Going to the gym or simply doing exercises to take care of your figure and get a flat tummy are pretty simple things for women these days. However, many of them don't attach great importance to what they wear to practice their physical activities.
A sports outfit or equipment is important to increase performance, confidence, or to prevent injury. This article tells you more!
Appropriate clothing optimizes athletic performance
When it comes to sport, there are many ways to help you achieve your goals. For example, to achieve a flat stomach, you can help yourself with fat burners, like this one for example. While for better performance, you can choose clothing designed with this in mind.
As an illustration, if you practice swimming, be aware that there are swimsuits that are banned from competitions. Because they contribute to a more advantageous hydrodynamics for their wearer. Already this type of suit is designed to reduce friction in the water, as well as to optimize the efficiency of leg and arm movements. So if you don't swim competitively, a good wetsuit will allow you to swim better.
How to choose your tracksuit for men?
Popular for its comfort and ease of movement, jogging suits can be worn for sports activities or simply for relaxation. Which material to choose, how to complete your outfit according to the different activities you plan to do...? All the answers to the questions you ask yourself to help you in your choices!
Modern and pleasant textiles
Light and soft, warm and flexible, but also breathable, the materials that make up jackets and jogging pants are very pleasant to wear. In cold weather, we like to put on a jogging suit in fleece which, in addition to having all the characteristics previously mentioned, has the advantage of drying quickly.
A soft fleece tracksuit is perfect for mid-season and is very cozy but not as warm. When temperatures are milder, cotton is very comfortable, as is microfiber polyester, which is almost wrinkle-free.
When it's really hot, you can easily ditch the long-sleeved jacket and pants in favor of a tank top or short tee. Here again, if the quality of textiles is important, the real choice between cotton and polyester is made according to individual preferences. If your skin is very sensitive, you will probably prefer cotton for its incomparable softness. Even if the touch of microfiber fabrics also has its followers, and that their fibers have the enormous advantage of drying ultra quickly and being almost wrinkle-free...
A versatile sportswear
A must-have in the sportsman's wardrobe, the jogging suit can be used for a variety of activities: super practical for running in winter, it's great for hiking and even cycling! It's also the all-purpose emergency garment, to be put on in the evening after an intense day that is rewarded with a good shower.
In some sports circles, hasn't the jogging-sneaker combo that follows a massage session become trendy, if not cult-like? So whether you're camping or in the woods, at home or in the wilderness, don't forget your jacket + jogging pants set.
And if you're looking for sportswear ideas or maintenance tips, check out our articles "Men's sportswear essentials" and "Maintaining your pants, shorts and Bermuda shorts".
And you, how do you wear jogging?
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How To Choose The Best Pre-Workout Supplements
Knowing the best pre-workout supplements to take and how their ingredients work is absolutely essential to breaking workout plateaus and getting the results you want in the gym. Here we take a look at some of the most researched and documented pre-workout ingredients, then categorize them by specific training goal so you can be better informed when choosing the right pre-workout for you.
Pre-Workout Supplements for Fat Loss
When choosing a pre-workout supplement to help you lose fat, it is advisable to look for an active ingredient that contains caffeine, as many studies have shown that it speeds up the metabolism in the human body by up to 10%. Although it is not known exactly how this is achieved, some experts theorize that caffeine "enhances fat oxidation and spares muscle glycogen by creating a more favorable intracellular ionic environment in active muscle" (Graham. T.E., 2001).
In addition, researchers at Yale University have found that the "favorable intracellular ionic environment" created by caffeine can improve your ability to burn more calories during exercise by stimulating the production of the neurotransmitter beta-endorphin, which studies have shown can reduce pain and fatigue. This can then increase the intensity and duration of your workouts. So whether it directly increases your metabolism or simply improves your workouts, it's clear that taking 100-200 mg of caffeine pre-workout can increase the amount of fat you can burn. So, caffeine-based pre-workout formulas may be the best pre-workout supplement for fat loss.
Pre-Workout Supplements for Strength
While experts say creatine monohydrate can be taken at any time of day, it is widely believed that the best pre-workout supplements for strength should contain creatine monohydrate. Proven to boost our production of adenosine triphosphate (the molecule needed for muscle energy during any fast, heavy or powerful movement), it has been shown to not only improve the strength, speed and power of your muscles, but also, via the McMaster University study in Canada to increase muscle mass. It's essentially an absolute must for all strength athletes, so be sure to look for it in all pre-workout strength building formulas.
Pre-Workout Supplements for Muscle Size
Most bodybuilders would have used a nitric oxide activator at some point, either during training or on competition day. Nitric oxide (NO) is an important signaling molecule that acts in many body tissues to regulate certain physiological and cellular processes. It is synthesized from the amino acid L-arginine in the endothelium of blood vessels (a thin layer of cells) by an enzyme called nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) that catalyzes the conversion of l-arginine to nitric oxide and citrulline.
Once produced, nitric oxide is a potent vasodilator, meaning that it serves to relax the smooth muscle cells of blood vessels and increase the diameter of the lumen (the middle space of the blood vessel where blood flows). Ultimately, this means that as the lumen expands, blood flow increases, resulting in an increase in muscle size. There are various nitric oxide activators on the market, but citrulline malate is the most commonly used. So be sure to look for this active ingredient in any pre-workout formula you purchase to increase the "muscle pump."
Pre-workout supplements for endurance
First and foremost, the best pre-workout supplements for endurance should probably contain some form of carbohydrate. This is because carbohydrates are our body's main source of fuel. Therefore, before you look at endurance-boosting amino acids or herbal extracts, it's important that the basics are sorted out first and as a scientist from the Department of Physical Education at Loughborough University stated. The ingestion of carbohydrates in the first hour of exercise significantly improves endurance capacity compared to water alone," simple.
Secondly, it may be worth supplementing with the non-essential amino acid beta-alanine, as a study conducted at Florida Atlantic University showed that it increased the concentration of the dipeptide carnosine in the muscles, which in turn could buffer lactic acid and reduce the onset of fatigue. Therefore, adding it to any pre-workout formula will go a long way in combating the burning sensation you feel before you fatigue in training or competition. The final supplement that helps with endurance is citrulline malate, a unique combination of the amino acids citrulline and organic salt malate that has been shown in numerous studies to "improve athletic performance" (Perez-Guisado, Joaquin, 2010). To do this, it improves the efficiency of the aerobic system of the body.
In fact, according to a study conducted at the Biological and Medical Magnetic Resonance Center in France, as little as 6 grams of citrulline malate resulted in a significant reduction in the feeling of fatigue due to a 34% increase in the rate of oxidative adenosine triphosphate production during exercise and a 20% increase in the rate of phosphocreatine recovery after exercise, indicating a greater contribution of oxidative ATP synthesis to energy production (Benedahan et al., 2002). In simpler terms, this simply means that citrulline malate is able to increase the body's ability to deliver oxygen to the muscles and thus regenerate adenosine triphosphate, a molecule necessary for muscle contraction and efficient work.
Pre-workout supplements for motivation
Finally, if you're looking for the best pre-workout motivational supplements, they should probably contain caffeine, as it has been shown to increase alertness. It does this through a variety of mechanisms, starting with stimulating the sympathetic nervous system, which in turn stimulates the cardiovascular system, heart rate and blood pressure. Secondly, it increases dopamine levels and thus causes excessive stimulation of your pleasure center in the brain.
Finally, it has also been proven that the fight against drowsiness and increased alertness was caused by a build-up of adenosine in the brain, as caffeine prevented adenosine from binding to the brain. Still on the subject of motivation-enhancing pre-workout formulas, most energy drinks now contain caffeine and taurine. Taurine is a naturally occurring amino acid found in high concentrations in white blood cells, skeletal muscle and the central nervous system. When combined with caffeine, researchers at the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Vienna in Austria found improved cognitive functioning and mental well-being.