Recreational athletes as well as professionals looking to sharpen their game strive to perfect it, which requires extensive physical conditioning and training experience as well as an individual diet and nutrition plan that incorporates whole food choices as an element of preparation.
Supplements that support increased strength and endurance, quicker recovery or general body functions may also be of interest.
Caffeine
Caffeine is an easily accessible legal performance enhancer that can be taken in pill or liquid form to improve single and intermittent sprint performance as well as fatigue index after exercise [195]. It is an effective ergogenic aid in terms of improving single sprint performance as well as fatigue index levels following physical exertion [196-197].
Studies on caffeine’s effects on aerobic and muscular endurance were generally indistinguishable between males and females, though studies comparing effects between low dose (3-4 mg/kg) consumed as flat cola at the end of competitions and higher doses administered via inspired powder or nasal spray showed that men experienced greater benefits from increased doses.
Athletes with slow metabolizer genotypes should take extra caution with their caffeine consumption as too much caffeine could lead to tachycardia, heart palpitations and impaired sleep quality resulting in impaired recovery from training or competitions.
Creatine
Creatine is an all-natural substance produced in the body that aids in producing ATP energy for muscles during high-intensity exercise, helping generate more ATP energy than is produced from carbohydrates alone (6). Studies have demonstrated its effects to improve strength, increase muscle mass, enhance training intensity and endurance over time and decrease myostatin protein levels that inhibit muscle growth; all while potentially aiding recovery after intense exercises (6).
Creatine supplements come in the form of creatine monohydrate. Studies have demonstrated that taking 5 g daily for several weeks increases muscle creatine content and enhances performance over time (7, 8, 9 10).
Electrolytes may help increase glycogen loading, prevent exercise-induced muscle damage and limit cramping following intense exercise; however, they won’t aid athletes in attaining bursts of speed or power or enhance long-term endurance performance.
Beta-Alanine
Beta-alanine can be found in meat sources, but people are unlikely to consume enough through diet alone to experience its exercise-boosting properties. Beta-alanine increases muscle carnosine levels while attenuating lactic acid buildup during high intensity training sessions that could otherwise lead to fatigue.
Studies have demonstrated that increased muscle carnosine can increase performance when engaging in exercises such as the half squat. It allows you to train at intensities above your lactate threshold without slowing or decreasing repetitions during a set.
Choose a supplement with both immediate and sustained release forms of beta-alanine for maximum flexibility when loading protocols are being applied across various training sessions, with higher doses leading to faster gains in muscle carnosine.
Bicarbonate
Athletes use sodium bicarbonate to combat muscle fatigue and improve exercise performance. The theory behind its use is that hydrogen ions (H+) produced during muscle ATP breakdown are drawn away, leaving more alkaline states and improving performance in return.
Increased power output and enhanced training duration through faster return of pH levels back to their optimal levels can increase power output and help athletes train harder, longer. Furthermore, enhanced recovery results from quicker returning of normal pH levels.
Multiple-day protocols (3-7 days before an exercise test) consisting of 0.2 to 0.5 g/kg body weight of sodium bicarbonate have proven successful at increasing exercise performance, yet higher dosages do not yield additional ergogenic benefits and often lead to greater incidence and severity of side-effects.
To prevent digestive discomfort, athletes can try taking bicarbonate with a carb-rich meal or enteric-coated capsules that do not break down in their stomach and deliver their contents directly into their intestine. Swedish sports nutrition company Maurten offers one such solution by encasing mini bicarbonate pills into gloppy hydrogel that allows for direct delivery into their gut.
Vitamins and Mineral Salts
Minerals are necessary for numerous metabolic and physiological processes, such as muscle contraction, normal hearth rhythm, nerve impulse conduction, oxygen transport, oxidative phosphorylation enzyme activation bone health immune function acid-base balance in blood. As exercise enhances these processes it is imperative that athletes consume sufficient minerals in their diet.
Vitamin C and Selenium can both act as antioxidants that neutralize free radicals produced during advanced physical training, helping protect cells and tissue [244] with both decreasing free radical damage to muscles while simultaneously improving recovery [245]. Potassium (K) plays a vital role in fluid balance, blood pressure and heart rate regulation as well as in helping control melatonin production for deep sleep – essential elements for athlete performance [246]. Athletes should ensure they regularly consume this nutrient [247].
