Pre Workout BCAAS With No Artificial Sweeteners

by J S December 3, 2020

How exactly do pre workout BCAAS with no artificial sweetener boost endurance?

For starters, let’s look at the science on BCAAS taken pre workout. BCAAs may increase intra workout energy through a process known as gluconeogensis, your body breaks down muscle tissue for energy, BCAAS not only feed muscle tissue but when used in conjunction with a low carb diet then BCAAs can actually fuel your training. Since you have no extra glucose to tap into, being low carb, BCAAS will be preferentially used as an intra workout energy source. (1)

Pre Workout BCAAS reduce central nervous system fatigue

With prolonged exercise, your body breaks down muscle tissue as previously stated. The amino acid tryptophan (the same reason why you get tired from eating turkey on thanksgiving) enters your brain and causes you to slow down. Not only do you have muscle fatigue which is localized lack of calories in the working muscle as well as accumulated fatigue substrate

But did you know that your brain shuts down your central nervous system once tryptophan hits your brain? BCAAs seem to block tryptophan, allowing you to train for slightly longer. (2)

BCAAS with no artificial sweeteners control cortisol!

There’s some exciting stuff on BCAAS and cortisol. When you train, your body is stressed and in that state, it increases cortisol. Research has shown that BCAAS reduce intra workout cortisol so you can keep performing during your workout but when you use a BCAA with no artificial sweeteners, you’re getting the extra benefit of removing artificial sweeteners like sucralose that impact your blood sugar. (3,4)

Numerous research studies have shown that artificial sweeteners impact glucose tolerance and increase weight gain. While you might not notice any negative impact during a single workout session, do you really want to keep dumping harmful artificial sweeteners into your body day after day THEN expect your body to perform optimally? (5,6)

You can’t, it won’t and you might not even notice it. Maybe you’ll have digestive discomfort from an undiagnosed leaky gut syndrome? (7)

Either way, if you want to feel, look and perform better, what benefit do artificial sweetener use give you?

None. There’s not one research study that shows positive benefits from artificial sweetener use, so what’s bad about removing them?

Physique Formula BCAAS are sweetened with stevia and artificial sweetener free but there’s more than just BCAAS.

We’ve included other research proven nutrients including

Betaine is an amino acid has been shown to support joint and liver health, reduce high inflammation and even support healthy cholesterol levels. Betaine also increases the amount of SAMe in the brain which may boost your mood. Its performance benefits are what really excite us. (8)

Betaine has been shown to increase muscle protein synthesis as well as increasing our bodies natural creatine production. Additionally betaine improves high homocysteine levels which aids in improving insulin health.

The university of Connecticut published a recent study where they gave individuals 1.25 grams of betaine (the exact amount found in The Physique Formula BCAAs) twice per day. They noticed those same betaine supplementing folks saw a 25% increase in muscle strength, 20% strength in muscle power and improved muscle protein synthesis. (9)

The college off Springfield did their own betaine study. After six weeks of twice daily 1.25 grams of betaine supplementation, subjects increased their muscle mass by 4 pounds and arm size by 10 percent while decreasing their body fat by 7 pounds! (10)

A second university of Connecticut study found that Betaine helps to manage the muscle wasting hormone cortisol. Other studies have shown that betaine allows sprinters to maintain a faster pace for upwards of 40 seconds longer. (11)

Hopefully you’re starting to see the benefits of Pre workout BCAAS with no artificial sweeteners

What else do we add?

L Citrulline Malate a unique amino acid that has been shown to decrease muscle acidity which is the feeling of heaviness you feel during a workout. In addition, subjects supplementing with citrulline malate were able to perform about 50 reps more on average than subjects taking a placebo. Citurlline malate seems to act as an immunity booster as well, it can delay the onset of the bodies immune response to hard training. (12)

All of those benefits are outstanding but the main reason I added citrulline to the Physique Formula BCAAS was that it citrulline seems to increase the efficiency which muscles use BCAAS as well as creatine. (13)

Taurine was added since it increases how efficiently our body uses fat for energy. Taurine can also improve our cholesterol profile, improve the quality of our muscle contractions and reduce exercise induced oxidative damage.(14,15,16,17,18)

I really like taurine pre workout since it increases fluid volume to muscle cells which is an anabolic signal itself.

Glutamine is added since it helps to rebuild the protective lining of the gut which is critical for performance. In addition, as glutamine levels drops, during activity, amino acids are used for fuel so by having glutamine in your BCAA you keep the BCAAS “around” longer and allow them to work more efficiently. (19,20,21)

Not only do you want to take BCAAS with no artificial sweeteners before a workout but you also want to flood your working muscle with multiple nutrients.

References

1) https://academic.oup.com/jn/article/136/1/264S/4664133

2) https://academic.oup.com/jn/article/136/2/544S/4664405

3) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18704484/

4) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3319034/

5) https://www.nature.com/articles/nature13793

6) https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/artificial-sugars-may-raise-blood-sugar

7) https://www.nature.com/articles/nature13793

8) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8333583/

9) https://jissn.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1550-2783-7-27

10) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19250531/

11) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22080324/

12) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20386132/

13)https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20499249/

14) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20739720/

15) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23224908/

16) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16583307/

17) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15042451/

18)https://link.springer.com/article/10.1023/B:NERE.0000010433.08577.96

19)https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/3169234/

20)https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8897864/

21)https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5454963/