Common Ingredients of Supplements

When you are going after a goal that involves leaning out and reducing your body fat percentage, remember that your body is designed to protect itself from losing body fat past a certain point. The lower you get in body fat percentage, the harder your body is going to work at holding onto that last bit of fat, for survival purposes. This is where muscle catabolism comes into play, where your body begins to turn to muscle for energy so it can store fat for survival. Muscle catabolism can happen even when you’re not at a super low body fat percentage if you’re over-exercising and under-eating for your age, height, and weight and activity level.

Many people find it difficult to get active and stay active. A lack of energy is a common reason why. To get an extra boost of energy for exercise, many people take pre-workout supplements. However, a multitude of supplements is available, each containing many ingredients. Because of this, it can be confusing to know what to look for in pre-workout supplements. When considering pre-workout supplements, it is important to think about your goals and the type of exercise you normally take part in. Basically, individual ingredients found in pre-workout supplements will only improve certain aspects of exercise performance. Some ingredients may increase strength or power, while others may boost your endurance.

Knowing which ingredients are best for certain types of exercise will help you find the supplement that may work best for you. Different ingredients in pre-workout supplements improve particular aspects of exercise performance. Some will help you increase strength or power, while others will help increase your endurance.

Creatine

Creatine is a molecule found in your cells. It's also a very popular dietary supplement.

Research has shown that it can safely increase muscle mass, strength and exercise performancecreatine is an important part of the energy production systems inside your cells. If your muscle cells have more energy when you exercise, you may perform better and experience greater improvements over time. If you want to increase muscular strength, creatine is probably the first supplement you should consider.

Beta-Alanine

Beta-alanine is an amino acid that helps fight muscle fatigue. Taking beta-alanine as a supplement increases its concentration in the body and may improve exercise performance. Specifically, this supplement may help improve performance during intense exercise lasting one to four minutes at a time. Beta-alanine is an amino acid that helps fight fatigue in your muscles. It is most effective at improving performance during short bursts of intense exercise.

Caffeine

Caffeine is effective at improving several aspects of exercise performance. Studies have also shown that it can improve performance during long-duration endurance events, the recommended dose of caffeine for exercise performance is about 1.5–2.8 mg per pound of body weight. Caffeine can produce short-term increases in blood pressure and may increase restlessness, but it does not typically cause an irregular heartbeat, also known as an arrhythmia.

Some supplements contain proprietary blends, which disguise the exact amount of each ingredient. You can also look at the label to see if the supplement has been tested by an independent laboratory. And, remember, if a supplement has been tested, it should have a logo from the testing service on the label.

Facts about BCAA

Ingesting BCAA between meals is supposed to accelerate gains in muscle mass by overcoming something called the refractory response, which describes the phenomenon whereby muscle protein synthesis drops despite amino acid levels in the blood remaining high. BCAA have three specific amino acids, leucine, isoleucine, and valine that have a unique branched chemical structure. This unique structure makes them important for your muscles. The idea is that you space your meals 4-6 hours apart to allow amino acid levels in the blood to drop, rather than maintaining them at continuously high levels by eating more frequently. Leaving longer between meals is supposed to help take effects on muscle to the anabolic effect of amino acids. Muscle soreness occurs two days after the workout. But the level of soreness was significantly lower when subjects took BCAAs. There was also less muscle damage and a faster recovery of muscle function in the BCAA group.

BCAAs, or branched chain amino acids, are a kind of amino acid which is included among the nine essential amino acids for humans. BCAAs have three proteinogenic amino acids which are called leucine, valine and isoleucine. BCAAs have been used to help in the recovery of burn victims and in treating some cases of hepatic encephalopathy. A few recent studies suggested that the reduction in the levels of BCAAs in the blood can be associated with the improvement of blood sugar regulation but the mechanisms remain unknown.

Before taking BCAAs tablets as dietary supplements, there are some things that you must remember to ensure that your body will be properly nourished. The following are some nutrients that must be factored in when using BCAAs supplement.

Biotin

An important member of the vitamin B family that plays a major role in the manufacture of glycogen and protein synthesis.

Vitamin B12

A vital water-soluble nutrient that is needed in protein metabolism and amino acids synthesis

Zinc and Vitamin B6

Zinc is used to regulate insulin and its natural co-factor is vitamin B6. Vitamin B6 is necessary in amino acid metabolism. The transport of amino acids in the cells depends on the sufficient supply of this specific vitamin.

Chromium

This increases the effectiveness of insulin. It enhances the rate of protein synthesis in the body and also promotes intracellular uptake of the amino acids from the blood to the cells.

A supplement is not the only source of BCAA. In fact, you might be surprised to learn how many BCAAs you get from the food you eat. If your protein intake is relatively high, and that protein comes from a range of high-quality sources like meat and milks, chances are you’re already getting plenty of BCAAs from your diet. Consuming BCAAs may help reduce physical and mental fatigue. Studies in human participants report up to 20 percent less fatigue in those given BCAAs during exercise, compared to those who were given a placebo.

There’s plenty of research out there to show that BCAA supplements have a number of benefits as far as muscle growth is concerned. It’s true that taking BCAA before and after training can reduce markers of muscle damage and soreness, as well as accelerating the recovery of muscle function.

What Are the Typical Post Supplements?

There are many post workout supplements that can be used for your gym activities. Protein powder is an isolated nutrient source, so it provides a lot of nutrition for relatively few calories. After exercise, your body needs that nutrition to recover, but it doesn’t need enough calories to negate all the effort you put forth during your workout. For the best results at your post workout, find a protein shake that contains some carbs, or blend your shake with a carb-rich snack like a banana. There is also a natural post workout supplement like a plain, natural yogurt. It is primarily made up of protein and carbohydrate, with varied fat content. It contains healthy bacterial cultures, which are good for your digestive system and overall well-being. Yogurt also contains a good amount of calcium, an important bone-building mineral. Although carbohydrates are fundamental to building up your energy reserves after a gruelling workout, you also need to help repair your muscles. And that’s where protein comes in. Ideally, after you do a tough workout, you will choose a snack that is rich in a combination of high-quality carbohydrates and proteins to refuel.

Your muscle fibers suffer small tears during exercise and lactic acid tends to accumulate in your muscles, so soreness is to be expected after workouts. A post workout supplement helps fight the duration and intensity of this soreness by giving your muscles the ideal combination of nutrients to speed up repair and growth so you’re back in the gym sooner. Post workout supplement contains whey protein, the fastest-digesting protein available. Without protein, your body wouldn’t be able to maintain existing muscle tissue and grow new muscle tissue. By providing your body with 5 grams of premium whey immediately after a workout, a post workout supplement helps support anabolic processes for quicker muscular development. Aside from protein, this supplement contains a proprietary combination of muscle-building ingredients that help kick-start anabolic processes when insulin sensitivity is high after exercise. Water helps hydrate after a workout, but there’s no taste to it. The majority of sports drinks have some sort of flavoring, but their sugar content can cause energy crashes that you’d rather not deal with.

Supplementing a healthy diet and regular exercise with protein shakes has proven advantages, but it isn’t the best option for everyone especially with persons with medical condition. The International Society of Sports Nutrition recommends for those people with health issues by choosing whole and natural foods over supplements like protein powders and shakes whenever possible, as whole foods provide greater overall nutrition and contain protective substances that can’t be reproduced in supplements. Additionally, protein supplements aren’t associated as strongly with muscle and strength gains in people who typically perform endurance exercise rather than resistance exercise. Before you add shakes to your eating and fitness plan, talk with your doctor.

Eat protein within an hour after exercise to fuel muscle growth. It’s called protein timing, and the idea behind it is this: Resistance training increases amino acid delivery to muscles as well as absorption. Therefore, the sooner you consume protein post-exercise, the bigger the stimulation in muscle protein synthesis. In theory, proper protein timing leads to bigger long-term gains in strength and lean body mass. Post workout supplement is great for people with determination and focused strength but if you have medical issues, consult your doctor first before engaging in a post workout supplement.

Advantages of Supplements

A pre workout supplement can deliver the energy you need to get ready to work your way into your sets by way of valuable stimulants. Some pre workout supplement offers more energy-based benefits while others are more likely to benefit the size of your muscle pump. There are even products that combine all of these benefits. Make sure to check the nutritional information and read about the product before you buy it to make sure you’re getting the positive outcomes you’re looking for. Researchers discovered that a pre workout supplement combined with days of training didn’t improve the performance or body composition. Men from the supplement group had better results regarding lean body mass and lower body strength. Findings revealed significant differences in anaerobic power following the ingestion of a pre-workout supplement in comparison to placebo. However, researchers did not find differences between upper and lower body power and upper body strength. They concluded the research explaining that caffeine-containing pre workout supplements has the potential to improve anaerobic power performance.

Advantages of a pre workout supplement:

• Increased in fat burning
• Increased in energy and endurance
• Increased in strength and muscles
• Increased in focusing in activities
• Gradual weight loss

Some pre workout supplement contains caffeine, amino acids, melatonin and gingko biloba. Caffeine is very strong and it can have some positive effects to your training when consumed properly, like how it can help you get through practice, and how it can help your overall performance in the water. The health benefits of caffeine are wide and its role in fitness is just starting to get notice. A pre workout supplement will continue to grow and be used in the fitness world, and will also improve any good product each year to minimize negative effects. Don’t be afraid to take a pre workout supplements; just do your research first. Ginkgo Biloba is a supplement that is a powerful antioxidant. The supplement is made from a tree, so it’s all natural, too. It helps in improving the flow of blood around your body, and may help with cell energy within the brain. For those with sleep issues, melatonin may be the answer. Melatonin is a hormone produced within your body whose main job is to regulate sleep patterns. Your body increases Melatonin production at night to help you fall asleep and reduce production during the day to help you wake up. If you have had problems with inconsistent sleep, supplementing with Melatonin can help you get restful sleep.

Another common ingredient in pre-workout drinks: amino acids. Some research has shown that these protein compounds can reduce the amount your muscles break down during exercise, so you can bounce back from an intense session faster. Similarly, drinks with tart cherry juice can benefit your muscles by helping to reduce soreness. Look for these if you’re doing a workout with a fair amount of impact.

The pre workout supplement industry will continue to grow and be useful in the fitness world. Also having improvements made on a better product each year to minimize negative effects. Don’t be afraid to take pre workout supplements if you want the extra edge or increase in performance, just do your research. Pre workout supplements are a group of dietary supplements taken before athletic activity to improve performance. These products use natural ingredients to deliver their benefits and help you get the most out of every workout.

Pre-Workout Supplements

Most pre-workout supplements contain some form of stimulant, which is basically a substance that stimulates the central nervous system and revs up the metabolism.

There are a variety of different types of pre-workout supplements that can be taken and these are:

Whey Protein

There are lot of people taking this supplement that proofs taking whey protein before a workout can help energize the muscles during the workout especially with the help of the BCCA’s, or called the branch chain amino acids. Whey proteins truly are the building blocks of muscle and the helpful ingredients which compose of amino, leucine, isoleucine and valine do not get processed by the liver but shoot straight to your muscle. When you are breaking down muscle during an intense workout, having the branch chain amino acid supplements in the bloodstream readily available to be utilized by the muscle increases protein synthesis and maximizes your workout efficiency.

Nitric Oxide (NO)

Nitric oxide expands the blood vessels, improving blood flow and delivering more oxygen to virtually every area of the body including the muscles. It is among the most popular type of pre-workout supplements because it gives so many benefits during a workout. These include reducing fatigue during a workout, increasing overall performance, increasing available energy and elevates muscle pump. It contributes may more better at your gym performance.

Caffeine

Caffeine is the most popular pre-workout supplements that you can attain almost everywhere. And you can find it by just simply buying coffee. But not all the time caffeine can be good for you especially if you have a heart condition. An average cup of coffee may contain 70-80 mgs of caffeine. The average amount of caffeine in pre-workout supplements can range from 200-300 mgs. Like any stimulant, caffeine can have negative effects on the body. It can over tax your adrenal glands, speed up the heart rate and cause high blood pressure if taken in great numbers. But taken in moderation as a pre-workout supplements can be beneficial and some very positive rewards. The most obvious benefit of caffeine and why it’s the world’s most popular drug is that it improves mental clarity and focus. But evidence suggests that caffeine can actually increase your strength in the gym. Caffeine is also a thermogenic that helps to speed up the metabolism and burn fat.

Beta-Alanine

Beta-Alanine also promotes strength and helps reduce the lactic acid build-up in the muscle.

Creatine

Creatine is perhaps the most well-known pre workout supplement and has been around for a long time. The basic benefit of creatine is increasing strength by increasing energy in the body. It is molecular similar to ATP which is the energy created by our cells.

There are many different pre-workout supplements make different claims, their main purpose is to supposedly help you get more out of your workout by increasing your energy and blood flow to the extremities. When taken before a workout, they're designed to help you have better focus, lift heavier and have more energy for a tough workout.

BCAA Contents

The metabolism of BCAA is involved in some specific biochemical muscle processes and many studies have been carried out to understand whether sports performance can be enhanced by a BCAA supplementation. While most amino acids are broken down in your liver, BCAAs are broken down primarily in your muscle. As such, they're believed to help improve exercise performance as well as reduce the breakdown of muscle. However, many of these researches have failed to confirm this hypothesis. Thus, in recent years investigators have changed their research target and focused on the effects of BCAA on the muscle protein matrix and the immune system. BCAA intake has shown promises to enhance muscle growth in those with low dietary protein intake and stave off fatigue during prolonged exercise in untrained or light-trained people. However, many protein sources are naturally rich in BCAA content; supplementation may be unnecessary for those consuming adequate quantities of protein.

BCAA which contains leucine, isoleucine, and valine are the basic building blocks of your muscle protein. Leucine has been shown to stimulate muscle synthesis. Hard training sessions result in monstrous damage to your muscles, thus destroying the proteins that make up your muscle fibers. When compared to ingestion during exercise, it has been suggested that ingestion of BCAA following a workout exhibited greater effects. BCAA’s have been proposed to benefit performance in several ways including as a stimulant for muscle protein synthesis. BCAA may also prevent muscle protein breakdown and reduce markers of exercise induced muscle damage.

BCAA may perform signal functions, specifically activation of the mTOR signaling pathway, resulting in positive influences on a wide variety of metabolic and synthetic functions, including increased protein translation, improved insulin resistance, increased insulin-independent glucose transport, and reduced oxidative stress following severe injury and infection. Another research found that BCAA prevents muscle protein breakdown by sparing essential amino acids in muscle tissue. BCAA supplementation likely improves recovery time by diminishing the amount of damage caused during exercise. This is especially useful for athletes who are in the middle of high volume training cycles.

BCAAs are found in a number of healthy protein-rich foods, including organic grass-fed beef, wild Alaskan salmon, pastured egg yolks, raw grass-fed cheese, quinoa, pumpkin seeds and nuts. One of the best sources, however, is whey protein concentrate, which has one of the highest concentrations of leucine. To ensure you're getting a high-quality product, be sure your whey protein concentrate supplement comes from organically raised, grass-fed raw cows' milk to ensure the whey is free of GMOs, pesticides and hormones and is cold processed, as heat destroys whey's fragile molecular structure.

BCAA supplement is considered a dietary supplement and perfectly legal to buy. The only concern would be if your sporting organization considers them a banned substance to use. BCAA’s are a worthwhile supplement if you are a competitive athlete and/or your training goals are focused on performance. If your goals are more centered on health and body composition, BCAA supplementation probably isn’t necessary in most cases.

Doing Post Workout and Nutrition

Before doing post workout, research suggests there is a window of opportunity, which lasts up to one hour after a workout. In fact, some studies have showed that participants who consumed protein immediately after their workout versus a placebo gained 'significantly' more muscle size and strength than those who consumed it two hours removed from their workout.

The focus shouldn't be on how fast you recover, but instead on how productive your recovery is If you constantly obliterate your body to complete and utter exhaustion with every workout, this damage accumulates over time and your body will revert its energy to repairing the downstream effects of the damage rather than building new muscle. By now, most people understand that the foods they eat after their workout and throughout the day factor into the quality of their recovery. The foods you eat before a workout can also play an important role in pre-empting the tissue-rebuilding process once the workout is over. Digestion is a lengthy process; proteins and carbs that you ingest prior to the workout will still be circulating in the body afterward. For this reason, choose your foods wisely. Make sure you get high-quality, lean protein along with some complex carbohydrates, especially if you plan on an intense workout. I recommend consuming your meals roughly two hours prior to your workout to avoid digestive issues or cramps.

Stretching is a great way to relieve muscular tension and potentially downplay the soreness you experience later. Prolonged stretching with moderate exercise and diet control will reduce cholesterol and significantly reverse hardening of the arteries. While on the subject of post workout nutrition, you should consider including a source of potassium in your post-workout cocktail. Your potassium reserves will inevitably be sapped from an intense workout session. Potassium, among other nutrients like sodium and calcium, is a key mineral which plays a role in muscular energy. Bananas or potatoes are good potassium sources. Bananas go with nearly everything, but mashed potatoes in your first meal following the workout are also winners. Sleep is not just for relaxing. This is the necessary downtime that your body needs to restore itself from post workout.

Sacrificing hours of sleep over a long period of time can even make you mentally weaker and negatively impact your drive in training sessions. At least seven hours is the ideal target to hit, although many people, including athletes, may need up to nine hours. Find ways to make changes in your day that will allow you to get to bed earlier. The opportunity for muscle growth begins the moment you stop lifting, and that growth can't happen without proper recovery protocol. Muscles don't grow in the gym; they grow after. When you lift heavy, muscles suffer micro tears and are actually broken down via a process called catabolism. Immediately after you lift, your body begins repairs, but it needs your help.

If you want to get the most from each and every workout, you need to prioritize post workout recovery in order to maximize recovery, stay on top of your game, and ensure maximum gains.