Top 4 Nutrition Supplements for CrossFitters, Backed Up By Science
Just in case you haven’t noticed, CrossFitters around the globe are getting fitter, stronger & faster every day.
We now have so many strong lifters out there who are excellent at what they do and one of their biggest secrets is this, they give serious attention to their nutrition & supplements.
You can supplement everything nowadays and it’s not uncommon to have closets full of vitamins & nutrition, this is most especially true for the fitness enthusiasts. Unfortunately, their closets get so full of vitamins that they don’t even get to use some of them and sadly, those other vitamins have no documented benefits as well.
With CrossFit, it’s all about taking the right & most suitable supplements for you.
The following 4 supplements I’m about to share with you are scientifically backed up.
These 4, I use every day, especially when I ramp up during heavy training seasons.
Check out these 4 supplements that are not a waste of money & come backed up with scientific research and I highly recommend.
My Top 4 Supplements.
#1 Creatine
Creatine is known to be a natural substance that turns into creatine phosphate. This creatine phosphate makes a substance called adenosine triphosphate (ATP) in the body, which is what provides the energy for muscle contractions. Thus, if it is your goal to enhance your muscle mass, this is the most suitable supplement for you.
Creatine is what CrossFitters, including myself, take in order to improve the strength of the body, increase the lean muscle mass and help the muscles recover quicker during routines. It also known to help athletes like me achieve bursts of speed and energy, especially during high-intensity workouts such as heavy weight lifting & sprinting. It’s the components of creatine that help achieve these.
#2 ZMA
This supplement is still being tested and researched, it contains zinc, magnesium and vitamin B6. Studies have shown & proven that all these three play key roles in one’s immune health. Individually, both zinc and magnesium have been shown to reduce muscle fatigue and either raise testosterone levels or prevent a fall in testosterone due to exercise. Thus, it is crucial for a CrossFitter to take this in order to build the body’s immunity and breakdown from strainus training, making it less prone to any sickness or weak conditions.
Its individual nutrients also provide various health benefits such as improving blood sugar control, mood & sleep quality, all being important aspects of becoming a CrossFitter. Given its components, ZMA may also improve one’s athletic performance.
#3 Protein Powder
You need protein in your diet to help your body repair cells and make new ones. Protein is important for growth and development of muscle mass, nerve tissue as well as maintaining your metabolism. Depending on your dietary preference some people tend to get not enough protein through food intake and can benefit from supplementing it. Powders come in many different forms. The most common among athletes are whey, soy & casein protein. All of these three are complete proteins which means they contain amino acids necessary for dietary needs. Further to that, this is perhaps the most popular nutritional supplement for CrossFitters as protein is the essential macronutrient that helps build muscle & repair tissue.
Given its components, using protein powder may also aid weight loss and help athletes tone their muscles. Thus, this supplement is highly recommended for weight management & muscle growth.
#4 Electrolytes
Among the 4, this may be what not most athletes are very familiar with. So, let me tell you what electrolytes are.
Electrolytes are the substances that conduct electricity when dissolved in water and these are vital for the healthy functioning of a human body. Everyone of us, athlete or not, need these to survive. Why? It’s because electrolytes regulate the nerve & muscle function, hydrate the body, balance blood acidity & pressure and help rebuild damaged tissue. All these are necessary for a human body to function healthily.
The most common electrolytes in the body include sodium, potassium, calcium & bicarbonate. All these are required for a muscle to contract and the tendency when these substances become imbalanced is for the muscles to be weak & for there to be an excessive contraction. It’s highly important for us to have a balanced electrolyte.
Conclusion
It is a very “less is more” and as always being consistent at taking these supplements is that will bring your results. These 4 supplements are what I take & what helped me throughout my CrossFit trainings & routines. If you’re a CrossFitter and you want to become stronger and spend on your nutrition that actually have proven benefits, these are the best supplements I can recommend.
If you want to read more about performance hacks and nutrition checkout this post where we dig into why carbs are important for crossfit performance.
all the best
//Eik
