Intra-workout supplements have the power to enhance your gains during the workout while providing extra benefits to your recovery and overall wellness.
We always hear about the two big supplements that will enhance your workouts: protein and pre-workout. Pre-workout is that supplement to give us a serious boost of energy while working to improve our muscle pumps and offer the best chance at having a great workout. And of course, protein is that essential building block of muscle mass that we all should incorporate into our supplementation routine for its effects on muscle growth, recovery, and that shredded physique we all want. Intra-workout supplements, on the other hand, are often overlooked but can play a crucial role in maximizing your gains during the workout.
These supplements contain ingredients that can boost blood flow, resulting in better muscle pumps, increased muscle fiber size, and improved anti-fatigue and recovery. Intra-workout supplements like BCAAs can help boost metabolism and inhibit fat storage, further enhancing the overall benefits of these supplements. If you train 5-7 times a week (or do double sessions), you would probably benefit from some intra-workout support simply because your energy output and recovery needs are so high. If your diet is shabby, or your schedule is so frantic that you don’t get a chance to eat properly before training, an intra workout with carbs and protein could help you get the most from your sessions. Intra-workout supplements containing highly branched cyclic dextrin, D-ribose, or dextrose are a popular choice as they have minimal effects on blood sugar levels and hit the bloodstream quickly.
But one supplement may be eluding you and it should not be excluded from the supplementation party. Intra-workout supplementation. Intra-workout supplements have benefits that go far beyond what we think possible and as great aids during our workout, we finally have the solution to cover all three of the big phases of that grueling workout: pre, mid, and post. What you’ll find is that these intra-workout supplements, such as an intra-workout drink or powder, are designed to keep your energy elevated and work to enhance muscle growth with specific ingredients that can work well with your body while in the middle of that workout. Plus, it’s nice to drink something other than water in your shaker cup as well.
In addition, intra-workout supplements also play a crucial role in improving hydration, ensuring that your body stays properly hydrated throughout your workout. They help to increase endurance, replenish essential nutrients, and can help to increase your muscle mass during your workout. Intra-workout supplements may also include performance-focused ingredients like caffeine, beta alanine, and citrulline malate (1). Potassium, an essential electrolyte, is often included in intra-workout supplements to help your body retain fluids and fight dehydration. Magnesium, another important electrolyte, is also commonly found in intra-workout supplements to support cellular recovery and optimize hydration balance.
Let’s dive into intra-workout supplements and really see just what these products can do for your gains. From what they are, to the benefits, and key ingredients, you won’t be disappointed with the results when you decide to add these into your routine. With so many on the market, the choices for you to succeed are endless.
What Is An Intra-Workout Supplement?
An intra-workout supplement is a formula, most often in powder form, taken during your workout. This will keep energy levels and performance high, even with prolonged work and pairs well with a pre-workout supplement to enhance the benefits associated with that.
Powder form allows for faster absorption, so no time is wasted and your body gets the nutrients it needs right away. This will ensure you get the most out of your training and don’t compromise any muscle or energy to sacrifice your gains.
Benefits Of An Intra-Workout Supplement
The benefits of an intra-workout supplement are amazing when it comes to all facets of your workout. Keeping your training and performance high is the number one goal out of these products and can work wonders for great results.
Benefits of an intra-workout supplement include:
- Promote muscle growth: Activates certain pathways to fuel protein synthesis and growth (1).
- Decrease soreness: Protect muscles from breakdown and decrease time of actual soreness.
- Reduce fatigue: Keep you going longer by blocking things like tryptophan from settling in your brain and inducing fatigue (2).
- Boost energy: Continually supply your body with necessary fuel needed to keep going.
- Ensure better recovery: Start the repair process earlier and rebuild muscle for faster recovery time and turn around.
Key Ingredients To Look For
When looking at certain intra-workout supplements some key ingredients to look for are:
Creatine: Can promote strength, athletic performance, improve metabolism, and boost mental capacity for enhanced focus (3).
Betaine Anhydrous: Works to improve athletic performance by strengthening muscle power and aiding in body composition changes.
Electrolytes: Great for rehydrating you after tough workouts and can help regulate fluid balance.
BCAAs: A key ingredient in virtually all supplements, BCAAs (Leucine, Isoleucine, and Valine) can stimulate muscle protein synthesis to spark growth, as well as aid in recovery and decrease muscle soreness.
L-Citrulline: Has great effects on reducing fatigue and increasing power to keep your workouts going stronger (4).
Safety & Effectiveness Of Intra-Workout Supplements
Intra-workouts are safe to use, but it is always wise to read the nutrition label on the back of each. Looking for key ingredients, such as common ingredients, is important, but also some research on ingredients that may be in a formula you just don’t need is of equal importance. Most companies will be transparent with their labels, but some may not, so diligence is your best bet.
They can be highly effective as well in helping you achieve your bodybuilding goals. As a nice beverage to have mid-workout, you will notice the effects these supplements have on your body and your gains and you won’t be disappointed that you gave it a try. Look at the directions section of the label for timing and the best way to use the supplement to maximize your benefits.
Featured Intra-Workout Supplement
While there are many great intra-workout supplements on the market to try, it is important for you to find the best one for you. This intra-workout product from Transparent Labs is packed with great benefits and ingredients to really give you a boost when you need it most.
Transparent Labs CoreSeries BCAA Glutamine
Transparent Labs BCAA Glutamine is designed for repair and recovery and is a 100% clean formula. With 5 great ingredients, the added glutamine works for better growth and reduced fatigue.
Transparent Labs CoreSeries BCAA Glutamine offers all of the benefits of a top notch BCAA supplement with the added benefit of L-glutamine in the formula. It is designed for the absolute best BCAA for repair and recovery, and Transparent Labs has crafted a 100% clean formula with a transparent label so you know exactly what you are getting. Each serving of 14 grams is designed to stimulate protein synthesis, reduce muscle fatigue, and enhance your overall performance, all while aiding in recovery and repair.
Price: $39.00
Check out our individual review for Transparent Labs CoreSeries BCAA Glutamine!
Wrap Up
Intra-workout supplements are amazing products to use to enhance all areas of your gains, as well as health and wellness. While we all seek desired changes with our body composition and strength gains, working to alleviate muscle soreness and aid in recovery is of the utmost importance to keep us in the gym longer and giving it our all. Look into different intra-workout supplements to really see the results you desire most because at the end of the day, your health, fitness, and muscle tissue, including muscle cells and essential amino acids, will improve. Intra Flight is a highly recommended intra-workout supplement that can help you achieve your bodybuilding goals. It is especially beneficial during intense training sessions as it contains ingredients like BCAA, taurine, citrulline malate, Carnitine Tartrate, and beta-alanine, which can reduce muscle damage and soreness caused by intense training sessions. Genius BCAA can be a great addition to your supplement routine, providing a small dose of stimulants like caffeine to give you a quick spike of energy in the middle of your workout.
Check out our list of the Best BCAA Supplements to get an idea of what a good intra-workout product looks like and really start to see those gains unfold.
Let us know what you think in the comments below. Also, be sure to follow Generation Iron on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
*Images courtesy of Envato
References
- Wolfe, Robert R. (2017). “Branched-chain amino acids and muscle protein synthesis in humans: myth or reality?”. (source)
- Blomstrand, Eva (2006). “A role for branched-chain amino acids in reducing central fatigue”. (source)
- Kreider, Richard B. (2003). “Effects of creatine supplementation on performance and training adaptations”. (source)
- Gonzalez, Adam M.; Trexler, Eric T. (2020). “Effects of Citrulline Supplementation on Exercise Performance in Humans: A Review of the Current Literature”. (source)
