Vitamins and Supplements

Multivitamins have long been considered an essential pre-workout nutrition supplement for an overall better quality of life. Researchers gathered evidence from three studies assessing the potential benefit of multivitamins for overall health. Glutamine is the most commonly occurring amino acid in the human body. It is responsible for transporting nitrogen into your muscles. Glutamine also plays a large role in metabolism, the functioning of your immune system, protein synthesis and energy restoration. During heavy workouts, your body’s glutamine levels can become depleted, sometimes taking a week to get back to a normal level. Supplementing glutamine allows you to work out rigorously without running the risk of depleting your natural stores.

Whey protein shakes are probably the most widely used pre-workout nutrition supplement on this list. They are a clean and simple way to reach your daily protein intake quota. If you come in shy of the amount of protein you need per day (0.7 grams per pound of body weight) you risk falling into catabolism. Protein helps your muscles repair and grow after exercise. Vitamin C is probably the most widely used single vitamin. It's known as an antioxidant, and is often recommended as a remedy for the common cold. There is even research to suggest that it may have cancer preventing properties due to its ability to aid the body in fighting off malicious cells. The RDA for Vitamin C intake is 40mg per day – although, as with many health guidelines, the numbers suggested only really take into account the amount necessary to avoid health problems relating to a vitamin deficiency. In the fitness industry they’re far more focused on optimising health. Most people take vitamin C year round to avoid minor colds and flus, and if you do feel something creeping up on, some takes a high dose of 2000-3000mg. In other opinions, anyone with a strenuous and active lifestyle should consider supplementing Vitamin C as a general boost to the immune system.

Beta Alanine is a non-essential amino acid responsible for the amount of Carnosine in our muscles. Carnosine is heavily involved in sports performance. It’s a pretty intricate process to go into how exactly Beta Alanine acts in the body, but the upshot is that it creates more Carnosine, which stabilises the PH level of your muscles and in turn translates to a better performing athlete. Creatine has a bad reputation, but fundamentally it's a nitrogenous organic acid that occurs naturally in your body. It leads to greater ATP creation in the body, which translates into greater amounts of energy available under strain. An athlete who could squeeze out 5 reps on a given weight without creatine could feasibly expect to get 6 or 7 reps out of the same weight. As long as other things are optimised, it would lead to extra size and strength gains. ZMA (Zinc monomethionine and aspartame and Magnesium Aspartate) is used by many bodybuilders and athletes as a recovery aid. Researchers suggest it raises testosterone production by up to 30pc. Others find that it helps recover quicker from exercise, sleep better, and increases the body’s libido pretty significantly.