How to choose sports nutrition: instructions for choosing, tips for beginners

• August 21, 2019
• Sports nutrition
• Marina Zhukova

If previously sports nutrition was intended only for jocks, now even fitness enthusiasts use it. There are a huge number of different points of view regarding the harm and benefits of these products. Beginners should not rush into all seriousness and rely on all means at once. How to choose the right sports nutrition is described in this article.

The right approach to the training process

It is quite difficult for people who decide to start training with weights to immediately understand which sports nutrition will suit them best. If a beginner is not sure of the effectiveness of a particular remedy, he should under no circumstances start taking it. This can cause serious harm to your health. At this stage, athletes should be very careful and work with heavy weights no more than 4 times a week. It is also prohibited to overdo it with the duration of training. It should take no more than sixty minutes. It is important to remember about rest. Without it, a good result cannot be achieved. Only by following these simple rules can an athlete begin to figure out which sports nutrition to choose to achieve his goals.

What should you know when deciding to take sports nutrition?

For people who have only recently started lifting weights, it is quite difficult to understand which supplements to purchase and how much money to spend. You cannot act without confidence that the sports nutrition you take will be effective. Otherwise the product will not be useful.

Beginning bodybuilders should be careful about their training program. It is recommended to lift weights no more than four times a week. The duration of the lesson should be a maximum of 60 minutes. You need to give yourself a break from training. Without following this recommendation, you will not be able to achieve the desired result. Long duration and frequency of training will lead to overtraining.

It is necessary to understand the difference between nutrition for strength training and dietary nutrition. To increase muscle mass, you should give up three meals a day. It is recommended to eat seven or even eight times a day, but in small portions. This is the main key to the success of any novice athlete who wants to have an impressive amount of muscle. The most important substance that should be present in the diet of every bodybuilder is protein. The amount of protein per day cannot be less than 20 grams per serving. This applies to both training and free days.

Establishing a proper diet

Training also cannot be effective without proper nutrition. First of all, the goal is determined. It can be strength or dietary. To build muscle mass, you need to eat seven to eight times a day. Such nutrition is the key to good shape for any athlete. To ensure that the result is not long in coming, they usually enhance the effect with protein.

The Importance of Nutritional Supplements

Beginning bodybuilders should fully understand how to choose sports nutrition specifically for themselves. If you don’t use it, it’s almost impossible to achieve a truly worthwhile result. The supplements contain special components, the introduction of which into the body leads to a rapid increase in muscle mass. But, of course, you shouldn’t abuse them.

Supplements cannot be used as a complete meal. They perform a compensatory function. That is, they help athletes get the microelements missing in their diet. These products are always quite expensive, so you should buy only those that will be useful at this stage of training.

Basic set

If beginners don’t know how to choose sports nutrition, they can try supplements from the basic set. It includes several products, each of which has its own purpose. Protein, slow carbohydrates, creatine, fish oil, beta-alanine - you should start choosing sports nutrition with these supplements. Below is a detailed description and purpose of each of them.

Protein

Protein is a builder of a beautiful body - this is a well-known fact. But very often bodybuilders cannot make up for their daily requirement with normal nutrition. This problem is especially relevant for beginners. They don’t know how to choose sports nutrition. Therefore, in order not to harm your health, you should start with the simplest products. It will be protein. This component very well enriches the body with amino acids, which contribute to the rapid growth of muscle mass. It should be taken before or after training. During these periods of time, whey protein enriches muscles with precisely those substances that promote their growth. If a person cannot figure out which sports nutrition is best to choose, he should start with protein. This bottomless source of protein always has a beneficial effect on your figure.

It is worth noting that whey protein is very digestible and is also very convenient to eat anywhere. For those who are looking for information on how to choose sports nutrition for weight loss, it should be said that protein has a fairly high calorie content. Because of this, it is ideal for those who are building muscle mass and can stop weight loss in those who are losing weight.

What sports nutrition should I start with?

Many people believe that the first thing you need to look at is a person’s body type.

Hand on heart, if you are a beginner, then most likely YOU DO NOT NEED SPORTS NUTRITION! The usual small, frequent meals will be quite enough.

This is where all sorts of advice comes from: “Are you thin? Then drink gainer!” This is nonsense, friends.

Honestly, I don’t see the point of drinking a gainer at all. ABSOLUTELY! I’ve never drank it myself, and I don’t see any reason for other people to drink it.

Gainer is the same protein, only with the addition of carbohydrates (usually maltodextrin). Only maltodextrin is a REGULAR FAST CARBOHYDRATE.

So why pay exorbitant amounts of money for protein mixed with “sugar”? It would be more logical to buy protein if you decide to try sports nutrition because of ease of use, for example.

If you want to try some kind of sports nutrition, but don’t know where to start, then buy yourself a complex protein and drink it after training and before bed.

This will be the very beginning. Complex protein contains both fast (whey), medium (egg, beef) and long-lasting (casein) protein. It will be more than enough at the initial stage to continue to progress normally.

Next we will start using two types of sports nutrition products. Fast (whey) protein after training and long-lasting (casein) protein before bed;

People ask me which is better: a comprehensive protein or two highly specialized ones (whey and casein). I’ll answer honestly, for a beginner, and in general, there is not much difference.

I have a detailed and very cool article about what whey protein is.

Of course, two different proteins will be better, but your wallet will feel the difference more than you. In truth, complete protein will be more than enough to take both post-workout and before bed.

Vitamins and minerals

In fact, you need to start getting acquainted with sports nutrition with vitamins and minerals. Here is a detailed article about which vitamins for sports would be preferable, and whether they are needed at all.

Of the minerals, one of the most important is calcium. I have a cool detailed article about calcium in bodybuilding. Be sure to read!

Amines

Amino acids, also known as amines, are the “building blocks” that make up a protein molecule. It makes sense to use them only if you are a vegetarian or drying (burning fat with minimal muscle loss). In other cases, you won't need them at all.

Does it make sense to take amino acids? Certainly! After all, this is a high-quality protein, but there is one “but”. Amines are a very expensive protein per gram. Naturally, amino acids in colorful jars with original names sell well, because... promise you an incredible effect for muscle growth. True, understand that here the price and weight of the goods are completely incomparable.

Each protein molecule obtained from meat, eggs, cottage cheese, etc. will eventually be broken down into amino acids, but only in this case you won’t have to pay extra for expensive capsules in a jar with Phil Heath’s face on the wrapper.

They have some advantages:

1. Amino acid profile (nothing superfluous, only amines necessary for muscles).
2. Speed ​​of absorption (for them it is almost instantaneous).

Regarding a good amino acid profile, I want to say that you can get the same from any product rich in animal protein (meat, for example).

The speed of absorption is, of course, very good, but it is greatly overrated. There are two periods per day when the rate at which nutrients enter the blood is very important. This is after sleep and after training, because... in the first case, the body starved for a long time, and in the second, it depleted its energy reserves with physical activity.

The only trick is that, first of all, at these moments, CARBOHYDRATES are important, and not proteins, because... The body primarily restores energy reserves, and does not engage in construction.

That's why to lose weight it is recommended to run in the morning on an empty stomach. This is very reasonable, because the glycogen stores in the muscles are depleted, and the body will use fat as energy, and if you eat, the body will immediately replenish the reserve “glycogen tanks” and fat burning will not begin until these reserves are depleted.

That is why, to gain muscle mass, it is important to first replenish the body’s carbohydrate reserves, not protein. And it’s very easy to restore them by simply eating fast carbohydrates (chocolates, bananas, candies, etc.).

But if everyone knew this, could manufacturers make millions of dollars selling BCAA amino acids? Of course not. Therefore, all this is carefully hidden.

The use of amino acids is justified, as I said, during drying and if you are a vegetarian.

When you are on a diet (cutting), the body does not have enough carbohydrates and it begins to “eat” the muscles. To prevent this from happening, you need to drink BCAA amino acids (branched chain amino acids), which burn first. Read about BCAA and what it is needed for.

And if you are a vegetarian, then your diet does not have enough animal protein and you need to carefully monitor your amino acid profile. Amino acids from a jar can contribute well to this.

• whey protein isolate will almost always be better than free form amino acids;
• amino acids are important (but not very important) after getting up, during and after training;
• amino acids (especially BCAA) are needed only if you are cutting or you are a vegetarian;

Creatine

After about one year, you may need creatine monohydrate. Oddly enough, this is one of the cheapest and most effective sports supplements. It works for 70% of people, and does not work only for those who already have high levels of creatine in their blood.

It can be classified as: “sports nutrition for muscle growth”, because... the muscles really become bigger. More complete, perhaps.

I really like the effect it gives. I talked about it in more detail in the article: creatine monohydrate: what is it for, but for now I must tell you the following of the most important and interesting things:

1. Creatine monohydrate accumulates cumulatively.
2. A creatine loading phase is not necessary.

What does cumulative mean? This means that it does not act instantly, like, for example, coffee (you drank it, and after 15-30 minutes your blood pressure rose). Its effect begins only after you take it for 7-14 days, and the required concentration (about 6-10 g) is constantly circulating in the blood.

This is one of the few supplements that actually works. Creatine can be obtained from regular food, but in order to get the required dosage (about 5 g per day) you will need to eat a couple of kilograms of red meat. It's a little expensive, don't you agree?

Therefore, it is much easier to drink it in the morning on an empty stomach with fast carbohydrates (sweet juice), approximately 10 g of carbohydrates per 1 g of creatine.

I really like the effect of it. It is involved in the resynthesis of energy, so you will be able to press, pull, etc. more. Simply put, you have the opportunity for one more additional repetition in the exercise. In short, the thing is cool and, most importantly, it really WORKS!

There is also an opinion that it is necessary to do a creatine loading phase, i.e. in the first week, take not 5 g per day, but 20 g, 2-3 times a day. In my opinion, this is simply a translation of the product, because... More than 5 g per day of creatine will still not be absorbed. You'll just trigger the toilet.

Fat burners

There are some pretty good fat burners, but they give little effect, if you notice it at all. And they cost a lot of money. Previously, there were some that worked well based on ephedrine, but now it has been banned from being added to these products. In short, there is no pronounced effect from them. And believe me, those who advertise these products are clearly not thanks to them.

L-Carnitine

Allows you to use fat as energy. I've heard a lot of positive reviews about this supplement. Naturally, it is no more effective than a balanced diet, but coupled with proper nutrition it can greatly enhance your progress in losing weight.

Slow carbohydrates

Sports nutrition should be selected taking into account the goals pursued. So among dietary supplements with complex carbohydrates there are several different products, each of which is effective in different cases. What they have in common is their high energy value, which helps make workouts longer and more resilient.

The most expensive slow carbohydrates are dextose and maltodextrim. With them, your training will be mega productive. Those who decide to save a little should pay attention to a shake made from whey protein and banana. The most inexpensive sources of complex carbohydrates are products such as:

• potato,
• dates,
• cereals.

The advantages of slow carbohydrates include their ability to effectively burn fat, as well as the ability to stabilize blood sugar levels.

Keratin

This supplement is one of the most successful for those who do not quite understand how to choose sports nutrition. It increases strength and endurance, and also helps accelerate the growth of lean muscle mass. It can be taken absolutely at any time. It is very effective on both training and rest days. The optimal consumption is five grams of this product per day.

As for taking keratin before training, it helps increase energy. The advantages of this supplement include its amazing property - it helps to overcome your expected limit of capabilities and do much more than a person thought. Keratin forms come in a variety of forms. It’s worth trying each one and then it will become clear which one is suitable for a particular person. But despite the obvious advantages, the supplement has a huge drawback. Regular consumption of keratin leads to water retention in the body, as well as loss of strength after exercise. People taking this product will not be able to see rapid weight loss on the scale.

Sports nutrition: description and features

Sports nutrition (sports nutrition) is, first of all, a healthy diet. Its production is based on scientific research in physiology and nutrition. A large selection and free access make life much easier for people actively involved in one or another sport. The main thing in nutrition is to understand what this or that type of sports product provides.

There are a lot of sports nutrition options: proteins, protein bars, mineral complexes, gainers, pre-workout supplements (pre-workout complexes) and so on. The list is endless. The main thing is that these are products based on plant and animal origin.

Why is it necessary?

Food consumed every day includes certain types of fats and amino acids, which are also required in sports nutrition. Sports nutrition products must be ordered and purchased on trusted websites to avoid falling into the hands of charlatans. One of these is the online store of the company PitProfi.

Sports nutrition makes it possible to improve and increase the following groups of indicators:

• strength and endurance;
• muscle mass;
• muscular relief;
• anti-catabolic effect;
• weight loss, weight loss;
• recovery after high loads.

Who is it suitable for?

Literally anyone can use sports nutrition, especially since nutritional supplements are inexpensive. A selected and formulated complex of proper sports nutrition protects and helps before and during training. After all, sports nutrition is a force that helps you move forward and only forward.

However, before you start using supplements, you should carefully check your health status:

• firstly, you should know whether allergic reactions to a particular substance may occur;
• secondly, it is important to understand that some of the substances affect pressure surges.

Fish fat

This product is popular not only in the fitness industry, but also in medicine. Therefore, there is no doubt about its beneficial properties. In addition to being an excellent sports supplement, fish oil also has amazing anti-inflammatory properties. This ability helps people taking the supplement quickly recover after heavy exercise. The beauty of this product is the complete absence of side effects.

Each person must determine their daily requirement for themselves. Since the required amount of fish oil depends on the needs of the body. Those who play sports daily are recommended to take 2-4 grams of the product per day. Fish oil perfectly enriches the bodies of bodybuilders with Omega-3 and Omega-6 acids. They are the ones that usually enter the human body in insufficient quantities. The disadvantage of this supplement is its extremely unpleasant taste, which can cause nausea, heartburn and belching.

Beta-alanine

Many people know how to choose the right sports nutrition, but not everyone understands the benefits it brings to the body. Beta-alanine, for example, works great against muscle acidosis. This is a condition in which athletes lifting heavy weights feel intense muscle burning. These sensations are so unbearable that bodybuilders often have to stop their training. Those who take beta-alanine can lift heavier weights for longer periods of time. Their muscles don’t get so tired and pump up faster due to the long duration of the workout.

In order for beta-alanine to begin to have a positive effect on the human body, it should be taken half an hour before the start of training. You can also drink it on days without physical activity. This can be done at any convenient time of the day. With it, fat quickly disappears, muscle mass grows and human strength increases. It's quite expensive, but it's worth it. Some athletes feel a slight tingling sensation in their body when consuming it. This is a normal reaction of the body to beta-alanine and there is no need to worry about it.

Rules for the use of sports nutrition

Taking sports nutrition every day is not complicated.
You need to strictly follow the instructions and not overdo it with dosages. If the instructions from the manufacturer indicate that a single serving of protein is 30-40 g per day and it can be taken 1-4 times, then this is the amount that should be consumed. Exceeding dosages will not negatively affect the health of the body and will not cause harm to it. After all, everything unnecessary and undigested will come out naturally. But increasing doses will significantly “hit” cash costs without additional positive results.

The following consumption regimens are recommended for experienced athletes and bodybuilders:

1. Gainers and proteins - take on sports days an hour before training and immediately after finishing.
2. It is advisable to drink cocktails with added vitamins and protein once a day on days when there are no workouts.
3. Creatine, pre-workout supplements and other pills to improve sports activity are recommended on days of “stagnation” and decreased motivation to exercise. But you can’t overdo it with taking it, as the body quickly gets used to it, and the drugs stop bringing the desired effect.

Beginners need to purchase a sports nutrition kit for beginners and adhere to its proper nutrition table. As a rule, the main thing in sports nutrition for beginners is gainer or protein complexes.

BCAA amino acids

The list of branched chain amino acids includes:

• valine;
• leucine;
• isoleucine.

They help prevent muscle loss. Amino acids help quickly absorb protein and reduce fatigue. Taking this supplement regularly will help improve your workout performance. According to research, BCAAs help reduce cortisol. And it is this enzyme that affects the breakdown of protein in the body. Thus, taking amino acids leads to improved muscle mass and the rapid formation of a beautiful body. For those who cannot purchase this dietary supplement, there are alternatives in the form of regular food products. Athletes can eat red meat, eggs and milk, which have amino acid-like properties. But the effect of their consumption will be less obvious.

SPORTS NUTRITION FOR WEIGHT LOSS L-carnitine

The best and really safe drug for weight loss. In essence, it is a vitamin. The effect of taking it is not quick, but stable. Health and well-being actually improves.

Effects of carnitine

Accelerated fat burning Anabolic functions (stimulation of growth hormone production) Noticeable increase in mental and physical energy Reduction of cholesterol levels Increased resistance to stress Detoxification (increased removal of toxins from the body) Stimulation of tissue regeneration Prevention of osteoporosis Antioxidant effect

How to take L-carnitine

Recommended dose – 1-2 grams per day Take 1g in the morning on an empty stomach, and 1g before training. On days when there is no training, take before lunch. You should start taking the drug with one dose of 1 g (either in the morning or before training). With long-term use, the effectiveness of the drug decreases. Should be taken for 4 weeks with breaks of 2 weeks.

Sports nutrition for weight loss

The best L-carnitine preparations

L-Carnitine Concentrate (Multipower)

Liquid: Power System L-Carnitine (Power System)

Tablets: L-Carnitine 500 (Ultimate Nutrition)

There are also much cheaper analogues sold in pharmacies. For example, the drug Carniton. Keep in mind, carnitine has several contraindications!

How to take L-carnitine for weight loss

Gainer

Those who do not know how to choose the right sports nutrition for gaining muscle mass should consider a product such as a gainer. In its composition, it mainly consists of carbohydrates and whey protein. Its main focus is to increase a person’s muscles and energy reserves. Initially, only bodybuilders took it and the quality of the mixture was extremely questionable. Now gainers are produced by trusted companies. Therefore, the supplement can boast of a high-quality and balanced composition. Gainer helps you quickly gain weight and also maintain it in a stable state. Another advantage is the ability to quickly restore the body after training.

Types of food

To understand which sports nutrition is suitable for gaining muscle mass, you will have to understand what the market offers.

Manufacturers from different countries put dozens of different products on their shelves. It can perform various functions, from providing nutrition to the body to improving sleep.

How to choose the right sports nutrition for beginners: endomorph diagram

Endomorphs are people with a slow metabolism and a tendency to be overweight. To choose the right nutrition for them, you should pay maximum attention to proteins, caseins and amino acids. Supplements must be taken according to a specific schedule. So, protein should be added to the diet only after training. Caseine - only at night. BCAA amino acids should be divided into two doses. The first is carried out before training, and the second in the process of working with heavy weights. Each of these techniques requires five grams of dry product.