Exercise supplements, as the name suggests, are designed to be taken during exercise. During longer workouts (longer than 1 hour), they can help to push the fatigue threshold, provide energy and help you stay focused on the task at hand. These drinks contain minerals, B vitamins and sugar as their main ingredients. They are also called electrolyte drinks because of their mineral content.
Muscle function requires the highest levels of sodium, chlorine, calcium, magnesium and potassium, so replenishing these during intense workloads of over 1 hour is key. If mineral deficiencies occur, performance will also be reduced and an electrolyte drink should prevent this.
B vitamins are mainly involved in energy production and stimulate the production of several hormones that affect the brain. Therefore, they help fight fatigue and contribute to the proper functioning of the nervous system. They help us concentrate better and make us less tired.
As the intensity of the workload increases, the more sugar the body uses as energy to maintain the sweat function. This is because of the breakdown of fat is slower, so the body cannot maintain fast speed or strength from fat. As intesity decreases the more fat sources our body uses. Therefore, if you are moving very intensely (heart rate in the elevated range), you may run out of sugar stores (glycogen stores) in the first hour or so, and to replace this, you should consume a mixture of fast-absorbing and slightly slower-absorbing sugars. After the first hour, between 30 and 60 grams. If you exercise for an hour, you can stimulate your performance by smearing this sugar solution on your sled.
A combination of BCAAs and L-glutamine can also be an effective way to stimulate performance during training. Because L-glutamine can be used by our body to produce sugar as needed. And BCAAs work in the following way: serotonin is produced during exercise, this "hormone" makes us feel happier after exercise, but causes a feeling of fatigue during exercise. Serotonin is produced from tryptophan, and BCAAs compete with tryptophan to get it to the brain. Therefore, BCAA consumption before/during exercise can help to lower serotonin levels, thus reducing feelings of fatigue.
