WHY SHOULD I DRINK BCAAs?
BCAAs were recently shown to reduce muscle damage during cycling, as reported in the International Journal of Sports Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism (December, 2007). Dr. Greer and his team of researchers examined the effect of a branched chain amino acid (BCAA) drink on markers of muscle damage after endurance exercise. A BCAA drink was compared with an equal calorie carbohydrate drink and a flavored water placebo.
The group found all measured markers of fatigue were reduced in the BCAA-supplemented group. So if you want to ride your best, it seems including BCAAs in your hydration formula could help.
The Study
Nine untrained men performed three 90 minute cycling trials. The men were blinded to drink selection during each trial. Cyclists received a carbohydrate drink on the first trial; a BCAA drink on the second trial; and flavored water on the third trial. Bouts were separated by eight weeks with no training in-between, to omit training effects from trial to trial.
During each trial the subjects ingested 200 calories of their drink before exercise and at 60 minutes of the 90-minute cycling trial. Subjects were assessed before and immediately after, as well as 4, 24 and 48 hours post-exercise.
The data showed significantly reduced markers of muscle damage in the BCAA trial, with the carbohydrate trial showing reduced markers when compared with the flavored water. Measurements included blood markers of fatigue, leg-flexion tests, and ratings of perceived exertion.
The Bottom Line
Proteins are made up of amino acids. BCAAs are a sub-group of these amino acids which have been found to be particularly useful for athletic performance. Although this study indicates that BCAAs are superior to carbohydrate formulas for reducing markers of muscular fatigue, this does not mean you should replace your carbohydrate drink during your ride.
Reduced muscle damage has the advantage of speeding recovery and reducing muscle soreness, but not addressing your glycogen stores while training could have a negative impact on performance. Combine both for greater muscle recovery while maintaining energy stores.
What to do
If you’re training regularly it would be wise to invest in a carbohydrate-BCAA combo drink such as EnduraFuel by BRL, available online at www.EnduraFuel.com. EnduraFuel contains a full 6 grams of BCAAs per serving; more than any other product available on the market.
The “Boost” in EPO-Boost
The other day I was asked by a curious consumer what exactly the “EPO” in EPO-Boost stood for. The answer is Erythropoietin, a peptide hormone that is produced naturally by the kidney, heads straight for the bone marrow, and increases the production of red blood cells (which is what bone marrow does for a living) and in turn carries oxygen to the body’s muscles.
That’s a good thing, especially for athletes. When performing athletically, and you feel that insane, horrifying burn in your thighs or arms, this is the muscle screaming for oxygen and relief. Since we all know that relief is essentially slowing down (totally not acceptable), the oxygen is what you need.
This is where a product like EPO-Boost comes in! Taking the correct amount of EPO-Boost, which is non-addictive, your personal EPO levels will rise significantly, as in 90%, and increase your VO2max.
What is VO2max you ask? Beginning athletes and veterans alike have most likely heard the term, but have no clue what this refers to. Well let me clue you in, just in case. VO2max is the highest capability of your body to transport and use oxygen during exercise. Literally, V stands for “volume per time”, O2 stands for oxygen, and max means maximum.
Now one thing that skeptics need to know is that EPO-Boost is 100% legal. This is not a synthetic or actual hormone (which were banned in the 1990’s by the World Anti-Doping Agency), but many familiar and/or all-natural substances that just let your body do what it does best… only a little better. The endurance, strength, speed, and all-around performance increase are completely guaranteed.
There’s nothing better than a guarantee, since that simply means you have nothing to lose, but a world of power to gain.
Impact of VO2 Max and Running Economy on Athletic Performance
During a race, running out of energy can be a serious problem for all runners, whether you are on the track, running a marathon or a ultramarathon. The most important factor in predictors of athletic performance is VO2 Max and running economy.
VO2 Max is a measure of how fit an athlete is:
It expresses the volume of oxygen a body consumes per minute.
Runners with a high VO2 max absorb more oxygen; they can run farther and race faster. Economic runners burn less oxygen at a given pace: they’re frugal with oxygen use. They too can run farther and race faster. The best 5K, 10K, marathon and triathlon performances are run by athletes with high VO2 max and good running economy.
EPO-BOOST™ dramatically increases VO2 max and running economy, the most important predictors of running performance.
What does VO2 MAX mean?
VO2 max, or Maximum Oxygen Uptake Capacity, to use its formal name, is the amount of oxygen we can absorb into our cells in one minute while working at full capacity. It’s a measure of fitness expressed in milliliters per kilogram per minute (i.e., aerobic capacity).
In one way, VO2 max is similar to the size of the gas tank in one’s car.The bigger the tank (i.e. VO2 max) the farther the car can go. As an example, if you had to drive a long distance and had to choose between two cars and one car has a gas tank that is twice the size of the other car’s, which car would you choose? EPO-BOOST™ increases the size of your “gas tank” so you can go run farther and race faster.
What is Running Economy?
Running economy is the energy required during running at a given sub-maximal velocity. It’s often expressed as the rate of oxygen consumption per distance covered (ml/kg/km). Those who are able to consume less oxygen while running at a given velocity are said to have a better running economy. Determination of running economy is carried out by measuring oxygen consumption at a steady state within one’s aerobic range.
Running economy is similar to the fuel economy of a person’s car. Again, running economy is a measure of how much (or little, as the case may be) oxygen the runner uses for a given, sub-maximal speed. In theory, two runners can have the same maximal capacity for oxygen use (VO2 max), and then the one who is more economical at the sub-maximal speeds is likely to be the better runner.
EPO-BOOST™ dramatically increases VO2 max and running economy, the most important predictors of running performance.
Now you can reap the benefits of increased VO2 max and running economy in your running and training. EPO-BOOST™ ingredients have been shown to significantly increase VO2 max and running economy in university athletes. You will see huge gains in endurance, we guarantee it 100%. By increasing endurance, EPO-BOOST™ let’s you train harder, run faster and run farther.
Try EPO-BOOST™ risk free now
for your next 5k, 10k, marathon, or triathlon.
Boost your endurance with EPO-BOOST™ and you’ll run faster and farther, we guarantee it!
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