In my fitness journey, I’ve always been on the lookout for ways to enhance my workouts and optimize recovery. That’s when I stumbled upon Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid (GABA), a game-changer that has significantly transformed my workout experience. In this article, I’ll share how GABA has helped me improve central nervous system recovery, combat hypoxia during exercise, and promote growth hormone secretion, ultimately leading to better results in my fitness goals.

I strongly dislike sharing something unless I’ve tested it on myself. Therefore, up until now, despite GABA being a well-known substance with its functions well-studied in the body, particularly for the central nervous system, I haven’t discussed it. The supplement itself has generated numerous criticisms because there are various studies that argue it cannot work.

Now, let me tell you what I’ve discovered and why, from today on, this supplement is my top choice for central nervous system recovery during training.

So, what is Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid? GABA is an amino acid, even though it is not part of our muscle composition. It is synthesized from glutamine and vitamin B6 in our body. GABA is essential for our brain as it is a neurotransmitter that carefully inhibits the central nervous system. For us, as end-users, this phrase “inhibition of the central nervous system” primarily means sleep and recovery of the central nervous system.

When an adequate amount of GABA is produced, a person’s sleep improves, becoming deeper, and the central nervous system recovers better after exercise. Scientists discovered this in the 1950s and mapped the brain areas where GABA is directly involved. It turned out that GABA participates almost everywhere in the brain, not just in the core but also in other parts of the brain.

The number of molecules required to affect the receptors in the human brain was calculated and found to be several times greater than the actual content of gamma-aminobutyric acid needed to activate these GABA receptors.

So, it would be logical to assume that besides its inhibitory effect on the central nervous system, GABA is responsible for something else, and this is where the most interesting part begins. For some reason, people often focus on GABA’s primary role, which you can read about online, as promoting the secretion of our growth hormone with all its consequences.

However, I believe this is not the most important aspect. The most crucial discovery from research is that GABA specifically contributes to reducing hypoxia (oxygen starvation), glucose utilization, and the removal of various by-products of the central nervous system’s activity. In my opinion, and as my experience has shown, this is much more important than good sleep and recovery.

The problem is that there are studies suggesting that when taken orally, such as with juice or water, the bioavailability is extremely low due to the blood-brain barrier.

The blood-brain barrier is a barrier that maintains the stability of the central nervous system’s environment, including the brain and spinal cord. This is precisely why, due to the blood-brain barrier, the human brain does not lose weight while the rest of the body does, even though there are more lipids in the brain. Otherwise, we would become cognitively impaired after dieting.

The reason the human brain, which consists of lipids, does not lose weight is because of blood-brain barrier; it does not allow just anything to enter or leave the brain. Pure GABA, according to research, does not penetrate the blood-brain barrier very well, so it may not seem necessary. However, this is where we touch on a topic I don’t particularly like to discuss for a simple reason: only people like myself and medical professionals tend to discuss this issue.

So, guys, all the research you hear or read about needs to be tested on yourself, because research is one thing and real life is quite another. Often people do studies, take a few years, and after that time, new results emerge that show that things are not as they seemed, and sometimes even better. Because in practice, GABA works, and works incredibly well.

Now, let me tell you what this means for us and how it manifests itself.

The thing is, GABA has a hard time penetrating the blood-brain barrier when taken orally. However, since the side effects of the supplement are minimal, if you consume a high enough dosage, such as half a teaspoon (which is around 1 gram), some GABA will still make it through. In most cases, this amount is likely to be sufficient for you.

In reality, GABA is a powerful substance. I’ve been using it for about half a year, as well as my wife. First of all, we noticed an improvement in sleep quality. Another property of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) that I believe is even more important than its inhibitory effect on the central nervous system is its metabolic properties. Specifically, it aids in glucose utilization and prevents oxygen starvation. For users like us, what does this mean? If, like me, you find that after an intense, heavy workout, especially if you are an older individual (I am 47 years old), you feel very sleepy and barely have the energy to complete your training session, it could be a sign of hypoxia or oxygen starvation.

So, the most interesting thing is that GABA eliminates this problem, but it needs to be taken during exercise. I have never read about this anywhere; it was determined through trial and error. Along with the drink that I usually consume, I add half a teaspoon of GABA to my shaker and drink it during my workout.

When I was on a cutting phase and taking fat burners, my central nervous system was stimulated, but thanks to GABA, I did not experience hypoxia, did not yawn, and did not want to quit my workout. Instead of the expected sedative effect, I had a very effective workout.

Thus, GABA can help improve sleep quality as well as prevent hypoxia during workouts, allowing you to train more effectively. By taking GABA during exercise, you can avoid the negative consequences of oxygen starvation and achieve better results from your workouts.

Metabolic properties of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)

Finally, as I already mentioned, you can read about the effect of GABA, which is usually positioned as a supplement that promotes increased secretion of our growth hormone. Regarding growth hormone, of course, there will be a separate article. It is one of the main anabolic hormones, along with insulin, for example. But unlike insulin, although they are antagonists, growth hormone has a coveted property: the more of it, the higher your chances of gaining muscle mass while simultaneously losing weight.

Naturally, GABA will not provide such an effect on its own, but since growth hormone has both fat-burning and anabolic effects, which build muscle tissue, the more growth hormone you have, the better. To maximize the secretion of growth hormone, the optimal time to take GABA is right after a workout when your glucose levels are at their lowest.

Let’s briefly summarize the results. So, gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) works – it has been tested on me and my family, and it works wonderfully. If you try to take GABA and experiment with it during your workout, in a shaker along with a tonic and BCAAs, you may well experience a reduction in hypoxia, allowing you to train more intensely. Thirdly, taking gamma-aminobutyric acid immediately after a workout contributes to a modest, but still noticeable increase in growth hormone secretion.

Dr. David Sinclair, a well-known scientist who specializes in the biology of aging and longevity, is consuming GABA as part of his current routine to aid his sleep.

Starting from the moment I tested and verified how GABA works, I officially include gamma-aminobutyric acid in my routine.

Summary

GABA allows you not only to train but also to actively continue living, engaging in business, work, and so on.

I know that gamma-aminobutyric acid works excellently in these three scenarios:

  • Recovery of the central nervous system, as it acts as an inhibitory neurotransmitter.
  • Solving problems with hypoxia and glucose utilization in brain cells.
  • Increasing the secretion and production of somatotropic hormone, also known as growth hormone.

GABA can effectively enhance workout performance by reducing hypoxia, promoting central nervous system recovery, and stimulating growth hormone secretion. Incorporating GABA into your workout routine can lead to more efficient training sessions and better overall results.

Buy GABA at iHerb

Disclaimer

The information provided in this article is for general informational purposes only. The content presented on this website should be considered solely as opinions and personal experiences. Read more