A quality diet and an optimal nutrition plan are essential for bodybuilders and other athletes, and eating enough protein from the right sources is important. Amino acids allow the body to absorb protein and other nutrients, making you healthy and strong regardless of your training level. Without the right amount of amino acids, your ability to grow and strengthen muscles can be severely limited; to prevent muscle catabolism and improve recovery, an amino acid supplement may be just what you need.

Amino Acids Are Workout Fuel

If you maintain a heavy training schedule, the wear and tear on your muscles can lead to muscle breakdown. If you aren’t eating properly and supplying your body with the energy and nutrients it needs, you may find yourself in a weakened state with a variety of health problems. While the extra exertion and stress are important for your muscles to grow, you may reach the point of overtraining if your muscles have difficulty recovering.

Your diet always should include a variety of complete proteins and carbohydrates, but when you’re training, this becomes even more important because of the extra demands you’re placing on your body. Protein shakes and other supplements are valuable to bodybuilders and competitive athletes, and can help improve muscle recovery when they’re combined with essential amino acid supplements. In fact, the University of Texas Medical Branch conducted in a study in 2001 that showed the link between the amino acid L-phenylalanine and healthy leg muscle tissues. Researchers showed the effects of protein shakes consumed after intense leg training, and how this postworkout nutrition allowed for quick absorption in the muscles. This is the basic concept behind bioavailability during digestion.

Bioavailabity

Bioavailability is measured according to your body’s ability to absorb various nutrients. If you’re eating a nutrient-rich diet but your body can’t absorb it, you won’t be getting adequate nutrition. Amino acids in powdered or “free form” are the easiest way for your body to process the nutrients, and they can even circulate through the body within 15 minutes.

Incorporating Amino Acids into Your Diet

When you’re training, amino acid supplements can help you balance out your diet by allowing your muscles to synthesize and break down the proteins you consume. Quality protein sources include fish, red meat, dairy, and soy-based products. All of these provide different types of amino acids in natural form, but if your diet is lacking in this area, you may become deficient in any of the nine essential amino acids, or 14 others needed for healthy growth.

No matter what your training goals are, making sure you receive optimal nutrition will help you improve performance. Muscle-building and growth diets that include quality protein sources may need to be supplemented with amino acids, encouraging appropriate functioning, growth, and even helping you compete to your maximum potential!

—Sabah Karimi