Do professional footballers take supplements?
The use of supplements is common practice within the world of football; helping many to achieve their nutrition requirements and meet specific health and performance goals.
Whilst professional footballers do regularly take supplements, this should be to support a ‘food-first’ approach to a performance-maximising nutrition strategy.
Footballers should look to gain their daily macronutrient and micronutrient requirements from food sources in the first instance, and use supplements to ‘add value’ to an already healthy diet.
This includes energy, hydration and recovery supplements to support performances on training and match days.
Are supplements important for football players?
Supplements can help footballers to optimise their performance on the pitch, as well as help to protect them against injury and illness.
Football is a demanding sport consisting of a combination of low-moderate intensity exercise and high-intensity periods during the game.
If energy and nutrient requirements aren’t adequately met, then performance can be impacted, and players can become more susceptible to injury and illness. Supplements can therefore be used as a way of optimising nutrition to maintain physical and mental performance, as well promote recovery and overall health; specially during a congested schedule.
Find out more about football nutrition strategies, in our dedicated X-Change paper.
What are the best energy supplements for football players?
High-carbohydrate supplements taken before and during a game can be beneficial for players looking for an added energy boost, helping to maintain energy and concentration during the match. An energy gel, like Nutrition X’s Energel+, is a great option for footballers to take around 30 minutes before kick-off; whilst an isotonic sports drink like HydraFuel, taken at half time, will support both energy and hydration levels mid-match.
A caffeine supplement, such as the Nutrition X Xplode energy shot, can also help footballers to reduce the perception of fatigue and improve cognitive function during a match; potentially helpful for players that want to improve their abilities when it comes to sprints, running distance and passing accuracy.
What are the best hydration supplements for football players?
Having a solid hydration strategy before and during a game is vital to player performance, as dehydration can make you fatigue faster. Footballers should focus on maintaining a well-hydrated state both before and during exercise, and look to replace electrolytes lost through sweat after. Hydration drinks like Hydra 10 contain the sodium, magnesium and vitamins needed to replenish those minerals and fluids.
What are the best recovery supplements for football players?
There are several supplements that can work alongside a solid nutrition strategy to support a football player’s recovery, such as protein, creatine and Omega-3. Whilst protein can indeed be consumed through food sources, footballers should consider the intake of a slow-release casein protein supplement. Taking casein before bed is proven to optimise muscle protein synthesis overnight.
Find out more about Casein Protein here
For players that sometimes lose their appetite after exercising, the use of protein bars or protein powders could help them to recover adequately after heaving training or a match.
Creatine monohydrate has been shown to help maximise muscle capacity as well as improve lean body mass and strength with training. Consuming it as part of your recovery strategy can also help the body to replenish muscle glycogen stores.
Omega-3 supplements should also be considered as a recovery aid to footballers, as their anti-inflammatory properties can help to modulate the inflammatory reaction. This can be particularly beneficial during intense training and match schedules when recovery time is short.
Discover our range of scientifically-formulated football supplements.
Written by
Monica Hernandez
