Fitness Guide to Workout Supplements to Boost Your Performance

The workout supplement industry is one of the most rapidly growing ones, and it’s getting bigger by the day as more and more people start working out. These supplements are created to give you a boost of energy before doing some exercise and help you recover from an intense workout. 

Which Workout Supplements Are Most Effective?

While the choice of workout supplement is ultimately a personal one, there are some that have been shown to be more effective than others. What your body needs will also change as you age, so it’s important to keep that in mind when selecting a supplement.

Beta-Alanine

The beta alanine supplement is one of the most popular choices for fitness enthusiasts and athletes because of its proven efficiency in enhancing performance. The beta alanine amino acid doesn’t work on its own. It joins with histidine and they make carnosine. 

Carnosine gets stored in your muscles and when you exercise, it improves your performance by reducing the acidity in your muscles. This is especially important in high-intensity workouts. When you buy beta alanine powder and start to use it, you’ll feel an increase in endurance and reducing in fatigue.

Muscle fatigue can limit the duration of your exercise so taking this supplement can increase your exercise time and reduce any possible exhaustion. Athletes that work on long-distance running can benefit the most because of the energy boost beta alanine provides. There is evidence that it can also increase your muscle mass, but it won’t be by a lot. 

You can also find beta-alanine in food but in smaller quantities. That’s why most people are leaning towards supplements to get maximum performance. Animal products such as meat, fish and poultry are the richest sources, which means, vegans and vegetarians have around 50% less beta-alanine in their organisms. 
When it comes to dosage, 1.2g a day would be an effective one. This way you’ll maintain 30-50% more carnosine in your muscles. But be careful, if you consume large doses of beta alanine powder there are some side effects, such as skin rashes and paresthesia.

Creatine

Creatine is a substance you can find naturally in our muscle cells. Its main goal is to help muscles produce more energy while you do some heavy lifting or high-intensity exercise. This is a popular supplement among bodybuilders and athletes because it helps them gain muscle mass, improves their performance and enhances their strength. 

Your body produces creatine from the amino acids, glycine and arginine. Half of it is produced in the liver and kidneys and half comes from the food you eat, such as seafood and red meat.

Creatine improves the strength and power of your upper and lower limbs. The boost that it gives to the muscles can be a game-changer in short, explosive bursts like races or any combat sport. Because creatine enhances cellular hydration, it’s also beneficial in humid and hot climates. 

It’ll regulate your body temperature, a process called thermoregulation. It helps you gain muscle mass and enhance the strength of your muscles by drawing water into the muscle cells.

The dosage depends on your personal preferences and needs. The ideal dose is 0.3g per 1kg of your body weight. So, if you weigh 90kg, your daily dosage is 27g. This is the loading period and it should last about 5 days. Every next day you can continue to supplement with 3-5g a day for the ideal performance. If you’re having a rest day, you can also skip the supplement, it won’t have a significant effect on your results.

Casein

Around 80% of the total protein in cow’s milk is casein. It’s not in the liquid part, it’s in the curds. Manufacturers first drain the milk, wash the remaining curds, drain them again and dry them at the end. After the curds are dry, they get crushed into the powders we find in stores. 

Casein is a slow absorbing protein, which means that it gives your body the needed amino acids for an extended period of time. This protein is simple to use. You can mix it with water or milk or incorporate it in shakes, sauces, pudding or baked goods. 

There isn’t an exact dosage you need to take, it depends on what you’re trying to achieve. If you want to gain some muscle and lose weight, 1.5-2.2g per kg body weight would suffice. But if you exercise and don’t want to add muscle, 0.8-1.0g is enough.

There isn’t a rule on when you should consume casein. You can do it before or after a workout, in between meals, before bedtime, it doesn’t matter. Consuming it before a workout will give you the needed amino acids, between meals will extend the meal time and before going to bed will get your muscles and tissues the perfect recovery. 
Casein will help you lose weight and gain muscle mass because of the high dosage of leucine. It also helps in repairing the muscle tissues after a workout by binding the fibres together. Finally, because it contains calcium, phosphates and hydroxide, casein will aid in your dental health as well. It keeps away harmful bacteria and stops acid erosion.

Leucine

Leucine is one of the 20 amino acids our body needs. It’s called an essential one because our system doesn’t produce it on its own and we have to ingest it through food or supplements. Leucine stimulates muscle protein growth and can prevent the decline of muscle mass in athletes that sustained an injury and can’t exercise for some period of time. 
If you want to build muscle mass the recommended dosage is 1.2-1.7g per kg body weight. So, if you weigh 90kg your daily intake should be between 108-153g.

This is the dosage for meat eaters, if you’re a vegan or vegetarian, it’s recommended to up your supplement intake to get to the desired result. You can take leucine 30 minutes after a workout to encourage anabolic stimulus, or immediately after a workout to repair the muscles. 

You can also do it during your routine. This way you’ll minimise muscle breakdown and damage. Leucine also helps you build up strength and prolong your endurance during exercise.