Ergogenic Choices

An almost never-ending array of products advertise their performance-enhancing properties. For the most part, however, there is little evidence that well-nourished athletes der ve any of the advertised benefits from the consumption of these products. (On the other hand, those manufacturing and selling the products derive a great deal of benefit.) Athletes should carefully consider the adequacy of their own diets before attempting to use ergogenic aids. These products are expensive, few of them have ever been adequately tested for safety, their contents are often unknown, and the actual amount of the active ingredient is uncertain. Furthermore, the chance that these supplements may be laced with banned substances is real.

Athletes choosing to use an ergogenic aid should proceed cautiously. Speak with an appropriately credentialed health professional (e.g., a doctor, dietitian, or pharmacist) to obtain as much information on the product as possible, and determine if there is a simple dietary fix that would make the supplement unnecessary. When any supplement is consumed for the first time, carefully observe whether gastrointestinal distress or nausea occur, and document your sense of well-being after taking it. Most ergogenic aids are powerful chemicals that are easily handled if taken in the small amounts that naturally appear in the foods we eat. However, when they are taken in the large doses often prescribed to achieve an ergogenic benefit, the impact on your body may be entirely different and unexpected.

Of all the ergogenic aids mentioned in this chapter, it is very clear that carbohydrates hold the greatest promise for improving both endurance and power performance. Before trying anything else, athletes should consider a regular consumption of carbohydrates with plenty of fluids. This is, perhaps, the single most important thing an athlete can do to ensure both an adequate total energy intake and an appropriate consumption of the energy substrate most easily depleted.