The Most Efficient Sports Supplements

The most important points in brief

• In fitness today it is common practice to support physical activity with supplements.
• Contrary to popular belief, these are not just proteins that promote muscle growth.
• Vitamins and other nutrients can also be administered via supplements.
• Find out what to look out for when taking these supplements.

Anyone who has been involved in fitness training for a long time and regularly exercises weight training should know about the benefits of sports supplements. However, if you are just getting started, or have just started recently, our tips might just be for you. For this reason, our guide is clearly aimed at fitness beginners.

Most important point: Supplements do not replace food

You should internalize that. If you do sport, you can support your body with food supplements. The focus in this word should always be on “supplement”, because these products are only intended to supplement, not replace, the diet. It is all the more important to change your nutrition plan before starting fitness sport, so that you consume as much protein as possible, along with vegetables and fruit.

The less processed foods you eat before you start weight training, the better. Even after starting your training, make sure you continue to consume plenty of vitamins and proteins - only then should you consider taking sports supplements. First and foremost, you should pay attention to four nutrients, which we would like to introduce to you in the following two chapters.

Vitamin D and Omega 3

Vitamin D is extremely important for building our muscles. If the level is too low, it also significantly restricts muscle functions. In addition, vitamin D strengthens our immune system and thus ensures that we can exercise regularly because we rarely get sick. Last but not least, vitamin D creates the conditions for our bones to stay healthy and strong, as the nutrient helps the skeleton to better absorb and process phosphorus and calcium.

Omega-3 fatty acids are supplements that ensure that the triglyceride concentration in the blood remains stable. If this is too low, minor injuries in the tissue, which normally go unnoticed, also become a problem because the triglyceride is insufficient to suppress inflammation. This quickly becomes a problem because muscles and tissues are damaged a little with every training session. So if you are deficient in omega-3s it becomes painful after every session.

Creatine and proteins

Because creatine can only be supplied to a very limited extent through normal food, it makes sense to take this nutrient through supplements. Why? Well, creatine replenishes the depleted energy stores and increases muscle strength, which even the European Food Safety Authority considers to be proven. Anyone who is actively involved in sport needs up to seven grams of creatine a day - so supplements make perfect sense here.

We already spoke of proteins at the beginning. Because they fill you up well, but also provide amino acids for the muscle tissue, they are indispensable in sport (and in general). In the case of sports supplements, they are worth mentioning, but you can get most of the proteins through your daily diet.

Since we were talking about amino acids: citrulline and arginine are ideal for beginners for regeneration. However, you should not overdo it at the beginning and avoid dietary supplements such as EAAs or BCAAs, for example. You only need them if you train extremely hard or if you are dieting while you are weight training.