Sports supplements are an important component of physical training.
Thanks to them, classes become more productive, the body recovers faster, and the athlete does not feel discomfort. The basis of sports nutrition is natural ingredients. And the dose of nutrients in the mixtures is selected so as to increase the body’s performance and replenish the energy expended after training. Supplements protect the athlete from exhaustion and weakened immunity; the main thing is to choose and use them correctly.
There are many myths and misconceptions about sports nutrition. For example, about the negative impact on the athlete’s potency. However, natural supplements such as peanut butter or amino acids may not have any effect on sexual health. Let's look at the pros and cons of taking protein shakes, fat burners and other sports nutrition, why it is necessary and whether it is necessary, how and when to drink it correctly.
What is it and what is it for?
Sports nutrition is a supplement based on nutrient concentrates that are made from natural and chemical raw materials. The mixtures saturate the athlete’s body with useful substances that are necessary for energy, endurance, accelerated muscle growth, and weight loss.
Important! It should be remembered that sports nutrition alone will not help achieve high results. A comprehensive approach is needed: regular training, rest, proper nutrition and nutritional supplements.
In a broad sense, the correct regime and organization of an athlete’s diet
An athlete's diet should contain a large amount of proteins and carbohydrates.
Proteins accelerate the growth of muscle tissue, compensate for the loss of nitrogenous substances, and tone the central nervous system.
Thanks to carbohydrates, the body receives more energy, which is needed during long workouts.
Important! The ratio of nutrients in an athlete’s daily diet: carbohydrates - from 9 to 13 g, proteins - from 2 to 2.5 g, fats - from 1.6 to 2.3 g per kg of weight.
In the narrow sense - sports nutrition
Athletes need a lot of calories. They can get them from sports nutrition. They are easily digestible, saturate the body with useful substances, and do not overload the digestive organs.
The main thing is to choose the right type of supplements in accordance with your goals. For example, whey protein is used for muscle growth, fat burners are used for weight loss and fitness, and creatine is used for strength and endurance.
Important! To experience only the positive effects of sports nutrition, you need to follow the dosage and regimen of taking ready-made mixtures and correctly prepare the supplements yourself.
Be sure to check out:
Side effects of creatine on the body Sports nutrition for women is the best way to build a beautiful and healthy body The benefits and harms of sports nutrition: recommendations for use and contraindications Rules and features of sports nutrition after training
Additive properties
Andarine (S-4), belongs to the category of SARM drugs. Their distinctive feature is their selective interaction with receptors of muscle and bone tissue, resulting in an effective effect on these two body systems. Regular use of testosterone supplements, as well as various anabolic agents (such as Epistane and Winstrol), entail undesirable consequences, such as dry joints, hair loss, and increased blood cholesterol. In this regard, the advantage of Andarin is the absence of the above-mentioned side effects. Thus, the beneficial effects of Andarine on bone and muscle tissue, with minimal harmful effects on the body, have made the drug quite widespread in the sports environment.
General picture of the drug’s action:
- strengthens joints;
- promotes muscle growth;
- burns fat;
- does not require post-cycle therapy;
- does not cause prostate hypertrophy;
- no effect on female libido;
- does not cause baldness;
When using Andarin, there is no “rollback” effect, i.e. there is no return to the original state.
The drug has a selective effect on muscle tissue. Acts as a stimulant with a moderate anabolic effect, but does not increase the concentration of estradiol (female hormone). The active substance in the supplement is able to bind to androgen receptors 33% more than testosterone.
The drug promotes fat burning processes by eliminating accumulations of lipoprotein lipase. Thus, the level of lipids in the blood (fats and fat-like substances) is also regulated, which is important in the prevention of atherosclerosis.
The richest lipase enzymes are: adipose tissue, heart, skeletal muscle, and other body tissues, except the liver. That is why Andarine S-4 does not have any effect on this organ. The active component of the supplement prevents the binding of natural dihydrotestosterone to the receptors of the prostate gland, which means it does not cause baldness, which is inherent in testosterone supplements. Andarine’s ability to strengthen bone tissue and have a beneficial effect on joints has been reliably proven.
Pros and cons of taking sports nutrition, effects on the body
Sports supplements have their advantages and disadvantages. The main advantage is that the mixtures allow you to correct your figure, increase muscle mass, and get rid of extra pounds in a short time.
Nutrient concentrates are obtained after processing natural components. Simply put, it is ordinary food from which all components that are not beneficial have been removed.
However, sports mixtures may contain chemicals that often provoke allergies and other adverse reactions.
What is the benefit
The beneficial properties of supplements have been proven by many professional athletes:
- Mixtures increase endurance and strength.
- Accelerate muscle growth.
- Promotes fat burning.
- Accelerate the recovery of the body.
- Saturate the body with useful substances.
In addition, sports nutrition speeds up metabolism, cleanses the body of harmful substances, and strengthens the immune system.
Harm, contraindications and side effects for men and women
Sports nutrition can only be harmful if it is individually intolerant or used incorrectly. The risk of negative reactions increases if an athlete has purchased low-quality supplements.
The following side effects may occur after consuming sports mixtures:
- Nausea.
- Heartburn.
- Flatulence.
- Diarrhea.
- Allergy.
Important! If such negative reactions occur, you should stop taking the supplement and consult a doctor.
Rollback effect
As for the so-called “rollback” after completion of the reception, it is absent. This is the answer to the question if you, say, ask it as follows: “What if I use a gainer, gain the kilograms I need with it, and then stop using it. Will everything I built blow away?” The answer is extremely simple. Sports nutrition is the result of the processing of regular food products. You don’t get “blown away” by regular food products. Or another question, the opposite of the first: “If I take fat burners, lose the required amount of kilograms, and then stop taking them, will I gain them again?” The answer is also extremely simple - fat burners are just an additive to the diet, and if it is not adjusted, after you stop taking the drug, you will quickly gain back all the lost kilograms. Both during weight gain and weight loss, always focus on your diet, and only then pay attention to sports supplements.
How to properly prepare and consume when playing sports
Regardless of the type, mixtures must be taken within a strictly limited time. Classes will be effective only if the athlete knows how and in what dosage to use the drug.
Sports nutrition will bring maximum benefits if it is prepared correctly. Supplements can be diluted in water, juice, milk or kefir with a low fat content. To find out how to prepare the drink, you need to study the instructions. It is recommended to consume the drink immediately after preparation.
Recommendations
To experience the positive effects of the supplement, you need to consider the following recommendations:
- In the morning, it is recommended to take whey protein with amino acids.
- It is better to replace morning coffee with caffeine tablets.
- During breakfast you need to take a vitamin-mineral complex.
- An hour before class, take pre-workout supplements or nitric oxide.
- Half an hour before training, consume whey protein.
- Immediately after exercise, drink whey protein, amino acids, creatine, beta-alanine, carbohydrates.
Before going to bed, you need to take casein and fish oil.
Reception scheme
To improve your training results, take sports nutrition according to the following regimen:
- After waking up - 20 g whey protein, 5 g leucine or BCAA, 200 mg caffeine (if you need energy).
- An hour later during breakfast - 1 dose of multivitamins.
- 1-1.5 hours after breakfast - from 500 to 1000 mg of fish oil.
- At lunch - from 2 to 3 g of fish oil.
- An hour before the first workout - 500 to 1000 mg of green tea extract.
- Half an hour before class 2 - 20 g of protein, 5 g of BCAA, about 5 g of creatine, 3 g of beta-alanine.
- 45 minutes after training - 20 g whey protein, 15 g casein, 5 g BCAA, 4 g creatine, 2.5 g beta-alanine, 45 g fast carbohydrates.
- During dinner – 1 g of vitamin C, 450 mg of calcium, 1000-3000 IU of vitamin D.
- Half an hour before bedtime - 20 g of casein, 3 g of fish oil.
By following this regimen, you will notice results very quickly.
Read on for a comprehensive guide to sports nutrition for beginner athletes.
How much does it cost
The price of sports nutrition depends on the type of product, volume and manufacturer:
- For amino acids (500 g) you will have to pay 900-1,600 rubles.
- The price of proteins (500 g) is from 600 to 1,200 rubles.
- The average cost of gainers (1000 g) is 800 rubles.
- Creatine (500 g) costs about 800 rubles.
- Isotonic drinks (500 g) cost from 700 to 850 rubles.
- The average cost of pre-workout supplements (600 g) is 1,500 rubles.
- The price of fat burners ranges from 700 to 1,800 rubles.
- Vitamin and mineral complexes can be bought for 500-1,800 rubles.
Prices in different regions of Russia differ.
Important! Before purchasing a sports supplement, study the composition and quality certificates for the products.
Why do you need sports nutrition?
As mentioned above, each supplement affects one or another parameter of increasing strength, endurance, muscle mass, restorative capacity, some to a greater extent, some to a lesser extent.
In general, they all actively help the athlete improve the results of his physical training, regardless of the type of sport (whoever trains what will improve and increase in size). For example a swimmer , when taking creatine, will increase his speed when swimming short distances, and a bodybuilder will increase his strength in exercises.
Currently, the role of sports nutrition in the preparation of an athlete is greatly exceeded. Many still do not understand that the success of a bodybuilder (or other athlete) does not depend on sports nutrition, but on proper training, a balanced diet and proper recovery.
If you find an error, please select a piece of text and press Ctrl+Enter.
Helpful Champion Tips
You can only get valuable recommendations on choosing sports nutrition from professional athletes who have proven their strength at high-level competitions. They have invaluable experience that they share with newcomers. Their advice will help you avoid mistakes and achieve your goals faster.
Opinion of Denis Tsyplenkov
The absolute world champion in arm wrestling advises using gainers rather than proteins to increase muscle mass, since the composition of this supplement is balanced.
Creatine is very beneficial for athletes. D. Tsyplenkov advises using 50 g of the mixture for 2 weeks so that it accumulates in the tissues. Then drink 50 g before training, and 25 g on days without training.
Pre-workouts are best taken half an hour before classes to improve blood flow and increase energy.
Opinion of Vladimir Kravtsov
The European and Russian bench press champion advises immediately creating a training program. After this, you can stock up on protein, creatine, gainer, and amino acids. But it is important to follow the supplement regimen.
Opinion of Mikhail Koklyaev
MSMK for weightlifting offers the following regimen for taking sports nutrition:
- First dose – 50 g of protein, 1 spoon of BCAA. After 40 minutes, have breakfast. Then drink 1 teaspoon of creatine.
- You need to have lunch 2 hours before the training. Before class, take BCAAs, creatine, pre-workout, gainer. After exercise, consume isolate, fast carbohydrates, BCAAs.
Before going to bed, you can take 25 g of casein protein. It is absorbed in about 8 hours, providing an increase in muscle mass.
Creatine
A sports supplement whose task is to restore ATP reserves (adenosine triphosphate) wasted during training. ATP, by the way, is the main source of energy for our cells. This type of sports nutrition is used in bodybuilding to increase strength and build muscle mass. This is partly due to the fact that creatine retains water in the body.
Creatine is a natural substance found in human muscles. With his direct participation, energy exchange occurs and numerous movements are performed. The human body synthesizes it independently from three amino acids: glycine, arginine and methionine, and they, in turn, are the constituent components of protein.
When you lift weights, increasing your strength load also increases your creatine consumption. Accordingly, its reserves in the body must be replenished not only by adjusting the diet (since meat contains creatine), but also by taking it additionally from sports supplements.
Increased strength during creatine supplementation occurs by increasing the amount of ATP, which, after converting all fuel sources (proteins, fats and carbohydrates), becomes available as molecules used by the body as an energy source. Thus, by increasing the amount of creatine in the body by obtaining it from sports supplements, the amount of ATP increases, and accordingly, muscle strength also increases.
Gaining muscle mass occurs because increasing strength allows you to achieve the impact that maximally stimulates muscle growth. But this effect does not always occur. If the body's sensitivity to creatine is low, you should not expect a significant increase in muscle mass. At the same time, an increase in body weight occurs due to the fact that creatine retains water in the muscles. Because creatine monohydrate binds to water, you should drink plenty of fluids while taking it. Muscle cells are 75% water, and when their volume increases due to overhydration (increasing water content), protein synthesis increases and protein breakdown is minimized. Thus, taking creatine monohydrate provides significant assistance in the process of bodybuilding.
This representative of sports nutrition is absolutely safe and its use is permitted for any age group, with the only exception that it is strongly recommended to start taking it only after puberty, which in girls occurs from the beginning of the regular menstrual cycle (16-17 years old), boys, from about the age of 18-20 years.
Another interesting fact is that creatine is great for women and for weight loss. In the process of losing weight, creatine supplements allow you to increase the intensity of training, and therefore accelerate the process of destruction of adipose tissue, while maximizing the preservation of muscle tissue.
