As easy as the pros make it look, swinging a golf club is actually a pretty complicated process. Because there are so many parts of the body to consider – how your feet are positioned, whether your knees are bent, how you move your arms, where you place your weight – sending a ball flying down the fairway requires intense focus and concentration. During a long round of golf, however, focus and concentration are two things that may be hard to come by, especially once you reach the back nine. With a dose of amino acid supplements, you can improve your focus in a golf swing while boosting your energy and supporting your muscles. To learn more, keep reading as the people at aminoVITAL® explain.
Why You Lose Focus When Golfing
It’s no secret that long hours on the golf course can leave you feeling wiped out, but to understand how amino acids can prevent much of that fatigue, it’s important to cover exactly why you can lose focus during your golf swing. Of course, one of the reasons might be a simple lack of energy; if you haven’t eaten in a while, for instance, that might leave you feeling tired, and the frequent use of your arms and legs can strain those tissues as well. A less obvious factor also plays a big role, however, and it is this particular cause of fatigue that amino acid supplements can address: the buildup of serotonin in the brain.
For those whose knowledge of neurochemistry might be a little rusty, serotonin is a neurotransmitter – one of the chemicals that relay signals in the brain – created from the amino acid tryptophan. Under normal circumstances – as in, when you’re not out golfing or exercising in general – only so much of the tryptophan in your blood can get into the brain to make serotonin because it has to compete with another type of amino acid, BCAAs, to cross the blood-brain barrier.
This barrier is very particular about what it lets pass, and there are only a few avenues through it and into the brain. When a BCAA uses one of these pathways, it prevents tryptophan from entering the brain via that same route, effectively regulating tryptophan uptake into the brain and controlling the production of serotonin. However, when you engage in physical activity, especially over an extended period of time, your muscles begin to soak up the BCAAs in your bloodstream for use as fuel and as a resource to build new proteins.
This reduction in BCAAs leaves less competition for tryptophan at the blood-brain barrier and allows greater amounts of this amino acid to cross into the brain. Ultimately, this causes levels of serotonin to rise, and since serotonin is linked to energy, mood, and sleep, it is believed to cause the physical and mental fatigue felt after a long day hitting the links.
How BCAA Supplements Improve Your Focus in a Golf Swing
To prevent serotonin levels from rising during exercise, it’s important to restore the balance of amino acids in your blood. The best way to do so is by increasing the levels of BCAAs in the body; this will restore the balance at the blood-brain barrier and limit tryptophan uptake to more or less normal levels, preventing the buildup of serotonin – and by extension, the buildup of fatigue.
And that’s not all you’ll get from an amino acid supplement. Along with those tryptophan-blocking BCAAs, supplements from aminoVITAL® also offer vitamins to boost energy and electrolytes to balance water levels in the body, allowing you to continue golfing unimpeded by fatigue or dehydration.
Other Benefits of BCAA Supplements for Golfers
In addition to the considerable benefits of BCAAs detailed above, there are a number of other advantages to using these supplements before, during, or after your next round of golf. Below, you’ll find more information about what BCAAs are and how each of these compounds can help boost your golf game.
Leucine
The first of the three BCAAs – an acronym for “branched-chain amino acids” – is leucine, an amino acid that has drawn considerable interest from researchers and fitness fanatics alike. Leucine is the compound that triggers the muscle protein synthesis, the process by which the body creates new muscle tissues, imparting greater gains and increased strength after a workout.
Isoleucine
The second BCAA is isoleucine, an amino acid that improves endurance during long periods of activity. Isoleucine helps keep the body energized by promoting the flow of glucose to the muscles and facilitating its conversion into energy. This amino acid also improves the body’s post-workout recovery process, so you’ll be ready for another round in no time.
Valine
The third and final BCAA is valine, a compound that supports a variety of systems in the body. This amino acid helps protect the muscles from damage brought on by exercise, preserving existing muscle mass while reducing the amount of healing that must be done after a workout.
Lean, Efficient Amino Acid Supplements for Improving Focus in a Golf Swing
Whether you’re a dedicated golfer who heads to the nearest course at every opportunity or a casual golfer who occasionally plays a round with friends, you can benefit from a BCAA supplement from aminoVITAL®. These supplements are lean, with as few as 15 calories in our Action mix, and they take effect up to three times faster than some popular protein-based products. Learn more about how an amino acid supplement with BCAAs can improve your golf game by visiting aminoVITAL® online or calling (888) 264-6673 today.