The Effects of Asparagus Racemosus Supplementation Plus 8 Weeks of Resistance Training on Muscular Strength and Endurance

Abstract

Previous studies have demonstrated that ayurvedic ingredients exhibit ergogenic (performance enhancing) properties, however, no previous studies have examined the ergogenic potential of Asparagus racemosus. The purpose of the present study was to examine the ergogenic efficacy of supplementation with 500 mg·d−1 of A. racemosus during bench press training. Eighteen recreationally trained men (mean ± SD; age = 20.4 ± 0.5 yrs; height = 179.7 ± 1.5 cm; weight = 84.7 ± 5.7 kg) were randomly assigned either 500 mg·d−1 of A. racemosus (n = 10) or placebo (n = 8). An overlapping sample of 10 participants were used to determine test-retest reliability. Pre- and post-training testing included bench press with one repetition maximum (1RM) and repetitions to failure at 70% of pre-training 1RM. The participants performed two sets of bench press to failure three times a week for eight weeks. Independent t-tests, Analyses of covariance (ANCOVA), and regression analyses were used to analyze the dependent variables. The results demonstrated greater mean percentage (14.3 ± 7.7% vs. 7.8 ± 4.5%; p = 0.048) and individual (80% vs. 50%) increases in 1RM, mean (17.5 ± 2.2 repetitions vs. 15.2 ± 2.2 repetitions; p = 0.044) and individual (80% vs. 38%) increases in repetitions to failure, and a greater rate of increase in training loads for the Asparagus racemosus group than the placebo group. In conjunction with bench press training, supplementation with A. racemosus provided ergogenic benefits compared to placebo.

The effects of phosphocreatine disodium salts plus blueberry extract supplementation on muscular strength, power, and endurance

“…The mean values for the dietary intake parameters in the present study were similar to those from recent studies [23,53], but somewhat lower than expected for this sample [54]. This was likely due to the systematic underreporting of nutritional intake from the dietary recall form [55].…”

“…Evidence regarding the use of antioxidants have reported equivocal reports, including studies suggesting that antioxidants may blunt cellular mechanisms associated with adaptation and recovery [44,45]. Antioxidant supplementation, however, has been demonstrated to improve strength [23,46] and power [47], as well as delay the effects of fatigue [23,48] and enhance recovery following eccentrically induced muscle damage [49]. Thus, theoretically, the blend of phosphocreatine, blueberry extract, and sodium may have had synergistic effects that resulted in significant improvements in exercise performance.…”

“…Therefore, the purpose of the present study was to compare the effects of 28 days of supplementation with a blend of phosphocreatine disodium salts plus blueberry extract (PCDSB), CM, and placebo on measures of muscular strength, power, and endurance. Based on the findings of previous studies [11,22,23], we hypothesized that supplementation with PCDSB would exhibit greater improvements in muscular strength, power, and endurance than supplementation with CM or placebo.…”

Shatavari Supplementation in Postmenopausal Women Improves Handgrip Strength and Increases Vastus Lateralis Myosin Regulatory Light Chain Phosphorylation But Does Not Alter Markers of Bone Turnover: A Randomised Controlled Trial

“…The copyright holder for this this version posted September 20, 2021. ; https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.09.16.21263687 doi: medRxiv preprint Despite these caveats, we have demonstrated novel functional effects of shatavari supplementation in skeletal muscle, along with some important mechanistic insights. We consider that the potential for shatavari supplementation to enhance muscle protein synthesis should be further explored in longer-term resistance training studies, given our evidence of Akt Ser473 phosphorylation following shatavari supplementation, coupled with the observations of Anders et al that shatavari enhanced strength gains in young men following eight weeks of bench press training [17]. Indeed, the balance of current evidence suggests that E2 increases the anabolic response to exercise over the longer term (for an excellent review see [42].…”

“…E2 withdrawal has a detrimental effect on myosin binding function and therefore muscle force production; conversely E2 improves muscle force production, and may promote muscle protein synthesis [14][15][16]. One study has shown that shatavari (500 mg•d −1 root extract; fresh weight equivalent not stated) enhanced strength gains in young men following eight weeks of bench press training [17]; this was an observational study with no indication of possible mechanisms of action. However, it does suggest that shatavari may be a beneficial ergogenic aid in supporting resistance training-induced increases in muscle size and strength; no assessment of these ergogenic effects has been made in older adults.…”