In bodybuilding circles (or physical fitness circles, depending on your
goals) everybody wants to talk about the hottest, newest classes of
supplementation. Everybody's trying the new NO vasodilators, the
breakthrough T-booster, the new creatine/amino matrix. And there's good
reason for that. Many of these exciting new technologies are
dramatically effective.
All too often, however, we here at ProSource HQ see athletes
going to great lengths to add cutting-edge supplements to their
regimen, while ignoring the basic building blocks of good health. So
what happens? General health suffers, immune systems falter, free
radicals compromise basic muscle function and repair, and all the money
spent on advanced supplements is largely wasted.
This is where an essential nutrient like Vitamin C comes in.
Everybody needs
Vitamin C, especially those who subject their systems to intense stress, like athletes. Most basically,
Vitamin C
is possessed of truly powerful antioxidant capacity. It helps clean up
the free radicals and damaging reactive oxygen that flood your system
at the cellular level after a workout, and it's a key agent for
regenerating restorative vitamin E in the intracellular fluid. (On a
side note, deficiencies in
Vitamin C have resulted in scurvy in as little as 90 days. Scurvy is NOT attractive and does NOT benefit your workout regimen.)
Most importantly,
Vitamin C's benefits are not strictly limited to general good health. C has very specific advantages for weight trainers as well.
Vitamin C
has been linked to the strengthening of bones and connective tissue,
quicker healing of wounds, and greater elasticity and health of
arterial walls, resulting in healthy blood pressure. Some studies
printed in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research have shown
that taking
Vitamin C
in doses of 1000 mg per day can reduce the secretion of cortisol,
keeping testosterone levels high by making the ratio of cortisol to
testosterone decrease, and consequently leading to faster muscle repair
and growth.
Vitamin C also supports normal glandular function,
acts as a coenzyme for many metabolic pathways, and may prevent DNA
damage caused by aging and arthritis.
Vitamin C can reduce muscle soreness and normalize stress hormone concentrations. Finally, research shows that athletes who have poor
Vitamin C status oxidized less fat during exercise compared to those with normal
vitamin C levels. Supplementation with 500 mg/day of a
vitamin C supplement for four weeks was shown to enhance fat burning during a 60 min exercise task. Plasma
vitamin C levels were inversely related to fat oxidation meaning that the higher the
vitamin C levels in the blood, the higher the fat burning.
In summation, C is good for you. Of course, some C's are better for you than others. When
supplementing with
Vitamin C, superior nutrient content, as always, is key.
ProSource brand
Vitamin C is a premium-grade formulation unique in its high levels of purity, potency, and bioavailability.
Here's today's "talking point," folks. Supplement diligently with
Vitamin C and "C" your way to both vigorous good health and a more muscular, more ripped physique.
