Recently, nutritional supplements are gaining more and more popularity, which help to improve the results of training and get the desired effect in the shortest possible time. However, there are many opinions about sports nutrition, its safety for health and productivity. Knowledgeable athletes have long been convinced from their own experience that sports nutritional supplements, when used correctly, are not capable of harming the body and only bring benefits. For those who are just starting their acquaintance with sports nutrition, we suggest that you familiarize yourself with the properties of the most common sports nutritional supplements used to improve your body, increase endurance and performance, and are also used for weight loss. Each of the supplements is unique, and before using it, you need to decide on the purposes for which you will include the supplement in your diet.
Sports nutritional supplements and health
Let’s start with those nutritional supplements that have a direct impact on human health and are directly related to the state of the body and the well-being of those involved in sports. Remember that only a healthy athlete can succeed in training, and sports nutrition should help in this, and not slow down internal processes.
Whey Protein
Protein is one of the most sought after substances during intense physical activity. This is due to the fact that in the process of strength training, our body, and especially muscles, need to be fully restored, and protein, which mainly consists of protein, is the best building material that can quickly and painlessly eliminate damage to muscle tissues, inevitable under heavy loads. It is very difficult to get enough protein from the usual, daily food we eat. To do this, you need to consume protein sources in large quantities, and in addition to protein, they usually contain fats, carbohydrates and other substances that contribute to the formation of body fat. Thus, if your goal is to lose weight and increase muscle endurance, then protein should be the main component of the sports nutrition complex.
There are several types of protein, the most useful and common of which is whey. It is absorbed by the body faster than others, so it is recommended to use it immediately before training and after it is completed in order to provide the body with enough energy and immediately start muscle recovery. The optimal dose of protein is two grams per kilogram of your weight. If the body is subjected to heavy loads, then the amount of protein consumed can be increased several times. Another useful feature of whey protein is its naturalness. It belongs to the number of animal proteins, therefore it coincides as much as possible with the structure of human tissues and restores them quickly and efficiently, increasing muscles in size.
Multivitamins
In addition to protein, the human body also needs other nutrients that contribute to normal life and full-fledged work. Among the mandatory substances, multivitamins can be distinguished, giving a boost of energy, vigor, endurance, eliminating fatigue and restoring strength. Multivitamins, как и протеин, мы можем получить из натуральных продуктов, однако, не всегда представляется возможным употреблять пищу, богатую полезными витаминами и минералами. Here again, nutritional supplements come in handy, namely, consisting of a complex of the most necessary multivitamins, collected in one preparation.
When purchasing multivitamins, pay attention to their naturalness and make sure that the dietary supplement is made only from safe products taken from natural sources, and not created synthetically. This will help not only strengthen the body, but also maintain your health. As a rule, multivitamins are available in the form of tablets, which are recommended to be taken during the day in certain quantities. Some vitamins are included in the complex of ready-made nutritional sports supplements and enhance the properties of other ingredients that positively affect the result of training and the body.
Nutritional Supplements and Performance
The action of some sports nutritional supplements is not aimed at restoring the body, but at enhancing its performance, which allows you to cope with a greater load and, accordingly, get better and faster results. Such nutritional supplements can be taken both separately, current and in combination with others. These include creatine and BCAAs. Let’s take a closer look at each of the supplements.
Creatine
It happens that in order to obtain the desired results, there is not enough stamina and willpower, and all the efforts made do not bring the expected effect. A food supplement like creatine will help increase the efficiency of the body. It is harmless to health, has virtually no side effects and has an instant effect on the body. For a burst of strength, creatine is taken immediately before training in small quantities. Its advantage is that this nutritional supplement has a low cost and is very economical, the recommended amount of creatine is no more than 5 grams per day.
When choosing creatine, pay attention to the form of its release, as it can be in the form of powder, capsules, tablets and liquid form. For non-professional athletes who simply want to strengthen their body and increase endurance, creatine powder is the best option. The fact is that it is absorbed faster than others and gives instant results. It should be taken with water or juice. The most convenient for use is creatine in capsules, however, its action time is slightly slowed down, since the capsules must dissolve in the stomach, and only after that their contents can enter the bloodstream.
BCAA
This complex of amino acids is used not only to increase the strength and endurance of the body, it also takes part in the process of muscle recovery, contributing to the synthesis of protein, which is so necessary for building new muscle tissues. BCAA способен предохранять мышцы от перегрузок и чрезмерного разрушения при интенсивных силовых нагрузках. The amino acids included in the complex contribute to the absorption of other beneficial and nutrients by the body, which is why it is often used as one of the components of sports nutrition. Помимо этого, BCAA повышает уровень инсулина в крови, увеличивая работоспособность организма и позволяя ему справляться с большими нагрузками. Thus, taking this nutritional supplement can improve the results of your workouts several times and at the same time strengthen the body.
Nutritional supplements and excess weight
Among women, nutritional supplements that can fight excess body fat are especially popular. They are called fat burners and included in the complex of sports nutrition, if one of the main goals of training is weight loss.
Caffeine
Caffeine is the most widely available and widely used dietary supplement for fat burning. It is able to speed up blood circulation, increase body temperature and start metabolic processes in the body. In addition, caffeine is one of the most natural and safe sports nutritional supplements. It improves mood, promotes the body’s absorption of nutrients that enter it during the day, turns body fat into a source of energy needed during physical exertion, freeing muscles from this function, which are already weakened during training. However, you should not abuse caffeine, as it can cause disruption of the cardiovascular system and lead to the development of chronic diseases.