Dietary proteins have been shown to foster muscle growth, increase exercise capacity, and speed post-exercise recovery. Specific amino acids like arginine, glutamine, creatine and caffeine have also been proven effective at increasing performance in sports requiring high intensity sprinting or endurance activities.
Uninformed athletes may seek advice on supplement safety from coaches or team members without appropriate educational qualifications.
Caffeine
Caffeine is one of the most frequently consumed ergogenic supplements by athletes to enhance performance, often found as part of a stack [1. It works by stimulating the central nervous system, raising blood pressure and heart rate, stimulating fat release from fat cells and increasing energy production through its effects on phosphodiesterase function [1].
Caffeine may offer numerous health benefits for athletes. Studies have demonstrated its ergogenic effects, making caffeine easily tolerated as part of an athlete’s normal diet and social coffee drinking habits. Furthermore, caffeine consumption may help boost performance during endurance events where fatigue occurs quickly.
Creatine
Creatine is an abundant ergogenic supplement produced naturally within the human body and found in food sources like meats, fish, and milk. It helps regenerate ATP (adenosine triphosphate), the energy-generating molecule in cells. Creatine has long been utilized as an ergogenic aid by athletes looking to enhance exercise performance, increase resistance training adaptations, and shorten recovery times.
Studies indicate that creatine can enhance explosive power and weight lifting strength, without providing benefits in endurance exercise or helping with Wingate anaerobic capacity tests.
Adolescent athletes using creatine or other supplements should always seek advice from a sports dietitian before beginning supplementation regimens. This will enable them to learn nutrition for performance purposes while avoiding harmful or banned substances and saving money through reduced supplementation costs.
B-Alanine
B-Alanine is a non-proteinogenic amino acid found naturally in foods like poultry and meat, as well as through supplementation by athletes to increase muscle carnosine levels and buffer against lactic acid accumulation during high-intensity workouts such as repeated sprints or endurance capacities. By supplementing, athletes can increase muscle carnosine levels to enhance buffering ability during high intensity exercises like repeated sprints or endurance endurance capacity.
Studies show b-alanine can improve aerobic performance during exercises lasting four minutes or more and open-end tasks done until volitional fatigue sets in, making it particularly useful for athletes competing in events such as 10-km running time trials or power-based team sports.
Arginine
L-arginine is an amino acid and precursor for producing nitric oxide, an agent with vasodilatory effects which increase blood flow to muscles for improved athletic performance during both aerobic and anaerobic activities.
One study demonstrated how supplementing with 1.5-3 grams per day of arginine helped improve physical working capacity at fatigue threshold in amateur and healthy-untrained subjects, reduced concentrations of fatigue-related metabolites, and enhanced muscle strength.
Arginine can be consumed as either a standalone supplement, or combined with pre-workout mixes and energy drinks for use during exercise. For optimal results, arginine should be taken 30 minutes before engaging in physical activity.
IGF-1
Insulin-like Growth Factor 1 (IGF-1) is a hormone that signals your bones and muscles to grow, as well as how cells use blood sugar (glucose). Bodybuilders and athletes commonly take IGF-1 supplements as it can help build muscle mass while increasing strength; reduce body fat, improve endurance, as well as enhance performance in competitions. But taking too much can be hazardous.
IGF-1 may cause adverse side effects, including joint and bone pain, high blood pressure, and heart failure. Furthermore, professional sports leagues prohibit using this supplement; therefore it is best to obtain IGF-1 from your healthcare provider only.
DHEA
Though some athletes claim taking DHEA can increase muscle mass, science does not support this claim. DHEA serves as an intermediate step towards testosterone and 5a-androstane-3a,17b-diol production; too much testosterone or 5a-androstane-3a,17b-diol may lead to undesirable side effects such as hirsutism, acne or even alopecia.
DHEA is on the World Anti-Doping Agency’s (WADA) list of banned substances in sport. However, adding DHEA to an exercise training program didn’t enhance its effect on improvements in body composition, physical performance and cardiometabolic risk in postmenopausal women after twelve weeks of combined endurance and resistance exercise training programs aimed at postmenopausal women.
Testosterone
Testosterone is an important hormone for athletes that boosts protein synthesis, increasing muscle growth and helping them excel during strenuous training sessions and competitions. Studies have demonstrated that athletes with higher testosterone levels perform more favorably even in less strength-oriented sports such as rowing, ice hockey and basketball.
Testosterone increases overall strength while simultaneously increasing red blood cell count to improve aerobic endurance by providing additional oxygen supply to working muscles. Healthy testosterone levels also provide motivation and cognitive focus enabling athletes to push themselves further than before.
