A combination of healthy diet, exercise, and sports supplements is important to improve physical performance in sports activities. Comprehensive fitness in sports activities is a balance between physical, psychological, and mental health. Sports supplements including pre-workout supplements and post-workout supplements improve fitness levels.
These sports supplements are available in pill or powder form and provide the best nutrition with the vital ingredients that support muscle recovery, reduce muscle soreness, replenish energy levels, combat tiredness, and maintain strength and endurance.
What are Pre-Workout supplements?
Pre-workout supplements are commonly used by recreational, athletic, and physically active individuals to elevate energy and performance. These supplements usually contain caffeine, creatine, amino acids, taurine, branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs), beta-alanine, citrulline malate, arginine, vitamin B-6, vitamin B-12 and glucuronolactone which act synergistically, delay fatigue (tiredness), maintain stamina, and improve the quality of resistance training sessions.
What are Post-Workout supplements?
Post-workout supplements provide the body with those nutrients that accelerate muscle recovery, help in regaining the energy lost during workouts, elevate muscle growth and maintain fitness.
Common ingredients of sports supplements include, and health benefits:
Amino acids improve performance by increasing the secretion of anabolic hormones, supporting post-performance recovery, improving the capacity of muscle to repair, and preventing mental fatigue. Leucine, alanine, and proline improve muscle mass and endurance in combination with whey protein. Tryptophan increases pain tolerance during periods of high intensity by increasing serotonin secretion. BCAA, citrulline, and arginine also improve performance and reduce fatigue.
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Sports Protein Supplements
Protein is important for the growth, metabolism, maintenance, and development of muscles, bones, and the brain. It helps support muscle mass and physical performance. Athletes need protein in adequate amounts for maintaining energy, immunity, and gut health integrity during intense and prolonged workout routines. As the intensity and duration of the workout increase, protein requirement also increases. Whey protein supplements are very popular among athletes because it is quickly absorbed and digested. In young individuals, protein supplements increase anabolic reactions in muscles and adaptive response to resistance training (allows athletes/sports individuals to perform at the height of their sporting event).
Creatine is commonly available as creatine monohydrate. Creatine acts as an energy substrate for skeletal muscle contraction and its supplements increase resting phosphocreatine levels and free creatine in muscles. It improves performance and strength in a short duration. Creatine also maintains both strength and endurance in recreational athletes combining both aerobic and anaerobic activities. Creatine supplements increase the strength of the upper extremity (pectoralis major and minor)and bench press performance.
Caffeine, a nervous system stimulant, is commonly used in sports supplements. Caffeine works by inhibiting action at the adenosine receptor site, increasing time to exhaustion, delaying feelings of tiredness, and reducing pain and effort perception. It inhibits action at the adenosine receptor site. It also preserves muscle glycogen, produces stronger muscle contraction, and improves anaerobic power performance.
Nitrates are ergogenic (increase capacity and less fatigue) and aid in sports nutrition. These improve performance by acting on muscles, blood vessels, and the brain. Due to the increased availability of nitric oxide, during physical activity, blood flow in muscles increases and consumption of ATP and oxygen decreases. Nitrates also help in cognition, lead to shorter reaction time and also reduce decline in cognitive function. Many factors affect nitrate content in the diet and supplements are considered the best way to cover nitrate needs of sports performers.
According to the International Society of Sports Nutrition,beta-alanine supplementation increases muscle carnosine concentrations, improves training volume, exercise performance, and duration, reduces neuromuscular fatigue, and improves tactical performance. Usually, beta-alanine supplements are taken daily for 4 weeks at a dosage of 4 to 6 grams.
Intense physical activity causes the formation of free radicals that compromise muscle function and performance and lead to muscle fatigue. Antioxidants like vitamin C, vitamin E, resveratrol, coenzyme Q10, selenium, and curcumin, counteract the effects of free radicals.
BCAA supplementation improves physical performance and reduces ratings of perceived exertion, muscle soreness, and mental fatigue during periods of prolonged exercise. BCAA has been shown to improve cognitive performance also and is beneficial for those who perform exercise in the heat or competitive races. It is believed to reduce fatigue by regulating the synthesis of neurotransmitters.
It has anti-inflammatory properties and is widely used in supplements for athletes because it improves improvement and achievement. Alanine during periods of intensive training reduces inflammation and muscle damage and promotes recovery. When taken before and after exercise, it increases fitness and reduces recovery time in weightlifters.
Frequently Asked Questions
1) What are sports supplements?
Sports supplements are used by athletes and sports performers to improve athletic performance, promote recovery, etc. The sports supplements include various types of drinks, powders, and pills and are taken before (pre-workout supplements) and after (post-workout) workout, exercise, or performance.
2) How do pre-workout supplements work?
Pre-workout supplements are those that are consumed half an hour before a workout or exercise. They have common ingredients like amino acids, beta-alanine, caffeine, creatine, glucose, nitric oxide, and B vitamins. They work by:
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Increasing energy levels. Increased energy supply to muscles.
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Reducing inflammation
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Transporting nutrients
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Improving anaerobic peak power and mean power in recreationally trained males.
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Improving upper and lower body strength and power output
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Enhancing muscular endurance.
3) How do post-workout supplements work?
Post-workout supplements are taken after training or working out. These work by rebuilding glycogen stores, regrowing muscle proteins, and promoting faster recovery.
4) What is the purpose of including branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) in some pre-workout supplements?
BCCA promotes the following functions:
5) How do amino acids contribute to muscle recovery in athletes?
Amino acids improve training efficiency by exerting positive effects on muscle integrity and hematopoiesis. Amino acids contribute to muscle recovery in athletes in the following ways:
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Support muscles and energy production
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Promote muscle repair of damaged tissue
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Reduce muscle fatigue
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Promote lean muscle mass and muscle strength.
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Increase muscle mass by stimulating muscle fiber hypertrophy.
6) How does creatine improve muscle strength?
Creatine plays an important role in energy production, increasing strength for intensive training, increasing muscle protein synthesis, decreasing lactate build-up, and boosting re-synthesis of ATP.
7) How do sports supplements enhance athletic performance?
Sports supplements have an ergogenic effect and hence they boost sports performance. They ensure that the nutritional requirements of athletes are met and address numerous aspects of sports performers' health before and after the performance.
8) How do BCAAs help muscle health in sports persons?
BCAA promotes muscle health in different ways as it increases the synthesis of muscle protein, stimulates muscle glycogen resynthesis, increases muscle mass, reduces muscle pain, and delays the onset of muscle soreness.
Branched Chain Amino Acids includes leucine, isoleucine and valine.
9) Do athletes need sports supplements?
Yes, athletes need sports supplements to bridge nutritional gaps, fulfill increased nutrient demand, supply the essential nutrients specifically, improve performance, maintain stamina, and preserve energy and cognition.
10) How does Antioxidants can be helpful for sports performance?
The free radicals are increased during physical exercise due to increased oxygen consumption. These compromise performance so it is important for athletes to eat anti-oxidant-rich food to counter oxidative stress.
11) Before taking sports supplements what should someone do first?
Remember the following important points before taking sports supplements:
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It is important to know that a healthy lifestyle and balanced diet should be your primary goal.
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Consult your healthcare provider. Discuss your daily routine and medical history thoroughly.
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Choose the right supplement. There are different pre and post-workout supplements available.
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Take high-quality brands because they do not contain unnecessary and harmful additives.
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Choose NSF-certified supplements.
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Look for the right dose depending on your needs.
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Take the supplements at the right time for example pre-workout supplements are taken at least half an hour before performance.
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Avoid overdosage.
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If a supplement is intended to be taken for 4 weeks, don’t exceed the duration. You can discuss this further with your sports nutritionist.
