Taking an Omega-3 supplement before or after exercise may enhance athletic performance! Read on for details and discover a potent source of Omega-3 that provides faster results than generic fish oil.
Omega-3 is an essential fatty acid with a powerful impact on overall health and wellness. Seriously, we’re talking about insane brain and body benefits like reduced inflammation, lower risk of heart disease, less brain fog, and so much more. It’s particularly helpful for those looking to stay physically active.
Like many supplements, the effects kick in overtime as it builds up in your system. For an Omega-3 supplement, it’s generally best to take your recommended dose with food to promote absorption. However, there’s some debate over whether you should take an additional dose before or after exercise. Read on for all the details!
Should I Take More Before or After Heavy Exercise?
To answer that, let’s take a look at some common omega-3 supplements. Fish oil, for instance, is of particular interest to the bodybuilding community. Considering their emphasis on physical performance, that’s not all that shocking. What IS shocking, however, is that more people haven’t caught on to how beneficial these supplements are for physical activity.
Bodybuilders are particularly interested in fish oil because it contains EPA and DHA (two types of Omega-3) which help increase athletic performance during or after intense workouts. Several scientific reviews have concluded that these Omega-3s help protect against loss of strength, promote flexibility and range of motion, and help reduce muscle soreness.
In one study, a group of healthy, athletic men who engaged in sports activities roughly two times a week were assigned to consume a placebo or shellfish oil (900mg EPA and 400mg DHA). After an eight-week period, the men who’d been assigned the shellfish oil were consuming less oxygen and exerting themselves less than the placebo group when performing the same activities (cycling). If you don’t practice sports medicine, that basically means they didn’t have to work as hard to complete the same activity as the placebo group. That’s big news!
However, that still doesn’t answer the question. Will you benefit from taking additional Omega-3 supplements before, during, or after exercise?
Generic Omega-3 Supplements Provide Athletic Support Over Time
Most generic omega-3 supplements contain EPA and DHA, which need time to build up in your system. The benefits of standard fish oil, in particular, are associated with long-term use. That means taking fish oil immediately before or after strenuous exercise won’t necessarily provide immediate benefits.
It also means that the best way to see results from fish oil is by taking it consistently over a long period of time. Again, make sure you’re taking it with food to ensure proper absorption.
But what about other types of Omega-3 supplements? We’re so glad you asked.
Omega-3 From Green-Lipped Mussels is More Effective at Smaller Concentrations
ETA (Eicosatetraenoic Acid) is a rare type of Omega-3 found in marine sources like New Zealand Green-Lipped Mussels. The exciting part about ETA is that it’s effective at much smaller concentrations than other seed or fish oils (Psst! That’s why we use it in our GLX3 supplement).
Like all omega-3 fatty acids, ETA reduces exercise-induced inflammation by tying up the enzymes (cyclooxygenase and lipoxygenase) that create inflammatory compounds like prostaglandins and leukotrienes in the body. However, ETA is able to accomplish that with much smaller doses. One review notes that when animal subjects were given green-lipped mussels, they achieved adequate anti-inflammatory benefits with lower doses than NSAID medications and two hundred times LESS than other fish oils.
That means the amount of time it will take for Omega-3 from green-lipped mussels to build up in your system is significantly less compared to generic fish oil. So, while it still needs time to build up, you’ll see faster results using a supplement with ETA.
The Green-Lipped Mussels in GLX3 Promote Faster Exercise Recovery
New Zealand Green-Lipped Mussel extract doesn’t JUST contain ETA. You’ll also find other common Omega-3s like DHA, EPA, and OTA. The powerful synergy of these compounds makes it beneficial for both pre-and-post heavy physical exercise. However, it is believed to be more effective after an intense workout.
Because omega-3 rich New Zealand Green Lipped Mussel oil helps to alleviate muscle and joint inflammation, it minimizes recovery time after a strenuous workout, allowing you to get back to the gym sooner. Speaking of which, the Omega-3 fatty acids in GLX3 provide multiple athletic benefits:
- Omega-3 fatty acids in GLX3 positively influence IGF-1 – a growth hormone important for childhood growth that elicits anabolic impacts in adults.
- Omega-3 fatty acids in GLX3 enhance the flow of blood and play a significant role in the formation of the Hb (Hemoglobin) molecule that transports oxygen in the red blood cells. Adequate Hb (hemoglobin) levels are very important for athletes to ensure sufficient nutrients and oxygen reach the muscles. If Hb levels are sufficient, excretory products (e.g., carbon dioxide and lactic acid) get eliminated more efficiently.
- Another benefit is the synergistic relationship with vitamin D. Omega 3 fatty acids in Green Lipped Mussels facilitate the direct effects of vitamin D, namely bone health maintenance and hormonal regulation.
- GLX3 is also linked to an increase in fat-free mass. The supplement increases muscle cell size and muscle protein concentration in healthy adults.
Enhance Your Exercise Experience With the Omega-3s in GLX3
We don’t know about you, but we’re constantly striving for progress. Whether it’s athletic, professional, or otherwise, we always want to do better. For us, that means using the most potent, purest, and effective ingredients in our supplements.
We wanted a supplement that helped speed up recovery time while minimizing soreness and stiffness post-workout. We wanted to encourage muscle growth and repair even after a grueling workout. To us, that meant finding powerful Omega-3 fatty acids and zero fillers. That’s why adding Green-Lipped Mussel Oil to GLX3 was an easy choice for us.
Join the HakaLife Nutrition family and try GLX3 today.
