People think that great athletes are made through daily hours and hours of exhausting practice. That is not wrong but do you know that a diet makes a person as well? Athletes need supplements and vitamins to accelerate the body’s recovery rate so that wounds can heal faster and worn muscles can recuperate.
These extra nutrients also help the body to endure whatever the athletes put their body through during trainings.
ENDURANCE
Endurance athletes need supplements to help them build up their energy to persist through the long distances and such. Hence, they might need a couple of vitamins and supplements that are different from speed athletes. These following help to build the stamina of endurance athletes:
- B Vitamins
B vitamins can be found in most protein sources – fish, poultry, dairy products and even vegetables. This group of vitamins contain the following enzymes:
- Thiamine
- Biotin
- Niacin
- Folate
- Riboflavin
These enzymes are vital in helping the body metabolize food to turn into energy which is especially important for endurance athletes. They need to be able to maximise the stored energy in their muscles from the food they have consumed.
- Vitamin C
Vitamin C contains antioxidants. These are essential in helping the athletes heal from the wear and tear of heavy training. Considering these are the people that train tirelessly for their sport, they also suffer inflammation because of it. Vitamins help to speed up the recovery process.
Vitamin C also helps maximise the intake of iron and folate, which in turn helps to produce red blood cells to optimise the oxygen intake and transportation of energy to the muscles. Vitamin C can be found it most citrus fruits.
- Vitamin D
Don’t forget vitamin D! Vitamin D aids in the absorption of calcium. The lack of it will cause athletes to feel lethargic and weak. It helps to strengthen bones so that the athletes do not suffer from frequent, or more preferably, no broken bones and fractures that can put them out of commission. Vitamin D from the sun will probably not meet required levels of vitamin D but these foods will!
SPEED
Speed athletes need roughly the same vitamins but there are a few that could give them a bit more energy for quick acceleration. This helps athletes to store more energy in their muscles to achieve their maximum speed in a short period of time:
- Omega 3 (Fish Oil)
Everyone swears by fish oil and it is no surprise – fish oil has a lot of benefits. Fish oil, like vitamin A, also reduces the chances of joint inflammation and help to remove stiffness. It also helps to improve circulation which as a result improves reaction times and also lets you train harder.
- Green Tea Extract
Many people may not know this but green tea helps to improve reaction times as well. Green tea increases the brain and neuron activity. This means that athletes will be more alert, improving their reaction times.
- Zinc
Zinc helps in tissue repair and also helps to maintain muscle endurance. It is also known that athletes are sometimes lacking in zinc so it is important to replenish it. Better muscle endurance helps a lot with speed training because speed training is very focused on the burst of energy that is coming from the muscles.
This is just a list of vitamins that people might not know are able to improve athletes’ performance. There are a lot more supplements that apply to both speed and endurance athletes like potassium and magnesium. Remember to take care of yourself and improve your athletic performance with the help of these supplements!
