With sportsmen seeking alternatives to illegal and unsafe performance enhancing drugs, “ergogenic aids” have come to their rescue. Ergogenic aids are supplements that enhance the performance of athletes by improving their speed, strength and agility. A number of natural products are marketed as ergogenic aids, which have found a ready market among sportspersons. Their biggest advantage is that they are legal, apart from being safe and effective. Examples of such aids include branched chain amino acids, creatine, medium chain triglycerides, pyruvates and vitamins.
I. What are Branched chain amino acids?
Branched chain amino acids (BCAA) are amino acids whose molecular structure is made up of branched aliphatic side chains. Three amino acids occurring in humans, viz. valine, leucine and isoleucine, are essential BCAAs. They are essential because they are not synthesized by the body and have to be supplied through diet. Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins, which in turn, are the building blocks of the body. A high proportion of muscle tissue is built of BCAAs. Therefore, these are of high utility in increasing muscle mass, especially for those who undertake strength training.
II. Sources of BCAAs
Since BCAAs are essential amino acids, they have to be supplied either through diet or through dietary supplements. All food sources that are rich in proteins have sufficient amounts of BCAAs. Commonly available food sources that are rich in BCAAs include dairy products, eggs, whey, chicken an...
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In order to perform at peak potential an athlete must fuel their body with nutritious foods. Proteins, carbohydrates, fruits and vegetables; these three-core food groups fuel a winning athlete. Proteins help build, teeth, bones and muscles, and create enzymes, red blood cells, long-term energy, as well, boost the immune system. Its functions are the most diverse of any food group. Protein consists of combinations of structures called amino acids that combine in various ways to make muscles, bone and tissues. They serve other functions as well including nutrient transportation and enzyme production for overall health beneficence. Adequate, regular protein intake is essential because the body does not easily store it. Various foods supply protein in different amounts with the highest quantaty coming mostly from animal products such as meat, fish, and eggs.
Creatine supplement have been shown to accelerate recovery between workouts, increase muscle size and strength, increase body weight and improve anaerobic power and endurance (Branch, 2003). Resistance training combined with an injection of creatine supplementation amplifies sport performance. The increase muscle mass when creatine is ingested into the body during resistance training is the ability of the body to continue more repletion during training, which prompts beneficial genetic adaptions in the muscles (Williams, 2006). Creatine supplementation comes in forms of powder, candy, pills, chews and serum which improves performance in speed endurance sports such as the 50m swim or the 200m run, but does not improve ones skill in the sport (Williams, 2006). Weight lifters use creatine as a way to enhance their muscle growth. Creatine supplements are also consumed in multiple sprint sports such as basketball, soccer, hockey and tennis in which there are periods of low intensity or standing and periods of high intensity (Benzi,
Thirty non-resistance trained male subjects were assigned randomly to three different groups. Each group was given creatine monohydrate, creatine ethyl ester, or dextrose at a dose of 0.3 g/kg of fat-free mass per day for five days. That dose was followed up by ingestion of each group’s respective supplement at a dose of 0.075 g/kg of lean body mass each day for 42 days. Each subject engaged in a 4 day per week resistance training program split into two upper body and two lower body extremity workouts. At the end of the training program, the body composition of each participant was measured. The results showed that creatine monohydrate increased lean body mass by an average of 1.85 kg, creatine ethyl ester increased lean body mass by an average of 1.05 kg, and the placebo increased lean body mass by an average of 1.7 kg. The creatine monohydrate group also showed the greatest reduction in fat mass compared to the other two groups. The creatine monohydrate group lost an average of 1.47 kg of fat, the placebo group lost an average of 0.66 kg of fat, and the creatine ethyl ester group actual had an increase in fat by an average of 0.44 kg (Spillane et al., 2009). Creatine monohydrate established itself as a key tool to improve body competition with the results of this study. Creatine monohydrate not only helped increase muscle mass, it also facilitated an increase in fat
Beck TW, Housh TJ, Johnson GO, Coburn JW, Malek MH, Cramer JT. Effects of a drink containing creatine, amino acids, and protein combined with ten weeks of resistance training on body composition, strength, and anaerobic performance. J Strength Cond Res. 2007;21(1):100-
Murphy, Suzanne P., and Lindsay H. Allen. "Nutritional Importance of Animal Source Foods." The Journal of Nutrition 133.11 (2003): 39325-9355. Web.
Amino acids are considered the building blocks of proteins. Breaking down protein will yield 22 known amino acids. There are three types of amino acids. These are indispensable(essential), conditionally dispensable, and dispensable. Conditionally dispensable amino acids can be synthesized from other amino acids by our bodies. Dispensable amino acids are considered non-essential. Amino acids are "one of the six basic nutrients our body needs". Essential Amino Acids acids are central to our discussion with regards to their use in weightlifting and training.
Experts recommend taking whey protein and amino acids within 15 to 30 minutes before workouts. Although people usually think of carbohydrates as fuel source, bodybuilders usually consider whey protein as the best source of energy for intense workouts. You need to take this just before training as a quick source of amino acids, or else your body will extract them from your own muscles. Whey will also aid growth and muscle recovery during workouts. You'll also need branched chain amino acids (BCAAs) in your pre workout to trick your brain into dampening fatigue so you can maintain strength for longer periods. Creatine is another important source of energy for working muscles. Finally, add beta-alanine to your mix to further boost your energy, muscle growth, endurance, strength, and fat loss.
For many years, the world’s foremost studies of creatine and its effect on athletic performance were carried out in secrecy by communist Eastern-bloc countries. But after the fall of Communism, the training and experimental drugs used on Soviet and East German Olympic athletes was revealed. Aside from exposing the truth about illegal anabolic steroid use, there was the discovery of a "vitamin" called creatine, which was quickly introduced to the U.S. and marketed as an ergogenic, or energy-enhancing supplement.
Volek, J. S., Kraemer, W. J., Bush, J. A., Boetes, M., Incledon, T., Clark K. L., & Lynch J. M. (1997). Creatine supplementation enhances muscular performance during high-intensity resistance exercise. Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 97, 765-770.
"Four Reasons You Should be Using Protein for Muscle Building." / Fitness / Strength Training. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Nov. 2013. .
Steven Nissen and his colleagues have performed the only study to date of HMB on humans. The researchers agree that the mechanism by which HMB impacts muscle proteolysis and function is not currently known. Nevertheless there are a number of postulations. "The high substrate concentration required by the dioxygenase enzyme compared with the liver concentration of KIC suggests that HMB production in the body may be a first-order reaction controlled by enzyme and KIC concentrations. It has been calculated that, under normal conditions, about 5% of leucine oxidation proceeds via this pathway. Therefore, if humans are assumed to have enzyme actions similar to those seen in pigs, a 70-kg human would produce from .2 to .4 g HMB/day depending on the level of dietary leucine. At leucine intakes of 20-50 g/day (which are used therapeutically), the concentrations of leucine and KIC in the liver increase and could result in HMB production reaching gram quantities per day"(Nissen p.2095). Some studies involving HMB supplementation to the diet of steers and pigs have been shown to improve caracass quality. Based on these findings, it has been hypothesized that supplementing the diet with HMB may inhibit protein degradation during periods of increased proteolysis such as resistance training.
You've probably heard about how influential protein is to gaining muscle, but it also gives you
The main compound in cells that make up the human body are made up of amino acids that are found in dietary protein. Foods such as meats, dairy, and grains are valuable supplies of amino acids. Amino acids provide antibodies or other immune cells to assist the body with fighting any type of infection, inflammation or bacteria. In addition, protein helps the production of enzymes and hormones as well. While protein helps build the body's health strength from within, many diets focus on protein intake while subtracting carbohydrates, this method is highly ineffective. Carbohydrates are the bodies greatest source of energy. This energy is produced as ...
Dietary supplements can be a good thing to use but they aren't always what they say they are. They are used by over half of all Americans and those people normally take a multivitamin or protein supplements after their workouts. In fact, whey protein is the most supplied dietary supplements among all Americans. People would also say that supplements are helpful when they become older in age, but then those people who believe supplements do not work at all. What they don't know is that if individuals take too much or too many supplements, it could hurt them and not benefit these people.
An alpha amino acid is made up of a central carbon atom, or the alpha carbon, which is linked to an amino group, a carboxylic acid group, a hydrogen atom, and a distinct R group, called the side chain. There are twenty different kinds of side chains that vary in shape, hydrogen-bonding capacity, chemical reactivity, charge, size, and hydrophobic character that are typically found in proteins. All proteins in all species are made up of the same set of twenty amino acids, with a few exceptions. In order to classify amino acids, the molecules are assorted in four groups on the basis of the general characteristics of their R groups. The four groups are hydrophobic amino acids with nonpolar R groups, polar amino acids with neutral R groups but the charge is not evenly distributed, positively charged amino acids with R groups that have a positive charge at physiological pH, and lastly, negatively charged amino acids with R groups that have a negative charge at physiological pH. The simplest amino acid is glycine because it has only a single hydrogen atom as its side chain. Alanine is the next simplest amino acid because it has a methyl group as its side chain. Seven of the twenty amino acids have side chains that are readily ionizable and they are able to accept or donate protons to facilitate reactions and form ionic bonds. Amino acids are typically abbreviated to a three-letter, which are typically the first three letters