If you’re someone who takes part in high intensity activities or explosive sports such as weight training, rugby or sprinting, you’ll appreciate the physical demands these types of exercises place on your body.
And more often than not, it’s a combination of strength, power and endurance together that allows athletes to perform at their optimum. A weakness in any one of these areas will ultimately reduce your ability to compete or train at the levels you desire.
Your training plan and training discipline will form the foundation of your success but your nutrition should not be overlooked. If you’re not eating the right foods, in the right quantities and at the right times, your training and recovery will suffer as a result.
Supplementation is a key component of nutrition. With busy schedules and an abundance of processed foods, it can often be difficult to acquire the vital nutrients you need to promote growth and recovery, at the exact moment your body needs them.
Here are some popular performance supplements used by athletes and recreational gym goers. Adding these to your diet could have a promising impact on your levels of exercise output, if used correctly and in conjunction with an effective training plan.
Creatine
Creatine is one of the most commonly used sports supplements in the world and research proven to increase physical performance in short burst, high intensity exercise. Creatine increases production of ATP, which is the body’s energy currency. Higher levels of ATP can subsequently lead to improvements in power, strength and endurance.
It’s also worth noting that creatine is produced naturally in the body and is also found in foods such as red meat. Supplementation is a quick and easy way to increase levels of creatine, and ATP production, for people and athletes who train intensively and need greater levels of ATP to fuel progress.
Caffeine
Caffeine has numerous performance benefits. We all know that Caffeine is known to increase mental alertness but what’s really interesting is that it is also shown to reduce RPE (rate of perceived exertion) meaning that you can potentially train harder, pushing yourself in excess of what you might ordinarily do, lifting a little bit more weight, running that little bit further, doing a few extra squats…
Beta Alanine
Beta Alanine is a non-essential amino acid and is not easily consumed in a regular diet. The benefits of Beta Alanine relate to an increased resistance to fatigue, improving performance and muscle gains, as a result of sustained output. It’s a deep burn, but hopefully by supplementing with Beta Alanine, you’ll delay the burn for a little bit longer!
TMG
TMG (Trimethylglycine) has been shown to increase power in test subjects after only 15 days of supplementation. The exact mechanism of action is unknown; however, it has been hypothesised that, as TMG contributes to creatine synthesis, performance increases are a result of increased Creatine levels.
AAKG
AAKG (Arginine Alpha Ketoglutarate) is an amino acid formed when two Arginine molecules attach to one Alpha-Ketoglutarate molecule. AAKG is said to be far more effective than plain Arginine as it is able to increase NO (nitric oxide) levels over an extended period of time, as opposed to a temporary increase.
AAKG is a superior form of Arginine, which, in addition to increased blood flow and muscular pump, offers improved absorption levels. This increase in blood flow and vessel dilation enables a greater delivery of blood (and nutrients) to the muscles and tissues, stimulating growth.
Supplements working in synergy
These supplements work in synergy, so the benefits of using them together are heightened. If you’re looking for a competitive edge to support your training, why not give them a try? And if you’re not sure which product or combination is right for you, take a look at ELEVATE™, our premium pre-workout formulation, which is almost guaranteed to deliver the best workouts of your life. But don’t just take our word for it…
ELEVATE™ Reviews
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