The 4 supplements that actually work:
- Creatine Monohydrate
- L-Carnitine
- Caffeine
- BCAA’s
Caffeine:
Limitations have been placed on the use of caffeine on many olympic based sports due to the increased performance effects that it has on athletes systems.
As is common knowledge, caffeine is a stimulant that affects the nervous system which reduces the perception of effort in exercise (that sensation that you’re awake and ready to go).
In endurance based exercise this has been proven to show signs of longer efforts, in particular in cycling sports.
And in strength testing amongst elite athletes a higher threshold is recorded in standardised testing in a controlled environment.
When taken in small doses regularly (3-6mg/kg) you can reap the benefits as well of improved training!
L-Carnitine:
The main function is to transport fatty acids into your mitochondria to burn for energy.
Benefits include a reduced perception of effort as well as many new studies suggesting it is vital in aiding against degenerative neural diseases.
The jury is still out on whether it aids in fat loss due to using fatty acids for energy with studies suggesting both for and against the idea. However, the energetic feeling you will have during workouts as a result of this combined with caffeine will make for a better output in your workouts.
BCAA’s:
This stands for Branch Chain Amino Acids. These are key to muscle gain and maintenance There are 20 differenct kinds and 9 are considered essential and must be absorbed as a part of your diet. Some quickly explained benefits include:
Leucine activates protein synthesis in the body which helps assist with muscle growth.
Can speed up recovery and aid in reducing muscle soreness if taken before your workout.
Reducing exercise fatigue partly in conjunction with the previous point, less muscle tearing means your muscles work for longer.
Creatine Monohydrate:
There’s so many benefits to adding this into your training regime that I’m just going to list them in short form for you:
Increased energy produced by your muscle cells.
Increased muscle growth.
Improves high intensity exercise performance.
Speeds up muscle growth.
Reduces muscle recovery time.
May help fight neurological diseases.
Can improve brain function and fight diabetes.
Simple and easy to use – Take 3-5 grams per day in cycles. It’s up to you how you cycle it but a simple one is 6 weeks on 6 weeks off.
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I hope this helps you as you navigate the world of supplementation.
Coach.