Training for a Marathon: Amino Acid Supplementation

MESA, Ariz. - Nov. 28, 2013 - PRLog -- A marathon consists of 26 grueling miles of running, demanding an incredible level of endurance to just complete.  However, athletes don’t just want to complete the race, instead; they seek low times if not to be first.  So, to improve their performance, most athletes turn to supplementation.  More specifically, athletes turn to amino acid supplementation which includes arginine, glutamine, carnitine, citrulline, etc.

A recent study showed that the most popular supplementation, results taken from a large group of athletic participants in team sports and individual performance sports, was with amino acids.  In the study, individual athletes were indicated as the highest participants in amino acid supplementation.  In addition, of those taking amino acids, the majority claimed it was to improve endurance.  Lastly, the overwhelmingly largest group that used supplements was categorized as elite-level athletes, meaning they participate in national teams or practice high level training methods.

These results are obviously indicative of the endurance athletes of the study, not necessarily marathons of course, but distance runners none the less.  In addition, high level athletes are who appear to be supplementing the most.  But what does amino acid supplementation do for you?  Well, besides the hope that it can increase your ability during performance, some supplements have post-workout benefits.

Glutamine is a well known supplement that has been positive affects on the immune system, and even muscle recovery.  When you work out your immune system weakens and your muscles break down, so we can see the obvious beneficial effect of glutamine after a workout.  In regards to for the actual performance, a supplement like arginine is popular.  Arginine is thought of as a vasodilator, meaning it allows your body to produce nitric oxide which opens up your blood vessels.  This in turn allows for faster blood flow, more oxygen to reach your cells, and a natural increase in performance.  In conclusion, if you’re a marathoner or a long distance runner, you might want to give amino acid supplementation a try.

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