Should High School Athletes Take Supplements?

By Christian Duque

 

The first thing we have to address here is permission. High school students are not adults; I don’t care how smart or mature a young adult thinks he/she is; we, at Tokkyo Nutrition, believe that parents know best & we want you to listen them. That having been said, food-based supplements like protein powder & amino acids have no side effects to speak. There are always cases, however, where each individual is unique. Some people, do in fact, have conditions that may not allow them to take even basic supplements. Take creatine, for example. This supplement, while considered very safe, may not be allowed in certain high school sports. Although it’s  non-hormonal & food-based, it can increase strength by as much as 10%; it also increases ATP production & assists in recovery. Some programs may instruct their adherents away from it. It might not make sense, but if you want to compete, you have to follow the rules. Don’t be discouraged though! Even if your federation has weird rules, the single most important aspects to your success are diet & training.

For athletes in high school & the early college years, gains are almost instantaneous. It’s the only time in life when building a quality physique and achieving meaningful gains can both come in pretty short periods of time; sometimes even, with minimal effort.

It’s often been said that the natural testosterone levels of a lifter 18-24 is higher at that age than any other in life. At that age, prohormones & stronger supplements are truly counterintuitive.

Assuming parents do give their blessing, whey protein, aminos, & even a pre-workout powder could be very effective & honestly all that would be needed (If even that). Whey, in particular, puts the athlete in an optimal fat loss mode. Amino acids keep athletes primed during agonizing workouts, games, and/or practices. Finally, a pre-workout powder gives lifters energy, heightened senses, & ingredients that combat everything from fatigue to sore muscles.

We, at Tokkyo Nutrition.com, have a wide range of supplements & education on our products. We invite parents of elite athletes to take a look at our website. Our products may or may not be for you, but rest assured we put out high quality goods on the market & we stand by them. We hope that we’re a good match for you.