Supplements

The supplement market is one of the biggest within the fitness industry. With such broad range on offer, it may be difficult to filter to the supplements that really offer a substantial benefit. Although all supplements are designed and tailored to a purpose, some may be more necessary than others.

Supplements are not something you should replace natural forms of nutrients with, however are designed to aid you in reaching your goals and boosting your performance. Implementing them around a well-balanced diet can add a positive impact to your training and overall results.

Creatine

Creatine may come with a vast number of opinions and reviews; however, it is one of the most scientifically studied and backed supplements on the market.

Creatine is something that our body naturally produces in the liver and kidneys, although the majority will come through our diets especially if you consume red meats and sea food.

The reason you may supplement creatine is to increase the amount of phosphocreatine stores within cells and muscle groups. Creatine is used to produce ATP which is the fuel your body uses when performing high intensity exercises and muscle contraction. Therefore, having a higher creatine intake means enhanced ATP levels.

Creatine also offers a number of benefits including:

Cell Hydration
Boosts strength/muscle endurance
Helps prevent the breakdown of muscle tissue
Enhances cell signalling within your body

Protein Powder

Possibly the most popular supplement out there is protein powder. With protein being an essential factor to repairing damaged muscle cells, supplementing with this is a great way of increasing your daily protein intake.

There is a vast array of different protein powders on the market, however the top competitor is whey protein. Whey protein is a high quality form of protein which our bodies can process and utilise efficiently absorbing around 10g per hour.

Protein powders can also often offer a number of vitamins and minerals that can contribute to your over all macro nutrient intake which you may fall short on with the foods you consume.

It is also worth noting, there are also a number of vegan friendly protein powders out there using plant-based proteins. These can have a similar effect and are great for people who may struggle to eat a sufficient amount of protein around a vegan based diet.

BCAA's

BCAA'S is an abbreviation for branch chain amino acids - These amino acids consist of 3 amino acids which are Leucine, Isoleucine and Valine. BCAA'S will often be apart of your diet and found in numerous meats, eggs and dairy products.

As they can be found in food sources, supplementing them isn't essential, however consuming them is, so perhaps if you have a vegan diet they could help.

They have been proven to mainly aid muscle soreness and recovery. The main reason for this is the acid Leucine which creates a pathway in the body that stimulates protein synthesis (The process of rebuilding the muscle).

It's worth noting that there are a total of 9 essential amino acids - 'Essential' implying that the body isn't able to produce them, and they are sourced via diet and supplementation, although BCAA's help, it's important to intake other essential amino acids as well.

Beta - Alanine

Beta - Alanine is supplement which may often be over looked, this could be due to having a much smaller amount of research compared to the likes of Creatine or BCAA's, however isn't necessarily one to ignore.

Beta - Alanine is another amino acid which can reduce fatigue and aid your exercise performance, it does this by preventing the build-up of acids within in the muscle which will onset muscle soreness.

Beta - Alanine has also been proven to enhance your overall performance of high intensity exercise and delay muscle fatigue throughout your workout.

It's worth noting that when taking Beta - Alanine you may experience a tingling sensation across your skin, however, this is a normal response as it is reacts with your sensory neurons and stimulates them.