As a kickboxer or martial artist, your body is your most valuable tool. Your body helps you land powerful kicks and rapid punches and perform well. That's why getting the proper nutrients is vital to help improve your recovery. While a balanced diet is valuable for fitness, supplements can have even more significant benefits. Now, Let's look at some great supplements for martial arts athletes.
1. Protein for Power and Recovery
Muscles depend on proteins to grow and stay strong. They help speed up your muscle growth and recovery after intense training and physical activity. Whey protein has a high biological value and is quickly absorbed, making it one of the best options for post-workout recovery (Schoenfeld, Aragon, & Krieger, 2013).
2. Creatine for Strength and Endurance
The next choice is creatine. It's been proven to increase power and strength, which is very useful for martial arts. Creatine also helps with muscle recovery and increases the efficiency of your workouts over time. (Buford et al., 2007).
3. Beta-Alanine for Endurance
Another supplement is beta-alanine, which targets the acids that cause your muscles to fatigue during hard workouts so you can train longer and perform better. (Hobson et al., 2012).
4. BCAAs for Muscle Recovery
Branched-chain amino acids, or BCAAs, help with muscle recovery and reduce muscle soreness after workouts. This is useful for very active martial arts athletes. (Jackman et al., 2010).
5. Omega-3 Fatty Acids for Inflammation and Heart Health
Omega-3 fatty acids, which are abundantly found in fish oil, help reduce inflammation and pain after intense workouts. These supplements are also suitable for heart health, especially when training hard. (Smith, 2010).
6. Vitamins and Minerals for Overall Wellness
Ultimately, a good multivitamin will help you get all the necessary vitamins and minerals to perform optimally. Even with a good diet, your body can still miss some nutrients, so multivitamins are always a valuable addition.
Remember that these supplements are just a helper and not a substitute for a good diet and regular exercise. Always talk to a doctor or nutritionist before using any supplement to make sure it's right for you and safe. Nourishing your body through both diet and supplements can make a significant difference in your training and recovery. So consider these supplements as friends who can be essential to your athletic success.
References
Buford, T. W., et al. (2007). International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: creatine supplementation and exercise. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 4(1), 6.
Hobson, R. M., et al. (2012). Effects of β-alanine supplementation on exercise performance: a meta-analysis. Amino acids, 43(1), 25-37.
Jackman, S. R., et al. (2010). Branched-chain amino acid ingestion can ameliorate soreness from eccentric exercise. Medicine and science in sports and exercise, 42(5), 962.
Schoenfeld, B. J., Aragon, A. A., & Krieger, J. W. (2013). The effect of protein timing on muscle strength and hypertrophy: a meta-analysis. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 10(1), 53.
Smith, G. I. (2010). The effects of dietary omega-3s on muscle composition and quality in older adults. Current nutrition and food science, 6(1), 14-19.
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1 comment
It was a good article.