Sports nutrition
What is sports nutrition?
Dietary supplements for athletes, known as supplements, are a package of products that help not only athletes to achieve their (sporting) goals. The most common reasons for taking sports nutrition supplements include:
- Supporting recovery after exercise,
- increasing the athlete'sperformance,
- promotingweight loss, or
- supplementing nutrients that cannot be adequately replaced from the normal diet.
Fitness nutrition alone, however, does not work miracles. Simply drinking protein won't make anyone gain muscle, nor will a fat burner alone make anyone the king of bodybuilding shows. But when combined with a balanced diet and physical activity, they can definitely help.
Basic sports supplements
The No. 1 sports supplement should be considered vitamins and minerals, which most of the population suffers from a lack of due to a monotonous diet, and which are essential for the proper functioning of the body. In athletes, the need for them usually increases, even severalfold. Comprehensively, all important substances can be taken in the form of multivitamin. A separate chapter presents Magnesiumwhich ensures the proper functioning of the nervous and muscular systems.
Vitamins and minerals are followed in sports nutrition Proteinsensuring a sufficient intake of proteins as the basic building blocks of all cells. Protein intake can also help protein bars, dried meat or other protein snacks.
Supplements for muscle growth
There are three basic conditions that need to be met in the quest for bigger muscles: strength training, calorie excess and increased protein intake. Protein supplements (whether they are whey, casein or other) can help with protein intake, or gainerswhich also increase energy intake through carbohydrates.
Faster muscle building can also be aided by creatinewhich increases muscle strength and promotes muscle growth through effective training, or BCAASbranched‑chain amino acids essential for muscle protein synthesis.
Supplements for weight loss
Just as for muscle growth, there are basic prerequisites for weight loss: a balanced diet, a calorie deficit and physical activity. When all these prerequisites are met, one can reach for a fat burnerwhich makes better use of body fat as an energy source. Among the most effective ones are Synephrine, carnitineor caffeineor preparations with a combination of these.
What about protein for weight loss? These will not help with fat burning, yet no one should neglect them when reducing weight. Proteins ensure that one does not lose muscle mass unnecessarily, moreover, they are the most satiating of all macronutrients. If you want to avoid every gram of fat and carbohydrates, reach for whey isolate, Vegan or egg proteinor read the ingredients of each product honestly.
Other sports nutrition supplements
- Anabolisers and kickers support physical and mental performance, in the gym, on the field or at school. Taking supplements containing a spectrum of active ingredients before training can delay fatigue and acidification of muscles and lead to better performance.
- Dietary supplements for joints are designed for all those who already experience joint pain, as well as those who want to prevent it. In addition to the joints, they also have a positive effect on ligaments, tendons and bones.
- Dietary supplements to support sleep. What does sleep have to do with athletic performance? Everything! Mental and physical recovery occurs during sleep and poor sleep robs us of better performance.
- Healthy fats are a slap in the face to anyone who worries about fat intake. Healthy fats support heart function and health, and are essential in nutrition.
Sports nutrition is not a shortcut to a dream body or ideal performance, yet when combined with other factors, it can get us a little closer. If you're on the lookout for sports nutrition supplements, don't forget about healthy nutritionto ensure you're getting all the essentials.