5 Benefits of Intra Workout Supplements
Let’s be real -- we all want to make more gains from our time spent in the gym. Be it getting stronger, moving faster/more explosively, or simply putting on more mass.
In this quest to get those ever elusive gains, we tend to focus on what takes place before and after our workout. Things like having a pre workout meal, taking the best pre workout possible, and slamming a delicious whey protein shake after training all fit the bill.
But, if you’ve already optimized your pre and post workout nutrition and supplementation, what else can you do to get more from your training (assuming you’re nailing your nutrition the rest of the day and getting enough sleep)?
The answer may lie in what you’re supplementing with during your workout.
The intra workout period is often overlooked when it comes to enhancing performance and recovery, but if you’re looking for that little something extra to take your gains to the next level, then intra workout supplements are definitely something you need to check out!
With that in mind, here are the top 5 benefits of intra workout supplements.
Top 5 Benefits of Intra Workout Supplements
#1 Stimulate Protein Synthesis
Protein synthesis is at the very foundation of muscle recovery and growth. This is the process where amino acids are used to repair damaged muscle and build bigger, stronger muscles.
A number of things are known to stimulate protein synthesis, including the ingestion of protein (or essential amino acids) and exercise.
However, most individuals aren’t going to want to be taking bites of steak or chicken in between sets of squats.
Consuming an intra workout supplement, such as Intracell, that contains essential amino acids -- the nine amino acids the body requires to build protein -- helps sustain the amino acid pool, which can decline during prolonged exercise, and in turn keep protein synthesis elevated. Higher protein synthesis leads to a quicker recovery that increases overall performance and power.
#2 Reduce Protein Breakdown
Building muscle is dictated by a number of factors, but at the very core of it is the balance between protein synthesis and protein breakdown.
Resistance training stimulates protein synthesis independent of nutrient ingestion; however, intense exercise also induces protein breakdown, such that if you’re not consuming enough nutrients (protein, amino acids, and carbs in particular), then exercise has a net catabolic effect instead of an anabolic one. This means that you are breaking down and losing mass (muscle and fat) instead of building and maintaining muscle mass.
Consuming essential amino acids during intense exercise can help reduce protein breakdown. This allows for the body to use the provided fuel instead of breaking down the muscle to access amino acids.
Ingesting some fast-digesting carbohydrates (like Cluster Dextrin) during training also helps blunt catabolism since consuming carbohydrates causes elevation in insulin levels, which itself is a powerful anti-catabolic hormone.
Intra workout supplements help provide a net anabolic effect as they’re supporting protein synthesis and reducing protein breakdown, ultimately promoting a greater environment for muscle recovery and growth.
#3 Improve Performance
Have you ever felt like you lose the ability to really push your limits the deeper you get into a workout?
We’ve all experienced it a time or two, and it can be due to a couple of things, including low energy availability or dehydration.
Intra workout supplements supply the body with readily accessible energy in the form of fast-digesting carbohydrates as well as ingredients that support blood flow -- facilitating greater nutrient delivery to muscle cells as well as waste metabolite clearance. Collectively, this can help you to bang out more reps across more sets for more gains!
The best intra workout supplements also contain valuable electrolytes, like sodium, potassium, and magnesium, as well as osmolytes like Taurine and glycerol which support hydration. This is important because even as little as a 2% reduction in body weight due to water loss can significantly reduce performance and increase feelings of fatigue.
Intracell contains a comprehensive blend of electrolytes as well as L-Taurine and Hydromax to enhance cell volume, increase muscle fullness, and support hydration.
#4 Reduce the Onset of Fatigue
The longer you get into a workout, the more you deplete muscle glycogen as well as key neurotransmitters like dopamine. Reductions in both are known to bring about feelings of fatigue -- both locally in the muscle tissue as well as the central nervous system.
The benefits of an intra workout supplement are especially important if you are working out in a fasted state, dieting, or eating low-carbs. You are vulnerable to fatigue when working out in any of these conditions. This is due to the use of BCAAs in the supplement.
BCAAs can also lead to an increase of focus and overall energy, allowing you to work harder for longer. BCAAs help preserve muscle tissue that can otherwise be broken down for extra energy.
Primeval Labs' Intracell 7 contains 20 grams of carbohydrates to support blood sugar and muscle glycogen as well as the essential amino acid L-Phenylalanine, which is a precursor to tyrosine and a building block of dopamine. Using this intra workout drink will lead to a longer period of energy without risking muscle breakdown.
#5 Improves Recovery
The best intra workout supplements contain a mixture of fast-digesting carbohydrates and essential amino acids as these are the key building blocks the body needs following training to support the various processes involved in recovery -- glycogen replenishment, muscle fiber repair, etc.
The sooner you get these nutrients into your body during or immediately after training, the quicker the body can begin its repair efforts.
You don’t need to wait until the end of a workout to consume these nutrients. Taking these nutrients sooner helps reduce soreness, allowing you to train more frequently, which has a compounding effect in that you’ll train more often, lift more weight, and make more gains!
Fueling your body during a workout with an intra workout drink allows for fast absorption and results in almost instant effects. This quick effectiveness contributes to a quick recovery, allowing for more frequent gym sessions and high gains.
Intracell 7 -- The Premier Intra Workout Supplement
Intra workout supplements are an often-neglected piece of the puzzle when it comes to boosting performance, increasing recovery, and making more gains.
However, not supplements are created equal.
Those 5g blend of BCAAs that masqueraded as “intra workout supplements” are a thing of the past. When looking for a real intra workout supplement, you want one that is built on science and contains the nutrients muscle cells need to fuel performance, blunt fatigue, and drive recovery.
Intracell 7 is a complete training fuel for professional and recreational athletes, containing a synergistic matrix of performance-boosting carbohydrates, electrolytes, amino acids, and blood flow enhancers.
Each serving of Intracell includes 20 grams of fast-digesting carbohydrates from a unique quad carb blend featuring ModCarb, Carb10, Cluster Dextrin, and Palatinose to provide immediate, readily accessible energy for skeletal muscles that aids performance and helps blunt fatigue.
Intracell 7 also provides a comprehensive blend of essential amino acids, electrolytes, and cell volumizers to fuel your mind and body for maximum performance. Experience better workouts and recovery with Primeval Labs’s Intracell 7!
