During exercise, increased pH can cause fatigue and hamper performance. Resistance training relies on the anaerobic energy system. This system causes increased pH levels after extended training. Beta-alanine increases muscle carnosine content and improves performance in certain activities.
Beta-alanine is an amino acid produced in the liver. Beta-alanine has seen a surge in popularity over the last few years. Of all the products contained in the Supplement Database, 36% of them contain beta-alanine, making it the second most popular ingredient behind caffeine.
In our series on soy protein, we covered topics including its effects on testosterone, health benefits, and body composition. Here we'll go over our findings and make a final recommendation on whether or not soy protein is worth taking.
For a long time, animal sourced protein supplements have been seen as superior to plant based ones. With an increased focused on health, plant proteins are getting a second look. There is plenty of research showing the health benefits of replacing animal proteins with plant options. Even so, many are...
Creatine works by providing additional phosphate groups, making it easier for the body to recycle ADP back into ATP. This should theoretically improve performance in exercises which have high, short-term energy demands.
Creatine Creatine is one of the most popular supplements available on the market with sales estimated at $400 million annually1. This popularity comes for a good reason; creatine is one of the few supplements that consistently demonstrates its effectiveness in a high number of research articles. This series will go over...
Branched Chain Amino Acids We've come to the end of our series on the effectiveness of BCAAs. Since we started, we've gone over potential benefits of supplementation including: strength & aerobic training applications, ability to increase protein synthesis, decrease body fat, improve recovery, and aid in weight loss. The current research...
BCAAs and Strength Training In the first post of this series (Introduction to BCAAs), we looked at what BCAAs are, how they work, and some of their potential benefits. One of the areas where BCAAs have the most promise is improving strength. BCAAs can provide the muscle with energy, increase protein...
Caffeine Caffeine is a popular supplement used to improve performance and increase alertness. Americans consume 200-300 milligrams of caffeine per day. As one of the most widely used ingredients in pre-workout supplements, it's important to verify its efficacy in improving exercise outcomes. What is Caffeine? Caffeine is a substance found naturally in many...
What is creatine? Creatine is one of the most popular supplements in the fitness industry. It plays an important role in energy metabolism and supplementation provides many benefits including increased muscle mass, strength, and improved body composition. How does creatine work? When we eat macronutrients, they get converted into adenosine triphosphate or ATP. Muscle...
