Raising levels of muscle Carnitine can help improve work capacity and improve performance. As Carnitine improves the body’s work capacity, exercise will not feel as physically difficult. Increasing Carnitine levels will allow you to complete more reps, train harder and longer and lift more weight.
Why Does Carnitine Help?
Higher levels of muscle Carnitine helps to decrease pain and muscle damage. This occurs because Carnitine helps decrease lactic acid production. A build-up of lactic acid in our body stops the muscles from breaking down energy sources for fuel. As lactic acid builds up during exercise it reduces our ability to perform physical activities. The ability of Carnitine to reduce lactic acid build-up therefore allows us to complete more reps at a higher intensity during exercise.
Carnitine not only increases energy production but also speeds up muscle buffering of the bi-products of intense exercise. Carnitine works by maintaining the pH of muscles and minimising the accumulation of hydrogen ions. This means Carnitine helps eliminate the bi-products of intense exercise that may otherwise cause pain and muscle damage, as well as hastening fatigue. This means taking Carnitine allows you to work harder and for longer.
Carnitine Research
Various studies have shown that increasing the levels of muscle Carnitine increases work capacity. This occurs as Carnitine reduces lactate accumulation in muscle groups. A study in the Journal of Physiology showed that participants taking Carnitine supplements suffered 44% less lactate build-up than those not taking Carnitine supplements. At lower intensity the study also showed an even greater reduction in lactate build-up in those participants taking Carnitine supplements..
Benefits of Taking Carnitine
As Carnitine helps reduce lactate build-up in our muscles it helps improve the body’s fat burning capability. This is as increased Carnitine levels cause muscles to burn fat stores rather than using lactic acid for a fast burning fuel source. In the study mentioned previously, participants were able to increase work output by 35% as Carnitine reduced the level of lactic acid in the muscles. Carnitine allows the body to burn fatty stores for fuel rather than lactic acid. This occurs as Carnitine reduces lactic acid production in our muscles. As lactic acid also reduces the body’s ability to complete exercise Carntine also helps improve physical performance. The reduction in lactic acid build-up allows us to train harder over longer periods by not causing muscle soreness.
Therefore taking Carnitine seems an obvious choice as not only will it help you burn fat but will also allow you to improve athletic performance. This two-fold benefit will help to rapidly improve body composition as well as performance.
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