A key benefit of a quality pre-workout supplement is increased focus. As a result, you’ll form stronger mind-muscle-connection, heloing you make the most of every rep – leading to increased muscle gains and fat loss.
But it’s not an ingredient that you’ll consume naturally. Why?
Answer: Because this plant isn’t found in any foods that are commonly eaten.
For this reason, Rhodiola rosea probably isn’t a pre-workout ingredient you’ve heard of before. But in this article, we’ll tell you why it makes all the difference to your workouts.
You’ll find out:
- What is Rhodiola rosea?
- What Are The Benefits?
- The Science Behind It
- Best Way To Consume It
- Conclusion
What is Rhodiola Rosea?
R. rosea is a plant, also known as golden root and roseroot that’s part of the plant family, Crassulaceae. It has the ability to reduce fatigue, enhance endurance, and promote cognition – making it an ideal addition to a pre-workout supplement.
What does this do?
You’ll be able to train more frequently, for longer, and also concentrate on your workout fully. Basically, this will helps you progress on your fitness goals faster, and be more efficient with your efforts.
What Are The Benefits?
As we’ve mentioned, Rhodiola Rosea’s benefits you by:
- Reducing Fatigue – train at peak levels throughout your workout, and feel less sore for your next gym session.
- Enhancing Endurance – hit the weights and cardio harder, for longer.
- Improving Focus – form stronger mind-muscle-connection to make the most of every rep.
These 2 benefits can seriously improve your workout, which is exactly why we’ve included this herb in 4 Gauge.
How does Rhodiola Rosea reduce fatigue?
Simply put, this nutrient improves your endurance while reducing fatigue by increasing your red blood cell count.
The function of red blood cells is to transport oxygen to your muscles, meaning an increase in your muscles’ energy production – and therefore improved athletic performance.
Not only that, this also reduces fatigue, allowing you to stay fresh throughout your sessions; even returning less sore to your next workout.
How does Rhodiola Rosea improve focus?
This herb improves your focus by increasing the sensitivity of your neurons – especially serotonin and dopamine (two neurotransmitters).
Ultimately, these two neurotransmitters are proven to boost your cognition (focus, memory, and alertness).
The Science Behind It
You might not have heard of Rhodiola Rosea, but there’s been numerous studies conducted on this herb – measure how reliable and effective it is.
Here are the studies that prove Rhodiola rosea delivers on its claims:
Reduces Fatigue
In a clinical study published in the journal of Phytomedicine [1], 56 participants were analyzed over a period of 2 weeks. During this period, they were given doses of a placebo, and dosages of R. rosea (after a break from the placebo).
They were asked to perform demanding tasks, with their performance being measured carefully throughout the study.
The result:
- Rhodiola rosea decreased fatigue – The participants’ performance levels were higher when given the dosages of this nutrient, compared to the placebo.
Enhanced Endurance
A study by De Bock and colleagues [2] aimed to investigate R. rosea’s effects on exercise endurance performance. To do this, they measured the performance of 24 participants competing time trial cardio exercises.
The study found that the participants’ time to exhaustion had increased, and they were able to perform better than they did when taking placebo’s.
The result:
- Rhodiola rosea boosted endurance – The participants’ endurance levels had increased when consuming dosages of this herb.
The findings of this study was replicated in another study, by Noreen et al [3].
Improved Focus
Cropley M et al.,[4] orchestrated a study to examine R. rosea’s effective at improving focus. For this to be successful, they assigned 80 participants to be given placebo’s or dosages of the herb.
The participants’ performances was measured while they conducted activities demanding high-levels of cognition. Ultimately, the study showed that this nutrient improved the focus of the participants who’d taken the dosages of the herb, instead of the placebo.
The results:
- Rhodiola rosea enhanced focus – The participants who received dosages of R. rosea performed better than the placebo group.
Are There Any Side Effects?
Rhodiola Rosea Powder is 100% natural, taken directly from the plant in the crassulaceae family. Importantly, it’s not synthesized in a laboratory, so the chances of you experiencing side effects are extremely low – unless you’re allergic to it.
In fact, in all of the studies mentioned above, no participants suffered from any unwanted side effects; meaning it’s free from side effects.
Best Way To Consume Rhodiola Rosea
As R. rosea isn’t commonly found in foods or tea, your best option is to look for a supplement containing the herb.
Here’s where 4 Gauge comes in – Rhodiola Rosea is perfectly suited to a pre workout, as it provides 3 key benefits to improve your gym session (reduced fatigue, improved endurance & focus).
For this reason, we’ve added an optimal 100mg dosage of this herb in 4 Gauge; so you can train longer for harder, and stay in ‘the zone’ throughout your gym session.
Conclusion
Rhodiola Rosea is a herb that’s shown to boost focus and endurance, as well as being able to reduce fatigue.
As it’s not commonly consumed in a regular diet, the most efficient way to consume Rhodiola Rosea – and make the most of its benefits – is in a pre workout supplement.
Let’s recap the benefits of this herb:
- Reduced Fatigue
- Enhanced Endurance
- Improved Focus
Ultimately, taking 4 Gauge, which contains an optimal amount of Rhodiola Rosea, will help to ensure that you perform at your best in the gym.
References
- Darbinyan, V et al. Rhodiola rosea in stress induced fatigue–a double blind cross-over study of a standardized extract SHR-5 with a repeated low-dose regimen on the mental performance of healthy physicians during night duty. Phytomedicine. 2000; 7(5): 365-71
- De Bock, K et al. Acute Rhodiola rosea intake can improve endurance exercise performance. nt J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab. 2004 ; 14(3): 298-307
- Noreen, EE et al. The effects of an acute dose of Rhodiola rosea on endurance exercise performance. J Strength Cond Res. 2013; 27(3):839-47
- Cropley, M et al. The Effects of Rhodiola rosea L. Extract on Anxiety, Stress, Cognition and Other Mood Symptoms. Phytother Res. 2015; 29(12): 1934-9