When you think about “powerful” amino acids, you would probably think of leucine, right? Then comes the discussion about how important essential amino acids (EAAs) are when striving to add slabs of muscle onto your physique. Hell, you might even look at BCAAs (leucine, isoleucine, valine). But what if I told you the amino acid that is forgotten about the most, that can significantly improve your strength and power, is actually… betaine.
Betaine, or otherwise known as trimethylglycine, isn’t generally an amino acid that we focus on when it comes to our fitness and workouts. Why, you may ask? Because the fact is, most people have no issue taking in enough natural forms of betaine to become deficient. In our diet, we eat many foods such as sweet potatoes, spinach, quinoa, turkey, and beef – all of which are good sources of betaine.
Many of you are probably moving your mouse up to the “x” to get out of this article after you read that. But don’t be so quick to move on (unless you want to be the weakest person in the gym). Ah, I thought you might stick around after a little jab. But let’s be real, no one wants to look like a little bitch at the gym. You want to look like the strongest MFer in the place. That’s why supplementing with betaine could be extremely advantageous for you.
Want to Get BIG and STRONG? Think BETAINE!
Now, whether you’re an athlete or not (and please don’t look for those participation trophies you still have from back when you were nine that you threw in a box somewhere – it’s time to let those go), betaine has some significant benefits when it comes to increasing power.
Below, you will find four ways that supplementing with betaine can help increase power for athletes.
1. Help the Body Synthesize Creatine
Studies have shown that a mix of betaine and glycocyamine could improve the symptoms of patients suffering from chronic diseases, such as heart issues.
What is more exciting is that betaine can offer a methyl group to glycocyamine through methionine to help with the synthesis of creatine.
All in all, what this led to was an increase in strength and endurance, less fatigue, and an improved sense of well-being. In addition, they found there was an increase in performance of both mental and physical work.
Betaine may also help enhance athletic performance. It can provide you with a boost when you are training or working out to help give you a competitive edge on the playing field or court.
2. Decrease Levels of Lactate
Betaine can also lower the level of lactate in the blood, which can help reduce muscle fatigue due to the production of lactic acid in the muscle during training. When your muscles are able to produce more force and power over a longer duration, you can see some pretty significant strength and size increases.
The accumulation of lactic acid is something everyone experiences when training or working out. It’s the burning sensation that takes place when resistance training. Essentially, lactic acid is a waste or byproduct of the actual training process.
Through the use of betaine supplements, athletes have the ability to train longer, harder, and more effectively.
3. Increase Cellular Hydration
Betaine can be considered a compatible osmolyte that improves the water retention capacity of your cells, the ability to restore/replace inorganic salts, and help keep intracellular enzymes safe from temperature-induced or osmotically-induced inactivation.
Okay, let’s look at this in some simpler terms…
Betaine helps in rehydration when it is combined with electrolytes by replacing your maximum fluid balance and then transporting electrolytes as well as glucose into to the muscle cells.
It provides improved hydration as it protects the cells from the stress that is put on them when a muscle is overworked during intense bouts of exercise or when you start tipping the scale of getting dehydrated.
According to research, betaine improves performance and power due to increased hydration. Water is what makes up a considerable percentage of your body (around 60%), so why not use it to your advantage when it comes to improving your power and training output? Looking at the big picture here, betaine helps flood the muscle cells with water, which in the end means better-hydrated muscles.
4. More Lean Muscle Mass = Greater Power Output Potential
Betaine seems to be the latest focal point in the industry. As more and more research is published and as more fitness enthusiasts and athletes start implementing betaine, the more popular it seems to get.
The fact that betaine supplementation can help reduce adipose (fat) mass and increase lean muscle mass should (alone) be enough to show up on everyone’s radar.
According to a 2010 study, muscle power output along with muscle force product increased after the use of betaine supplements. Another study showed that active college males seemed to improve muscle endurance during exercise after betaine supplementation. Best of all, betaine is not on a banned substance list which means (at the time of writing this article) it is safe for use in athletic organizations.
The overall result when supplementing with betaine is better and improved body composition. As touched out earlier, a popular supplement in the health and fitness industry is creatine. Like creatine, betaine helps increase the growth of lean muscle tissue while supporting strength gains and power output.
Simply put... More lean muscle mass = Greater power output potential.
Are You Ready?
Some people can handle the power, others can’t. It’s like watching a movie where someone gains superhuman powers but has no clue what to do with them. While you won’t be starring in a movie anytime soon, you can at least experience some insane increases in strength and power.
When it comes to pre-workouts, many are looking for the product with the most stimulants. Well, what if you could use a stim-free pre-workout and get even better results from your training? Now you can thanks to the knockout power behind Apollon Nutrition Hooligan Bare Knuckle.
Apollon Nutrition wanted to shock the industry and change the game when it came to the pre-workout category, and they definitely have people saying, “What the F*CK?!” Hooligan Bare Knuckle can provide you with the punch in the mouth and kick in the ass to get you moving – even without the use of stimulants.
Hooligan Bare Knuckle not only contains betaine (the subject of this article) but also patented ingredients that are backed by research like Astragin® and Vaso6™. The potent matrix of ingredients provides you with an insane muscle pump that will have you worried your sleeves might tear, a crazy mix of powerful nootropics to get you laser-focused and dialed-in, and the powerful amino acid, betaine, to help maximize your power and strength.
Go ahead and experience what it’s like to have superhuman strength and power through the use of Apollon Nutrition Hooligan Bare Knuckle. Just make sure you take your cape off before you enter the gym. Now, go get a tub and move some heavy shit!
