Tennis is a demanding sport and keeping a good diet and eating the right supplements is essential for ambitious players.
Essential amino acids, or EAAs, are necessary for every aspect of our life. Essential amino acids are the building blocks of our body. Without amino acids, many processes in our body would be stopped dead in their tracks. We would become very ill.
On this page we are not going to look at every single job carried out by essential amino acids. I stead, we’re going to look at the verifiable impact they have on our workout sessions.
What are Essential Amino Acids?
Our body needs 20 different types of amino acid. Nine of these are known as essential amino acids, with a further three being classed as BCAAs (the most important ones for working out). Despite having ‘essential’ in the name, those nine EAAs are no more important than the other 11. It’s just that our body cannot produce them naturally, so the only way to get them into our body is through our diet.
As you may know, our body is made up of proteins. Proteins are behind almost every single process in our body. We know we’ve said this before (and it is a very common term when discussing proteins in general) but they are the building blocks of the human body. Without them, we wouldn’t exist. Our body wouldn’t work.
Contrary to popular belief, there isn’t just one type of protein. Protein is pretty much a catch-all word for thousands of different types of protein, each has its own job. These proteins are made up of a combination of the various types of amino acid. So, if a protein requires one of the essential amino acids, and you don’t have that EAA in your body, then that process just won’t work.
So, this leads us into the bulk of this page: how EAAs impact us during our workout sessions.
Studies into Endurance Benefits
One rather intense study indicated that supplementing for EAAs prior to a workout session led to benefits on the endurance front.
This study showed that those who took an EAA supplement (particularly one made up or BCAAs) tended to have a better supply of oxygen in their blood.
Those who workout will know that the key to being able to workout for long periods of time is to ensure that you’ve got oxygen flowing into your muscles. Oxygen is the fuel for your muscles, and if that supply is cut off, your muscles won’t work at peak performance. This is why proper breathing technique is important.
Because the EAAs are improving the amount of oxygen flowing into the muscles, the muscles are able to work more efficiently, ensuring that a person can work out for longer periods of time.
Remember, this doesn’t just apply to workouts that are seen as endurance activities e.g. Intense cardio. It can also help with those bursts of strength you need when lifting weights.
Studies into Fatigue Benefits
This same study also demonstrated that muscles were less prone to tiredness in those that supplemented for EAAs. This is because the EAAs help to limit damage to the muscles during a workout session. However, the biggest benefit comes with post-workout fatigue.
If you workout regularly, then you know that your muscles are prone to tiredness and soreness. This is normal. You need to push your muscles to this point. It is the ‘damage’ to the muscles that spurs the onto being rebuilt, which makes you stronger. Supplementing with EAAs speeds up this process.
EAAs are vital for protein synthesis. They help to rebuild muscle fibers. This means that not only will you recover from your exercise quicker, but you’ll feel less soreness. A lot of people that supplement for EAAs find that they can get back to their workout sessions far quicker (i.e. Fewer rest days).
Reduced Mental Fatigue
While there are fewer studies into this, there is every indication that supplementing for EAAs can help to reduce mental fatigue. As anybody who works out knows, sometimes the challenge isn’t pushing your muscles as far as they can go, it’s about pushing your mind. When you’re working out, your brain is trying to fight back. It gets tired. It doesn’t want you to push yourself any further.
EAAs can limit this. It can reduce that mental tiredness. They can help you stay more alert and, hopefully, far more focused on your goal.
Supplement for Essential Amino Acids
Remember, while you can get essential amino acids from your food, you would need to eat a lot if you want to fuel your workout sessions.
Therefore, the best path to go down is to pick up a quality pre-workout loaded with EAAs. You’ll feel the benefit almost instantly while you’re working out. You’ll feel even more benefits to your strength and endurance levels after a few more sessions.
