Improve Your Workout with Supplements

Improve Your Workout with Supplements

The market for sports supplements is flooded with products, some old and some new. As an average consumer, the choice list seems a little overwhelming until you know what you are looking for. I pose the question, do supplements really make a positive impact on the athlete that consumes them, or are they just a waste of time and money, with little to no real-world result?

Vitamins are nothing new, and our bodies need to be replenished, maybe more than we care to admit. With our busy lives, our daily consumption of food may lack real nutrients our bodies crave and need to perform well. For the athlete, this can mean a difference between a second-place trophy and first-place gold. A New York Times article states, “The fitness supplements industry is primarily aimed at young men like Mr. Feintuch. Bodybuilding-related products — powders, and pills with names like Muscle Milk, Amplified Mass XXX, and N.O.-Xplode — represented a $2.7 billion industry in 2008, but one whose benefits are in serious dispute” (Roosevelt). The workout trainer, local gym rat, or even the two or three-day-a-week cardio class attendee, can all benefit from a solid diet and extra nutrients in their dietary program.

From research into workout supplements, I have found that many do carry health benefits when used properly, and some really don’t show the results that one may hope for as a consumer. Let’s look at the top five supplements for working out or for enjoying the sports of your choice. Proper consumption of the products on this list, I believe, will make a difference in achieving your personal goals for a healthier life.

 

Creatine  

We start our journey with a very popular supplement called creatine. This supplement falls under the pre-workout arena. Creatine is produced in our bodies naturally and is aided by foods we eat such as red meats.  Lean beef is one of my favorites. In an article titled, “The 8 Best Supplements For Strength Athletes And Bodybuilders” by Krissy Kendall, she states, “This muscle-building, power-enhancing, the supplement has an extremely high safety profile and a plethora of evidence to support its efficacy. Creatine supplementation works by increasing the availability of creatine and phosphocreatine (PCr) within the muscle, helping to maintain energy during high-intensity exercise such as weightlifting. Furthermore, increasing the availability of PCr may help speed up recovery between sets. Long-term creatine supplementation appears to enhance the quality of resistance training, generally leading to 5-15 percent greater gains in strength and performance” (Kendall). There are many articles that state very similar facts about creatine. It has proven itself effective for many athletes when taken properly over the years. Kendall continues to state the proper dose with a “load” stage of 20 mg daily for a week then dropping down to 5 mg daily after that for optimum results.

One question that comes up all too often is the long-term side effects of taking creatine. An article published in Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry addresses this issue. It positions, “Creatine has been reported to be an effective ergogenic aid for athletes. However, concerns have been raised regarding the long-term safety of creatine supplementation.” The author Kreider continues by saying, “Univariate analysis revealed no clinically significant interactions among groups in markers of clinical status. In addition, no apparent differences were observed among groups in the 15-item panel of qualitative urine markers. Results indicate that long-term creatine supplementation (up to 21 months) does not appear to adversely affect markers of health status in athletes undergoing intense training in comparison to athletes who do not take creatine” (Kreider).

This is great news for the athlete training long-term for an event or competition. As a pre-workout supplement creatine in its most common form, creatine-monohydrate is relatively cheap and easy to use. Just mix it in a cup of water 30 minutes prior to exercise. I have found it to be effective for small gains in the weight room with no long-term side effects.  

 

Caffeine

Continuing in the pre-workout gambit, another supplement is caffeine, yes, caffeine. This can take on many forms, from a cup of coffee to green tea extract. Kendall, in her article, sums up caffeine by stating, “Caffeine may be the most widely used stimulant in the world, and for good reason. It has repeatedly been shown to be an effective ergogenic aid in both endurance exercise and high-intensity activity. However, when it comes to strength performance, the effects of caffeine are a little muddier.” Then she adds, “That being said, caffeine has been shown to decrease rates of fatigue and lower perception of effort, which may be of benefit during high-intensity, high-volume workouts, or if you just need a little pick-me-up before hitting the weights.” Many don’t think of a link between caffeine and a workout, but studies have shown it may benefit the user to some degree.  

In an article in the European Journal of Sport Science entitled, “Effects of Coffee and Caffeine Anhydrous on Strength and Sprint Performance”, authored by Eric T. Trexler Department of Exercise and Sport Science, Applied Physiology Laboratory, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA, he set out to prove a caffeine benefit exists in exercise. In summary, they took fifty-four males and put them to the test “consisting of one-rep max (1RM) and repetitions to fatigue (RTF) at 80% of 1RM for leg press (LP) and bench press (BP). Participants then completed five, 10-second cycle ergometer sprints separated by one minute of rest. Peak power (PP) and total work (TW) were recorded for each sprint. At least 48 hours later, participants returned and ingested a beverage containing CAF (300 mg flat dose).”

They also used a placebo. They gave each participant a dose of one or the other 30 minutes prior to testing. His results were as stated, “Neither COF(coffee) nor CAF(caffeine) improved strength outcomes more than PLA(placebo), while both groups attenuated sprint power reductions to a similar degree. Coffee and caffeine anhydrous may be considered suitable pre-exercise caffeine sources for high-intensity exercise.” (Trexler). Those of you like myself, with some high tolerances for caffeine, may choose an alternate supplement to best meet your needs.

 

BCAA

Moving on to Branched Chain Amino Acids, or BCAA’s, as a supplement for workouts seems a viable and popular option. The cost is very reasonable, and these can be located at any health supply store. Are there real benefits to taking BCAAs for training purposes? Kendall addresses this in her article “The 8 Best Supplements For Strength Athletes And Bodybuilders”. She writes, “A 2010 study published in the International Journal of Sports Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism found that participants who ingested BCAAs at 100 milligrams per kilogram of body weight, or about 9 grams for a 200-pound individual, experienced significantly less muscle soreness and damage following a high-volume squat protocol.

It appears that BCAAs, especially leucine, help to regulate protein metabolism by promoting protein synthesis and suppressing protein degradation, which may improve recovery of muscles damaged during resistance training” (Kendall). Amino acids can also give an energy boost to the user.

From my experience, they don’t have the negatives of a “crash” feeling a few hours after consumption as many pre-workout choices might. BCAA’s can also help reduce the feeling of fatigue and add with recovery of muscles. In the article “Branched-Chain Amino Acid Supplementation before Squat Exercise and Delayed-Onset Muscle Soreness”, found in the “International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism”, it states, “Plasma BCAA concentrations, which decreased after exercise in the placebo trial, were markedly elevated during the 2-hr. post exercise in the BCAA trial. Serum myoglobin concentration was increased by exercise in the placebo but not in the BCAA trial. The concentration of plasma elastase as an index of neutrophil activation appeared to increase after the squat exercise in both trials, but the change in the elastase level was significant only in the placebo trial.

These results suggest that muscle damage may be suppressed by BCAA supplementation.” (Shimomura) If you are serious about your training, BCAA’s should be on your list of daily supplements, as they can increase your stamina and help the muscle recovery process. This is one of the all-time greats on the market today.

 

Beta-Alanine

Beta-alanine is a nonessential amino acid, commonly known as alanine. It doesn’t need to be part of your regular diet, as your body can synthesize it from pyrimidine compounds. There are certain foods that can increase the absorption of beta-alanine in your body. You may find it difficult to regularly consume the same amount used in studies through diet alone. That’s where a supplement can come into play. A high intake of beta-alanine can progress muscle capacity by raising your level of carnosine, a molecule that activates muscle contraction enzymes.

Beta-alanine is a less commonly known amino acid and can be found at many health stores near you. We can benefit from it in small doses as stated by Hobson in the article entitled, “Effects of B-Alanine Supplementation on Exercise Performance: a meta-analysis”. “The median overall effect of β-alanine supplementation is a 2.85% (−0.37 to 10.49%) improvement in the outcome of an exercise measure when 179 g of β-alanine is supplemented; although this value is likely to change dependent upon a variety of factors. In the only test to be repeated following 4 weeks of β-alanine supplementation across two different studies, increases in exercise capacity were indeed outside this range at 11.8% (Hill et al. 2007) and 12.1% (Sale et al. 2011).

From the data available to date, it can be concluded that β-alanine supplementation elicits a significant ergogenic effect on high-intensity exercise, particularly in exercise capacity tests and measures, and where the exercise lasts between 1 and 4 min” (Hobson). This may be a small increase as science has shown, but to many, it may get them over the “wall” or the stuck point in the weight room. The dosage for improving physical performance can range from 3.2-6.4 grams daily of a specific beta-alanine product.

 

Glutamine

There is a recovery amino acid that is not on most athletes’ list of supplements and should be, it’s called, Glutamine.  Glutamine is an abundant amino acid in the body’s bloodstream and is produced in the body, unfortunately, stress hormones can wreak havoc on this vital recovery amino. Studies have proven its effectiveness for the athlete or competitor who needs a solid recovery from a great workout. John McKiernan expresses, Athletes who are interested in preserving muscle tissue and decreasing recovery time from training sessions can benefit from glutamine.

Two-thirds of the glutamine stores in the body reside within the muscle tissue. During times of stress and intense physical exertion, the body releases high levels of the muscle-wasting hormone cortisol which can decrease glutamine stores. Supplementing glutamine can help keep the body in an anabolic state, making it easier to build and maintain muscle mass” (McKiernan). This amino acid can be purchased on the web, in local health stores, and even in Fred Myer grocery stores. It usually comes in an average size pill, but can be consumed in powder form also, great for mixing in a post-workout shake. McKiernan adds in his article the correct dosing for this great amino acid listing, “Daily dosage recommendations Ulcers – 2 grams, Anabolic purposes – 5-15 grams, and Gastrointestinal diseases – 5-20 grams” (McKiernan). It seems there are more benefits to the amino glutamine than just post-workout recovery, including the aid in stomach ulcers, and gastrointestinal diseases and even shortening the post-surgery time spent in the hospital.

The markets are inundated with health and supplement products; most claiming they can benefit you in numerous ways. It is easy for someone to get lost in the rows of shelves that line our health stores and come out with products that are only full of lip service. If you want real results from workout supplements, try the above list. You can even “stack” or take multiple vitamins at once for greater results. In an article entitled “What Are The Best Supplement Stacks?” a bodybuilding.com profiler named, Tunit, states, “These supplements are very important to maintaining health and building muscle in the absence of other, more-specific goal-oriented, supplements. These are the basics and will help you get good gains in the weight room. Creatine and beta-alanine have excellent synergy – creatine helps anaerobic power while beta-alanine improves aerobic power for an excellent one-two punch.” (Tunic) No matter your personal workout goals, or if you’re training for a great sports event, it may be supplements that can give you the edge you are looking for.

 

 

This post may contain affiliate links.

 

Works Cited:

Roosevelt, Max “When the Gym Isn’t Enough”, The New York Times, JAN. 13, 2010 Web

Kendall, Krissy, “The 8 Best Supplements For Strength Athletes And Bodybuilders” January 30, 2017 https://www.bodybuilding.com/content/the-8-supplements-for-strength-athletes-and-bodybuilders.html WEB

Kreider, R. B. (2003). “Effects of creatine supplementation on performance and training” adaptations. Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry, 244(1-2), 89-94.

Eric T. Trexler , Abbie E. Smith-Ryan, Erica J. Roelofs, Katie R. Hirsch & Meredith G. “Mock Effects of coffee and caffeine anhydrous on strength and sprint performance”

Pages 702-710 | Published online: European Journal of Sport Science, 22 Sep 2015

Shimomura, Y., Inaguma, A., Watanabe, S., Yamamoto, Y., Muramatsu, Y., Bajotto, G., … & Mawatari, K. (2010). Branched-chain amino acid supplementation before squat exercise and delayed-onset muscle soreness. International Journal of Sport Nutrition, 20(3), 236.

Hobson ,R. M.  Effects of β-alanine supplementation on exercise performance: a meta-analysis, 2012 Jan 24 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3374095/ 24 Jan. 2012

McKiernan, John “Glutamine: The ultimate healing supplement” naturalnews.com 24 May 2012 WEB

Tunit, “What Are The Best Supplement Stacks?” Bodybuilding.com Feb 03, 2017 WEB

https://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/topicoftheweek155.htm

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