Necessary food supplements and vitamins.

Many supplements can help you when you want to dry out. However, always pay close attention to their calorie content. You'll need to take this into account in your diet. Also check whether they contain fast sugars, in which case they should be avoided (except after training, of course).

Vitamins and minerals

When we eliminate elements from our diet, we generally try to eliminate those that are most harmful to our progress. However, as an athlete, you continue to consume more than the average person. Supplementation with vitamins and minerals is therefore very important to ensure that all the chemical reactions take place at cellular level and to enable the body to evolve in the right way.

Proteins

It's not always easy to manage the logistics of 5 to 8 meals a day. Protein powders make it possible to ensure a high protein intake without having to spend hours in the kitchen. However, this is not a product to be demonised or praised as some people like to do. It's simply milk protein with a good taste, sometimes egg protein or, for vegans, pea protein.

Fat burners

Fat burners are an important aid when dieting. They help the muscles to burn fat during the day or during training, and sometimes even at night.

Some have a thermogenic action which raises the basal metabolic rate, while others affect transport or the use of metabolites available to the muscle.

carnitine

Carnitine is a substance that transports fat within the cell. It significantly improves fat burning thanks to its role as a transporter.

It should be taken just before exercise. If it's in capsule form, about 45 minutes before exercise; if it's in liquid form, 10 minutes before exercise will suffice.

When you take carnitine before exercise, you risk sweating more than usual.

Bcaa

As your food intake decreases, so does your BCAA intake, so it's important to take a BCAA supplement. They cannot be synthesised by the body and must absolutely come from an external source.

Hormonal stimulants

During dietary restriction, saturated fat intake is very limited. But saturated fats stimulate male hormones. It is therefore worth adding a hormone stimulant such as tribulus terristris or a natural testosterone booster.

Growth hormone can also be stimulated by NO or AAKG supplementation, which also stimulates muscle development and fat loss

Yves Bondroit coach for QNT