And I'm not talking about the ECA stack---this is something totally different I just came across. Let me explain. Right now, I'm reading The Science of Martial Art Training by Charles Staley, MSS. Picked it up on a recommendation from this forum, and I know nothing about the author. So far, it's a good read. He quotes reliable sources, and recommends reliable, proven methods, for the most part. The chapter on recovery seemed excellent as I was reading it last night at work, but this one section really had me thinking/wondering. Here it is, verbatim: "...the following two suggestions enhance recuperative abilities: 1) Pre-training salicylate (aspirin). Aspirin is perhaps the most powerful anabolic drug available (legally). This effective substance operates on a variety of levels. First, Aspirin improves blood flow by reducing the body's output of thromboxane, a natural chemical which causes blood platlets to become "stickier". Even as little as 30mg (about one-tenth of a normal tablet) of aspirin prior to training can thin the blood to the point where muscle tissue is exposed to greater amounts of nutrient carrying blood, thus speeding up recovery between training intervals. Addiontally, lactic acid and other waste products (the result of heavy training efforts), will be flushed from muscle cells with greater speed and efficiency. Aspirin also reduces edema (swelling), another result of hard training. Local tissue swelling and inflammation (usually not visible) is universally regarded by experts as the enemy of healing. Recovery does not begin until edema has subsided. Aspirin also reduces pain assocciated with training. While there is no benefit in masking pain resulting from injury, aspirin can often make the difference between a "ho-hum" workout and a really supercharged effort, which when coupled with an effective recovery regimen, will lead to increased progress." Hmm. HMM! ASA is anabolic? That almost made me throw this book in the trash. That aside, I think the implication of ASA preWO is highly interesting. Does the actual anti-platlet aggregation effects affect recovery that much to have an effect on an athlete??? I can't really say yes or no. and, a bit later on: "Since the body evetually develops a tolerance to it, use aspirin judiciously--perhaps prior to the most difficult training sessions." I'm not sure what the heck he's talking about here; ASA's effect on platlets lasts the life of the platlet, which is 5-7 days. So you can't build up a tolerance. Perhaps he's talking about the analgesic effects, but I'm not really keen on using ASA as a ergogenic because of that. Besides, to get analgesic effects from ASA you need to be well over 375mg, not the 30mg he's talking about for recovery purposes. Thoughts? Opinions? Lay 'em down.
First, congrats on picking up the book. I think it's a great read for martial artists who lift. (It's out of print, but you can usually find a copy on alibris.com) What I think Staley was getting at, on the anabolic issue, is that it can sometimes have dramatic effects that may benefit muscle-building in the long term. Granted, that opening sentence was a little more hyped than I'd prefer, but I think we can let him slide on it. I've heard of powerlifters using copious amounts of Advil and such (look, I used the word "copious" in a sentence. Yay.) And I can understand how, from both increase blood flow and decreased inflammation, training recovery woudl be enhanced, so yes, I believe this could have a positive effect on recuperation. Two things. 1 - I'm not certainabout the tolerance issue myself, but certain people don't handle consistent doses of aspirin well, so that may be what he's talking about. 2 - If there's one thing I've learned about sports supplements, it's to never underestimate the ability of people to take too much of anything, in the hopes of getting results more/better/faster/etc. So, yeah, it might be worth going on a 2-3 week cycle of pre-workout aspirin and see how it affects your performance and recovery.
Yay! A Reply! I was beginning to wonder if anyone here actually HAD a copy of Staley's book...I didn't know it was out of print. No wonder it took 4 months to get from Amazon. But I know there's other Staley fans on this forum... I suppose after reading the segment on ASA, I was hoping to hear a plethora of positive anecdotal stories about using ASA; cheap, easy to access, with zero side effects. Too good to be true? Maybe. I'm just having a hard time thinking that Staley would endorse an activity and make claims that weren't based on cold hard research. If it did work as stated, there'd be a high compliance with competative athletes internationally. I have started my own little guinea pig experiment using 81mg preworkout; it's a standard daily anti-aggregation dose for cardiac patients, so I thought I'd start there. But since I'm constantly changing up my workout's intensity and volume, I doubt there'll be a grossly obvious impact---not much of a controlled study, really. Regardless, a dose in that range should have zero anti-inflammatory or analgesic effects. But based on theory, my recovery should be enhanced.
I know nothing about aspirin's 'anabolic' effects, but I do know about the decrease in clotting ability and increased blood flow. It's the reason why some doctors recommend the regular use of aspirin, in addition to other medications, after a heart attack. However, it is also why aspirin should NOT be taken for pain after a sparing match/fight in which you receive a significant blow to the head. Whatever your training regimen is, please don't use aspirin for headaches resulting from sparring/fighting matches.
A fair point, Ann. And, on a less life-threatening note, it should probably also be avoided prior to most hard-hitting sparring sessions, as it may increase general bruising.
I can't remember why but I seem to recall a lot of people abandoning the use of aspirin on avantlabs.com, and some people sticking with it. Go search the forums there, they always have a lot of good scientific views about things like this. Great book BTW, which I of course have read many times
As a medical student I would avoid regular everyday use of aspirin. It used to be an oft-given piece of advice, to consume 1 aspirin every day. Lots of old'uns used to use this as a treatment for joint pains, eg. arthritis etc. However aspirin causes the stomach to suffer damage from the effects of gastric acid (through unselective COX1+2 inhibition if you're interested). This can lead to gastric inflammation, ulceration and ultimately bleeding. So don't! As for anabolic effects, I'm not sure but it doesn't sound overly familiar..
Wow, quite the forum, Adam. I looked around a bit this morning. There's some incredible posters there. I may just be spending some time there....
If I ever have any questions or find a new supp I might be interested in then I tend to search around there for the answers. Really good forum.
Follow Up, 1 Month Later Ok, so it's been about a month. What have I found by supplementing with 81mg ASA pre-WO? Zero, nada, nilch. I had zero change in my DOMS or rate of recovery; I was sore when I expected to be, and I had no perceptible change in how fast my DOMS subsided or overall energy levels. One interesting thing did happen, though. After a fairly hard heavy bag session of throwing low and medium roundhouse kicks, I had contusions to my right shin. I never had pain at any time, and one contusion on my lower shin was quite large (3" diameter). I had no brusing to my left leg (I throw my right way harder) or my hands, which were wrapped. Needless to say I was surprised, as I haven't had any brusing from bagwork for as long as I can remember. Bone-on-bone, sure. But from a heavybag? I figure the combo of my high fish oil intake and the ASA pre-WO may have made me a bit more prone to brusing. Not a good thing for a contact fighter There still may be some merit in taking it post-WO, but at this point, I think I'll shelve the ASA. I did email Mr Staley, and politely questioned why he would include something based only on theoretical and anecdotal evidence. Do you know what he said when he emailed me back? "Refresh my memory, Mike....but what does ASA stand for again?" After, uh, explaining what ASA was, and what chapter of WHAT book (um, he DID write it, right?) I was talking about, he threw some lines back about individual response and dosing. In other words, he had zero clue. Sorry, folks, for as much as he's talked up here, I'd rather discuss the finer points of health and fitness with those that frequent this board than Charles Staley.
There's not a chance I would dismiss anything Charles Staley has to say. The fact that he isn't that bothered about it should tell you that it obviously isn't that great, and I personally wasn't surprised with your lack of any kind of effect. To be honest, not many people know what you mean by ASA because there are so many other abbreviations like this that have a number of meanings. There are PLENTY other supplements that are definitely worth your time if you are looking into this realm. List the ones you take currently and I can advise you on a few if you want to give a few goals.
I appreciate the offer to look at my supps, Ad, and I'll take you up on that; I'm always open to other's experienced opinions. What probably bothered me the most about Mr Staley wasn't the fact he didn't know what ASA was (I suppose I do take pharmacology a bit for granted, but I mean, ASA? That's like not knowing what acetaminophen is. And if you're a martial artist, I think basic knowledge of analgesics and anti-inflammatories is par for the course ), but the fact he 1) Admitted he wasn't aware of what was in his own book, and 2) He never really tried to justify it is any way, shape, or form, and more or less brushed it off. Maybe I'm just too used to dealing with Ross. Which, interestingly enough, said this, in response to preWO ASA "I don't like it....I don't like the idea one bit" LOL. I couldn't dig more outa him than that, though. The utmost professional, 24/7. I freely admit the rest of Mr Staley's book is totally sound; and also, considering it was written in 99', the methods for strength training martial artists are now just beoming common place---so in that department, he was ahead of his time.
