Scientists say beetroot juice 'significantly increases muscle force during ... trends now
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If protein shakes or pre-workout drinks don't agree with your stomach, you're in luck.
Researchers have found that beetroot juice significantly increases muscle force, allowing you to lift heavier weights and perform more reps.
They believe the nutrients in the vegetable help release energy in muscles — though they accept the study was small.
Coffee is another powerful stimulant that can aid workouts by stimulating the central nervous system and giving you more energy.
Scientists have suggested that drinking beetroot juice before exercise could enhance muscle performance (stock image)
In the latest study, experts from Exeter University in the UK recruited ten healthy men who were in their early 20s.
They were asked to follow a diet low in nitrates — a plant compound made of nitrogen and oxygen used by plants to help them grow — for three days before starting the experiment.
They were then divided into two groups, with half receiving a pre-workout drink of 4.7 fluid ounces (fl.oz.) of deionized water that had a nitrate powder dissolved into it — which researchers said was equivalent to beetroot juice.
The rest were given a placebo drink containing a dummy powder. Both groups were unaware whether they had been given the real thing.
The drinks were indistinguishable in appearance, smell and taste the researchers said.
Participants
