Fuels For Workouts

Like I said before, supplements are NOT required in our workout programs as long as you could source enough of what your body need from whole food. But if you need addition fuels for workouts, read on.

In addition to Beachbody’s product like E&E for pre-workout and Results & Recovery for post-workout, I also have started using an intra-workout supplement called Purple Wraath from Controlled Labs about 2 and a half months ago when I started my first round of Insanity. Purple Wraath is a BCAA (branched-chain amino acids) drink. This is not from Beachbody so if you’re interested, just Google for it 🙂

Here’s what WebMD has to say about BCAA:

Branched-chain amino acids are essential nutrients that the body obtains from proteins found in food, especially meat, dairy products, and legumes. They include leucine, isoleucine, and valine. “Branched-chain” refers to the chemical structure of these amino acids. People use branched-chain amino acids for medicine.

Some people use branched-chain amino acids to prevent fatigue and improve concentration.

Athletes use branched-chain amino acids to improve exercise performance and reduce protein and muscle breakdown during intense exercise.

Many people use BCAA during their weight training to maximize their reps because BCAA can be easily absorbed into the blood stream for fast muscle recovery. Unlike other BCAA in the market, Purple Wraath doesn’t require much or any “pre-loading” — meaning to drink it an hour or so before the workout. What I’ve been doing is I mix one scoop of Purple Wraath in 20oz of water, shake it good, and drink about 30% of it before the workout. During the workout, I would sip it after every moves. Normally, there are about 20% left after the workout and I would add them to make the R&R drink.

Based on what I’ve observed so far, I could lift heavier weight at max reps and was ready to go for another set like I hadn’t lifted earlier. Before this, if I lift heavier weight, my muscle would get fatigue very quickly after 2 sets. One of the most significant improvements is I was only doing 25-30 lbs for the shoulder presses on each arm before starting on BCAA. Now, I could do 35-40 lbs for the same and for a few more sets.

It doesn’t give me extra energy during the workout (that’s what E&E and a pre-workout snack are for) , but it does allow me to push harder and longer due to my muscles being “refreshed” during the workout.

If you’re already using R&R, you probably don’t need this. But if you want to further maximize the effort you’re already putting into your workouts, Purple Wraath is worth a try.

Cheers
Coach Al