Musclesport Amino + Hydration Launched for 2024 4th of July with…

Branched-Chain Amino Acids – 6,000 mg

When describing a branched-chain amino acid blend (aka, BCAA), the convention is to write it as a ratio of leucine:isoleucine:valine. Here, in 2 scoops we have:

• Leucine – 4000mg
• Isoleucine – 1000mg
• Valine – 1000mg

In a BCAA blend, leucine is always the most abundant of the three because it’s the most anabolic and better than the other two at initiating muscle protein synthesis,^[1-3] which is the process that causes us to grow new muscle fibers in response to exercise.

Leucine excels at triggering new muscle growth because it activates mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR),^[4-6] a metabolic “master switch” that basically turns on the anabolic response.

All three BCAAs help reduce muscle damage during exercise^[7-9] and improve physical endurance,^[10-12] allowing you to push yourself during your workouts and recover faster and better.

4:1:1 Leucine:Isoleucine:Valine Ratio

Here, we have a 4:1:1 BCAA blend, which will excite many over the standard 2:1:1 ratio. Why? Because at a full 2-scoop serving, we get 4 grams of leucine more than the ~3 grams where research indicates that muscle protein synthesis really starts getting triggered.^[13-16]

So we’ll take this over the common 2:1:1 ratio that ends up with 2.5 grams of leucine.

As for the recommended dose of leucine and other BCAAs, requirements increase with age.^[17] It of course depends on the rest of your diet – make sure you get plenty of protein throughout the day!

Now for the rest of the other 6 essential amino acids, which are important building blocks for more complex proteins, like the ones that make up muscle fibers.

They’re called “essential” because our bodies have no ability to manufacture these aminos – they must be obtained from food or supplements. We want to take them all together, because each essential amino is crucial for optimal muscle synthesis.^[18] Let’s dig in:

L-Lysine – 350mg

Lysine is an important precursor to carnitine,^[19] a quaternary ammonium compound whose huge benefits for human health has earned it a place among PricePlow’s all-time favorites. Animal studies have found that lysine must be present for optimal muscle synthesis and recovery.^[20,21]

Lysine is also needed for your body to absorb calcium^[22] and produce collagen,^[23] which means that you need lysine to build the major structural supports for your body: healthy, dense bone require a lot of bioavailable calcium, and the tendons that hold your body together can’t be strong without enough collagen production. Both bones and tendons are strained by heavy lifting or intense cardio, so taking some supplemental lysine can help you avoid major injury in the long run.

Lysine also, by aiding the absorption of calcium, directs it to the places where it should go,^[22] like your bones, and keeps it out of the places it shouldn’t – namely, your arteries, organs, and other soft tissues.

If you’re interested in even more carnitine support, you can supplement it separately with Musclesport CarniShred +MitoBurn.

L-Threonine – 350mg

Threonine is building block for serine and glycine, non-essential amino acids with important benefits for brain health.^[24,25] Taking in adequate threonine is also important for maximizing muscle growth.^[26]

L-Phenylalanine – 200mg

Phenylalanine helps our body build tyrosine,^[27] another PricePlow favorite on account of its ability to stimulate the production of dopamine, epinephrine, and norepinephrine.^[28] You definitely want to increase the production of these catecholamines with an intra-workout supplement, because all three can increase focus and motivation, helping you get through your workout.

L-Histidine – 50mg

Histidine is a carnosine precursor when combined with beta-alanine. This is awesome since carnosine can increase athletic endurance, and speed recovery by buffering lactic acid in muscle tissue.^[29] Histidine deficiency decreases the rate of muscle synthesis in animals, but surprisingly, high levels of it have also been shown to boost muscle synthesis above baseline.^[30] So even if you’re not at risk of histidine deficiency – which honestly is most of us – taking extra histidine will still benefit your gains.

L-Methionine – 25mg

Methionine is an antioxidant so it can help protect your body from stress—like the stress of exercise.^[31] The body converts methionine into taurine and cysteine, compounds that help improve performance and speed recovery.

Methionine is also a carnitine precursor,^[32] just like lysine. We discussed lysine a few sections above. There’s a direct correlation between a person’s methionine consumption and the amount of carnitine in their blood.^[32]

L-Tryptophan – 25mg

Tryptophan increases pain tolerance.^[33] It may also help you enjoy feeling the burn as you get through your challenging workouts because tryptophan (a serotonin precursor that can increase serotonin production) may help your mood.^[34] . But don’t worry about it making you sleepy – that is an urban legend.

ElectroREV Hydration Matrix – 1370 mg

The minerals potassium, sodium, and magnesium are crucial electrolytes. These soft conductive metals help transmit electrical impulses throughout your muscle tissue, thus facilitating the muscle contractions that are obviously crucial for peak physical performance.

Two scoops of Amino + Hydration provides the following:

• Magnesium (as Magnesium Glycinate): 50mg (12% DV)
• Sodium (as Sodium Chloride and Himalayan Pink Salt): 350mg (16% DV)
• Potassium (as Potassium Chloride, Coconut Water): 99mg (2% DV)

Hydration ultimately comes down to the balance of water in your cells, and if your extracellular fluids are hypotonic, meaning they have a lower osmotic pressure than the fluids in your cells, water will leave your cells as it migrates to the fluid with less resistance, thus dehydrating you.

The osmotic pressure of a fluid is determined by the concentration of solids dissolved in it, which is the main reason why electrolytes are so unbelievably important for athletes. You must replenish electrolytes in order to keep water inside your cells where it can protect them from heat shock and prevent muscles from cramping.^[35]

The reason we see electrolytes included in this intra-workout supplement is that you lose electrolytes through sweat – so the harder you’re working, the more electrolytes you need to take in to replace what’s been lost.

Hydrating on purified water without dissolved electrolytes can be dangerous during exercise, because pure (distilled) water has a low osmotic pressure – so we definitely like to see some electrolyte-support included in formulas like this.

L-Taurine – 1,000 mg

Taurine is an osmolyte, meaning it regulates the concentration of water in your cells.^[36] So, taurine will help you stay hydrated at the cellular level, just like the electrolyte blend.

Taurine can induce the browning of fat,^[37] which is important because brown fat is more mitochondrial-dense and metabolically active!

Partly because of its osmolytic effects, taurine can increase athletic endurance, and it can do so after just a single dose.^[38] According to the latest studies, the minimum effective dose for this use is 1 gram, so we’re glad to see that amount in Intracell 7’s formula.

Taurine also has some antioxidant effects and helps protect your cells against damage caused by free radicals, which can definitely be a concern for some as intense exercise does acutely increase oxidative stress.^[39] Supplementation with taurine can also improve calcium signaling in muscle cells and cognition, among other things.^[36,38,40]

Another interesting effect of taurine is to improve focus by upregulating GABA receptors in the brain while also reducing neural inflammation.^[40]

But the big benefit of taurine supplementation for athletes is its impact on mitochondrial health,^[39] which will ultimately give your cells more energy for current and future workouts.

Himalayan Pink Salt – 500mg

See the above ElectroREV area for our discussion on sodium and electrolytes.

Organic Coconut Water Powder – 500mg

Coconut water is used as the basis for this electrolyte blend because it naturally contains high concentrations of electrolytes, especially potassium.^[41] It works especially well when combined with sodium, as we have here.^[42]

See the above ElectroREV area for our discussion on potassium and electrolytes.

AstraGin – 50mg

To ensure that the amino acids are properly absorbed and utilized, Musclesport added 50 milligrams of AstraGin, a patented ingredient from Panax notoginseng and Astragalus membranaceus.^[43-47] They work together in an effort to increase by activating transporters in the small intestine.