Supplements are the icing on a cake! You need to build a cake first, before icing it, similarly you need to build a strong foundation to truly benefit from sports supplements that do work (spoiler alert: not all do). This is simply because they’re not a magic pill. For example:
- Having a protein powder, but no protein in your regular meals will not help meet your protein requirements
- Having caffeine, but not optimising your pre-training meal/snack is not ideal
- Gulping down BCAAs…not even worth it!
There are a few sports supplements that can have performance and training benefits, but not when used ad-hoc. These include
- Creatine: For strength, power, recovery
- Caffeine: As a stimulant, reduce the perceived effect of training
- Beta-alanine: Performance in short duration events
- Nitrates: Increased blood flow to muscles
They can have the potential benefit when used appropriately (dosage, timing etc) and most importantly, safely. Speak with a sports dietitian for further guidance!
References
- Maughan, R. J., Burke, L. M., Dvorak, J., Larson-Meyer, D. E., Peeling, P., Phillips, S. M., Rawson, E. S., Walsh, N. P., Garthe, I., Geyer, H., Meeusen, R., van Loon, L., Shirreffs, S. M., Spriet, L. L., Stuart, M., Vernec, A., Currell, K., Ali, V. M., Budgett, R. G., Ljungqvist, A., … Engebretsen, L. (2018). IOC consensus statement: dietary supplements and the high-performance athlete. British journal of sports medicine, 52(7), 439–455. https://doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2018-099027