Nutrition in sports and strength training is everything. Who trains hard, requires a corresponding nutrient intake. What role supplements or dietary supplements play here, you will find out here.
What are supplements?
Supplements or dietary supplements are products that provide the body with nutrients and active ingredients beyond the actual meals. They serve to support the athlete's entire training process, preparation, training and recovery. Strength training and bodybuilding is under general doping suspicion. So it's important to you how clean supplements are. Because we are clearly advocating clean sports and natural bodybuilding.
Is one "natural" when using supplements?
"Natural" bodybuilding can do without doping. If you practice natural, you will not do tricks, manipulations and harmful methods of performance enhancement. You train for a well thought-out training plan and value healthy, natural nutrition. Your power increase occurs in a natural way, the muscle growth is due to overcompensation due to targeted training stimuli. Supplements should set an additional icing on the cake as part of the diet. For natural bodybuilders they are a supplement, never the main thing in the diet. As a natural bodybuilder, you can use supplements. In different training phases, they are even useful, yet your focus is on a well thought out nutrition plan.
Difference between supplements and steroids?
A little strange comparison, but especially for beginners not always clear. Here it is time to explain the concept of doping in weight training. This doping is over anabolic steroids, What's this? These are synthetic variants of the sex hormone testosterone, Testosterone is responsible for protein buildup in the body, in short for muscle growth. Steroids were developed during World War II as a medicine for weakened prisoners of war. In sports, anabolic steroids are misused to build muscle packages and accelerate recovery. Those who use anabolic steroids build up muscles faster and can train harder. Addictive addiction, aggressive behavior and a variety of health problems are the other side of the coin. So stay away from steroids. Dietary supplements, on the other hand, contain substances that are present anyway in normal meals and are only given off more concentratedly.
Which are the 4 most used supplements?
In general, dietary supplements used in bodybuilding are based on increased protein intake. Let's take a look at some products in detail.
Protein Shakes: If you eat protein-rich foods, you build muscle and boost fat burning. Because the more proteins you consume, the less carbohydrates are available to you and the more fat you have to burn.
Amino acids: They are basically similar to protein shakes. Certain amino acids, such as arginine, improve blood circulation. Branched amino acids build muscle cells and support muscle growth and regeneration.
creatine: Is considered a super fuel and is a phosphate present in the meat. It provides more strength and makes muscles look plumper as it promotes water retention in the muscle.
Weight gainer: Some strength athletes burn carbohydrates too fast and do not build muscle. They are helped by mass gainers, which in addition to protein provide a high percentage of concentrated carbohydrates.
In particular, protein shakes, mass gainers and workout booster have a variety of additional ingredients in the form of vitamins and trace elements.
Why and when do you use supplements?
Dietary supplements support the various training phases. In the preparation phase, the body needs appropriate energy to perform the training. In the training phase, energy and nutrient supply should be used to prevent a possible drop in performance. During the regeneration phase, the actual muscle build-up begins. The training itself leads to increased stress, microtrauma in the muscles and substance consumption. The body responds to it and repairs microtrauma and builds muscle beyond its initial level. Here supplements work most effectively.
What are the benefits of supplements?
If you train hard, you have an increased need for nutrients and vitamins that are in part no longer present in the food of the civilized world. With dietary supplements, you can plan your diet specifically and get optimal energy and nutrients in phases of high stress. In particular, you can specifically control the protein intake.
What speaks against supplements?
Opponents of supplements argue that the beneficial effects of some drugs, such as creatine, have not been scientifically proven. It is a pure marketing gimmick. In addition, supplements are expensive. In other words, you should consider whether you are better off investing your money in high quality natural foods. Instead of cheap food with expensive supplements.
Supplements and age restriction
In general, experts warn that children and adolescents use products like creatine. Dietary supplements with high vitamin content or with vital trace elements, on the other hand, can also be used by children and adolescents.
Do supplements have side effects?
The important message for you: supplements are not doping. Of course, you have to look at the individual products so that you do not buy a wolf in sheep's clothing. Supplements supplement your diet plan as an athlete and bodybuilder. Healthy high quality foodstuffs. If you take the right dosage of supplements, nothing can go wrong.
