A brief account on Sports Supplements
Sports Supplements are the extra nutritional source for sports people who need to enhance their fitness levels. Being a sportsperson there is a constant need to have high fitness levels and to be able to withstand the extreme physical exertion that one’s body is subjected to during the span of a particular sports event. These supplements may be available in the form of vitamins, minerals, amino acids, herbs or botanicals. These products usually do not need a prescription. They are no different from dietary supplements. Some of the most commonly found Sports Supplements are as follows: - Androstenedione and DHEA: Androstenedione (also known as andro) and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) are natural steroids that can be broken down into testosterone. However DHEA can also convert into estrogen, progesterone or cortisol. By boosting the testosterone levels these hormones have shown to help the increase of muscle mass and improve overall health condition. It is also known to increase energy levels, enhance nitrogen retention and leads to speedy recovery from injuries or other pains. - Creatine: Creatine is a natural hormone synthesized in the body by the liver, kidneys and pancreas. It is also found extensively in foods like meat and fish. Creatine supplements are usually taken to improve strength. Research has proven that maximum advantage of creatine supplements is acquired when the athlete is performing intermittent high-intensity exercise with short recovery intervals such as sprinting and power lifting. - Thermogenics: These are commonly known as fat burners. Mostly produced from the herb called ephedra (ephedrine, ma huang), it acts as a stimulant and increases metabolism. - Glutamine: Glutamine containing supplements are also used by athletes. It not only helps improve the muscle mass but also boosts the immune system. Studies have proved that it increases your exercise performance. - Soy protein: This is a good protein supplement that is known to contain a number of biologically active ingredients like enzymes. It also contains antioxidants and isoflavones. It helps build the muscle mass in no time when used along with weight lifting. - Casein: Casein or milk protein is rich in glutamine and helps the sports person to recover from an injury faster. It is majorly used by most athletes to inhibit protein breakdown.
-Whey protein: It is another source of protein from milk that helps build muscle mass. It is known to help weight lifters to build muscle rapidly. - Isoleucine, Leucine and valine: These branched amino acids have gained popularity in the bodybuilding industry. It is also used in improving muscle mass and helps in rapid recovery from injury. Thus are the examples of various sports supplements available in the market. It is essential though you know what is exactly that you want or get yourself an expert physician’s advice.
Everything you ought to know about Bodybuilding
Bodybuilding as the name suggests is the sculpting and modification of your body shape with a lot of physical exercise and well balanced diet such that it shows off every muscle in the body. It keeps you in perfect shape and health. It is also a sport. Bodybuilders are judged on the way their bodies are presented with the bodybuilding essentials. This requires enormous training and dedication and is not something that can be achieved overnight. It requires extreme will power to modify your body shape into a perfect mould. Since results are not guaranteed one must not lose hope because it takes a lot of perseverance, patience and consistency. To start with the process of bodybuilding first you must chalk out a plan for the same and be determined on the goals you would like to achieve which might be taking part in the sport itself, modeling or simply for flaunting it to others. The immediate next step would be to consult your physician who is an expert on this subject. In certain cases if you have a medical history of diseases like diabetes, asthma or heart disease involving yourself into bodybuilding process may prove to be fatal. Consulting a doctor is good for chalking out your workout as well as diet plan on the basis of your body type. When you start your workout sessions you must not lose focus or concentration else you might end up getting injured or meet with an accident. If you intend to become a bodybuilder you need to take your entire body into consideration. You must not only concentrate on your arms and chest but also on the entire body workout that gives you the complete sense of achievement. Normally thin and skinny people cannot just directly start off building their body muscles. They need to gain weight initially in order to go about getting the perfect build. However, gaining weight does not involve gaining fats but it involves the gain of muscle mass. In order for this to occur you can always rely on protein bars and drinks. Alcohol and cigarettes should be completely prohibited and junk food must be kept at a safe distance from your daily intake. Adding on too many pounds too quickly is also not healthy. You must take a diet chart from your weight trainer according to your specific body type. The normal recommended food types in your diet are fiber-rich food, proteins, carbohydrates and foods rich in amino acids. Consumption of at least 10-12 glasses of water daily is necessary. Water can be taken before, in between or after the workout sessions. Rigorous workouts cause dehydration so it is essential to consume water in regular intervals. Another
essential thing while going through these rigorous workouts is you must not be disturbed or tensed by any other emotions or thoughts that might lead you to lose your focus. If your mind is not focused you rather skip your workout for the day. You must always remember to warm up before starting the hard routines. Warm up can consist of some slight stretching exercises. Each muscle groups needs some sort of working up to do before you start your weight lifting session. A cardio workout using a treadmill or an exercise bike may prove fruitful. Carefully following these tips while trying to build your body will lead you to attain your goal with ease.
Steps in gaining ultimate body fitness levels
- Maintain a daily record of the type of food you eat and the amount of exercise you have put yourself through. Note down your current vital statistics and take down your current weight and set goals of the ideal physical measurements that you plan to achieve. - Keep a running log of these measurements by having a check on them every week and noting them down. This gives you a complete picture of your progress in achieving your fitness goals. - Think of a reason to lose weight and get fit, that seems like something you want by hook or by crook. This will provide motivation to you whenever you tend to discourage yourself or tempt yourself into unhealthy habits. - Choose the kind of exercise that suits you. Exercising is good overall but not unless you like doing it. There are many forms of exercise for e.g. Aerobics that involves dance moves and music which provides burning of calories as well toning of the body. Add the extra zing to the mundane exercises to make it interesting. You can always take help of a trainer. - Ask yourself why you think exercise is necessary. There are ample of positive health benefits to exercise and they include strengthening of heart and lungs, lowering the risk of heart diseases, keeps high blood pressure and diabetes at bay, increases the good cholesterol in the blood, burns fats, strengthens bones, reduces osteoporosis, increases strength and flexibility, boosts your concentration and makes you alert, relaxes your body and is huge stress buster, enhances immunity and defenses against infections and diseases, improves digestion, circulation, muscle tone, libido, posture and so on. Just knowing these facts inspires you to exercise and gain these invaluable benefits. - Monitor your improvement in your own way so that you know how well your hard work is being paid off. - Eat your meals at appropriate times. Do not skip any meal. - Do not go for crash diets. The more you starve yourself the body stores every bite you eat as fat and attains carbohydrates from muscles thus making them weak. - Do not snack in between. Incorporate fiber-rich foods of natural origin in to your diet. Eat just enough quantities to satisfy your hunger. Avoid stale food and prefer fresh foods. - Eat dinner three hours before you sleep so that you digest your meal properly.
- Take plenty of water in a day. About 8-10 glasses of water are recommended to be consumed on a regular basis. It helps flushing out toxins from your body. - Include more and more physical activities in your lifestyle that helps you burn calories even when you are not exercising. These activities are usually fun and could be in the form of dancing, walking, cycling, climbing, hiking, stair climbing (avoiding elevators), team sports, stretching, Yoga, Tai Chi, ballet, swimming, jumping rope, skating etc. - Always remember to warm your body up before you exercise. This reduces the chances of unnecessary muscle cramps or other injuries. - You could try weight lifting in order to build muscles because muscles are the calorie burners even when you are not working out. - You can always join some sports club in the vicinity that not only makes you fit but also adds on to your sporting skills and is a great source of entertainment and mood enhancer.
The author of this article has an e-store for Sports Supplements. He has great knowledge in Body Building and fitness secrets. He has written many informative articles on Sports Supplements.