There has not been too much of a buzz in the sports nutrition arena with regards to the next big thing for power athletes.
It has been a while since word was spread about a new ingredient that could significantly change the way you move and feel during your training sessions. Many people are still under the assumption that you have to “feel” a difference during your training to know if a supplement is doing what it is supposed to or not.
While this may be true for some ingredients, it is by no means true of all ingredients. Since the training variable most closely linked to improved athletic performance is total training volume, supplements and supplement ingredients that can directly or indirectly increase your ability to train more (increase training volume) should be the primary dietary focus, after you’ve taken care of the macronutrients, of course.
All that to say, it may be better to focus on ingredients that will allow you to train today without “feeling” the session from yesterday and the day before. You will get more work done if you aren’t hindered by all the damage and soreness of the previous workout.
What if there was an ingredient that could improve your recovery between training bouts, reduce the amount of damage that muscles experience during training, decrease muscle soreness, while also improving the quality of your training session in real time by reducing how hard you feel like you are working? That sounds like a recipe for increased training volume, and better performance outcomes. That ingredient exists! It’s called L-Carnitine L-Tartrate.
L-Carnitine L-Tartrate (LCLT) is a specific type of L-Carnitine, which is a vitamin-like compound formed in the kidneys out of the amino acids methionine and lysine. The primary role of L-Carnitine is to deliver fuel (fat) to the mitochondria, the powerhouse of each cell. L-Carnitine has many other secondary functions, which research has shown to be very important for both recovery and athletic performance. When LCLT is ingested (the dosages found in research typically range from 1-4 grams/day), muscle L-Carnitine content increases, resulting in more efficient fuel metabolism during both aerobic and anaerobic exercise.
A 24-week study gave evidence that 2 grams/day of LCLT supplementation spares glycogen during aerobic exercise and improves glycolytic buffering during anaerobic exercise. The important take away from the study was that the supplement group had an increase in work output by 11% compared to their baseline measure, and 35% greater work output in comparison to the control. Let that sink in. That is a lot more work output! It cannot just be the changes in muscle fuel metabolism that resulted in this amazing increase in work output from the LCLT supplementation group. Other studies have provided some insight into how LCLT supplementation can increase workout output, and therefore training volume, perhaps by decreasing muscle damage and muscle soreness.
4 studies conducted by researchers at the University of Connecticut have shown that LCLT supplementation results in less metabolic and muscle damage, a decrease in the use of muscle of for fuel during intense training, and an improvement in your body’s hormonal response to training. The potential of the combined effect of all of these benefits is more work done with less recovery time between training bouts. If you can increase your work output to get more training out of each session and accumulate more training sessions, you are doing things not only efficiently, but perhaps even optimally. You are not only taking your recovery and repair game to a whole new level, but your athletic performance, too! That is the goal, after all.
L-Carnitine is found naturally in animal protein, with the highest concentrations found in red meat. For those taking an L-Carnitine L-Tartrate supplement, be sure to check the dose to see if it is within the range used in research (1000mg-4000mg) and an “effective dose”, which most studies show around 2000 mg.
In the end, there are only a few things related to the diet that can improve the power athlete’s athletic performance in real time. Real changes to athletic performance come from a well-developed training plan and program to progressively increase your training volume. Trying to improve your skill and athleticism without having your macronutrients optimized for your goals will have its limitations. There must be an equal emphasis on applying the stress of training, and then the removal of the stress in conjunction with providing the body the nutrients it needs to buffer the stress, recover and repair from that stress, and then adapt to it.
L-Carnitine L-Tartrate has the potential to influence all of those things. It could be the key to unlocking potential reps, sets, jumps, sprints, and training sessions. Those all add up to new PR’s and more victories.
About Kevin Kuhn:
Kevin Kuhn, M.S.Ed., CSCS, MFS is a Kinesiologist and Sport Nutrition Coach in Dallas, Texas. Before moving to Dallas in 2012, Kevin was the head strength & conditioning coach for the Indiana Invaders professional running club in Indianapolis, Indiana. Kevin specializes in athletic performance with great interest and experience in running-specific strength & conditioning, corrective exercise, and exercise and sport nutrition. Kevin has been certified by the National Strength & Conditioning Association as a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) and as a Master Fitness Specialist by the Cooper Institute.
Sources:
Wall BT, Stephens FB, Constantin-teodosiu D, Marimuthu K, Macdonald IA, Greenhaff PL. Chronic oral ingestion of L-carnitine and carbohydrate increases muscle carnitine content and alters muscle fuel metabolism during exercise in humans. J Physiol (Lond). 2011;589(Pt 4):963-73.
Volek JS, Kraemer WJ, Rubin MR, Gómez AL, Ratamess NA, Gaynor P. L-Carnitine L-tartrate supplementation favorably affects markers of recovery from exercise stress. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab. 2002;282(2):E474-82.
Kraemer WJ, Volek JS, French DN, et al. The effects of L-carnitine L-tartrate supplementation on hormonal responses to resistance exercise and recovery. J Strength Cond Res. 2003;17(3):455-62.
Spiering BA, Kraemer WJ, Hatfield DL, et al. Effects of L-carnitine L-tartrate supplementation on muscle oxygenation responses to resistance exercise. J Strength Cond Res. 2008;22(4):1130-5.
Ho JY, Kraemer WJ, Volek JS, et al. l-Carnitine l-tartrate supplementation favorably affects biochemical markers of recovery from physical exertion in middle-aged men and women. Metab Clin Exp. 2010;59(8):1190-9.
L-Carnitine – Scientific Review on Usage, Dosage, Side Effects (L-Carnitine)
http://examine.com/supplements/L-Carnitine/#faq
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