Benefits of Pre-workout Supplements

A new study claims that a single dose of branded workout supplement, Assault, can boost the energy and reduce physical fatigue in a strenuous workout session. The supplement containing an effective combination of amino acids, B-vitamins and beta alanine can increase agility, muscular endurance and power in the lower body. The experts from the United States Sports Academy in Alabama, the University of Oklahoma, and the University of South Alabama in Nutrition & Metabolism have stated, “This investigation was the first to examine the effects of the pre-workout supplement, Assault, on a multi-faceted exercise testing protocol.”

The study was financially aided by the supplement manufacturing company- the MusclePharma. The supplements of MusclePharm make up most of the US market. It accounts for about 5% of the entire market, as reported by the Leatherhead Food Research.

Brandon Spradley et al conducted the study for which 12 recreationally- trained men, aged between 28 and 30 years voluntarily participated for a period of three weeks.

Twenty minutes before their exercise regime, the men were given either a placebo or supplement. Their exercise regime included one-rep maximum (1-RM) for bench and leg press, intermittent velocity tests and choice reaction test.

Caffeine, a main ingredient of the supplement, Assault, is a mild stimulant that affects the central nervous system and has the potential to influence human neuromuscular performance. In an attempt to maximize the effectiveness of caffeine, supplement manufacturers often combine several ingredients, possibly enhancing caffeine’s stimulatory potential.The researchers observed that such ingredients contained amino acids and creatine, both of which were a part of Assault supplement.

The experts finally concluded that, “From a practical perspective, college-age males who recreationally participate in sports where auditory stimuli are abundant, such as team sports where verbal cues are encouraged may experience increases in performance after ingesting the pre-workout supplement used in the current study (Assault).”

Advertisement

Thus the consumption of a pre-workout supplement containing caffeine, amino acids, creatine, beta-alanine and B-vitamins could delay the fatigue while increasing the muscular endurance and reaction time.

Reference:

Advertisement

Ingesting a pre-workout supplement containing caffeine, B-vitamins, amino acids, creatine, and beta-alanine before exercise delays fatigue while improving reaction time and muscular endurance; Brandon et al; Nutrition and Metabolism 2012

Source-Medindia