Ribose: When Exercise Fatigue is Not an Option
A Supplemental Boost to Energy and Recovery Needs
Feb 12, 2009
Rigorous workouts burn tremendous amounts of energy. During intense anaerobic exercise, muscles burn energy quicker than it can be replenished thereby causing fatigue that slows or stops training pace altogether. To sustain high levels of intensity during workouts, energy must be readily available for hard-working muscles.
The fuel of choice for muscles during anaerobic training is carbohydrates. However, there is only limited supply of carbohydrates available to fuel muscles during intense training sessions. A potential solution to this dilemma is to enhance available energy supplies in active muscles with a supplement called D-ribose.
D-ribose or ribose is a substance with a texture similar to powdered sugar. It is a natural basic sugar found in body cells. But most importantly, ribose is considered a very effective adjunct in the process of energy production.
Benefits of Ribose
Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) is the key energy molecule for cellular activity, which includes muscle cells. ATP is the energy captured from the breakdown of carbohydrates and other foodstuff. During anaerobic activities that cause breathlessness or panting, ATP is rapidly decomposed and re-synthesized to keep the muscles moving. But, when the demand for ATP becomes greater than the body can supply, muscles quickly fatigue and training intensity drops considerably.
Ribose plays a role in ATP production. In fact, ribose is actually part of the ATP molecular structure. It beefs up the chemical reactions needed to rebuild ATP molecules during explosive activities such as weightlifting, sprinting or plyometric training---where breathlessness is common. Exercisers may also experience less “after-training” muscle soreness when supplementing with ribose.
Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS) is problematic for many exercisers. The soreness usually lasts several days and severely limits movement. The soreness usually occurs when ATP is used up faster than it is made and therefore results in energy imbalances, lethargy and the extreme soreness some trainees experience days after intense training sessions.
Supplementing With Ribose
Within body tissues, ribose is chemically active but in fixed supply. Supplementing with ribose supplies muscles with a readily available fuel boost that keeps muscles working harder and helps muscles recover faster. How so? Because ribose spares expended ATP components from becoming washed away in the bloodstream. Captured ATP parts mean there are more raw materials available in exercised muscles to replenish larger concentrations of ATP leading to speedier recovery of sore, tired and achy muscles.
Casual exercisers could use ribose immediately before, during and after anaerobic workouts. Hard-core trainees may want to consume ribose at specific intervals during the workout and immediately afterward to jump-start recovery. Recommended doses vary from 1 gram to 10 grams per workout session. Antonio and Stout (2002) contend exercisers optimize potential benefits with 5 grams just before and 5 grams just after intense bouts of anaerobic training.
Side effects with high doses (greater than 10 grams) may include dizziness, nausea or feeling faint. For this reason, it is important to discuss ribose supplementation with your health care professional. Ribose may be ingested with juice, sports drinks or food. Although results will vary, ribose supplementation is worth a try for serious athletes interested in pushing beyond normal limits.
Additional information on D-ribose can be found in Supplements for Strength-Power Athletes by Jose Antonio, PhD and Jeffrey R. Stout, PhD.
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