Fitness supplements — also known as ergogenic aids — can help you work out harder, reach your workout goals more quickly and experience less post-workout fatigue. Caffeine, creatine and beta-alanine can increase energy levels; magnesium and tart cherry extract reduce muscle soreness.
However, fitness supplements should not be seen as a replacement for healthy eating and training habits. When selecting brands and reading labels carefully to avoid overstated claims or potentially harmful ingredients.
Pre-workout supplements
Pre-workout supplements should be taken prior to exercise and contain ingredients designed to maximize its effects. They may help with energy levels, mental focus and muscle endurance. When searching for pre-workouts that meet this criteria look for ones with non-GMO ingredients that you can pronounce such as soy-free organic varieties that contain no GMOs and minimal ingredients that you cannot pronounce such as no soy derivatives or GMO ingredients.
Caffeine is one of the most renowned pre-workout ingredients and provides a temporary boost of energy. When looking for products with appropriate amounts of caffeine to meet performance goals, research should always come first.
Beta-alanine is another ingredient commonly used to delay fatigue and enhance strength and endurance, but be wary as certain products contain too much of this amino acid and could cause itching or tingling sensations. To get adequate amounts of creatine from food sources such as poultry, fish and red meat. Creatine monohydrate powder should be avoided due to potential adverse impacts on kidneys when consumed at higher quantities.
Post-workout supplements
Supplements designed to aid muscle recovery and protein synthesis after workouts may help alleviate soreness and enhance strength, leading to less severe soreness and greater strength gains. Common ingredients found in post-workout supplements that support these processes include BCAAs and creatine for supporting muscle growth; carb sources like whey to replenish energy lost through sweating; key ingredients which promote endurance while preventing lactic acid buildup;
Pre and post workout supplements can have a tremendous effect on your training, but they shouldn’t be the sole focus for reaching fitness goals. A well-organized diet and consistent workout routine are truly transformative tools.
Integrating new supplements into your routine isn’t without risk, and its outcome depends on the product quality and your individual nutritional requirements. To assist in making informed decisions about these matters, BarBend’s InsideTracker nutrition and supplement tracking software provides free and paid plans that enable users to monitor biomarkers as well as track how supplements are performing over time.
Electrolytes
Fitness supplements can assist in reaching your gym goals, from fat burning to increasing energy and focus. But it is crucial that you select those which best meet your individual needs and goals.
Electrolytes are minerals that carry electrical signals throughout the body. You’ll find electrolytes dissolved in blood, sweat and other bodily fluids – from blood to sweat to bodily fluids like sweat – such as sodium, potassium, calcium magnesium phosphate chloride. Electrolytes help keep fluid balance healthy as well as support heart, muscle and nerve function.
Exercise can lead to electrolyte losses through sweat. Without replenishment, this loss could significantly impair your workout. Drinking electrolyte powders or beverages before, during, and after gym sessions can increase hydration and endurance while decreasing fatigue and speeding recovery post workout. This allows you to work harder for longer thereby optimizing the experience you gain in the gym.
Vitamins
There are various pills, powders, and drinks on the market that promise to aid your fitness journey, but it is essential to remember that they should only supplement rather than replace eating a balanced diet of whole foods.
Vitamins are vitally important to the performance and overall health of the human body, so eating foods high in essential vitamins is one effective way to obtain these essential nutrients.
Soluble vitamins (such as thiamin, riboflavin, pantothenic acid, folic acid, biotin and vitamin C) are vital in energy production as well as helping form red blood cells that transport oxygen throughout the body. In particular, L-citrulline malate supplements and watermelons or cucumbers contain citrulline; its nonessential amino acid form citrulline has become popular with athletes for increasing protein synthesis while simultaneously decreasing fatigue during exercise sessions; citrulline can even increase muscle mass when added into training programs.
