{"id":2635,"date":"2015-02-04T07:35:43","date_gmt":"2015-02-04T14:35:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bornfitness.com\/?p=2635"},"modified":"2020-09-22T06:14:06","modified_gmt":"2020-09-22T13:14:06","slug":"surprising-preworkout-fuel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bornfitness.com\/surprising-preworkout-fuel\/","title":{"rendered":"The No-Caffeine Pre-Workout Boost"},"content":{"rendered":"

After years of making fun of Popeye and his spinach-fueled muscles, it might be time to apologize to the original muscle-bound vegetarian.<\/p>\n

The cartoon might seem outdated and outlandish, but research now shows that the concept might not be that far fetch. According to research compiled by Examine.com<\/a>, nitrates, a powerful compound found in green vegetables can provide many of the benefits oftentimes reserved for pricey supplements.<\/p>\n

While it doesn\u2019t work like magic\u00a0(and you have to eat a lot of spinach to see benefits), there’s more substance than you might think to a natural energy boost. Here are a few natural food resources, based on research from Examine.com and their Stack guides<\/a>,\u00a0which can help improve your workout without any chemical compounds or stimulants.<\/p>\n

The Surprising Cardio and Weight-Training Spark<\/h2>\n

The research behind nitrates might be some of the best support yet why vegetarians and vegans can still be effective performance athletes. Nitrates are a compound found in most leafy green vegetables and beetroot. Nitrates break down into nitrites, which circulate in the body and are turned into nitric oxide (NO) as needed, according to research reviews conducted to Examine.com.<\/p>\n

Elevated NO levels during exercise provide a variety of benefits. Nitrate supplementation has been shown to improve anaerobic and aerobic endurance, blood flow, and work output, resulting in increased muscle recovery between bouts of exercise.<\/p>\n

Nitrates improve the body\u2019s ability to produce adenosine triphosphate (ATP) from the food you eat. ATP is responsible for the energy transfer that powers your muscles. High levels of circulating nitrite help the mitochondria in cells produce ATP more efficiently.<\/p>\n

Ready to go out and buy the best nitrate supplement? You might feel like you\u2019re searching for Waldo in a sea of American flags.<\/p>\n

Selling a nitrate supplement with a dose high enough to cause the positive performance-enhancing effects is not<\/em> legal. This is due to the regulation surrounding sodium nitrate, a food additive frequently added to meat products, says Examine.com.<\/p>\n

How to Achieve Your Boost<\/strong><\/p>\n

Nitrates are best supplemented through food products like leafy greens or beets, 60 to 120 minutes before exercise. You’ll want these window not only for digestive purposes, but also for stomach comfort. Consuming these foods in a liquid form, such as through a shake, juice, or puree, will increase the rate of nitrate absorption, since solid food particles take longer to digest.<\/p>\n

The optimal nitrate dose is in the range of 6.4 – 12.8 mg per kilogram of bodyweight. This corresponds to approximately:<\/p>\n