A guide to sports nutrition, supplements and vitamins

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-01-13 00:26

The sensations that arise at the first acquaintance with the variety of sports nutrition are very similar to those experienced by a young dad in the baby food department or a girl who finds herself in an auto parts store. How many things are there, and everything is so incomprehensible!

Here is a jar labeled "protein." Aha! This should probably be taken to gain muscle mass. But next to it are five more similar jars, and each has the word "protein" on the label. Whey, casein, combined, and also gainers, an incomprehensible "something" called BCAA. What is the difference? Why are the prices so different?

Price = Quality

Before the currency hype, sports nutrition was already expensive. Now it is even more expensive, and many are trying to switch to more affordable products from domestic manufacturers. Should you do this? No! Why? Because sports nutrition is a high-tech product, and everything in it must be done correctly, otherwise it’s a disaster.

What exactly does Lifehacker have about Russian sports nutrition? The same as those of experts and experienced users of the respected resource Sportwiki, who checked the quality of several popular types of sports nutrition, including two brands of domestic production. No bias, just facts.

Both tested Russian proteins failed Roskontrol's expertise. In one of them, the composition turned out to be inconsistent with the declared, and in the other, the protein content is almost a third lower than that indicated on the package. With such a negligent approach to production, there can be no talk of any progress. How to calculate the protein rate and calorie content without knowing the true composition of the product? You might as well blindly grab groceries from supermarket shelves.

Foreign manufacturers are also not perfect. Among them, there are unscrupulous companies that make undeclared changes to the composition, but the chance of acquiring an outright counterfeit is much lower, and the overall quality is much higher. In practice, this means that there is no risk of a breakthrough of the lower valve and other gastrointestinal inconveniences, as well as the ability to trust the composition, unmistakably forming a daily diet on its basis.

What if there are several different packages of the same quality sports nutrition nearby? Take the one that tastes better.:) In the editorial office of Lifehacker there are enough people familiar with sports, and the preferences of the majority were on the side of the well-known British manufacturer of sports nutrition.

VP Laboratory products occupy the top positions in the rating of the most popular sports nutrition in Russia, have successfully passed the examination of Roskontrol, and therefore deserve trust. VP Laboratory specialists have a competent approach to the range of produced sports nutrition. Only proven and working types of proteins, gainers, supplements and vitamins, no questionable mixtures. This approach is more understandable for a beginner and more convenient for a professional, since it allows you to do with fewer different jars, while fully covering the needs of the body when playing sports.

There are whole encyclopedias of sports nutrition with a huge amount of specific and not always clear for a beginner information. We will cover the key types of sports nutrition in a nutshell and in essence.

Protein

Protein is a protein-based sports supplement. Our muscles are made up primarily of protein. In fact, protein is the main building block for our body, and therefore it is extremely valuable and predictably expensive. Protein-rich foods like meat and fish cost a lot of money.

Whey Protein (Whey) is the so-called fast protein derived from whey. It is well and quickly absorbed by the body, but it lasts no more than 4 hours.

Obviously, using whey protein is best in situations where the body needs to get and metabolize protein as quickly as possible, that is, in the morning and after training, as well as between meals. It is important to remember that the amount of protein obtained from sports nutrition should not exceed 50% of the total daily value. Perhaps at first you will love the simplicity and convenience of taking protein shakes so much that you will want to make them the mainstay of your diet, but this can have negative consequences.

There are three types of whey protein: concentrate, isolate, and hydrolyzate. They differ in the degree of purification, but studies have not shown clear advantages of more expensive hydrolysates over concentrates and isolates.

Casein (Casein), in turn, is a slow protein, that is, it is absorbed gradually and is able to nourish the body for up to 8 hours.

Slow protein is an ideal way to compensate for the lack of protein intake during sleep and during times when you are likely to miss a regular meal. Casein is absorbed worse than whey protein and contains a more scarce set of amino acids, and therefore acts as an assistant protein for whey.

Multi-component (complex) protein is a mixture of different types of protein. It compensates for the disadvantages of each individual protein, but retains their advantages.

Whey protein is absorbed immediately after ingestion. By the time its peak effect is passed, the body is already assimilating proteins with an average absorption time, and then slow proteins. Thus, periods of amino acid deficiency are excluded throughout the entire time of assimilation of the mixture. Multicomponent protein is universal, and therefore it is used regardless of the purpose, when it is necessary to obtain uniform saturation of the body with amino acids for a long time.

Gainer

A weight gainer is a protein-carbohydrate blend, the best friend of those who cannot gain weight. The problem with thin people is that their body works like a stove. In order for at least something to be deposited in the muscles, it is necessary to cover the appetites of this "stove", which is why it is necessary to greatly increase the calorie content of the daily diet. But how to eat so much? High-calorie carbohydrates in beverage form are ideal in terms of energy value and ease of use.

Weight gainers differ in composition and ratio of proteins and carbohydrates. Often, auxiliary components are added to them, contributing to mass gain. The result is such a super-versatile fuel that makes even the most hopeless pimples grow.

Amino acids

Proteins are made up of amino acids. In fact, it is them, and not the protein itself, that our body assimilates. There are 20 amino acids involved in the creation of protein and, in particular, muscle tissue. Of these, nine are irreplaceable, that is, our body cannot create them on its own in sufficient quantities, which means that they need to be obtained from the outside. In the context of sports, there are three essential amino acids that are collectively referred to as BCAA (Branched-chain amino acids).

BCAA constitute 35% of all amino acids in our muscles, and therefore it is not necessary to talk about the importance of their abundance in the body. The main scientifically proven effects of BCAAs are to stimulate muscle growth and strength, reduce body fat, protect existing muscles from breakdown, and increase the effectiveness of proteins taken.

BCAAs are taken in the same way as whey protein, that is, in the morning, immediately after training, and also additionally at bedtime and between meals when losing weight.

Creatine

Creatine is the world's most popular staple sports nutrition supplement. Creatine helps increase muscle mass and strength, which means it is the best friend of those who want to build, lift more and exercise harder.

It is important to understand that creatine is not a man-made substance and is completely safe. It is produced by our body and is present in the protein foods we eat. The problem is that getting the amount of creatine you need in terms of strength training and muscle growth is difficult. The sports supplement solves the problem simply, elegantly and without negative consequences.

As a rule, creatine comes in the form of capsules or powder, which can be conveniently added to the same protein shakes.

L-carnitine

L-Carnitine is the most widely used fat burner supplement. Whenever it comes to losing weight or drying, L-carnitine is the first to be included in the diet, which in the body carries out the function of transporting fatty acids to the place of their conversion into energy.

The supplement, as with creatine, is not artificial and does not cause side effects. Our body produces L-carnitine itself, and its excess is quickly eliminated. For this reason, it makes no sense to exceed the recommended dosages in the hope of enhancing the fat burning function.

Sports vitamins

Why buy sports vitamins when you can get regular vitamins at any pharmacy? The fact is that ordinary vitamins are designed to suit the vast majority of people, and in no way take into account the needs of those whose lives include sports. As a result, you seem to drink vitamins, but you do not get everything and in insufficient quantities.

Please note: ordinary vitamins are divided into children and adults, and sports vitamins are divided into men and women.

It is important to take into account the peculiarities of physiology, just as it is important to understand the priorities when playing sports. Statistically, men want to improve strength, endurance and recovery, while women are more focused on beauty and tone.

The difference in specific needs specific to a particular type of exercise is compensated by the general variety of vitamins, minerals and other nutrients. For example, the complexes shown in the picture are not just multivitamins, but mixtures, consisting, in turn, of five specialized complex formulations. Together they cover all the needs of the body in an active lifestyle. Regular vitamins cannot do that.

We hope our guide will help you understand the variety of sports nutrition available and find the best options for your goals.