Superior Supplements To Optimize Your Workout (Health11News)
Many people take supplements regularly, whether in the form of multivitamins and fish oil or religiously taking protein powder shakes after workouts. Some take it a step further and may even order a micronutrient panel test to get a clear snapshot of their vitamin and mineral levels. This ensures they know exactly what they’re lacking in, what they’re getting enough of, and what they might even be overdosing on.
Today’s food is, unfortunately, not as nutritious as it once was, and the growing demand and soil exhaustion is only getting worse. That’s why most people, and especially those in third world countries need quality supplements for the optimal function of their bodies. When it comes to working out, supplements take on an even more important role.
Working out is crucial for your overall health and longevity, but it takes a toll on your muscles, causes micro-tears that promote their growth, and also causes you to sweat which often results in losing precious micronutrients. Superior supplements are meant to support your fitness endeavors and help you recover, build muscle, and replenish what you lost along the way.
What are Workout Supplements?
There are plenty supplements in the fitness industry with abbreviations and scientific words like BCAA, creatine, citrulline, L-arginine, L-Carnitine, Caffeine Anhydrous, and more. What all they aim to do is support your workouts, boost your athletic performance, supply you with additional energy, promote fat burning, and help you build lean muscle tissue.
Each ingredient has its own supplement role, but they’re sometimes better when paired together and that’s why you’ll often see products with names like “Boost,” “Recovery,” and “Build” as they contain the best combination of supplements to help you reap the benefits.
Do you need to take all of these supplements to get the most out of your workouts? Not necessarily, and while some companies have a vast variety of different products, others like Outwork Nutrition really focus on the ones that matter the most: a pre-workout, a recovery mix, and a protein powder to help you build strong muscles.
What are BCAAs Best For?
BCAAs stand for Branched Chain Amino Acids and they’re the common name for three essential amino acids: leucine, isoleucine and valine. These three important amino acids can’t be produced by your body and need to be obtained through diet. Working out increases the need for essential amino acids, and especially these three, and that’s where the BCAA supplements come in handy.
And although experts don’t completely agree on their efficacy, it goes without saying that if you’re not taking enough protein (and with it, essential amino acids), BCAAs will definitely help out.
What’s the Deal with Creatine?
Creatine, on the other hand, has been a source of research for quite some time, and in addition to helping build muscle and improve exercise performance, it has also shown some evidence of beneficial effects in the elderly and patient populations, as well as helping lower blood sugar levels and improving brain function.
Creatine is a compound that’s naturally present in muscle cells and has a role of helping you produce energy, especially notable during heavy resistance training sessions or high intensity interval training. The majority of creatine you get from outside sources comes from red meat and seafood, but often times it’s not enough to support your fitness needs.
There has been some noise about its possible safety problems and many side effects – from weight gain and water retention to headaches and muscle pain – but the science says otherwise.
This workout supplement is one of the world’s most tested compounds and has always resulted in outstanding safety. International Society of Sports Nutrition stands behind creatine’s safety and endorses its positive influence on increasing muscle strength and lean muscle mass, as well as promoting athletic performance.
What Goes into Pre-Workouts
Pre-workouts are usually a mix of different supplements, all geared towards creating a bigger energy boost and give you the push you need to stay focused on your exercises, help you train longer and harder, and reach your fitness goals.
Most companies use the same supplements as the base and then add their own spin to it on flavor and additional ingredients. The usual supplements found in pre-workout formulas include citrulline malate, beta-alanine, and caffeine, three great stimulants and energy boosters to have you ready for even the toughest workouts.
Citrulline malate is a non-essential amino acid that improves nitric oxide metabolism which is crucial during workouts. It also plays a huge role in blood circulation and helps deliver oxygen to every cell in your body.
Beta alanine is another non-essential amino acid that’s been shown to enhance muscular endurance during high-intensity workouts and with it help you train longer and with higher intensity.
Caffeine is one of the most popular stimulants in the world, and in a pre-workout supplement, it’s usually found in its anhydrous form, meaning without water. This highly-concentrated powder is strong, potent, and helps give you that energy boost you need to finish your workouts strong.
Some of the best supplement companies on the market include other powerful superfoods into their mix, and one of them is Outwork Nutrition that has Rhodiola ( a powerful adaptogen) and L-DOPA (initiates anabolic hormonal processed) on their list of ingredients.
Protein Powders: Whey or Not to Whey?
Protein powders contain essential amino acids to replenish your hard-working muscles and help them grow by reaching your protein target for the day. Whether you choose a whey-based protein powder or not, it’s important to find the one that works for you and gets easily digested by your gastrointestinal system.
Not every product is for everyone and if you’re lactose intolerant, you might want to switch to a more processed version of whey protein like whey isolate, or ditch whey-based products altogether. Luckily, there are plenty of non-whey-based protein powders on the market, from beef and egg to a variety of vegan options and even cricket.
What’s more important than whey or not whey is what else goes into the protein powder mix. Many brands add artificial colors, fillers, and sugars which lowers the quality of the product and also potentially contributes to inflammation and digestive discomfort. Choose the ones with the least amount of ingredients as possible and always read through reviews and testimonials.
Do You Absolutely Need To Take Superior Supplements To Achieve Good Results?
The short answer is no. The long answer, however, depends on a variety of factors. If you’re actively looking to build muscle, burn fat, and get the most out of your workouts, you’re probably going to need them at some point in your fitness journey.
The same goes for those who have a hard time hitting their daily protein targets through food or need a boost of energy to sustain their high-intensity workouts. By no means should you take supplements if you don’t want to, can’t digest them properly, or have no desire to create a supplement routine around your workouts. But, the science speaks for itself and there’s plenty of benefits in giving them a try.
Final Thoughts
Superior supplements enhance your workouts, help you build muscle, promote fat burning, and make you train faster, stronger, and longer. If you should decide to add them to your diet (and if you’re a serious enthusiast, you probably will), always choose the best-quality brands and avoid artificial ingredients that can only cause you harm in the long run.
Further reading:
Do You Really Need to Take a Pre-Workout Supplement? – Livestrong.com
The Scoop on Protein Powder – Harvard Health Publishing
6 Benefits of BCAAs – Dr. Axe
Disclaimer
Important Note: The information contained in this article is for general informational purposes only and should not be construed as health or medical advice, nor is it intended to diagnose, prevent, treat, or cure any disease or health condition. Before embarking on any diet or program of nutritional supplementation, it is advisable to consult your healthcare professional in order to determine its safety and probable efficacy in terms of your individual state of health.
