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Nutritional information
Creatine
Creatine is a must for any successful athlete with estimated sales in 1997 in the USA alone amounting to over 300,000kg. Research indicates that creatine is extremely effective in improving performance. Skeletal tissue contains the highest tissue concentrations of creatine, a large proportion in the form of creatine phosphate. This creatine phosphate is capable of rapid regeneration of ATP within muscle cells but only a limited amount is available. Increasing creatine phosphate will increase the energy supply to muscle cells and research has shown that increased supplementation of creatine has positive corresponding effects on speed, power, strength and endurance capabilities of muscle cells.
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Protein Shakes/Bars
Evidence suggests that protein demands are increased by strenuous endurance, power and strength training, increasing the body’s protein demands by 50-100%. During training muscle fibres are broken down and damaged and must be rebuilt and strengthened for future use. To fully recover protein supplementation is recommended to accompany exercise to enable quicker and more effective recovery. In addition, the use of protein supplements can help increase lean tissue muscle mass, amino acid absorption and enable athletes to intake desired levels of protein without increasing fat intake or altering dietary habits. Individual amino acids such as glutamine, branch-chain amino acids, leucine, lysine, arginine and ornithine have been shown to promote muscle growth and increase circulating growth hormone and insulin concentrations.
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Fat Burners/Thermogenics
Most fat burners contain extracts from a variety of sources, the most popular of which are green tea extract, carnitine and caffeine. This combination is excellent in fat burning as it determines the body’s contribution of fat and carbohydrate utilisation, and primarily a dependence on the body’s fat stores during exercise. In this way more fat can be broken down during prolonged exercise which can permit weight loss and the maintenance of lean muscle tissue.
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Energy Drinks/Bars/Gels
It is acknowledged that exercise-induced fatigue occurs when the rate of ATP (energy) production in the body exceeds the rate at which it can be regenerated. If a higher rate of regeneration of ATP can be maintained, exercise-induced fatigue can be delayed. Energy drinks and bars are designed to help the body maintain physical exertion for longer, delaying the onset of fatigue. Energy supplements are designed to boost glucose levels in the blood and whilst in supply, act as the primary energy-supplying resource. These carbohydrate-based supplements may contain caffeine, bicarbonate, creatine, iron, guarana, carnitine, pyruvate and carnitine.
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HMB
Research involving the addition of β-hydroxy-β-methylbutyrate (HMB) to an athlete’s diet has been shown to have wide-ranging effects. Studies have shown that HMB acts by decreasing muscle degradation and breakdown and improving muscle cell function and reproduction. The use of HMB can result in an increase in lean body mass and strength when combined with resistance training. Additionally, some studies have indicated that the addition of HMB to an endurance training programme can reduce the accumulation of blood lactate during endurance exercise.
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Vitamins/Minerals
Intense exercise training can often leave the body’s immune function severely weakened when adequate nutrition, hydration and recovery techniques are not in place. It is essential when training to supplement the diet with vitamins and minerals, which can be critical in boosting the immune system and staying free from viruses and infections. Low circulating cell glutamine levels have commonly been associated with the decreased ability of the body to respond to infection. Overtraining and chronic fatigue have also been associated with low glutamine concentrations. The commonly used vitamins in preventing upper respiratory tract infections (URTI) or common colds are vitamin C, E, multivitamins, zinc and Echinacea.
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Author: L H Romecin
If you have any personal nutrition related questions not answered here, or would like further information how Performance Max Personal Training Packages can fulfill your fitness goals, please do not hesitate to contact us by telephone or email. Please see our Contact Us page.
From, Maughan, R.J., King, D. S., and Lea, T. Dietary Supplements. Journal of Sports Sciences. 2004, 22, p95-113.
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