Supplements To Improve Endurance Capacity
This blog has been adapted from lessons from the Engine Nutrition Program, to give you an insight into supplements to improve endurance performance! In the program we look at things from the perspective of aerobic capacity and then anaerobic capacity. Here, i’ve combined the supplement recommendations for the best supplements for endurance athletes. Enjoy!
Endurance Boosting Supplements To Increase Aerobic Capacity
We know that a food first approach is ideal, but supplements can help in certain scenarios. When we increase our training load, we need more of certain nutrients. Supplements can help us meet those needs.
Let's break down the best supplements for endurance and stamina. All links are at the bottom of the page. We'll start with aerobic supplements that will increase baseline capacity.
Nitrates For Efficient Energy Production
When we consume nitrates in our diet, they are converted into nitric oxide in our body. Nitric oxide may help the body use energy more efficiently. This can save ATP, making more available for longer exercise sessions.
Foods or substances like nitrates, that increase vasodilation also boost blood flow. This means they help deliver more nutrients and clear out waste products.
Here are a few benefits that researchers found in the research (references at the end).
Improving high-intensity exercise tolerance
Good potential for intermittent team-based exercise
Improving cycling time trial performance (Scientists love cyclists)
Increasing time to exhaustion
Reducing the oxygen cost of exercise
Improving muscular endurance
Our advice is to eat some nitrate rich foods regularly but supplement with beet it shots before 1-2 sessions per week.
>> READ THIS ARTICLE FOR MORE INFO ON NITRATES <<
Iron For Aerobic Capacity
Iron is a mineral and it is the most abundant trace mineral in the body! Most Iron in the body is in haemoglobin and myoglobin, but it is also present in some enzymes.
Its primary function is to transport oxygen around the body in the blood. Oxygen in the lungs attaches to haemoglobin in red blood cells. These cells carry oxygen throughout the body and release it where needed.
An iron deficiency can lower work capacity because it reduces oxygen delivery in the body. Not want we want!
Deficiency can happen for many reasons. These include not getting enough iron, poor absorption, or losing too much iron. Excessive bleeding or intense training can also cause iron loss.
The body does not excrete excess Iron well, toxicity can also be an issue!
Our advice is to try and get iron from foods and get your levels tested. You can get this done via your GP or using at home test.
B Vitamins To Help Produce ATP
B vitamins are important for making energy. Since the body cannot store them, we need a steady supply.
B vitamins play an essential role in improving the aerobic system!
A good B complex can really help manage fatigue and improve energy levels. We prefer this to a multivitamin as the levels of B vitamins are normally very low in multivits.
ZMA For Improved Recovery
Some people love it and swear by its muscle-enhancing powers. Some say it's a useless waste of money. Some just say the weird dreams you have while taking it will blow your mind.
ZMA, short for Zinc and Magnesium Aspartate. It is basically just a blend of zinc, magnesium and vitamin B6.
Zinc and magnesium play important roles in many body processes. You will need more of them when you exercise more.
However, it is fairly easy to get them from your diet. But, your needs increase with more training.
Some people see great results with ZMA. They experience better recovery, improved sleep, and stronger immune function. This often happens because they were lacking these nutrients.
Ensure you have eggs, meat, leafy greens, seeds, nuts, fortified cereals and beans in your diet regularly you should box of most
Should you take ZMA? If you are training twice per day - probably yes.
This could be a sensible addition.
But maybe get a blood test done first to check your levels.
Omega-3 Fatty Acids For Performance and Recovery
There are many great benefits to getting enough fish oil and other essential fatty acids (EFAs) in your diet. The fish oil fats, EPA and DHA, can help fight stress, promote a healthy physique, and accelerate recovery from training.
Increasing your training load can cause more inflammation and stress in your body. Fish oil has been shown to reduce these effects. This can help you return to the gym more effectively.
Essential fatty acids are important for good health. However, many people do not know two key points about taking fish oil:
As awesome as fish oil is, it needs to be consumed in the correct ratios with other fats. More is not better. And if you’re not reducing your intake of other more inflammatory fats, you may not reap the cool benefits of fish oil.
Second, it’s wise to consider dietary fat along with protein and carbs, as well as your overall diet. Adding fish oil to a poor diet or unhealthy lifestyle may help. However, it is not a magic solution for your problems.
Should you take a fish oil? Yes.
Even if you consume oily fish regularly it may be a good idea to include a fish oil supplement. 3g per day is suffice.
Supplements To Increase Stamina and Anaerobic Capacity
We've covered supplements to improve aerobic capacity, these next few are supplements that can help improve your endurance by improving your anaerobic capacity.
They are some of the best endurance supplements out there that can help delay onset of fatigue and slow that lactic acid build up.
Benefits Of Beta Alanine
This is a non- essential amino acid that combines with histidine and converts to CARNOSINE. Carnosine is a buffer that delays the burn from lactic acid to occur so we can sustain exercise for longer (neutralises H+).
Beta- alanine reduces and delays fatigue by neutralising H+ from lactic acid making it one of the best supplements for stamina there is.
The recommended dose is 4-6g per day for around 4 weeks to see the effects! Timing doesn't matter greatly as it's about improving total muscle carnosine content but it's popular in pre-workout formulas
Sodium Bicarbonate For Improved Endurance Performance
Sodium Bicarbonate is another fantastic supplement for endurance as it enhances the buffering capacity of the extracellular space of the cell, allowing you to perform longer at a higher intensity.
This makes it one of a few effective endurance enhancing supplements.
However, consuming too much can cause gastric distress. So there are two ways we can work around this. Acute loading the week before a competition or important workout / training day. Or a smaller intake over a longer period.
Recommended doses are between 100-300mg/kg BW, there is a dose response but the more you take the more likely you are to suffer from some gastric upset!
X - Endurance Lactate: One Of The Best Supplement Brands For Endurance
This supplement has been used by a number of our clients and athletes with some great feedback. It has been shown to -
Aid muscle buffering capacity
Improve time to fatigue
Reduction in oxidative stress
This should be used around times where you have competition or really tough training period.
The ability to buffer lactic acid makes this one of the best supplements for endurance athletes.
There we have it some of the best supplements for stamina and endurance on the market. If you are an endurance athlete these are the supplements you should be considering to improve your endurance. There are a couple more such as Caffeine and of course intra workout carbohydrates can also be considered supplements but these are a few that you may not have thought of!
