athletic performance

athletic performance /oss/taxonomy/term/811/all en Creatine Supplements /oss/article/you-asked/creatine-supplements Creatine hit the media big time in 1998 when Mark McGwire hit seventy home runs attributing part of his success to the use of the widely available and legal dietary supplement creatine. And he is not alone to have sung the praises of this substance. Sprinters, swimmers, body builders swear by it and even weekend athletes have experimented with the stuff. (Although as we were to learn later, McGwire was into steroids as well, and these likely contributed to his impressive stats and will keep him out of the Hall of Fame). Thu, 17 Jan 2013 17:17:58 +0000 OSS 1860 at /oss Can BCAA's and/or glutamine improve strength? /oss/article/health-supplements-you-asked/can-branched-chain-amino-acids-bcaa-andor-glutamine-improve-strength-and-lead-muscle-formation-and <a href="http://blogs.mcgill.ca/oss/?attachment_id=3790" rel="attachment wp-att-3790"><img alt="sprint" height="150" src="http://blogs.mcgill.ca/oss/files/2012/12/athletic-performance-150x150.jpg" width="150" /></a>Amino acids are the body’s building blocks for proteins. Leucine, isoleucine and valine are branched chain amino acids (BCAA’s), a term that refers to a particular nuance of their molecular structure. They are three of the nine “essential” amino acids that must be obtained via the diet because they cannot be synthesized by the body. So why are branched amino acids a common supplement among weight trainers? Branched amino acids have a reputation for enhancing exercise performance and muscle recovery. But are these claims true? Studies have shown mixed results when it comes to BCAA supplementation. In February 2011, the University of Sacred Heart in Fairfield, Connecticut released the findings of a new study on BCAA. The objective was to determine if BCAA supplementation compared to a non-caloric placebo would affect aerobic performance. In nine male volunteers with no history of training, plasma glucose and BCAA concentrations were measured before and after aerobic performance. No difference was found between the use of BCAA and placebo. More importantly, the study indicated that BCAA supplementation did not influence aerobic performance despite increased blood concentrations of BCAA and a perception of reduced exertion. On the other hand, a study conducted in Nagoya, Japan in June 2010, sought to determine if a relationship existed between BCAA supplementation and muscle recovery. The scientists decided to induce delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) via squat exercises on 12 healthy, untrained females. During the trials, the participants ingested either BCAA supplements or dextrin (placebo) before squat exercises. Muscle pain and stiffness experienced after strenuous exercise, showed a peak on days 2 and 3 in both trials. However, the study revealed that BCAA supplementation greatly reduced the level of soreness when compared with the placebo. According to this study, BCAA may be beneficial in regard to reduced soreness when starting a new training program or returning from a period of rest or injury. <a href="http://blogs.mcgill.ca/oss/2012/12/23/can-branched-chain-amino-acids-bcaa-andor-glutamine-improve-strength-and-lead-to-muscle-formation-and-weight-gain/">Read more</a> Sun, 23 Dec 2012 20:31:25 +0000 Alexandra Pires-Ménard, OSS Intern 1841 at /oss