Whether you are an amateur swimmer or a professional, supplements for swimmers can be important for maintaining your performance. Finding the right supplement for your needs can be difficult without guidance. In this article we will discuss the best supplements for swimmers and how to use them!
What are supplements for swimmers?
Supplements are any product that is not food, but can be taken to improve your performance. Supplements for swimmers include products like electrolytes and multivitamins.
- Electrolytes help maintain the body’s water balance in order to keep muscles from cramping.
- Multivitamin supplements provide vitamins your diet may lack such as A, C, D and E vitamins.
- Creatine supplements help to increase muscle, shorten recovery time and delay fatigue.
- Protein supplements are supplements that provide protein, which is essential for muscle growth.
There are many different types of supplements available on the market and it can be hard to know what will work best for you as a swimmer without guidance! Keep reading to find out more about how these products can help your performance in the pool and give us some feedback on which supplements fit your needs.
What supplements should I take?
- If you do not eat well or have a difficult diet due to allergies, then consider taking multivitamin supplements and calcium supplements (if needed)
- You may also want to take supplements such as A, C, D and E vitamins or creatine supplements
- Protein supplements are also a good idea for building muscle.
- Creatine can be a good idea if you’re working on a strenuous routine as they help you to increase your muscle mass and recover your muscle.
These can be taken daily depending on your needs.
The best way to know if you need a supplement or what type of supplement is by consulting with a health care professional who has experience working with athletes! Your doctor or coach will be able to advise you on whether there are specific deficiencies in your diet that might require supplementation. They also have more information about how supplements work together so they can ensure they do not interfere with each other.
Why do swimmers need supplements?
Swimmers are notorious for training and competing in extreme conditions. Training is intense, high-energy, demanding long hours of endurance with low calorie intake (which leads to malnutrition)…and this doesn’t even cover competition! Add on the grueling heat that many swimmers train and compete from summer through early fall, or those who swim year round all over the world’s oceans, lakes and rivers… well you get the idea.
Swimmers need supplements because they lose minerals like calcium in their sweat. Don’t underestimate the amount of minerals that one can lose with swimming.
Also, supplements can also help people who may not be eating healthy or enough food due to restriction, lack of time and motivation, etc. Especially in this day and time, we don’t usually have time for every activities and eating is usually disregarded as a unimportant activity.
How can I get the right ones for me?
The most important supplements for swimmers are electrolytes, protein & time release carbohydrates (i.e., maltodextrin). A carbohydrate shake or carbohydrate bar is also beneficial if you need an extra boost before practice to give you the energy needed to push through those last laps.
When choosing which supplements to take we suggest sticking with products that have been proven safe and effective such as Legion’s Recharge which is made up of 100% natural ingredients including creatine monohydrate, sodium bicarbonate, potassium citrate, and calcium phosphate dibasic – all vitamins and minerals which are essential for muscle function, blood clotting, and maintaining a healthy nervous system.
Are there any side effects to worry about?
There are a few side effects which can be of concern to swimmers. If you take supplements with iron, it’s important that your body gets enough vitamin C because the two together may make getting anemic more likely.
Supplements with calcium should not be taken if you have kidney problems or high blood pressure – and even healthy people who take too much could get constipated, so just watch out for how many pills you’re taking!
Omega-three fatty acids can cause fishy breath – but don’t worry this is normal and temporary.
There may be reaction after taking in new supplements, stomach cramps are usually the case and the sympton will go away in a few minutes or hours.
How should you take these supplements and when should they be taken?
- These supplements are for swimmers to take before and after a swim.
- After swimming, the body is depleted of certain micronutrients that it needs in order to recover from strenuous exercise.
- The best time to be taking these supplements is right after a workout or competition lasting over 30 minutes when your muscles need an extra boost.
- If you are a competitive swimmer and are not sure if these supplements would be beneficial for your needs, talk to your coach.
What other things should I know about taking supplements as a swimmer?
One of the most important supplements for swimmers is a multivitamin. The body can’t make its own vitamin C and it’s hard to get enough from food, so don’t forget about this one!
Warm up before exercise; cool down after. Muscles should be warm when you start exercising (ex: like in your morning swim practice) but muscles shouldn’t be cold when they’re not being used – that increases their likelihood of injury.
Hydration is key – remember to drink lots of water and/or other fluids (such as sport drinks) while swimming will help keep your organs healthy as well!
Fueling up with carbs 30 minutes before swimming helps performance because you’ll then have more energy during the workout than if you had waited.
If you’re training for a race, try to do some of the races as time trials so that your body gets used to swimming at different speeds.
Finally, remember to stretch before and after workouts! A cold muscle is more likely to be injured than warm one. You can find a good routine online or in a book like “Swim Smooth” by Adam Young and Paul Newsome, or “Total Immersion” by Terry Laughlin and John Delves.
Final thoughts
So, what supplements should you take to help your performance? The answer really depends on what’s going on. If you’re not getting enough nutrients and calories (sometimes because of a restrictive diet), then taking in additional ones through supplementation may be helpful. But if you don’t have time for food due to training or are already eating as much as you can, supplements may not be the answer.
Remember that supplements are just that – a supplement to your diet and training. They’re there to help out, but they don’t replace anything you should already be doing for best performance in the pool or on land!