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Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS)

Our bodies constantly produce certain reactive molecules as part of normal metabolism. Some of these are called Reactive Oxygen Species, or ROS for short. They are formed during everyday processes, including when our muscles are working.

You might have heard of free radicals before. Some ROS belong to this group, but not all of them do. What they have in common is that they can react with other substances in our cells.

That isn't necessarily a bad thing. Our bodies actually use ROS to send signals between cells and regulate certain processes. Problems can arise when too many of these molecules accumulate and our natural defenses can't keep up. This is known as oxidative stress, which can contribute to cellular damage.

Reactive Nitrogen Species (RNS)

There are also Reactive Nitrogen Species, or RNS. They work in a similar way, except that they contain nitrogen. Like ROS, they have important functions in the body, but excessive amounts can also contribute to cellular damage.

Impact on Muscle Building

When we lift weights, we're putting stress on our muscles. That's exactly what we want, because our bodies respond to this stress by adapting. With enough training, proper nutrition and recovery, our muscles can gradually become stronger and bigger.

During exercise, our bodies also produce more ROS and RNS. And while excessive amounts can contribute to cellular damage, these molecules also help trigger some of the signals involved in adapting to training.

Now, antioxidants such as vitamin C and vitamin E can help protect our cells against oxidative damage. That's generally a useful thing. But if we take very high doses of antioxidant supplements, we might also interfere with some of the signals our bodies use to respond to exercise.

Some studies have found that high-dose antioxidant supplementation can affect certain training adaptations. However, the results aren't entirely consistent, especially when it comes to actual muscle growth and strength.

So no, eating an orange after your workout isn't going to ruin your gains. The research is mainly concerned with taking relatively high doses of antioxidants in supplement form, not with getting normal amounts of vitamins from food.

I find that pretty interesting. We usually hear about antioxidants because they're supposed to protect our cells. But under certain circumstances, taking too much of a good thing might actually work against some of the changes we're trying to achieve through training. (= Less gainz, potentially.)

Antioxidant Supplements and Timing

There isn't good evidence that simply taking antioxidant supplements a few hours before or after your workout prevents any possible interference with training adaptations. The research hasn't established a specific time window that would solve this problem.

If you don't have a deficiency or another medical reason to take them, regularly swallowing high doses of vitamins C and E doesn't seem particularly useful. Getting enough vitamins is important, of course, but that doesn't mean taking several times the recommended daily amount will give you better results.

And there's certainly no reason to avoid fruit and vegetables because of this research. We're talking about high-dose supplements here, not the normal amounts of antioxidants you get from a balanced diet.

What Does This Mean for the Recreational Athlete?

If you've read my article on the basics of nutrition, you probably already know that there are far more important things to worry about when it comes to building muscle. Your training, calorie intake, protein intake and recovery make a much bigger difference than trying to optimize every little biochemical process in your body. For most recreational athletes, this topic is really just a small detail.

Studies on antioxidant supplementation and muscle growth have produced mixed results. Some suggest that high doses of vitamins C and E might interfere with certain training adaptations, while others have found little or no effect on muscle mass and strength.

So I wouldn't worry too much about the exact timing of antioxidant intake or start avoiding vitamin-rich foods. I'd simply focus on getting enough vitamins through my normal diet rather than taking unnecessarily high doses of supplements in the hope of improving my training results.

Closing Words

I found this topic pretty interesting because we're so used to hearing that antioxidants are good for us. And generally speaking, getting enough vitamins is obviously important. But as with many things in nutrition, taking more doesn't automatically mean getting better results.

For most people who lift weights, I wouldn't worry too much about this. Eat a balanced diet, get enough sleep, train consistently and don't waste your money on unnecessarily high doses of supplements.

And one last thing, since I mentioned the immune system at the beginning: If you want to protect yourself against certain infectious diseases, vaccination is one of the most effective tools we have. Megadoses of vitamin C aren't a substitute for that.