The best sports supplements: These 5 products you really need

It is not every day that a publication in a scientific journal comes along with a concrete recommendation for action for athletes.

However, September 26, 2024 was one of those rare days when Jose Antonio and colleagues published their article “The Top 5 Can't-Miss Sport Supplements” in the journal “nutrients”.

As the title suggests, the publication is about the most effective nutritional supplements that every ambitious athlete should at least consider taking.

So which supplements should you not do without as a fitness enthusiast?

Let's get started:

Beta-Alanine:

Beta-alanine is a non-proteinogenic amino acid that occurs naturally in the body - that is, an amino acid that is not used to build proteins. Beta-alanine serves, among other things, as a precursor to the dipeptide (a compound of two amino acids) carnosine, which acts as an acid buffer in muscle cells. This is useful when anaerobic metabolism causes lactic acid to build up in the muscles during short-term, intense exercise. The increased buffer capacity delays muscular fatigue during high-intensity exercise.

Since beta-alanine availability is the limiting factor in carnosine synthesis, taking the amino acid should, in theory, increase the carnosine concentration in muscle cells. This has actually been shown in a number of studies - as has the resulting positive effect of beta-alanine intake on physical performance.

Anyone who has ever taken a pre-workout booster containing beta-alanine will know it: the tingling sensation on the skin. The temporary paraesthesia is completely harmless. Some people even enjoy the short-term sensory disturbance. To each his own - we at WEIDER do not judge anyone for their supplement preferences.

If you want to feel a tingling feeling in your stomach (or rather in your face), we recommend our Total Rush 2.0 Pre Workout Powder, its portable version, the RUSH Ready-to-Drink or our practical beta-alanine capsules .

Caffeine:

Caffeine is probably the most commonly taken performance-enhancing drug in the world. No wonder, since it happens to be found in our favorite drink, coffee... In addition to the positive cognitive effects (reduced reaction time, mood enhancement, improved memory performance), taking caffeine also improves physical performance. 

Three mechanisms are responsible for the physiological effects of caffeine:

The most well-known mechanism by which caffeine exerts its effect is its antagonistic effect on the adenosine receptor. If the agonist adenosine binds to this receptor, the activity of the nerve cells is inhibited. If caffeine, as an antagonist, blocks this receptor, the nerve cells are activated or disinhibited accordingly, which results in increased attention and concentration.

Mechanism number two is the function of caffeine as a non-selective phosphodiesterase inhibitor. Phosphodiesterase is an enzyme that is consequently inhibited by the intake of caffeine. By inhibiting the enzyme in the skeletal muscle and fat tissue, hormone-sensitive lipase (HSL) is stimulated and glycogen phosphorylase is inhibited.

Influence of these two enzymes leads to increased fatty acid oxidation and a saving of muscle glycogen, which can ultimately lead to delayed muscular fatigue.

The third mechanism by which caffeine can exert its performance-enhancing effect is the release of calcium ions and the inhibition of their reabsorption into the sarcoplasmic reticulum. The sarcoplasmic reticulum, a cell organelle, releases calcium ions into the cytoplasm, where they act as second messengers to induce muscle contraction.

In numerous studies, taking caffeine before exercise resulted in improved strength and endurance performance. It appears that a higher dose results in a stronger performance-enhancing effect. While 1-3 mg of caffeine per kilogram of body weight is sufficient to achieve cognitive benefits, the International Society of Sports Nutrition recommends 3-6 mg of caffeine per kilogram of body weight for increased physical performance. The individual effectiveness of caffeine intake depends on personal tolerance, body weight and caffeine sensitivity. We recommend starting with a smaller amount of caffeine and increasing the dose slowly, depending on your tolerance. In terms of the time of intake, it is recommended to take the caffeine 60-30 minutes before the training session.

For a proper caffeine boost, we recommend our Total Rush 2.0 or our handy and practical Rush Ready-to-Drink in the 250 ml can. Still not practical and handy enough? How about our HZRD Pre-Workout Shot . 200 mg of caffeine in just 60 ml - guaranteed to fit in any pocket!

Creatine:

Who would have thought - creatine has also made it onto the list of the top 5 supplements. The best researched and most widely used performance-enhancing supplement in sports replenishes the creatine stores in your muscle cells and acts as an additional energy store thanks to its ability to regenerate ATP (adenosine triphosphate, the body's "energy currency"). More energy, in turn, means more power during training. In some studies, muscle thickness, muscle strength and muscle endurance have also been improved by taking creatine.

In addition to increasing training performance, creatine is also suspected of reducing training-related muscle damage and improving regeneration after intensive training sessions.

Recently, public interest in creatine has also increased because of its positive effects on our nervous system.

As we have already communicated several times, we are huge creatine fans and recommend that every athlete, without exception, take 3-5 g per day.

When it comes to creatine, our portfolio has something for everyone. Whether it 's Pure Creatine Powder, Creatine Capsules , Creatine-HCL , Krea-Genic or our high-quality Mega Mass Power Creatine Complex, with our products your muscular creatine stores are always full!

Nitrates:

Nitrates are bioactive substances that are used in the body to produce the signaling molecule nitric oxide. Nitric oxide signals the muscle cells in our blood vessels that they should relax. The blood vessels therefore expand, which leads to a better supply of oxygen and nutrients and can also improve the removal of training-related metabolic products. There is also initial evidence that nitrates can increase the number of glucose transporters and/or improve insulin secretion, which in turn could lead to improved ATP synthesis. Although the majority of current studies have examined the influence of nitrate intake on endurance performance, according to a study by Mosher and colleagues, nitrates can also improve performance during strength training. For example, after consuming beetroot juice containing nitrates, subjects were able to lift more weight in three sets of bench presses compared to the placebo group and reached muscle failure less quickly.

Nitrates occur naturally in beetroot, pomegranate extract and green leafy vegetables, among other things. Many endurance athletes swear by beetroot juice, but let's be honest, the taste takes some getting used to for most people. It's a good thing that you can also supplement nitrates:

Both our Total Rush 2.0 and Rush Pump contain the nitrate-rich Oxystorm® extract to provide your body with nitrates to produce nitric oxide.

However, nitric oxide can also be formed via another mechanism:

The eNOS (endothelial nitric oxide synthase) enzyme forms nitric oxide from its direct precursor, the amino acid L-arginine.  L-arginine blood levels can be increased extremely effectively by taking the amino acid L-citrulline. This is why all of our pre-workout boosters contain a combination of the two amino acids. Furthermore, certain secondary plant substances (polyphenols) can increase the activity of the eNOS enzyme, which is why our latest pre-workout booster Mega Mass Pump contains the award-winning enoSTIM® plant extract blend. Our Alpha Genic capsules also contain enoSTIM® and other polyphenol-containing extracts, such as pomegranate extract and CocoaNol® cocoa bean extract.

Protein:

The last of their five recommendations, given by Jose Antonio and colleagues, is proteins, or rather essential amino acids (EAAs). It is well known that protein intake helps maintain and build muscle mass. But what about other performance parameters?

Due to its positive effect on muscle recovery, muscle soreness is reduced and athletes are able to return to action more quickly after an intense training session if they consume sufficient protein. Furthermore, increased protein intake resulted in an increase in strength in some of the studies cited by Antonio and colleagues.

Since the importance of consuming sufficient amounts of high-quality protein sources is, in our opinion, undisputed, a good protein powder, similar to creatine, belongs in the diet of every ambitious athlete. Protein is a no-brainer, so we'll keep it short here:

Whether Protein 80 Plus , Premium Whey or Clear Isolate - with our high-quality protein powders you can easily increase your protein intake. Our Premium EAAs or our Premium Amino Powder also provide you with important protein building blocks. Are you having trouble getting enough calories to build up? Then take a look at our Mega Mass 4000. In addition to high-quality protein sources (milk and chicken eggs), the weight gainer provides a decent amount of calories and also contains valuable Creapure® creatine.

You could almost think that we got the inspiration for our current product portfolio from Jose Antonio and colleagues. However, since all of the products mentioned in this blog article already existed before Antonio and colleagues' work was published, it could well be that the scientists took a look at our shop when preparing their publication. However, that will probably remain a secret forever...

Science or not – what are your top 5 supplements based on your individual practical experience?