Gimme a Beet.

Now that I have your attention with my clever title...

Let's talk PRE-WORKOUT SUPPLEMENTS.

There are swarms of different opinions regarding the use of pre-workout supplements. My personal opinion is that our body does a good job of telling us when we need to move and when we need to rest (I have never used any form of "pre-workout" unless you count a cup of coffee!), but my opinion does not have to be yours. If you prefer high intensity fitness or are constantly striving to hit a new level at the gym, taking energy boosters beforehand are helpful.

One interesting supplement that I want to focus this article on is beetroot juice. Yep, like the vegetable.

What exactly is it?

- Beets are full of things called nitrates. Nitrates are natural chemicals and when we consume them through food, they break down in nitric oxide. Nitric oxide helps blood vessels to dilate (become wider), which allows more blood to get to muscles and promote gas exchange in your body. This gas exchange brings oxygen from your lungs to your bloodstream and carbon dioxide goes from your bloodstream to your lungs to be exhaled. The more blood flow you have available, the more efficient this exchange will be and the better your workout will feel. When you are doing high-intensity workouts, your body is trying to break down glucose as fast as it can to provide energy for your muscles - oxygen plays a huge role in this breakdown process. After a workout, when you're struggling to catch a breath and feel like you're about to topple from exhaustion, your body is indebted to oxygen - you've spent it all and have to find a way to help it return (this is why eating and deep breaths are crucial after workouts). Going back to the concept of beetroot juice, this is why their nitrates are so important - oxygen flow can stay better for longer.

Now that you have a little background, let's look at a research article. A 2018 review article from the Journal of International Society of Sports Nutrition examines the effects of beetroot juice supplementation on high-intensity exercise. Here's what they did:

They selected nine different studies with a total of 120 subjects

In five of the studies, the subjects were given a single supplement of beetroot juice 2-3 hours before exercise

In four of the studies, the subjects were given beetroot juice supplements for about a week

These studies were done on both performance athletes and low-level competition athletes

The type of tests used were:

- Running at maximum speed

- Cycle ergometry

- Kayak ergometer test

- Bench press strength training

There's what they did. Now, results!

Three out of four studies on beetroot juice supplements for about a week showed significant effects (athletes showed increased power, sprint time, and reps)

In the five studies done on beetroot juice supplements 2-3 hours before exercise, the supplement improved rhythm of pedaling in cycling. Height in counter-movement jumping had greater recovery than those in the placebo group (poor height can lead to muscular damage), which means that beetroot juice could be an important instrument in preventing muscle damage during high-intensity exercise.

Peak nitrite levels were seen about 3 hours after beetroot juice ingestion, so taking it at less than 2 hours before exercise would not suffice

This is still a new area of research and there are lots of studies to be done in the future! The bottom line is that, based on current research, it has been shown that beetroot juice supplements show a lot of promise and can function as a great natural endurance supplement if taken at the right time in the correct dosage. A few examples of beetroot juice supplements I have found are BeetElite, SuperBeets, and Dynamic Health Certified Beetroot Juice. The first two supplements are about how much you would pay for a canister of collagen and the third option is about how much you would pay for a container of vitamins. Remember to always be discerning, check your labels, and make sure you are feeding your body good things so that it can serve you the best it can!

That's all for now! Thanks for reading :)

- Peyton

Article: Domínguez R, Maté-Muñoz JL, Cuenca E, et al. Effects of beetroot juice supplementation on intermittent high-intensity exercise efforts.J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2018;15:2. Published 2018 Jan 5. doi:10.1186/s12970-017-0204-9