6 min. read
Journal · Sports performance & recovery
Preparation, effort, recovery: each of the three phases has its own biology, and its own levers for optimisation.
You are back from an intense workout. Your muscles are burning, your energy is flat. And tomorrow, the aches will be there. But what exactly happens in your body during the hours after exercise? And above all: how can you support this rebuilding?
The answer comes down to three phases: preparation, effort and recovery. Each has its own biology, and its own levers for optimisation. Understanding these mechanisms changes the way you approach training.
Sports performance does not begin the moment you step onto the field. It begins several hours before: at cellular level. Mitochondria, antioxidant enzymes and reserves of energy cofactors need to be available and active before the very first muscle contraction.
Mitochondrial cofactors: CoQ10, L-carnitine, B vitamins, do not work on demand. Their availability in muscle cells depends on prior loading. CoQ10 and L-carnitine are not part of the formula of Energy Daily Flow; it provides, per stick, 1,000 mg of L-citrulline, 500 mg of taurine, 500 mg of beta-alanine, 250 mg of Setria® glutathione, vitamin C and a B vitamin complex, to be taken before the session.
Intense exercise is a major physiological stressor: it activates the HPA axis (hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal) and triggers the release of cortisol. In an unprepared athlete, this stress response amplifies muscle breakdown and delays recovery.
Rhodiola rosea (found in Adaptive Boost, and not in Energy Daily Flow) is studied for its interaction with this neuroendocrine response. The authors describe a reduction in the allostatic load linked to exercise and better tolerance of intense exercise.
Clinical studies: preparing before exercise
Prior loading: why cofactors need to be present before the first contraction
Rhodiola rosea: Hung et al. (Phytomedicine, 2011): after 4 weeks of Rhodiola supplementation, the authors report a rating of perceived exertion (RPE) reduced by 8.5% and a longer time to exhaustion during endurance exercise.
CoQ10 prior loading: Gökbel et al. (2010): with CoQ10 taken before exercise, the authors observe less accumulation of blood lactate during exercise and a later onset of central muscle fatigue.
Antioxidant prior loading: Paulsen et al. (Journal of Physiology, 2014): the authors look at the timing of intake and describe antioxidants (vitamins C + E, quercetin) as needing to be present in the tissues before ROS are generated, and not only afterwards.
Energy Daily Flow: 1 stick per day, 30 to 45 min before training: provides 1,000 mg of L-citrulline, 500 mg of taurine, 500 mg of beta-alanine, 250 mg of Setria® glutathione, vitamin C and a B vitamin complex. B vitamins contribute to normal energy-yielding metabolism.
Antioxidant Defense: taken daily in the morning (ongoing intake): a regular intake of quercetin, Setria® glutathione and vitamin C. Vitamin C contributes to the protection of cells from oxidative stress.
During intense exercise, two phenomena occur at the same time in your muscle cells.
Your cells consume ATP: the universal fuel of life: faster than they can produce it. The result: progressive fatigue, lower performance, an inability to sustain the intensity of the effort.
With every muscle contraction, your mitochondria generate reactive oxygen species (ROS). During intense exercise, the production of these molecules can be 10 to 20 times higher than at rest. (Sachdev & Davies, 2008)
These unstable molecules attack the cell membranes, proteins and DNA of your muscle fibres: this is oxidative stress. This double challenge: energy depletion + oxidative attack: explains why recovery takes time, and why it can be precisely optimised.
“Recovery is not a pause. It is the most anabolic phase of training.”
Post-exercise oxidative stress is not trivial. It is directly involved in delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS), which appears 24 to 72 h after exercise, in the breakdown of contractile proteins (actin and myosin) and in post-exercise inflammation which, when it becomes chronic, significantly slows tissue regeneration.
What science says: oxidative stress and sport
Exercise-induced oxidative stress is a limiting factor in muscle recovery
Meta-analysis of 150 studies (Peternelj & Coombes, Sports Medicine, 2011): the authors report that exercise-induced oxidative stress limits muscle recovery, and that antioxidant supplementation significantly reduces markers of post-exercise oxidative damage.
Davis et al. (2010): with quercetin (500 mg/day, 12 weeks), the authors report a maximal aerobic capacity (VO₂ max) higher by +3.9% and lower post-exercise inflammation markers (IL-6, TNF-α).
Antioxidant Defense combines, per 3 capsules, quercetin (427.5 mg), Setria® L-glutathione (375 mg), ExceptionHYAL® Star (240 mg, including 218 mg of hyaluronic acid) and vitamin C (150 mg, i.e. 187.5% of NRVs). Vitamin C contributes to the protection of cells from oxidative stress; vitamin C also contributes to the reduction of tiredness and fatigue.
Clinical studies: antioxidants and sport
What studies on antioxidants describe (vitamin E, zinc and selenium are not in Antioxidant Defense)
Vitamins C + E (antioxidant synergy): Bryer & Goldfarb (2006): the authors report lipid peroxidation markers 40% lower after intense eccentric exercise with combined supplementation.
Quercetin: Davis et al. (2010): the authors observe a VO₂ max higher by 3.9% and lower post-exercise levels of IL-6 and TNF-α, over a 12-week protocol.
Zinc + Selenium: Lukaski (Sports Medicine, 2004): the author describes needs in athletes 1.5 to 2× higher than in sedentary people. These minerals are cofactors of the major antioxidant enzymes (superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase).
Glutathione (GSH): Kerksick & Willoughby (2005): GSH is the first intracellular antioxidant used up during exercise. The authors report protection of type II muscle fibres: the fast fibres, directly involved in strength and power.
Recovery is not passive. Rebuilding muscle fibres, clearing metabolic waste, resynthesising glycogen: all of this requires energy. Energy that your mitochondria must produce continuously, even after exercise.
Yet intense exercise places heavy demands on mitochondrial cofactors, notably CoQ10, L-carnitine and B vitamins, which are involved in the respiratory chain. It is precisely their availability during this phase that the research cited below examines.
Energy Daily Flow combines, per stick, 1,000 mg of L-citrulline, 500 mg of taurine, 500 mg of beta-alanine, 250 mg of Setria® glutathione, vitamin C and a B vitamin complex, as well as magnesium, zinc, vitamin D3 and 60 mg of ginseng. It contains no CoQ10, no L-carnitine and no adaptogenic plant: the studies below describe these cofactors in general. B vitamins contribute to normal energy-yielding metabolism, to the reduction of tiredness and fatigue and to the normal function of the nervous system.
Clinical studies: mitochondrial cofactors
CoQ10, L-carnitine and B vitamins: the three pillars of the respiratory chain
CoQ10 (200 mg/day, 14 days), Cooke et al. (2008): the authors report post-exercise muscle damage 45% lower, measured by blood creatine kinase (CK), a direct marker of muscle injury.
L-Carnitine: Volek et al. (2002): the authors observe a higher ATP/ADP ratio under load, 18% lower lactate production and later central fatigue.
B vitamins (complex): Powers et al. (Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 2011): vitamins B1, B2, B3, B5 and B6 are involved in ATP synthesis and the clearing of metabolic waste. The authors describe their deficiency: common in intensive athletes: as an underestimated factor in slow recovery.
1 stick per day, 30 to 45 min before training: it provides the B vitamins and amino acids of the formula (L-citrulline, taurine, beta-alanine) ahead of the session. B vitamins contribute to normal energy-yielding metabolism and to the reduction of tiredness and fatigue. Do not exceed 1 stick per day, the dose stated on the box.
This time of intake is a practical guide: it lets you take the stick in a large glass of water before you start.
Antioxidant Defense and Energy Daily Flow work on two complementary, non-overlapping fronts.
The two areas address distinct mechanisms: on one side the production of cellular energy, on the other the exposure of tissues to free radicals. This is the logic followed by the authors cited: considering both fronts rather than just one.
“Building and protecting at the same time: that is where recovery happens.”
The parameters tracked in the cited literature change gradually. Here are the timeframes observed in the studies, as a guide only; the response remains individual.
Recovery is not a pause. It is the most anabolic phase of training: the one in which the body rebuilds itself. A targeted nutritional strategy, combining mitochondrial support and antioxidant protection, addresses precisely this phase. Energy Daily Flow and Antioxidant Defense were formulated to meet this double challenge. To understand each ingredient in detail, see our feature on active ingredients.
Precautions. Food supplements should not be used as a substitute for a varied and balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle. Do not exceed the recommended daily dose. Not recommended for pregnant or breastfeeding women. If you are taking any medication, ask your healthcare professional for advice.
Both, but not the same ones. Energy Daily Flow is taken at 1 stick per day, 30 to 45 minutes before the session; Antioxidant Defense is taken every morning as an ongoing intake. Paulsen et al. (2014) indeed describe antioxidants as needing to be present in the tissues before ROS are generated.
During intense exercise, the production of reactive oxygen species can be 10 to 20 times higher than at rest (Sachdev & Davies, 2008). These molecules attack muscle membranes, contractile proteins and DNA, and are involved in the delayed onset muscle soreness that appears 24 to 72 h after exercise.
Cooke et al. (2008) report a 45% reduction in post-exercise muscle damage measured by blood creatine kinase, with 200 mg/day for 14 days. Gökbel et al. (2010) also observe less lactate accumulation when it is taken beforehand.
According to Lukaski (Sports Medicine, 2004), athletes have zinc and selenium needs 1.5 to 2 times higher than sedentary people. Zinc and selenium contribute to the protection of cells from oxidative stress and are cofactors of superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase.
Yes: the two formulas work on complementary, non-overlapping fronts: one provides amino acids and B vitamins, the other quercetin, glutathione and vitamin C. Find further analyses in the BIOLOGYST Journal.
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