Top 5 Supplements for Athletes
In the last article, we reviewed the best foods for athletes, well, it was the turn of the review of the best supplements for athletes. It will be very interesting!
If you are a serious athlete or bodybuilder, you probably know that sports supplements can help you get the most out of your intense workouts and a strict diet. But which supplements? The sports nutrition market today is bursting at the seams like a children’s jacket for a bodybuilder! One could, of course, try to wander through the depths of Internet blogs and personal training guru sites, but unfortunately, often on such pages you can stumble on not quite correct information.
Fortunately, we decided to help you find the grain of truth. We studied a lot of varieties of sports nutrition and chose supplements from the variety that can help you maximize muscle strength and size. Knowing what to take, how much to take and when to take will help you squeeze every drop of results from your hard work, so let’s focus on the list of the most suitable for achieving your sports nutrition goals.
If your goal is to become as big and strong as possible, the following five sports supplements will help you achieve this!
Creatine
This muscle building and strength-enhancing sports supplement is extremely safe and has plenty of evidence to support its effectiveness. Creatine works by increasing creatine and phosphocreatine in the muscles and helps to retain energy during high exercise disciplines such as weightlifting. In addition, an increase in phosphocreatine can help speed recovery between approaches.
Long-term use of creatine improves the quality of strength training and, as a rule, leads to a 5-15% increase in strength and performance.
Recommended dose: the fastest way to increase muscle mass using creatine – taking 20 g per day for 5-7 days, then at a standard dose – 5 g per day. However, lower doses of creatine – 5 g for 28 days – will also increase the effectiveness of training, without causing the weight gain of 1-2 kg observed in the first case.
Whey Protein
Fast digestible whey protein is optimal for post-workout use, as it can help improve your muscles’ ability to recover and adapt after exercise. Indeed, it has been found that whey protein intake stimulates muscle protein synthesis to a greater extent than other proteins, such as casein or soy protein.
It was found that taking sports nutrition with whey protein during long (more than 6 weeks) strength can lead to a significantly greater increase in muscle mass and strength compared to the effectiveness of training without dietary protein.
It was found that when consumed after endurance exercise, a mixture of whey protein and casein contributes to muscle hypertrophy and improved physique more than soy-based proteins. The combination of rapidly digestible whey and slowly digested casein supports the body in a highly anabolic environment for a long period of time, which helps to increase the rate of protein synthesis, while minimizing any muscle damage.
Athletes who follow training programs with heavy, high-intensity power loads, such as many bodybuilders, can also take advantage of carbohydrate intake immediately after a workout. When taking carbohydrates in combination with protein after exercise and one hour after doing strength exercises, an increase in insulin levels and glycogen resynthesis was observed in the body.
Recommended dose: 20-30 g of whey protein (or a mixture of whey protein and casein) with high glycemic carbohydrates immediately after exercise.
Fish oil
Fish oil is an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids, which provide countless benefits to the body. Fish oil is especially useful for strength athletes and bodybuilders for its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. Intense strength training can cause microscopic breaks in muscle fibers, resulting in muscle damage and irritation. While some irritation of the muscle tissue is necessary, its too active manifestation can delay the recovery process after a workout.
Studies show that omega-3 fatty acids can help reduce muscle soreness and speed up the recovery process after a workout, quickly preparing you for your next strength approach. As an added bonus, in combination with amino acids and carbohydrates, omega-3 fatty acids can increase the rate of protein synthesis, which leads to faster growth of muscle mass.
Recommended dose: 2 g per day, ideally with a meal.
Branched amino acids (BCAA)
Another significant supplement that is often used and the security and bodybuilders are branched amino acids. Of the 21 essential acids for branched include three: leucine, isoleucine and valine. These amino acids are the main elements of the protein, of which consists of about 30% of all skeletal muscles of our body. Our body uses them to restore muscles. Like whey proteins, they direct nutrients directly into the muscles, allowing them to recover better. Your body consumes branched amino acids during a workout, so supplements will help you restore lost nutrient levels. This supplement also reduces muscle pain from fatigue and speeds up the recovery of metabolism.
A good proof that branched amino acids really help is to increase muscle endurance, thanks to constant replenishment. This may be of interest to athletes for long distances, such as marathon runners, swimmers, or even just walking tourists.
Recommended dose: 3-5 grams in the morning and 3-5 grams before and after workout.
Glutamine
While this replaceable amino acid cannot provide extreme muscle growth or an excessive increase in strength performance, it plays an important role in tissue repair and renewal processes. The effect of glutamine is to remove the excess ammonia that can accumulate in the muscles during intensive training. It helps regulate the body’s acid-base balance. Individual athletes involved in heavy workout programs, two-day split, or exercising with a calorie deficit, can recommend additional support in the form of glutamine supplements as definitely effective and useful.
Recommended dose: 20-30 grams per day, and 10 grams must be taken immediately after exercise.