Fresh Supps Amino

Fresh Supps Amino packs a powerful EAA and BCAA punch with 6 grams per serving at a 2:1:1 ratio. This ratio and dosage has been clinically studied multiple times, showing great results and improvements in decreasing muscle soreness between workouts and enhancing muscle recovery, reducing muscle fatigue and increasing muscle endurance during a workout, and stimulating MPS for more efficient muscle building. 

Fresh Supps took this formula a step further and combined a clinical dose of L-Taurine, with 500mg of Coconut Water Powder, 500mg of trace minerals, and potent doses of electrolytes to further fuel performance and recovery. Oh... and don't even get me started on the flavors Fresh Supps brought out for this. Amino is available in Shark Gummies (blue razz lemonade) and Leon Italian Ice, and both are truly a delight to drink while you deliver the body what it needs to fuel recovery and performance.

Now that we know what to expect from Amino, here's the full breakdown of the formula so we can see exactly how Amino will fuel your recovery and enhance your performance!

BCAAs - 5 grams

What are BCAAs? BCAA stands for Branched Chain Amino Acids. These are a specific group of amino acids that have gained significant attention (and rightfully so) especially in the fitness world. There are three branched chain amino acids: Leucine, Isoleucine, and Valine. These 3 amino acids account for roughly 35-40% of your body's protein, and make up roughly 14% of the amino acids in muscle.

How do BCAAs work? BCAAs are a great tool for aiding in gaining skeletal muscle (the kind that makes you swole), as they stimulate muscle protein synthesis, especially Leucine. We'll talk more about Leucine in just a moment, and why this it is so highly emphasized.Muscle protein synthesis is the metabolic process when your body makes new muscle protein, also known as gains. BCAAs are also especially helpful for maintaining mass while on a calorie-deficit diet as they work in your favor by reducing the rate of protein breakdown. They do this by decreasing the activity of the protein breakdown pathway, and also decreasing the expression of several complexes involved in protein breakdown.

Now, let's discuss the 3 different BCAAs and what roles they play in the body.

L-Leucine - L-Leucine is known as the king of stimulating muscle protein synthesis! It's called the king of MPS because it has a much more severe impact on protein synthesis than any other amino! mTOR is sensitive to leucine concentrations and it directly activates this complex. Decreasing leucine concentrations signal to mTOR that there is not enough dietary protein present to synthesize new skeletal muscle protein, so mTOR deactivates. Increased leucine levels signal to mTOR that there is sufficient dietary protein to synthesize new skeletal muscle protein, so mTOR "turns on." An important point to remember is an increase in mTOR activity (and all aspects of the pathway with which it belongs) results in an increase in protein-building and more growth which equals GAINZ!!

Isoleucine - Isoleucine is extremely similar to it's big brother Leucine in almost every way. It promotes muscle recovery, aids in building lean muscle mass, boosting strength and endurance, regulates the blood-sugar levels, and stimulates HGH release. It is also able to significantly increase glucose uptake into a muscle cell and the usage of glucose during exercise for prolonged endurance and increased athletic performance. Isoleucine is intermediate for its ability to induce muscle protein synthesis, which is where big brother (Leucine) really shines! Isoleucine holds its own in terms of wound healing though, as it helps in the formation of hemoglobin and is strongly involved in the formation of blood-clots, the body's primary defense against infection through open wounds.

Valine - Valine helps prevent the breakdown of muscle tissue by supplying the muscles with extra glucose for energy production during intense physical activity. Valine also helps remove potentially toxic excess nitrogen from the liver and is able to transport nitrogen to other tissues in the body as needed. When the body is in positive nitrogen balance, the body is retaining nitrogen so it can use it to build and repair tissues, such as muscle, or to manufacture other important body proteins such as hormones. Valine is the MVP before workouts, as it's directly responsible for blunting fatigue via a mechanism in the brain.

Amino contains 6 grams of BCAAs per serving and is formulated with a 2:1:1 ratio (2 parts Leucine, 1 part Isoleucine, and 1 part Valine). As mentioned earlier in this blog, this ratio has been studied NUMEROUS times and has been proven time and time again to aid in decreasing recovery times between workouts, fueling muscular recover, decreasing muscle soreness, and ramping up performance in the gym or on the field.

EAAs - 1,000mg

What are EAAs? Our bodies use 20 different amino acids to create muscle proteins to help break down food, grow, repair body tissue, build muscle, and facilitate many other vital bodily functions. While our bodies need all 20 different amino acids to function properly, only 9 are considered “essential”, meaning they cannot be made by the body in relevant amounts, and therefore must be obtained from diet and/or supplementation. The 9 essential amino acids are histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, tryptophan, and valine. As you can see, these 9 also consist of the 3 BCAAs (Branch Chained Amino Acids).

How do EAAs work? Each of these nine essential amino acids have specific roles in the body and together aid in building lean muscle tissue, burning body fat, preventing muscle breakdown, enhancing muscular recovery, delaying muscle fatigue, boosting muscular endurance, and reducing muscle soreness. Taking EAAs after a workout has been shown to further augment the positive muscle protein synthesis effects of resistance training.  After you weight train, your body is in a prime muscle-building state, and EAAs provide your body with the amino acids it needs.

We've already discussed the 3 BCAAs and how they help fuel recovery, so let's dissect the other 6 EAAs and see how they can assist you in obtaining your goals, and keep you performing at your peak.

Phenylalanine - A precursor for tyrosine, dopamine, epinephrine, and norepinephrine. Its main metabolite is tyrosine which stimulates the production of epinephrine, dopamine and nor-epinephrine. These 3 make up the hormone family called catecholamines. They are secreted by the adrenal medulla, and are crucial for acute expression of strength and power. They also play an important role during resistance training. Their physiological functions include increased force production via central mechanisms and increased metabolic enzyme activity, increased muscle contraction rate, increased blood pressure, increased energy availability, and increased muscle blood flow (via vasodilation).

Threonine - Assists natural growth and protein balance. It is used in several of the body’s systems including cardiovascular, liver, central nervous and immune. This essential amino acid is used by the body to create other substances that are necessary for the formation of connective tissue and muscle tissue. 

Lysine - One of the most vital amino acids when it comes to growth and development. Without Lysine, maintaining peak performance is literally impossible! Your body needs lysine to build protein. Its primary role is growth, and it helps strengthen joints and reduce pain as well. Lysine is mostly derived from skeletal muscle, it builds and maintains that muscle tissue. It also combines with several vitamins, minerals and amino acids, such as Arginine and Vitamin C. With Vitamin C, it works to create another amino acid, carnitine, which helps the body effectively burn fat and deliver oxygen to active muscles. With a healthy amount of arginine, lysine increases the plasma levels of human growth hormones. This results in athletes building muscle and improving performance!

Methionine - A sulfur-containing essential amino acid that plays a vital role in tissue growth and repair as well as in the growth of new blood vessels. It is part of many biochemical reactions, including the production of S-adenosylmethionine (SAM or SAMe), which is involved in the synthesis of creatine, epinephrine, and melatonin along with several other substances. Methionine helps improve athletic performance by building bone strength. It adds bone volume, mineralization, and mineral content which improves your ability to perform high-intensity physical activities, aids in overall weight loss through its role in creating creatine in the body, helps improve athletic performance as well as the muscle to fat ratio in the body, and assists in the breakdown and use of fats, which in turn yields a higher testosterone rate.

Histidine - Required for the growth and repair of tissues, red blood cell production, and protecting tissues from damage from radiation and heavy metals. It is especially necessary for the formation of myelin sheaths, which are layers surrounding nerves that enables faster transmission of signals to the brain. The most notable benefits of Histidine for athletes is when combined with Beta-Alanine, it leads to the synthesis of the di-peptide carnosine. Though carnosine is found in both type 1 and type 2 muscle fibers, it is more prevalent in type 2 fibers, the type primarily used in high-intensity strength training. During high-intensity exercise, lack of oxygen in the muscles leads to the release of lactic acid. This acid dissociates into lactate and hydrogen ions. Carnosine acts as a hydrogen-ion buffer, counteracting lactic acid buildup and the onset of muscle fatigue, which increases your exercise performance via more time to exhaustion. So, the more muscle carnosine you have, the better your workout performance will be!

Tryptophan - Acts as a natural mood regulator to control your hormones and energy levels. One of the particular benefits for your physique is Tryptophan’s role at night in Growth Hormone production, the key hormone that is responsible for metabolizing food, breaking down fat and for cellular repair. It's also a key byproduct of another hormone and the popular supplement called 5-HTP, which has a similar effect on the brain helping with relaxation, sleep, and feelings of well-being. It is also associated with the feeling of happiness because it increases serotonin levels. 

Taurine - 1,000mg

What is Taurine - Taurine is an osmolyte that will increase cell volumization and muscle cell uptake, and boost cellular hydration. 1,000mg of L-Taurine is a clinical dose that will provide some monstrous benefits such as increased power/force output, enhanced muscle contractions, improvements in stamina and endurance, increased cellular hydration, accelerated recovery, increased cognitive function (focus, concentration, memory, learning), and supports central nervous system function.

Trace minerals (ConcenTrace®) and electrolytes - 500mg

What are Trace minerals (ConcenTrace®)? Trace minerals are essential minerals that the human body must get from food, but, unlike macronutrients, we only need a very small amount. Even though trace minerals are needed in tiny doses, they are still crucial to our health and development. Trace minerals are integral for ALL of the body's basic functions, from metabolism, muscle and brain function, hormone regulation, and protection from health damaging free radicals.

What are electrolytes? Electrolytes are minerals dissolved in water or other bodily fluids that carry an electric charge. They include sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, chloride, and phosphate. Electrolytes are essential for the basic cellular functioning of the human body

Electrolytes must be present in proper concentrations to maintain fluid balance, hydration before, during, and after a workout, muscle contractions, and neural activity—all essential to high performance and basic daily functions. 

Coconut Water Powder - 500mg

What is Coconut Water Powder - Coconut water has become a popular drink in plenty of workout routines and diet plans. It is derived from the center of the coconut fruit. As a coconut matures, the water begins to dry out. Farmers harvest the coconut while they’re still green, so they provide plentiful coconut water. Freshly tapped coconut water is nothing like the fatty coconut milk that people use for cooking or as a dairy substitute. It’s lighter and transparent. It has a slightly nutty flavor with tropical fruit undertones that transports you to a poolside at the villa. 

Coconut water contains crucial electrolytes like sodium, potassium, and magnesium, which help keep you hydrated, and is a natural way to replenish electrolytes during and after workouts. We rely on electrolytes to act as sparks for many vital physiological functions. For instance, electrolytes influence muscle contractions, pH levels, and hydration.