Arginine is a ‘conditionally essential’ amino acid that has been shown to have several potential ergogenic effects. Amongst others, arginine has been shown to have positive effects on recovery, body fat levels and markers of workout performance. So let’s take a look at some the reasons you should add arginine to your supplement cupboard.
Arginine and Strength Training
During a strength training regime, lifting the most amount of weight at the lowest body fat is crucial. Enter Arginine. Arginine supplementation can support this by lowering body fat and increasing lean muscle and strength.
How does Arginine Support Strength Training?
Arginine has been shown to aid recovery of muscle by helping the utilisation of fat as an energy source when training and throughout the day. Arginine also helps during training by diverting more blood to working muscles to help with maximal efforts, enhanced blood flow helps prevent injury and makes for a more efficient working muscle.
‘Increase Muscle to Increase Strength’
Arginine supplementation can enhance muscle growth, indirectly benefiting the quest for improved strength and a stronger muscle. It is sometimes recommended to switch between a strength training and hypertrophy program every few months when using arginine.
Arginine and Competition Prep
Arginine can be a powerful ally in the lead up to a competition as it has been shown to increase strength while helping the athlete maintain a low body fat and stay in their weight class – or even make a lower weight class to make the athlete even more competitive.
This means arginine can contribute to an improved weight to strength ratio, which I consider the most important thing to a strength athlete. Arginine also helps during a training session for a strength athlete by increasing blood flow and nutrient delivery: thereby decreasing risk of injury and fuelling the working muscles
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