Ribose and muscle building

Immediately after its discovery as a supplement in sports nutrition, ribose was put on a par with the better known creatine. However, there are fewer research results on Ribose, which prove a positive effect on muscle building. The opinions among the experts are therefore still far apart.

Moreover, Ribose is not as inexpensive as the comparable substitute creatine. With Ribose as a dietary supplement, one usually speaks only of D-ribose, not of the second form L-ribose. The performance-enhancing effect of ribose has been shown to be particularly effective for short, high-intensity exercise (such as weight training or bodybuilding).

Advocates of this product, however, also recommend it for endurance athletes. The aim of using ribose as a supplement is to accelerate the regeneration of the muscles’ energy storage system. Between the individual repetitions, sets and training days, the ATP storage should “recharge” more quickly.This means that high performance can be achieved again earlier.

This works against the muscle build-up very much. There it is important to expose the muscles to an increasing load, whereby the correct and complete execution of the exercise is very important. Only if the muscle is constantly being challenged anew and more, it has the incentive to build up additional mass.

In addition, the athlete should not get into a phase of energy poverty through the intake of ribose, which he will then feel in a feeling of weakness. Ribose is taken as in a creatine cure with loading phase and maintenance phase. Ideally, the two supplements creatine and ribose are combined in a cure.

Since they both have a very similar effect on the ATP circulation of the body, they support each other in their effect. In the loading phase, two to three grams of ribose and five to seven grams of creatine are taken approximately 15 minutes before and immediately after the workout. From the sixth day of the cure and at the beginning of the maintenance phase, this dose is taken only once a day before training (or on non-training days before dinner).

Some manufacturers recommend that endurance athletes, such as marathon runners or triathletes, take one gram of Ribose even during training to help improve endurance. Of course it is also recommended to support the Ribose intake with a protein-rich diet (if necessary also with food supplements) to achieve better results in muscle building. When used correctly, the manufacturers promise that Ribose preparations will strengthen strength and endurance during training.

The regeneration time is demonstrably shortened, even if the ATP storage is initially naturally reduced directly after an intensive load. In addition, Ribose is also said to have a positive effect on the psyche, as athletes feel less tired and exhausted. There are also recommendations for the daily intake of ribose.

However, these recommendations vary greatly. Daily doses of two to five grams are given as a recommendation, but higher daily doses, such as up to ten grams, can also be given as a recommendation. The range of different dosage recommendations is between three and 60 grams per day.

Scientific studies on ribose are usually conducted with daily doses between 16 and 36 grams. If too much ribose is taken, it is usually excreted in the urine, or converted to glucose in the liver and then to glycogen. General recommendations regarding the dosage are not so easy to give because there are also individual differences in the absorption and further processing in the body and every athlete reacts differently to a certain amount of ribose.

Everyone should try out for himself with which dosage he or she can cope. Of course, one should start with small doses and then approach higher dosages if necessary. If you have to take Ribose as a dietary supplement, for example due to a deficiency or underproduction, then the simplest and most common form of intake is powder.

Ribose or D-ribose can be purchased as powder on the Internet and in pharmacies. Depending on the quality of the powder and the manufacturer, the prices for 100 grams of Ribose powder vary between 10 and 20 euros. As consumption recommendation for Ribose powder one should always keep to the manufacturer’s data on the packing.

In general the recommendations are between three and 15 grams, although the dosage should be slightly higher on training days than on days without training. One teaspoon of Ribose powder should be taken half an hour before and half an hour after training. Ribose powder can be mixed into various dishes according to taste. Currently there is no EU recommendation for the maximum daily dosage of Ribose, but one should follow the dosage recommendations of the manufacturers and not overdose.