in times of caloric deficit like if you’re on a calorie restricted diet. This way, you can be sure your body and muscles are getting enough of these vital amino acids to maintain a healthy metabolic rate and discourage muscle wasting.

A post workout supplement such as protein shakes are useful as meal replacement supplement, is optimal for producing enough values of protein and carbohydrates to improve fuel protein structure and to limit protein failure. You can buy supplements from online supplement stores. The benefits of the post-workout drink are regulated by the hormonal (insulin) response to food intake. Elevated insulin levels occur in response to carbohydrate intake and increase the muscle cell's uptake of carbohydrate and amino acids used to synthesize glycogen and protein, respectively. Carbohydrates should not be omitted from the post-workout feeding because they allow the insulin levels to be elevated. Muscular contractions increase the cell's insulin sensitivity and results in a rapid transport of glucose into the cell. Increased post-workout insulin levels are not detrimental and will not cause an increase in fat storage because the nutrients will be directed toward skeletal muscle at this time. Carbohydrate intake results in glycogen re-synthesis to replenish the fuel source for the next bout of resistance training and post-workout carbohydrate intake has been recommended as 0.7-1g/kg.

Keep in mind that you need to realize that fitness is a lifestyle for you or it will be soon enough, which is why it’s important that what goes in your body empowers you to get the most out of it. That means choosing food and supplements with recognizable ingredients and no added junk, because quality nutrition is what sets you up for success.