Power based sports can be particularly demanding on the body. Not only is there the stress of heavy weights, but power training also has high neural demands. As such, those who compete in power based sports such as Powerlifting, Olympic lifting, rugby, sprinting and wrestling should ensure their body is in peak condition.
Nutrition will be a significant factor to ensure your body is in peak condition. Therefore an adequate diet plan will be needed so the athlete meets all their nutritional needs. Specific food based products such as whey protein and carbohydrate can make consuming an optimal eating plan that bit easier.
While an appropriate diet should be the absolute focus of a power athlete, specific supplements such as creatine have been shown to be of benefit to power athletes. Carefully selecting performance nutrients may give an advantage above and beyond a healthy balanced diet.
Below are some of our suggested supplements for power and strength training. Some are well known, others you might not have considered before.
Supplements for power sports and strength training athletes
Whey Protein
Typical protein recommendations for power athletes are around 2g per kilogram of bodyweight. Whey protein is a convenient source of protein to help ensure you’re consuming adequate protein throughout the day. Whey protein has an excellent amino acid profile and is of particular benefit post training to promote protein synthesis and therefore muscle growth and recovery. Whey protein is also the fastest absorbing form of protein, rapidly supplying the muscles with amino acids.
Creatine
Creatine has been proven to be a safe and effective ergogenic aid to increase power output. There are a range of research studies on creatine consistently demonstrating a significant benefit for power athletes.
Caffeine
Caffeine has been shown to improve 1RM performance with an acute dose. Caffeine would be ideal to consume prior to both training and competition in order to improve performance. Caffeine is also ideal for reducing your perception of effort, allowing you to train at higher intensities for longer periods of time.
Beta Alanine
Beta Alanine is associated with increased training volume by acting as a buffer to reduce the sensation of fatigue. This will help to improve overall performance by increasing the intensity and volume of training you can participate in.
TMG
TMG has been shown to increase the volume of resistance training (number of reps and sets) and, as a result, can increase your training capacity to create further adaptations for increased power.
Montmorency Tart Cherry Extract
Tart Cherry Extract improves recovery by reducing the sensation of muscle soreness and DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness). This is due to the increased levels of antioxidants which reduce the effects of oxidative stress. Montmorency Tart Cherry Extract also helps reduce inflammation alongside muscle damage to provide benefits over subsequent training sessions.
Carbohydrates
Fast releasing carbohydrates help to restore muscle glycogen stores that may become depleted as a result of training. Fast releasing carbohydrates supply a rapid source of energy to fuel the muscles for longer training sessions.
Leucine / HMB
Leucine (and its metabolite HMB) helps to promote protein synthesis, which is needed to stimulate muscle growth and recovery. Increased muscle mass will subsequently increase muscle strength and power.
Glutamine
Glutamine is the most abundant amino acid within muscle tissue. Therefore when muscle tissue gets broken down during exercise, it’s important to replenish this amino acid. Glutamine has also been associated with improve immune health, helping you to stay healthy so you can continue to train frequently and intensely.
ZMA / D-Aspartic Acid
Optimising your hormone levels can be essential to promoting recovery and growth. Therefore supplementing with a ZMA or D-Aspartic Acid will enable you to have optimal testosterone levels to aid recovery from regular training sessions near maximal effort. This will allow you to train near maximal levels frequently so you can enhance your power and performance.
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