How Amino Acids Improved My Recovery After Tough Workouts
Running, strength training, and Peloton classes have been my go-to workouts for years. This year, I wanted a challenge from the norm. So for some (crazy?) reason, I signed up for the Spartan Stadion event at Fenway Park.
It’s a 5K race with 20 obstacles (think sprinting through stairwells, scaling ropes, jumping boxes, and hauling sandbags under the shadow of the Green Monster). It’s a classic Boston event, and as someone who’s always lived in or around the city, I finally felt ready to tackle it with the goal of finishing in under an hour.
To take it seriously, I knew my training needed structure. I added weekly sessions with a trainer at my gym to better balance strength with endurance cardio, and working in functional movements we knew I would see during the race.
As my training volume was increasing, I also wanted to fine-tune my supplement routine to help me build muscle and better support recovery. And that’s where mindbodygreen’s lean & tone aminos+ comes in.
Why aminos?
lean & tone aminos+ is a powder that provides all nine essential amino acids (aka the ones most crucial for stimulating muscle protein synthesis like leucine).*
At first, I wasn’t sure how much this supplement would do for me because I aim to get protein at every meal and even start my day with a grass-fed whey protein with creatine coffee before work.
But since amino acids are so quickly absorbed into the bloodstream, I timed it later in the day (around 3 or 4 p.m.) right before my workout.
And I felt a difference in my recovery right away.*
It lessened my soreness & improved my recovery*
In the first few days, I definitely noticed my post workout soreness was less intense and shorter. That was a big deal, especially because my trainer had me lifting heavier weights and running more.*
After a few weeks, I started seeing the effects beyond how I felt physically. My Oura ring started reflecting what I was experiencing in the gym. I was waking up to a higher HRV and better readiness scores, indicating that my body was bouncing back more efficiently. As someone who likes data as much as personal wins, it was reassuring to see both line up.*
Race day success
I took lean & tone aminos+ consistently from mid-September through race week in November.
But of course, training didn’t go perfectly. A muscle injury about a month out made me question whether I’d even make it to the starting line. I rested and kept training as smartly as I could once I got clearance from my doctor, and decided to push forward.
On race day, I felt better than expected. I completed the entire course in just 58 minutes and 48 seconds (achieving my goal!).
Even though the entire course took place almost exclusively on stairs, the soreness in the days following the race was pretty minimal. Considering how hard I pushed and how the entire course took place almost exclusively on stairs, I was impressed at how quickly my body bounced back.*
The takeaway
Going forward, I’ll definitely keep taking aminos as part of my overall routine, especially during periods when I’m building strength or preparing for an event. They played a crucial part in my training process, and they helped me show up on race day feeling as ready as possible. Yes, I think the consistent whey protein and creatine in my coffee also helped.*
