Supplementation in the diet of an Olympian plays an extremely important role. Thanks to supplements, professional athletes can take care of their daily needs for key nutrients much more easily. In addition, some supplements may prove helpful in improving training performance. What supplements for professional athletes are essential? What supplements can Olympians take without worrying about doping controls?
Supplements and professional sport
Supplementation in the diet of an Olympian is an essential element of the nutritional strategy. Intense workouts, especially at such a high level of advancement, are associated with an increased need for nutrients in the body. Proteins and carbohydrates are particularly important for athletes. As you know, proteins are the basic building blocks of muscles, as well as a source of valuable amino acids. Carbohydrates, on the other hand, act as energy fuel, which is used by the body during exercise.
Fats are also important, especially omega-3 fatty acids, which are usually not supplied in adequate amounts. The important role of vitamins and minerals should not be overlooked. Most people who exercise regularly experience an increase in the demand for, m.in B vitamins, vitamin C and valuable electrolytes – magnesium, sodium, potassium and calcium. Therefore, professional athletes, especially Olympians, need to ensure an adequate supply of them.
Professional training and supplements
Which supplements for professional athletes are particularly important? First of all, those that will allow you to take care of various aspects of your training performance. Sports supplements can therefore be divided into categories:
- pre-workouts (pre-workout supplements), which are designed to help m.in increase strength and endurance and reduce the feeling of psychophysical fatigue,
- drinks that help in proper hydration of the body – isotonic drinks,
- preparations affecting post-workout regeneration and sleep,
- nootropics supporting cognitive functions, e.g. concentration,
- preparations supporting the proper functioning of immunity,
- testosterone boosters contributing, m.in, to the maintenance of normal testosterone levels in the blood,
- fat burners, which can be helpful in reducing body weight for competitions,
- preparations for joint protection, which are aimed at maintaining the optimal condition of the musculoskeletal system, e.g. the aforementioned joints, cartilage, bones.
Supplements should be selected depending on the current needs of the athlete. When planning supplementation, a number of factors should be taken into account, m.in the date of the competition, the nature of the effort of the discipline practiced, the number of training units, the current number of calories consumed. In the case of Olympians, dieticians and coaches play an important role, because they are the ones who plan the entire strategy of preparation for competitions.
What supplements do Olympians take?
Supplementation in the diet of Olympians is extremely diverse. Some athletes cannot imagine training without the use of creatine or BCAA amino acids. Others, on the other hand, treat beta-alanine, energy gels with caffeine or convenient shots containing magnesium, potassium and vitamin B6 as fundamental support.
In strength sports, multi-ingredient pre-workout supplements will certainly work, while for long endurance workouts, it is good to have isotonic drinks on hand. Regardless of the discipline practiced, it is worth considering including in the diet, m.in, probiotics, vitamins and minerals as well as collagen preparations, which will help to protect joints exposed to high loads. What supplements can Olympians take?
It’s a good idea to choose high-quality products. Such preparations are offered by the pharmaceutical company Olimp Laboratories, which for 30 years has been one of the world’s leading manufacturers of dietary supplements and sports nutrition. Dietary supplements, which are created in the modern Research and Development Centre Olimp Labs, are distinguished primarily by:
- quality – the preparations are prepared from high-quality raw materials and meet strict quality standards,
- optimally selected portions of proven, thoroughly tested and safe to use ingredients.
Supplements such as: Olimp Rocky Athletes® Creatine, Olimp Chela-Mag B6® Kurcz Shot Sport Edition in a glass ampoule, Olimp Iso Plus® Powder, Olimp Carbonox®, Olimp Caffeine Kick, Olimp BCAA Xplode Powder, Olimp Fire Start Energy Gel + Caffeine, Olimp R-WEILER®, Olimp Collaregen, Olimp Beta-alanine Xplode® Powder®, Olimp Whey Protein Complex 100% or Olimp Vita-Min Multiple Sport Mega Caps are often chosen by Olympians® cooperating with the Olimp Sport Nutrition brand. In addition to many valuable dietary supplements, the OSN brand also offers a number of other products, e.g. healthy functional food, essential training accessories or high-quality sportswear. All this has been created with attention to detail and with a view to guaranteeing the players the necessary support during training.