Supplements Every Athlete Should Be Taking
Choosing to workout can be one of the most life-improving and healthy choices a human being can make. There’s more to optimal fitness levels than just choosing to lift some weights and go for runs, however. In very simple terms, working out is essentially causing strain on your muscles causing slight rips and tears in muscle fibers that then rebuild themselves to be stronger. To do this, the body needs nutrients and building blocks to ensure that this rebuilding process goes smoothly.
So, any athlete who wants to see progress needs to supply their body with everything necessary for healthy growth. Supplements help bridge the gaps found in a person’s diet and can be very useful by making sure all of the ingredients needed are ready and available. It is simply a matter of incorporating the right supplements into your diet and then letting them do their thing.
What supplements should you have if you’re trying to stay fit? Here’s just a few essentials:
Branched Chain Amino Acids
Proteins are a very important part of the body and are very powerful, muscles are made up of protein fibers and it is well known that protein is an important part of the diets of bodybuilders and long distance runners. Proteins are made up of amino acids, so it just makes sense to have as many amino acids on hand. BCAAs give you the widest range possible of amino acids for your body to use. This is what helps back up the findings that BCAAs aid in protein synthesis in the body and aid to stop protein degradation. Soreness is reduced as well as recovery time because those who take BCAAs have more protein building blocks available than those who don’t and have to wait for the body to make enough.
Whey Protein
BCAAs serve a kind of secondary effect on protein synthesis as a way of making sure your protein intake is well-rounded and complete. Whey protein serves as the bulk of your protein source next to protein found in food. There’s dozens of different brands of whey protein, with websites like The Workout Nut giving you full breakdowns on tons of different brands. Body composition and muscle growth is promoted through the ingestion of whey protein, making it a staple of every athlete’s supplement repertoire. Getting all of the protein you need through diet can be challenging, and whey can help you get to where you need to be.
Fish Oils
Fish oils like omega-3’s and omega-6’s are extremely beneficial for human beings whether they exercise or not, but the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects of fish oils are of note when it comes to bodybuilding. It is another supplement that helps against soreness as well as increase protein synthesis in the body. Supplements that decrease soreness tend to promote the rapid recovery of muscles and get you ready for your next workout so you can go as hard as you’re used to.
Parting Words
Making sure that your body has all of the tools it needs to stay in tip-top shape should be on the forefront of all athlete’s minds. All of the supplements you choose should be backed up by simple logic as well as scientific studies and you should avoid any miracle supplements with tons of random herbs thrown in to justify a high price tag. All of the supplements on this list are no-nonsense supplements that serve to give the body exactly what it needs to repair itself stronger than before.
