Eating healthy and working out are only part of your overall nutrition and fitness goals. Workout supplements can take you to the next level.
What supplements should I take for working out?
Maybe you are feeling pretty good because you are in a groove when it comes to your nutrition and fitness.
You’re eating healthy and working out. You’ve established a cardio schedule that keeps your heart rate up. You have added weights into your weekly routine because you know the value of building muscle and how that ramps up your body’s ability to burn calories.
But have you given any thought to what workout supplements you could be taking? Or how a nutrition supplement can fit into your overall training, nutrition and fitness goals?
Workout supplements for each stage
Adding the right nutrition supplement into your workout routine can help fill in gaps, making up for the vitamins and minerals you’re not getting from your daily meals and snacks. And choosing workout supplements to complement your exercise regimen will help provide your body with the proper training nutrition it needs while working up a sweat.
We worked with Nutrilite™ research scientist and avid bodybuilder and weightlifter Marissa Arterburn to walk through the different types of vitamins and supplements that can help enhance your workouts. Let’s dive in.
Pre-workout supplements
Some workout supplements are designed to be taken before you even pick up a weight or lace up those shoes. Pre-workout supplements can be designed to ramp up your energy, while others are geared toward improving your endurance ahead of a long workout.
For example, taking a pre-workout supplement or sipping an energy drink containing caffeine before you exercise can help raise your energy level. If you need a little help getting started, try an XS™ Energy + Burn drink. In addition to caffeine, it includes ashwagandha root, which helps the body adapt to stress and deliver mental clarity.
You could also try XS Intense Pre-Workout Boost, which has caffeine and a blend of CarnoSyn® beta alanine and rhodiola for increased energy and sharper focus.†
Another pre-workout supplement to consider is nitrate, especially if you’re doing endurance training like running or cycling.
“Nitrate is naturally-occurring in the human body in small amounts and found in certain vegetables, but dietary supplements can be a more convenient and accurate way of delivering a surplus of nitrate,” Arterburn said.
Taken in larger amounts, nitrate turns into nitric oxide, which positively impacts exercise performance by increasing oxygen delivery to active muscles, decreasing muscle fatigue during exercise, and delaying time to exhaustion.
Post workout: Supplements for muscle growth
Once your workout is over, protein can help fuel your body’s recovery, whether it’s in the form of protein shakes, protein-rich snacks or protein supplements for muscle growth.
Protein is important after your workout because it helps your muscles to recover, and once they do you are able to build on that new muscle mass during your next workout. So, using protein as part of your recovery actually sets the stage for your next great workout.
“Protein is also one of the best dietary supplements for obtaining and maintaining lean muscle mass,” Arterburn said.
There are a couple different types of protein that are beneficial after a workout: whey and casein protein. Both are milk products, but they have different benefits for your body after a workout.
Whey protein can be quickly absorbed by your body and is effective right after a workout. It helps your body recover and builds muscle mass. Casein protein is digested more slowly, allowing a steady release of muscle-building proteins over time.
XS Protein Pods have 20 grams of whey protein isolate and are easy to keep in your gym bag to drop in a water bottle after you exercise. “Our protein powder supplements provide branch chain amino acids to help build and repair muscle,” Arterburn said.
Bonus: The naturally-flavored protein pods are also keto-friendly and free of soy, gluten, lactose, fat and sugar. For something easy to grab and go, the ready-to-drink XS Sports Protein Shakes are also super convenient and have 25g of whey and casein protein.
Amino acids for muscle growth
Amino acids are some of the superstars when it comes to supplements for muscle growth. These little organic compounds team up to form proteins, which in turn are macromolecules – the building blocks of life that combine to make up our muscles.
These amino acids are workhorses when it comes to building muscle and muscle recovery. The human body has 20 different kinds of amino acids, which can arrange themselves into hundreds of thousands of different types of protein strands, depending on what our bodies require.
To nourish your body, tap into the amino acids that are right for your nutrition and fitness goals. XS Muscle Multiplier* Essential Amino Acid Supplement helps build lean muscle mass, delivers all nine essential amino acids and helps you rebound after workouts.†
If you are trying to lose fat and keep muscle mass, try a workout supplement like Nutrilite™ Lean Muscle, which contains conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), an essential fatty acid that supports lean muscle retention when combined with a reduced-calorie diet and moderate physical activity.†
Fill the gaps with a nutrition supplement
Nutritional supplements are designed to help fill in the gaps, providing an array of essential vitamins and minerals that you might not be getting from your daily diet. To help reach your nutrition and fitness goals, pick a multivitamin that targets your needs.
The more you exercise and the more active you are, the greater your body’s need might be for B vitamins, antioxidants and electrolytes. Getting these from a daily nutrition supplement can help fuel your body’s natural processes of energy metabolism, muscle function and muscle recovery.
Nutrilite Men’s Daily is tailored specifically to support men’s immunity, energy, muscle and heart health, while Nutrilite Women’s Daily is designed to support a woman’s immunity, energy, eye and bone health.† And both multivitamins help fill nutritional gaps with more than 21 essential vitamins and minerals as well as 200mg of organic plant nutrients.
Fish oil
Lastly, don’t forget the beneficial fatty acids that come from fish oil. Researchers are studying the potential for fish oil bodybuilding benefits, and studies suggest fish oil can support joint health. But the Omega-3 fatty acids found in fish like salmon, sardines and tuna are also good for supporting heart health. If you don’t get enough fish in your diet, you can try a supplement, like Nutrilite™ Advanced Omega.†
Nutritional supplements aren’t a quick fix in and of themselves, but they can help you meet your fitness and nutrition goals when combined with eating healthy and working out. Want to learn more? Check out additional sports nutrition articles on Amway Discover.
