Why Should an Athlete use Supplements?
/In the world of sports performance, and recreational athletics, supplements are advertised as magic powders that can enhance your strength gains, make you faster, and help you recover. When an athlete comes to me and asks “what supplements should I be taking?” My initial response is “why?” Why should a high school kid or even a professional athlete consider supplementation? What does their current diet look like? What is their activity level? Often times, when someone thinks they need a supplement, it is because they are missing a piece of their health puzzle.
We must look at the hierarchy of sports nutrition. First and foremost, is the athlete consuming the right amount of calories to accomplish their performance goals? HIgh school athletes that participate in power sports need to gain weight or sustain the weight they are at. This is not always the case of course, but athletic teenagers are energy burning machines. Without proper calorie consumption, the recovery process from training is often slowed, and the adaptation that takes place is slowed as well. Figure out how many calories you burn on a daily basis, monitor heavy and light activity days, and count the amount of calories consumed on those days. This will give you a good idea of why you weigh what you do.
Once we have established that the athlete is meeting their calorie needs, we then have to ensure they are getting the proper ratio of macronutrients. Proteins, carbohydrates, and fats are all required in a healthy diet. Where athletes should be getting their calories will depend on their lifestyle requirements. An endurance runner will either require carbohydrates, or fats as their primary fuel for competition, while the power athlete will hardly ever tap into their fat reserves during competition. Protein has multiple uses in the body, and people often know that protein intake aids in muscle development. How much of each source is macronutrient is dependent on sport and diet.
Where the calories and macronutrients are coming from can be addressed next. If the athlete has special dietary considerations like: allergies, vegetarian, carnivore, etc. These cases will often times require supplementation of missing micronutrients. Taste is another big variable in determining where the nutrients are coming from. If the athlete does not like it, they are less likely to buck up, and eat it.
After considering the where and how, we can now consider the timing nutrient consumption. It has been researched, and generally accepted that there is a time sensitive window after training where our bodies are more nutrient accepting. So, after workouts people will have a protein shake. Some say if you ingest protein during the workout, to protect the muscle. Others will ingest carbohydrates and electrolytes during a workout to prevent fatigue. Pre-workout supplements are also popular as an “energy booster” before training. At the end of the day, timing should be considered if everything else listed above is squared away.
If all these boxes have been checked, we can finally consider the possibility of supplements. If the athlete is missing any key macro and/or micronutrients, supplements are a great way to supply the body with the missing pieces. If an athlete needs an extra edge in training to attain the last percentage of a lift before fatigue, pre-workout and intra-workout supplements can be the answer. Ensure that the supplement is 3rd party tested. The National Science Foundation is the gold standard for 3rd party testing. If the supplement as their approval, you know that what bottle says is in their, is actually in their.
Supplements can be great for enhancing training adaptation and preventing fatigue. However, when someone asks if they should use supplements, there is often a reason why. Not all supplements are bad, and they should not be scoffed at without knowing the facts. They are a viable answer to real problems that may have arisen from special dietary and/or training considerations.
Thank you for your time!
Coach Nate Garcia
nate@tpstrength.com
tim@tpstrength.com
scott@tpstrength.com
914-486-7678
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