Contrary to many sellers’ promises, most dietary supplements advertised to boost exercise and athletic performance tend to produce inconsistent research findings. If taken improperly, such supplements could have severe negative repercussions for an athlete’s health.
However, certain well-established supplements may help enhance athletic performances when taken according to established protocols. Examples include:
Creatine
Creatine is one of the most researched and effective supplements available for high intensity exercise, demonstrating significant increases in bench press, back squat 1RM strength, total body power and total body speed in female college athletes supplementing with creatine for 13 weeks while engaging in an associated resistance training program [2].
Studies indicate that orally consumed creatine supplements increase muscle PCr content, leading to faster ATP resynthesis during short-duration anaerobic exercise such as sprinting or weightlifting, both activities where energy must be replenished quickly through ATP. The benefits are especially evident during sprinting or weightlifting events when more ATP energy is necessary.
Creatine supplements are generally considered safe, although short-term water retention and bloating (2-4 pounds) have been reported with some users. They should not be used by young athletes since their long-term safety remains unknown.
Beta-Alanine
Since its first human performance study was published in 2006, beta-alanine has quickly become one of the most sought-after sports nutrition ingredients and enjoys strong scientific backing. An amino acid compounded with histidine that produces carnosine to decrease lactic acid accumulation and increase buffer capacity during high intensity exercise, beta-alanine has demonstrated small to moderate performance benefits over workouts lasting 1-10 min and with non-elite athletes than elite athletes. Several meta-analyses have documented such benefits.
Carnosine may enhance your ability to train harder and delay fatigue during endurance sports such as running, cycling or rowing by decreasing lactic acid build-up in muscles – the primary source of muscle fatigue. For optimal benefits of B-alanine consumption it should be consumed daily in doses between 5.6-6. 4g before workouts.
Bicarbonate
Sodium bicarbonate is one of the most popular sports supplements on the market today, often found as the white powder known as baking soda in kitchen cabinets and bathrooms. Recently, several Olympic athletes, including some elite runners, touted its efficacy.
Bicarbonate can be consumed either as a solution or capsules and has been demonstrated to offer numerous ergogenic advantages in repeated sprint and interval training sessions. Increases in pH due to bicarbonate consumption increase blood’s buffering capacity, transporting hydrogen ions out of muscles back towards less acidic states for increased performance.
Although strength training alone does not directly increase strength, resistance training with intermittent rest can help combat fatigue-induced decline in strength seen during multiple sets. This may explain why intermittent rest has also been found to extend short-term high intensity workout duration and decrease perceived effort during exercise.
Caffeine
Caffeine is an increasingly popular dietary supplement among athletes, boosting performance across a range of exercise types and intensities. After consumption, caffeine reaches blood circulation within 15-45 minutes post-intake and can peak an hour after ingestion. Available formats for caffeine consumption include tablets, gels, bars, dissolvable mouth strips and energy drinks.
Studies have demonstrated that caffeine can significantly enhance both endurance and strength-to-power performances in most individuals, but individual results vary due to genetics, training status and placebo effect (the belief that an intervention works). Studies suggest the best results come from taking low doses of caffeine towards the end of an event such as a race or marathon.
Nitrate/Beetroot Juice
Consuming inorganic nitrates such as beetroot juice or taking a supplement containing nitrates can increase blood levels of nitric oxide, improving your oxygen usage during exercise and also aiding muscle contraction and relaxation.
Nitrates may help improve type II fiber performance, and research indicates they could have an effect on team sports involving repeated bouts of high intensity exercise such as basketball, soccer or rugby. One study concluded that athletes using beetroot juice were able to maintain 60%, 70% and 80% peak power for longer than those taking placebo in time-to-exhaustion tests.
To reap maximum benefit from nitrates, they should be consumed two hours before exercise. This timing takes into account when there’s an optimal peak in nitric oxide levels; after which time, it takes three hours for it to return back down again.
