Intra-Workout Supplements

About Intra-Workout Supplements

Intra-Workout Supplements are designed to be taken during sports or exercise to promote performace. A suitable product to meet the needs of your chosen form of activity can make all the difference. Fortunately, Sporty's Health have an extensive range of intra-workouts on offer, each with its own set of unique benefits.

Vigorous exercise place the human body under quite a bit of stress, taking it out of a balanced physiological state. Amino acid levels fluctuate during execise, oxidative-stress increases and stress hormones also peak, creating a maelstrom of biological demands. There are a number of supplements that assist with these heightened needs, such as amino acids, plant-extracts, and specific vitamins and minerals. 

Strenuous exercise creates increases in hormones called glucocorticoids, one of which is called cortisol. This hormone has gained a bad reputation over the years, with bobybuilders thinking that its only role is to strip down muscle and deprive them of their hard-earned gains. However, cortisol is beneficial for us as long as levels aren't chronically elevated, due to factors like psychological stress. Cortisol actually assists in the management of stress, including mental, emotional and physical stressors.

Although we can't (and wouldn't want to) eradicate cortisol entirely, there are ways to minimise its catabolic effects during strenuous exercise. This is where sipping on essential amino acids during exercise can be extremely helpful. After all, muscle tissue is broken down to provide the body with essential EAAs. Supplying them through supplements may reduce muscle catabolism, or at the very least counteract the muscle breakdown by triggering the natural anabolic pathways of the body. 

During aerobic exercise, electrolyte and carbohydrate supplements are useful for maintaining adequate blood volume and blood glucose. If either one of these drops, sports and exercise performance can be negatively impacted. Hydration becomes an issue when exercising in the heat or when appreciable amounts of sweat are lost from the body. The key electrolytes that are lost in sweat are sodium, chloride, potassium, magnesium and to a lesser degree calcium. If these are not replenished, then levels of these important minerals declines over time. This is why a balanced diet, and supplementation during periods of increased demand, are the perfect recipe for mineral homeostasis, wellness and on-going performance. 

Sporty's Health stock many other popular products that may be used during exercise, such as BCAAs, glutamine and taurine. If you're ready to power through your sessions without preconceived notions of what you can and can't achieve, give an intra-workout supplement a go!