How Ashwagandha Can Help Your Workout
Ashwagandha can help your body handle stress, support cognitive health, and support sexual health people; but did you know that it also has benefits for exercise and can help your workout reach new heights?
What is Ashwagandha?
Ashwagandha is a plant used in Indian Ayurvedic medicine also known as Indian Winter Cherry. Its scientific name is Withania somnifera and it contains chemical constituents called withaferins and withanolides. As an adaptogen, Ashwagandha is normally used for exhaustion, stress, and nerves, but a study performed with a specific extract, KSM-66 Ashwagandha, has revealed that it can enhance your cardiorespiratory fitness!
Boosts Adolescent Fitness
What exactly does that mean? Cardiorespiratory fitness means that it can help you efficiently use oxygen and is a serious benefit to athletes for their endurance capacity. The study used a group of test subjects from 12-15 years and measured their maximum oxygen consumption, which is a good marker for long-term cardiovascular and aerobic fitness. They found that there was a significant increase in maximum oxygen consumption compared to the placebo group who did not receive Ashwagandha. By the end of an 8 week and 12 week period, the group that received Ashwagandha had significant increases in the amount of oxygen they were able to consume, meaning that Ashwagandha had increased their cardiorespiratory fitness.
Enhances Muscle Mass and Recovery
Another study found that it can cause an increase in muscle mass, strength, and helps muscles recover faster! This study used KSM-66® Ashwagandha and gave it to 50 participants between 28 and 30 years old. Selected exercises include barbell squats, leg curls, extensions, chest press, biceps curls, machine row, and pull downs. They asked the participants to repeat this 15 times throughout 8 weeks and measure muscle size, body fat percentage, and serum creatine kinase (a blood marker of muscle soreness and muscle recovery).
Benefits Exercise Recovery and Body Composition
The study found it significantly improved exercise recovery in the resistance training protocol compared to the placebo group. In the Ashwagandha group, muscle size significantly increased, while body fat percentages decreased more compared to the placebo. Ashwagandha boosts muscle growth, reduces body fat, and speeds muscle recovery. How does it also improve oxygen consumption and cardiorespiratory fitness?
Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) is the building blocks of energy that the mitochondria in the cells. Ashwagandha influences the magnesium-dependent ATP enzyme activity. Endurance capacity is related to the mitochondria in the muscle tissue. Ashwagandha boosts cardiorespiratory fitness by increasing red blood cells, enhancing oxygen transport to muscles, and improving aerobic muscle capacity.
It elevates workouts by improving muscle efficiency, oxygenation, size, recovery time, and red blood cell production. Few athletes may realize ashwagandha’s workout benefits, but now you’re equipped to explain its potential impact on your exercise routine!
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