Sports supplement: what is it for

Let’s find out when to take sports supplements

Have you heard a lot about sports supplements but still have doubts? Do you think that by exercising at an amateur level you don’t need to supplement the right nutrients? Or are you a professional looking for the perfect product to push your limits? Between the web, advertising and television we are hammered with incomplete and often confusing information. In this article we will tell you about the importance of taking a good sports supplement.

In the sports world, especially in endurance sports such as running and cycling, athletes undergo very intense workouts putting both body and mind to the test. From those who play sports occasionally to those who train on a daily basis, whether competitive or amateur, proper nutrition, hydration and supplementation at the right time can really make a difference under stress and greatly improve performance.

Generally, during a workout (not at maximum intensity) of 90 minutes, natural glycogen reserves, the basis for energizing the body during exercise, are consumed. As the duration and intensity of the work increases, these reserves run out, the muscles begin to burn, energy is depleted, and fatigue sets in. In order to continue the activity and achieve your goals, you need to replenish energy and the right nutrients. Supplements for athletes are an indispensable ally and every athlete, amateur or professional, needs to know about them and when and how to use them.

What does sports supplementation consist of

As the very etymology of the word indicates, the supplement has the task of precisely supplementing certain substances when they are lacking, such as in the case of particular diets or food allergies. As far as the supplement for sports is concerned, compensating for a deficiency on the nutritional level becomes really crucial, especially in contexts of intensive and repeated exertion. During physical activity, the body consumes a large amount of nutrients to produce energy, and sports supplements are designed to replenish that deficiency, allowing for better performance during exertion and easier recovery in the post-workout phase.

The job of the sports supplement is not to improve performance (that takes perseverance, hard training, and a lot of sacrifice) but to assist it so that performance does not lapse and rhythms remain high. The goal is to integrate the right amount of essential nutrients for physical exertion, at the exact time they are needed, providing only those, without weighing down. To be effective, supplementation should be done before physical activity begins to saturate glycogen stores, during exertion when fatigue sets in, and after activity to aid energy and muscle recovery.

Sports supplementation: which nutrients to focus on

Depending on the discipline you practice and the intensity of your workouts, during sports performance, it is a good idea to take 30 to 90 grams of carbohydrates per hour to keep performance consistent. To obviate the timing of food digestion and the problems of nausea, heaviness and return of taste typical of many athletes who are particularly delicate at the gastrointestinal level under stress, supplements were born, which can provide only the useful nutrients, immediately assimilated and easily digested.

These nutrients include:

• Maltodextrins: chains of more or less complex carbohydrates that provide energy immediately, improve performance by staving off fatigue.
• Fructose 1,6-diphosphate: the “activated” version of glucose, it is rapidly metabolized and is immediately ready to release compounds with highly energetic phosphorus bonds.
• Highly branched cyclodextrins: a slow-release energy source that allow energy to be released over the long term (even 4h after assimilation), support performance and aid rehydration during sports activity.
• Carnosine: able to counteract the symptoms of lactic acid extending performance.
• Arginine: amino acid capable of improving endurance and oxygenation of muscles.
• Carnitine: able to accelerate lipid metabolism and thus produce energy.

Sprintade®: supplementation for athletes

Born out of long research processes, the Sprintade®products line was created to support all athletes during sports, specifically for endurance sports such as cycling, marathon, triathlon and ironman, ensuring the highest quality supplementation and rapid, targeted assimilation.