Post Resistance Exercise

The first article reviewed is ‘Post exercise net protein synthesis in human muscle from orally administered amino acids’ by Kevin D. Tipton et al, published in the ‘American Journal of Physiology – Endocrinology and Metabolism’ in 1999. The study conducted examined the effects orally administered amino acids post resistance exercise has on protein synthesis and metabolism. The reason this study was conducted was to determine if taking amino acids orally, which is easily done, is just as effective compared to the less practical infusion of amino acids. The volunteers were six healthy adults, 3 male and 3 female. The volunteers had not participated in resistance training for at least one year prior to being a subject in this study. Prior to commencement of the study, each
The amount of repetitions achieved was put into a table made by Mayhew and colleagues to determine 1RM. Each volunteer was studied three times in a random order. The volunteers consumed, on separate occasions, a placebo solution (known as PLA), a solution with 40 grams of mixed amino acids (MAA) and a solution with 40 grams of essential amino acids (EAA). The participants would fast overnight and in the morning have an infusion via a vein in the arm of stable isotopic tracers of amino acids. After this was done the subjects would do an intense leg resistance workout which involved various leg exercises. Once the workout was completed, the participants were taken back to the laboratory were pre drink blood samples were taken. 45 minutes after consuming either the PLA, MAA or EAA, post drink blood samples were taken. A muscle biopsy from the vastus lateralis was also taken. The study concluded that an oral dose of amino acids post resistance exercise increases net positive muscle balance. The study also determined that orally administered amino acids are just as effective as when amino acids are