peakprogress.com

Congratulations Peak Progress Wrestlers for a Strong Showing at the 2010 New York State Championships!

2010 Section Championships: 10 Champions, 4 Finalists, 1 Third Place, 1 Fourth Place

By Joseph Regan

During low calorie diets and intense training regiments, amino acid supplementation becomes extremely important.  Amino acids are chief components of proteins that are synthesized by living cells (nonessential) or are obtained by the body through diet (essential).  A dietary protein source that contains all the essential amino acids is called complete proteins.  Meat, fish, poultry, eggs, and milk are examples.   The proteins in vegetables and grains are called incomplete proteins, because they do not supply all the essential amino acids.

When athletes follow reduced calorie protocol to qualify for particular weight classes, i.e., wrestlers, boxers, MMA, amino acid supplementation becomes incredibly important.  Amino acids account for a large percentage of the energy to fuel training and competition.  As the athlete’s training volume and load increase, so does the stress hormone cortisol.  When cortisol is elevated, the anabolic hormone testosterone will significantly decrease.  This hormonal imbalance will allow cortisol to eat away at muscle, adversely affecting cellular energy metabolism, facilitating body fat accumulation.  This imbalance also has detrimental effect on mood, i.e., Central Nervous System (CNS).  Cortisol also supports fat storage via activating storage receptors and ruining insulin sensitivity.  This affects how muscles can accept amino acids and other nutrients.