When one talks about bodybuilding, one essentially talks about the development of muscles. And whenever muscles are developed, one needs lots of protein, not fats nor carbohydrates. But did you know that this is where many people fail in their bodybuilding efforts? Instead of skipping the fat, you should do everything you can to include the healthier versions of fat in your diet to help you in your muscle building activities. And when it comes to healthy fats, fish oils are at the top of the game. Don’t believe us? Check out the following benefits of fish oil for bodybuilding.
Improves Muscle Gain
Fish oil contains eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid, two of the most clinically significant essential oils needed by man. Studies show that these two essential oils are inherently responsible for the modulation of a variety of physiologic responses such as those related to inflammation, oxidation of free radicals, and muscle development. In recent years, the body of scientific evidence continues to grow showing that both EPA and DHA can support the synthesis of muscle proteins necessary for the growth and buildup of muscle tissues. At the same time, both fish oil variants have been shown to limit the rate of degradation of these same muscle proteins leading to better integration into the muscular framework of the body. In very simple words, the beneficial effects of EPA and DHA on muscles is found in its ability to support the synthesis of and prevent the degradation of muscle proteins leading to a net increase in muscle proteins available for muscle building purposes. Fish oils have been shown to promote enhanced muscle growth while limiting the breakdown of muscles.
Reduces Inflammatory Responses
One of the most recognizable benefits of EPA and DHA is their anti-inflammatory properties. When we exercise, the different tissues in the body undergo quite a number of physiologic changes that can lead to cellular stress. We all know what this essentially means. Stress can lead to the initiation of the inflammatory response even at the cellular level. Additionally, exercising means our body will also be using a lot of oxygen in many oxidation reactions to drive our bodies. Unfortunately, the greater the intensity of our exercises, the greater is the inflammatory effects and oxidation reactions that are occurring inside the body. This can translate to reduced exercise recovery times such that, instead of being able to perform 3 to 4 exercises in one week, we are reduced to performing only 2 or 3 because our cells and tissues will need more time to fully recover from the heightened inflammatory and oxidative processes. Supplementation with fish oils can significantly reduce inflammation as well as the effects of oxidation allowing us a much shorter time to recover. This means that even if we perform high intensity workouts to build our muscles, fish oils can help us reduce the amount of time needed for the cells and tissues of the body to return to their optimum levels of performance. Just imagine what this means when it comes to bodybuilding.
Supports Insulin Function
Exercise or any other form of physical activity for that matter requires an excellent source of energy. And the primary source of energy for the body is carbohydrate in the form of glucose. For cells to use glucose, insulin must be secreted by the pancreas in response to an increase in glucose levels in the blood. Unfortunately, too much insulin will also favor the conversion of excess glucose into fats which simply means, you will have additional fat molecules you need to burn. Studies now show that EPA and DHA can help regulate the normal functioning of insulin especially in the prevention of insulin spikes. This helps in the more gradual mobilization of glucose into the cells and the prevention of glucose conversion into fat molecules. Essentially, this helps a lot in bodybuilding since you get more glucose converted into glycogen which muscle tissues use for a variety of metabolic processes.
Limits the Breakdown of Protein from Muscles
When combined with beta-hydroxy beta-methylbutyrate or HMB, fish oils, especially EPA, has been shown in several studies to be particularly beneficial in reducing the rate and extent of muscle protein breakdown. This is good news since what every bodybuilder wants is to gain muscle mass and to limit muscle loss. EPA from fish oils can be an excellent tool for safeguarding the gains achieved in bodybuilding.
Fish oils are not only excellent for bodybuilding. These are beneficial for optimum cardiovascular health, too. That’s why many professional bodybuilders recommend supplementation with only premium quality fish oils to reap all the benefits for bodybuilding and general health. We are Flexx Labs recommend all customers combine Fish Oil supplements with our products.
