A Better Sports Drink

Water is great and all, but during a hard training session wouldn’t you rather be sipping on something that can do more than just hydrate you (while also hydrating you, of course)? During heavy training sessions you lose electrolytes (due to sweating) and the body breaks down BCAAs to be used as energy. Replacing electrolytes lost through sweat and keeping blood amino acids elevated during training sessions, two things you can easily be doing while you train by simply adding the following ingredients to your water bottle, will protect muscle function and eliminate muscle breakdown:

Branched-Chain Amino Acids (BCAAs): No single supplement ingredient is hotter these days than BCAAs, and for good reason. The trio of leucine, isoleucine and valine is a stalwart for maximizing protein synthesis in broken down muscles, which translates to gains in both size and strength. Leucine promotes anabolism the best of the three, but it needs the other two aminos present to perform optimally.

Beta-Alanine: This may be a non-essential amino acid, but its inclusion in a well-rounded supplement regimen is anything but. Beta-alanine combines with the amino acid histidine in the body to form carnosine, which raises muscle carnosine levels. The main mechanism by which elevated muscle carnosine levels increase muscle function and performance is through its ability to buffer skeletal muscle pH (acidity) during prolonged high intensity exercise. Since one of the primary causes of fatigue during heavy exercise is metabolically mediated decreases in pH (or acidosis), then it follows why increased intramuscular carnosine levels would be beneficial to bodybuilders and strength athletes. Thus, beta alanine supplements enable you to sustain a higher intensity level for a longer duration. 

Electrolytes (Sodium/Potassium/Magnesium): When you sweat electrolytes like sodium, potassium and magnesium are lost. And they need to be replenished if you hope to keep training hard, since these electrolytes are critical for muscle contractions as well as nerve impulse transmissions that will keep your body functioning at a high level. Low sodium, for example, can result in muscle cramping and lethargy, which will do you no favors in the middle of a tough workout.

Find all of these ingredients in: Beast Nutrition Aminolytes