In every sport in the world the athleticism, skill level, speed, and every other attribute is increasing. With competition level now escalating the question all athletes ask themselves is how can I stay ahead of the pack. And the simple answer is performance supplements. Now these aren’t your steroids or your HGH pills but natural supplements that will help you and your body. Sports supplements are completely legal, safe, and popular. I use them. Many say they can cause harm but look how many people use them to their advantage. So are they really that bad for you?

Plenty of skeptics on the usage of certain items do not fully know what exactly they are, which is why they might think they are bad. Supplements are a dietary item, meaning they would help make up for a nutritional deficiency. They can be vitamins, amino acids, and minerals which you could take in many forms. A lot of different variety means that a lot of people could enjoy them. Another thing people do not realize is that all the major ingredients in them are all natural and are already in your body, including b-vitamins, protein, ribose, creatine, and caffeine. Also out of all the food we eat you will consume one of these ingredients each day. It is the same as a student taking classes over the summer to get more credits. Just because things can help you doesn’t mean that they are bad for you.
"There is no coherent argument to support the view that enhancing performance is unfair; if it were, we would ban coaching and training. Competition can be unfair if there is unequal access to particular enhancements, but equal access can be achieved more predictably by deregulation than by prohibition. “ said Norman Fost, MD, MPH, Professor and Director of the Medical Ethics Program at the University of Wisconsin in an interview with American Medical Association Journal of Ethics. I think Fost hit on the head. How could you say that an item should be illegal or banned if everyone is welcome to use it and gain off of it when it is in fact legal. Many coaches, players, scientist, and nutritionist all agree that the only bad thing coming from using various supplements is getting to good. I can almost guarantee you that on a college football team at least 95% of the players have protein and various things tucked away in their pantries. A few years ago SportsCenter did a segment on the Florida Gators and it showed the members of the team, after a workout, going to the training room and sucking down protein and Gatorade like it was chocolate milk. Ninety per cent of the 11,000 athletes in attendance of the 2008 Olympic Games used dietary supplements of some kind, according to the European Specialist Sports Nutrition Alliance (ESSNA). One of which was world record holder Michael Phelps.
The main types of supplements athletes take are protein, vitamins, and creatine. Protein is a necessary item that everyone needs to help function, luckily for athletes it is the perfect ingredient next to carbs,( all protein shakes contain carbohydrates as well.) Protein improves recovery time, muscle growth, and muscle mass. Vitamins are also need to function. There are many uses for vitamins but in the sports world the main one you need is B-vitamins. There is a link between high performance and vitamin b based off of a multi college study including Oregon State. The controversial ticker is creatine. Creatine basically adds muscle mass and water weight to your muscles. It also generates more ATP, hence letting you workout longer, and fuels your muscle tissues. Creatine is the biggest question in the world of sports with all the benefits it has.
Many testimonials from professional athletes can be found all over the place but just to name a few who use these types of products : Mike Tyson( world heavyweight boxing champion), Serena Williams( former #1 ranked in the world, Olympian, and countless tournament champion), Brian Dawkins( one of the top DB’s on the NFL), Terrell Owens ( record holder in the NFL), Adrian Peterson( rookie of the year, league leader in rushing yards), and many many more.
Personally I take multi vitamins, drink protein shakes at least twice a day, and various other little packs and pouches. The results are there in everyone who take them. Times increase, strength increases, every aspect of the game is changing. So ask yourself, is improving bad, is making yourself the top dog dangerous, basically is it safe to get ahead?