Nutritional Supplements For Sports Beginners

Nutritional supplements can be used by all kinds of people. They're highly demanded by athletes to compensate the wear and tear of training and competitions, among other goals.
Nutritional Supplements For Sports Beginners

Last update: 04 November, 2019

A high-performance athlete, even as a beginner, makes intense efforts. Because of this high effort demand, they need more energy and nutrients than other people. In sports, nutrition is essential to achieve better performance, and it can help your body to recover after training. That’s where nutritional supplements come in.

Currently, there’s a wide variety of nutritional supplements on the market that aims to meet these particular requirements. Generally, specialists recommend them to athletes.

However, before taking these types of supplements, is important to know if all athletes need them and if so, which are the right ones. Find out more about this interesting topic in the following article.

What are nutritional supplements?

Nutritional supplements are substances that sports nutrition specialists often recommend to athletes. Their goal is to improve the performance of athletes in their activities and also to help them to recover in the best way after physical effort.

These are products that you consume orally, and that contain some elements to complete the athletes’ diet. There’s a wide variety available, and they can range from complete foods such as seaweed or fruits to trace-elements in the form of capsules.

However, it’s important to know that not all nutritional supplements for athletes improve performance; likewise, not every supplement is suitable for all disciplines. An expert should analyze e ach supplement according to the goal you want and the type of sports activity you do.

Before choosing one of these products, the athlete must take into consideration their level of training, as well as their lifestyle and what they want to achieve. Some athletes seek, for example, to increase their muscle mass, others to improve their performance, and there are also those who seek to delay fatigue or accelerate recovery.

Proteins and nutritional supplements

You should complement each of these goals with a different nutritional supplement. That’s why, in order to find a supplement that adapts to the needs of the athlete, they must ask a specialist to analyze these factors.

Who needs nutritional supplements?

Most people don’t need nutritional supplements. If you maintain a good, balanced and complete diet, real food is enough. Even people who perform regular physical activity don’t necessarily have to use these substances. Taking care of your diet will be enough.

However, in the case of competitive athletes, whether they’re beginners or not, as well as those with very specific sports goals, nutritional supplements can be very helpful. They’re not necessary, but they’ll be very useful to help you boost your performance and achieve your goals.

High-performance athletes put themselves through very high levels of stress during training. Therefore, the muscle requirement and the need for recovery are much higher than those of a person who doesn’t have this type of activity.

Likewise, the physical and emotional wear of these athletes can be very high. So, a simple diet, no matter how careful, is usually not enough.

Types of supplements

There are many types of nutritional supplements for athletes. Based on the goal, they can be divided into four main groups. Supplements that promote muscle gain and recovery are the best known and most required.

There also supplements that help to control weight and others that help you stay hydrated and have energy. Finally, there are also supplements designated for general health care.

Supplements used to promote muscle gain and recovery improve your performance during training and sports; they also allow a faster recovery process. In this group, we can find proteins, which are the basic supplement of every athlete.

Woman making a protein shake

Proteins help muscles to recover after intense activities, so an extra dose of them can be very useful for athletes. The recommended dose varies according to the type of sport and the goal you’re looking to achieve.

The best-known protein supplements are those that come from whey, which is usually presented in powdered formulas. There are also proteins that come from other sources, which may be animal-sourced or vegan.

Ultimately, it’s clear that nutritional supplements can give great results to athletes. However, their responsible use is imperative; indiscriminate consumption, in addition to not offering the desired effects, can be extremely harmful to your health.


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This text is provided for informational purposes only and does not replace consultation with a professional. If in doubt, consult your specialist.