Athletes are always looking for the best way to get a leg up on the competition. Some athletes find workout routines that make them better at their chosen sport. Other athletes use special equipment that makes them faster or stronger. And still others use dietary supplements that give them that extra edge. The trick is that you need to know what supplements to take and when for sports performance boosts.

There are literally thousands of supplements on the market today that are designed to help make an athlete perform at their peak. The hardest part for an athlete is to understand when to take what dietary supplement. Supplements that are taken to improve performance in the various sorts are called ergogenic aids. Athletes looking for supplements to take when competing in sports should look for things that contain the following ingredients.

Branched-chain amino acids or more commonly called BCAA are naturally occurring in the body. BCAA are used to make protein in our bodies. The body uses these BCAA to help build and repair muscles. Non-athletes can get enough of these for their daily needs from eating things like red meat, chicken eggs and dairy products. Athletes however use some many of these it is advisable to use dietary supplements that include a good amount of BCAA. Many experts believe that athletes should take supplements with BCAA before, during and after a workout.

Creatine is also an excellent ingredient in supplements that help increase sports performance. Creatine is also a naturally occurring substance in the human body. As with BCAAs most people are able to get the amount of Creatine they need in their daily diets, but athletes often need to take supplements that contain Creatine to help them get the proper amount.

Basically Creatine is converted in the body to phosphocreatine. Phosphocreatine is a stored energy found in the muscles. Some have suggested that people who compete in high intensity sports such as soccer, basketball and tennis can benefit from taking Creatine supplements before a workout to help with endurance.

A supplement that is good to take right before a sporting event will contain some sort of medium-chain triglyceride (MCT). MCTs are a type of energy that does not have to be processed like e normal carbohydrates. The body absorbs an MCT as a whole molecule and transports it to the liver to use as energy. This has been touted as a great way to avoid having to carb-load before an event.

Many experts also recommend that to help improve sports performance and athletes should always have a decent amount of carbohydrates in the system. Carbohydrate need to be taken before, during and after any form of sporting event or performance. When there are not enough carbohydrates present during an event the athlete's body will start to look for other ways to get energy which can cause the body to tire faster.

Any athletes looking to understand what supplements to take and when for sports performance need to fully research what is best for their bodies in terms of their particular sport. The type of supplement needed by an endurance athlete is much different than a supplement for a weight training athlete.