Pre-Workout Supplements
Pre-workout Supplements
Junior Seminar Paper
Pre-workout supplements are a newer category of products that are designed to increase workout intensity and energy. These products are being used by millions of athletes today, and there have been a lot of questions raised about the long-term effects of them. There are a lot of different brands in this industry, but most of the products contain the same main ingredients: Creatine, nitric oxide, vitamin B, and caffeine. There has been quite a bit of research done on these ingredients individually, but together they have not been studied very much, which is why a lot of athletes avoid them. Another problem with these products is that athletes are becoming dependent on them instead of using them as a supplement to an adequate diet. In this paper we will look at each of the ingredients individually and see how the different components work together. Probably the most important of the ingredients in these supplements is Creatine. Creatine is a compound that can be made in our bodies or taken as a dietary supplement. Creatine is composed of three amino acids: Glycine, Arginine, and Methionine. Our liver has the ability to combine these amino acids to synthesize Creatine, but some athletes believe it is beneficial to take in more than your body can produce because of how Creatine is used in the body. Creatine can be used as an energy source by recycling Adenosine diphosphate (ADP) into Adenosine triphosphate (ATP). In order for skeletal muscles to have energy, ATP stored in the body is converted into ADP, giving off energy. Unfortunately the body cannot store an unlimited supply of ATP, so the energy supply usually does not even last a minute. The reason why athletes take a Creatine supplement is because it can combine with phosphate to make Creatine phosphate, which can then react with ADP and turn the diphosphate back into a triphosphate usable once again for energy (Dotson).
Junior Seminar Paper
Pre-workout supplements are a newer category of products that are designed to increase workout intensity and energy. These products are being used by millions of athletes today, and there have been a lot of questions raised about the long-term effects of them. There are a lot of different brands in this industry, but most of the products contain the same main ingredients: Creatine, nitric oxide, vitamin B, and caffeine. There has been quite a bit of research done on these ingredients individually, but together they have not been studied very much, which is why a lot of athletes avoid them. Another problem with these products is that athletes are becoming dependent on them instead of using them as a supplement to an adequate diet. In this paper we will look at each of the ingredients individually and see how the different components work together. Probably the most important of the ingredients in these supplements is Creatine. Creatine is a compound that can be made in our bodies or taken as a dietary supplement. Creatine is composed of three amino acids: Glycine, Arginine, and Methionine. Our liver has the ability to combine these amino acids to synthesize Creatine, but some athletes believe it is beneficial to take in more than your body can produce because of how Creatine is used in the body. Creatine can be used as an energy source by recycling Adenosine diphosphate (ADP) into Adenosine triphosphate (ATP). In order for skeletal muscles to have energy, ATP stored in the body is converted into ADP, giving off energy. Unfortunately the body cannot store an unlimited supply of ATP, so the energy supply usually does not even last a minute. The reason why athletes take a Creatine supplement is because it can combine with phosphate to make Creatine phosphate, which can then react with ADP and turn the diphosphate back into a triphosphate usable once again for energy (Dotson).
Cited: BodyBuilding.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Mar. 2012. . Costill, DL, GP Dalsky, and WJ Fink "Thiamine (Vitamin B1)." Medline Plus. N.p., 7 July 2011. Web. 16 Mar. 2012. . Weinberg, Bennett Alan and Bealer, Bonnie K. 2001. The World of Caffeine: The Science and Culture of the World’s Most Popular Drug. New York, NY.). Web. 16 Mar. 2012. .