Sports nutrition helps you reach your fitness goals faster: gain or lose weight, increase strength, physical endurance, recover after a workout, or prepare for sports activities. In this article, we will tell you what sports nutrition is used for and for what purpose athletes most often use it.
What Happens to the Body During a Workout
A workout is a way to trigger the body's adaptive responses. Receiving physical loads that exceed the usual, the human body is forced to adapt and change to new conditions.
During a workout:
- Muscles work and consume a lot of oxygen.
- During strength training, micro-tears of muscle fibers occur.
- Glucose is consumed. Glycogen stores in muscles and the liver are depleted.
- A large amount of heat is generated.
- Fluid and salts leave the body. We lose a lot of sodium and chlorine.
- Blood is redistributed: it moves to the muscles and heart, reducing blood flow to some other organs, including the digestive tract and brain.
- The hormonal background changes.
- Blood pressure and heart rate increase.
During the workout, short-term adaptive reactions are activated. They help to withstand the load right now. In the future, the body does not want repeated loads to be as heavy. Therefore, it activates long-term adaptive reactions, such as muscle growth and enhanced metabolism to provide cells with energy.
How to Take Sports Nutrition
Sports nutrition includes dietary supplements, functional foods, drinks, and everything we take internally to improve training effectiveness.
There is no single recommendation for everyone on what to drink after a workout for recovery or before a workout to prepare for loads. Different people engage in different sports and set different goals. But we will tell you about the main types of sports nutrition used in sports.
Pre-workout supplements. Typically contain stimulating components based on caffeine, yohimbine, ginseng, and other substances. They stimulate not only muscle activity and neuromuscular conductivity but also the human psyche, giving vigor and improving mood for the workout. Example from our store:
Energy of Ginseng 500 ml. Taken in a dose of 15 ml half an hour or an hour before a workout. Increases energy and endurance. Can be drunk in the morning instead of coffee to get a charge of vigor for the whole day. Additional components: ginger extract, vitamins B12 and C.
Protein. Used by athletes for muscle building. Whey protein is considered the best: it has an excellent amino acid composition and is well absorbed. Plant protein can also be used, usually sourced from soy.
Examples of such products in our store:
Whey Protein 80 – Chocolate, 1 kg – Iconfit. Estonian product based on high-quality whey protein concentrate. An exemplary amino acid profile provides the best prerequisites for muscle growth and recovery after a workout.
Plant Protein Iconfit (480 g). Usually plant proteins are worse than whey, but this product is enhanced by the additional inclusion of BCAA amino acids in the composition. They play an important role in building muscle tissue. The composition also includes vitamins, maca extract, and inulin. The product is 70% protein. It does not contain gluten, lactose, or sugar. This sports nutrition for training will help build muscle faster, as it will provide the body with plastic material for the production of muscle fibers.
How to Speed Up Recovery After a Workout
Massage, cold procedures, contrast showers, and physiotherapy will help speed up recovery. And you also just need to rest: over time, lactic acid and other metabolites will leave the muscles and the entire body.
It should be noted that training leads to fluid and electrolyte loss. Therefore, during the recovery period, you need to drink a lot of water. For better fluid absorption, you can prepare a homemade electrolyte solution: a spoonful of soda, salt, and sugar per liter of water. An even better composition is possessed by sports drinks or oral rehydration solutions — they are sold in pharmacies and are intended to combat dehydration against the background of intestinal infections.
Many people ask what to drink for muscle recovery after a workout. The answer depends on the training goals. Those who are building muscle should take a gainer — this is a sports nutrition with a high carbohydrate content. Also, to enhance muscle growth and stimulate energy metabolism, creatine and carnitine are used. As auxiliary sports nutrition for body recovery after stress, antioxidants and vitamins can be used.
Iconfit Mass Gainer (1.5kg). Contains 5 parts carbohydrates to 1 part protein. Replenishes energy spent after a workout and provides the insulin release necessary for muscle growth. Additionally contains 23 vitamins and minerals, as well as micronized creatine.
Creatine Monohydrate Iconfit, 300 g. A popular supplement for athletes. Helps develop strength and increase muscle volume. This is a natural substance for the body found in muscle tissue. It stimulates protein synthesis and energy metabolism.
L-carnitine. Suitable for those who want to burn fat and build muscle. This is a vitamin-like substance responsible for energy formation in cells.
Marine Collagen 10000 mg, 500 ml. For those who need to restore not only muscles but also joints, ligaments, and tendons after a workout. Collagen is part of connective tissue. Its additional intake will protect against injuries and chronic pain that force you to stop training for a long time. The product also contains vitamins and hyaluronic acid.
All these supplements and products will help you get benefits, pleasure from workouts, improve athletic achievements, build muscle, recover faster after a workout, and reduce the risk of injuries. Use the opportunities provided by modern sports medicine to have an advantage over your competitors.
The full training range is in the "Sports Nutrition" section, and tonic drinks and adaptogens in "Energy and vitality".
Important information
Food supplement. NOT A MEDICINE. Do not exceed the recommended daily dose. A food supplement should not be used as a substitute for a varied and balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle. Before use — especially during pregnancy, breastfeeding, while taking medication or with any medical condition — consult a doctor. Do not use in case of intolerance to any of the ingredients. Keep out of the reach of children.
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