Many maca users report that Maca helps to improve athletic performance when taking Maca. It appears that where other supplements failed, maca root seemed to support the body in different scenarios effortlessly. There are many reasons how and why Maca can help bodybuilders, runners, cyclists, wellness, and gym enthusiasts combat fatigue and boost athletic performance. For me, Maca helped in a situation such as speeding up the recovery time from my injury (more about this below), significantly increasing my energy, and helping me achieve what I earlier thought was almost unachievable, running a marathon. Maca – Athletic Performance I am a runner.
My favorite running distance is a weekly 10k run. Unfortunately, like many who are into sports, I also had a few injuries. In the past, when a teenager, I had my first knee injury due to running. The very same knee I injured twice. The second time I wounded the same knee was in my early thirties. My first knee recovery time lasted over three years. During that time, I was almost all the time in pain, hardly able to walk long walks, let alone run.
My second recovery time lasted only six months. Thanks to Maca, my recovery time from my last injury was reduced, the knee pain disappeared after only six months, and after just a year and a half, I was back on track, running a marathon. Here are my observations and a few health facts – including some research results I found relevant. This explains why I can run today better than when I was 19 years old, and the second injury lasted just a short period.
From Many Supplements to Zero Energy
Supplements. Who does not take these? At least I do. But little did I know (way back in time) that consuming more supplements all at once will not give a competitive edge. Not until I started using Maca, an all-in-one adaptogenic supplement. If you are like me, you’d want to make sure that when it comes to the body and its physical performance, the body needs to receive all the necessary nutrients, minerals, and vitamins to cope easier with often stressful and exhausting practices.
As I am a competitive person in the running, I used to make sure I did ‘everything right’ to boost my performance to its maximum. Meaning a clean diet, training, and supplements, which I thought I needed all at that time to accomplish my final goal. I was wrong. I was young. Who can judge that? :) What no one told me is that spending so much money on supplements will not necessarily do the job I anticipated in the first place. Today, I know better the science (1) behind supplement products. Supplements are great. But finding a supplement containing little or no additives or other chemicals is nearly impossible. Some of the reasons I believe I did not benefit from taking all those supplements:
In addition to a tiny percentage of good stuff, most supplements also have extra fillers, harmful chemicals, and colors. By consuming many at the same time, instead of focusing on the healing process, my body struggled to deal with all the ingredients, which resulted in me often experiencing an irregular heartbeat, lack of energy, upset digestive system, and extended recovery time.
They are a short-term fix-me solution. However, once I stopped taking these, my body plus my mind was negatively affected, to name a few. I had significantly lower endurance, depression…
Hormonal disruption. My endocrine system was on a roller-coaster ride most of the time, especially when I stopped using supplements. I believe one reason it happened is that some accessories are with lots of phytoestrogens. When ingested, phytoestrogens mimic the estrogens, negatively affecting the endocrine system and resulting in unbalanced hormones.
The Benefits of Maca Root for Athletes and Bodybuilders
Maca root is 100% natural and stocked with nutrients, especially essential if you practice any sport. This plant is also a real example of a herb with substantial medicinal use in traditional herbal medicine by people from Peru since the first recorded knowledge of it in the seventeenth century. Here are a few study findings.
- Lipid-soluble extract from Maca improved swimming endurance capacity (2).
- Positive effects were noticed of macamides* (a substance found in Maca) on endurance capacity and anti-fatigue property in prolonged swimming mice (3).
- Maca polypeptide’s impact on sports fatigue showed that maca polypeptide can improve the ability of anti-fatigue mice. Furthermore, in a specific concentration range, the higher the concentration, the better the resistance to fatigue (4).
- When Maca was given to cyclists to investigate the effect of 14 days of maca supplementation on endurance performance in trained male cyclists, the results showed improved 40 km cycling time trial performance. Furthermore, after only 14 days on maca supplements, their speed improved for a 40km time trial.
When taking Maca, you might not get instant results as when taking other substances such as anabolic steroids. But if you take Maca on regular bases, I believe one will have gradual effects without causing any harm to the body. NUTRITION.
Maca provides essential nutrients for physical and mental performance, something other supplements won’t do. For example, maca root has a high concentration of nutrients and minerals, such as B Vitamin, and it is high in plant sterols, easily digestible, high-quality protein, which enhances performance exercises. Energy-producing, protein-building amino acids found in maca help fuel the body and assist with recovery after an intense workout. Minerals such as Calcium, Silica, phosphorus, and Magnesium, all of which are present in Maca, are vital for bone health to protect against injury during athletic training.
I believe this is exactly where, why, and how Maca helped me the most to speed up the recovery process. I started using Maca regularly right after the injury, where my body received all the necessary nutrients to recover successfully in a short period. :) Maca is a rich source of natural sterols, a great alternative to anabolic steroids. For this reason, this root continually attracts sports people, especially bodybuilders who want to build muscles quickly without any toxic side effects.
GOOD ESTROGEN UP – BAD ESTROGEN DOWN.
Estrogen levels play an essential role in muscle building. Maca naturally contains DIM (Diindolylmethane), which dramatically improves hormone balance in both men and women and works by stimulating estrogen metabolism. It increases good estrogen metabolites and decreases harmful ones in the body without eliminating them.
Limiting the bad estrogen metabolites increases testosterone levels, which are critical to muscle building. In the long run, that will mean less body fat and more muscle mass. Good to know. Excess estrogen can lead to moodiness and irritability and affect weight and how you recover from a workout. MOTIVATION. We all need to be motivated and uplifted, and we all need tiny mental or mood-boosting helpers. People who regularly consume Maca have been shown to have low levels of stress and depression thanks to
Maca root powders’ ability to restore proper hormonal balance.
Which Maca to use to boost athletic performance?
If you don’t have digestion problems, raw maca powder would be my number one choice to rip all the benefits that Maca offers.
The reason is that in raw Maca, the sugars and starch are not destroyed during the harvesting and mill process. This makes Maca the superpower house and best option for athletes who want to build their muscle mass, regulate energy levels and reduce the effects of stress on the body, especially when weight-lifting. You can quickly start with small amounts and follow your body’s reactions to it. Then, gradually you can increase maca dosage to suit your bodybuilding and needs.
Also, with Maca in its powder form, you can make healthily enjoyable and quick refreshing protein drinks to have while at home or to take with you to work, school, or the gym. It’s easy and super easy to add Maca to your workout routine. You do not necessarily have to choose between taking Maca or other supplements and product.
The above insights are from my personal experience and observation. At home, we like to use Maca regularly and believe it is an ideal supplement alternative for us athletes (me) and bodybuilders (my partner) who want to bulk up without using harmful steroids that can have adverse side effects on the body. To your health and the best athletic performance. Macacheers!!
