Supplements can improve your fitness goals. However, they would provide good results only when you are already taking a healthy, nutrition diet.
You might notice the people taking different workout supplements in your gym wonder what for are they, and should they be taking them?
The experts have different perceptions about the workout supplements. The truth is that the advanced trainers & athletes aiming to achieve their peak performance might benefit from the supplements that contribute to muscle recovery, improve work output, gain muscle mass and delay fatigue.
But they will work only if you take them as complements to a well-balanced nutrition plan, and not as substitutes to the nutrients from the foods.
You need to go 90 % of the way to your fitness goal with consistent training along with good nutrition and proper rest & recovery. Supplements can provide you that last 10% you need to help you reach your goals.
Workout Main Supplements & What They Contain?
Here are just 4 main pre- & post-workout supplements that you may consider having and the natural food sources for these supplements for those who don’t believe in supplements.
Whey Protein Supplements
This type of protein is easily absorbed in the body, which helps you gain strength & thereby build muscles.
The most common natural sources for this type of protein are the foods such as yogurt (particularly Greek yogurt, which has more protein than the normal yogurt), cottage cheese and ricotta.
Branch Chain Amino Acids
If your goal is to gain lean body mass after workout, BCAAs supplements are known for preventing muscles from breaking down & stimulating protein synthesis. They help to recover from muscle soreness faster.
Food Sources: The excellent BCAA natural food sources include fish, chicken, eggs, soy products, beans, lentils and nuts. chicken, fish and eggs.
L-Glutamine
This is another protein type (amino acid) supplement that helps build muscle mass.
Food Sources: The food sources include beef, fish, chicken, eggs, dairy products, beans, cabbage, asparagus, broccoli & beets. It’s also present in miso and fermented wheat.
Creatine
This protein type (amino acid) workout supplement is taken to improve performance on short tasks (non-endurance, anaerobic). It helps boost strength & power, improves recovery and reduces muscles damage.
Food Sources: The food sources of creatine are all animal products, mainly red meat & seafood. So obviously, a vegetarians often doesn’t get the required amount of creatine from his/her diet and may need to take creatine supplementation.
Beta Alanine
This protein type (amino acid) supplement helps delay fatigue by counteracting the lactic acid production in the muscles, which is responsible for the muscle soreness. Because beta alanine helps buffer that cycle, so you are able to perform better & achieve higher volumes of workouts.
Food Sources: The food sources for Beta Alanine are lean beef, poultry (turkey & chicken are known the richest natural sources of alanine), fish, pork, roasted soybeans (sometimes marketed commercially as soy nuts).
Before taking workout supplements, first try including more of the foods stated above into your diet & follow proper rest habits. Notice for a few days how you feel before, during and after you workout. If you still will lacking & want to achieve more dramatic changes, then you may start taking supplements in consultation with a health professional who can help you create a nutrition plan based on your goals & needs and get started safely. Also make sure to follow the recommended serving size mentioned on the labels of the supplements.
